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Automated Code Compliance Checking Based on a Visual Language and Building Information Modeling

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One of the most important issues during the planning of a construction project is to maintain the quality of the design planning constantly at a high level. Therefore this quality must be checked continuously in terms of accuracy and compliance to the applicable codes and guidelines throughout the duration of a project. Nowadays this checking process is laborious, cumbersome and error-prone since it is mostly performed manually based on two-dimensional planning and iteratively at each planning change by the responsible planning consultant. Recently, various approaches attempted to automate this highly relevant process with the help of digital methods, such as Building Information Modeling, in order to reduce the amount of work and increase the quality of the planning at the same time. Although this Automated Code Compliance Checking has been implemented using a variety of different methods, most of the existing approaches fail because they represent the information of rules in an insufficient or overly complex manner. In this paper a short analysis of the pros and cons of selected existing approaches is given and subsequently minimal requirements for a successful automation of this process are defined. To counteract the lacks and insufficiencies of existing approaches, a new method is introduced which enables an automation using a flow-based, visual programming language, which we call Visual Code Checking Language (VCCL). Finally the practical implementation of a semi-automated compliance check concerning an exemplary German fire code demonstrates the viability of the approach.
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Automated Code Compliance Checking Based on
a Visual Language and Building Information Modeling
Cornelius Preidela and André Borrmanna
a Chair of Computational Modeling and Simulation, Technische Universität München, Germany
E-mail: cornelius.preidel@tum.de, andre.borrmann@tum.de
ABSTRACT
One of the most important issues during the
planning of a construction project is to maintain the
quality of the design planning constantly at a high
level. Therefore this quality must be checked
continuously in terms of accuracy and compliance to
the applicable codes and guidelines throughout the
duration of a project. Nowadays this checking process
is laborious, cumbersome and error-prone since it is
mostly performed manually based on two-
dimensional planning and iteratively at each planning
change by the responsible planning consultant.
Recently, various approaches attempted to automate
this highly relevant process with the help of digital
methods, such as Building Information Modeling, in
order to reduce the amount of work and increase the
quality of the planning at the same time. Although this
Automated Code Compliance Checking has been
implemented using a variety of different methods,
most of the existing approaches fail because they
represent the information of rules in an insufficient or
overly complex manner.
In this paper a short analysis of the pros and cons
of selected existing approaches is given and
subsequently minimal requirements for a successful
automation of this process are defined. To counteract
the lacks and insufficiencies of existing approaches, a
new method is introduced which enables an
automation using a flow-based, visual programming
language, which we call Visual Code Checking
Language (VCCL). Finally the practical imple-
mentation of a semi-automated compliance check
concerning an exemplary German fire code
demonstrates the viability of the approach.
Keywords
Automated Code Compliance Checking; Building
Information Modeling; Visual Language; ISARC
2015
1 Introduction
Standards and guidelines in construction industry are
used for standardization of requirements and secure the
technological standards in order to guarantee the
structural stability, reliability, quality of material and not
at least the safety of the user. Therefore the compliance
check of the design planning concerning the applicable
rules and regulations represents an essential process
during the execution of a construction project. Due to the
variety of disciplines and subject areas in the building
industry a large amount of codes and regulations have to
be taken into account by the planning consultant, from
who a high level of expertise, experience and care is
demanded accordingly.
Case examples and requirements in guidelines, as
shown in Figure 1, can be presented in many different
ways, ranging from simple and clearly structured tables
with limiting values over graphical representations to
flow-text written descriptions.
Figure 1. Top: Illustration of a spatial case of fire
according to the German standard DIN 18232-
11:2007 [1] Bottom: Excerpt of the Norwegian
accessibility guideline, NS 11001-1.E:2009 [2]
Nowadays the checking process is performed to a
large extent manually based on two-dimensional
technical drawings and textual documents by the
responsible planning consultant as well as the building
permission authorities. Due to the low level of
automation the common checking procedure is time-
consuming, tedious and error-prone. This is particularly
evident when unwanted iteration cycles become
The access route for pedestrians / wheelchair users
shall not be steeper than 1:20. For distances of less
than 3 metres, it may be steeper, but no more than
1:12. The access route shall have clear width of a
minimum of 1,8 m and obstacles shall be placed so
that they do not reduce that width.
necessary due to modifications demanded by the
respective authorities or errors in the construction
processing. As a result, checking the code compliance of
the building design can be a major cause of delays and
cost increases in construction planning. Recently
significant delays of several major projects in Germany
have shown the impacts of a wrong execution of
checking processes. Therefore the public and political
interest has grown and have contributed to an increased
demand for an optimization of construction processes
with the help of modern digital tools [3].
Due to the continuing development of new
technologies in the recent years, the construction industry
is undergoing a fundamental transformation, which was
initiated in particular by the methodology of Building
Information Modeling (BIM). By means of new digital
methods and the rapid crosslinking of increasingly
powerful computers new practices and research areas
arise offering a range of new approaches to make
building processes more efficient [4,5]. As a result the
construction industry has gained the necessary resources
to automate and thereby optimize the checking process in
terms of effort, time and cost. During the BIM planning
process all information is stored in a central digital
building model, which in turn provides all the current
information for all project participants throughout the
entire life cycle of the building. It is recommendable to
use these already bundled data for a full- or semi-
automatic review of a model for compliance with
standards, so that finally the overall process achieves a
higher level of efficiency.
2 State of the Art
In the recent years various efforts were undertaken in
order to develop a method for Automated Code
Compliance Checking. In this paper some important
representatives of such methods are presented, and
subsequently the challenges and difficulties are discussed.
In Figure 2 chronological sequence of the treated
approaches is shown.
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
CORENET BP-Expert CORENET ePlanCheck
Fornax
Solibri Model Checker
BERA
Figure 2. Representative approaches for
Automated Code Compliance Checking in the
recent years (inspired by [6])
2.1 CORENET & FORNAX
In 1995, the Singaporean building construction
authority (BCA) started the platform “Construction and
Real Estate Network” (CORENET) with the intention to
optimize the collaboration and interaction between all the
participants of a building project with special emphasis
on incorporating the responsible authorities [7].
Accordingly, the quality control of the design,
including code compliance checking, is of particular
importance for CORENET and was introduced as a
separate module called “CORENET e-Plan Check” in
2002. The provided checking functionalities focus on the
national applicable codes in the areas of building control,
barrier-free access und fire safety [8].
The main component of the code checking system is
the FORNAX library which has been developed and
maintained by a private company [9]. As a consequence
the correctness of the implementation is not verifiable
since the hard-coded checking routines are not
transparent for the user. Therefore this checking
functionality is called a black-box method [10,11].
Nevertheless CORENET represents one of the most
comprehensive approaches in the area of Automated
Code Compliance Checking since it covers a large part
of the Singaporean guidelines and is used in over 2500
companies of the AEC sector [9].
At this point it should also be mentioned that the
introduction of CORENET was heavily promoted by the
Singaporean government and accompanied by
appropriate legislation. As a consequence construction
companies in Singapore were brought to the use of
CORENET as they may otherwise not receive a building
permit for the construction projects. Taking the special
political, economic and demographic structure of this
country into account, it remains doubtful that such an
approach would prevail in the same way in a European
country.
2.2 Solibri Model Checker (SMC)
In the year 2000, the Finnish software company
Solibri introduced the Java-based Solibri Model Checker,
which was intended to be a validation and optimization
tool for digital building models stored in the Industry
Foundation Classes (IFC) data format. In the Rule
Manager component, the SMC provides a library of rules
and guidelines, from which the user can select and build
up an individual review process according to his
requirements [9].
Next to basic rules, which check the quality of the
imported IFC model, the manager provides mainly
geometry-oriented rules e.g. in the field of space
management and accessibility. The rule sets within the
SMC are implemented as hard-coded functions, which
access the information of the data model via a native
programming interface. Since this interface is not
available to the public, also the SMC implements a black-
box method, which makes no information of the process
visible for the user. An external development of new or
custom rule sets is only possible in cooperation with the
company Solibri.
2.3 Building Environment Rule and Analysis
Language (BERA)
Next to the to many directly implemented black box
methods, there are approaches that introduce a language-
based Code Compliance Checking. A significant
representative is BERA, a domain-specific programming
language, which has been developed not only for
querying but also for the formulation of checking
processes for digital building models [12]. Since this is a
language-based approach, which grants much more
manoeuvrability for users, it distinguishes itself clearly
from the methods discussed above. The transparent
description of procedures and the direct influence of the
user result in a higher potential to encode more complex
rules. As a proof of concept, BERA has already been
applied for first evaluations of buildings circulation and
spatial programmes. To this end the language provides a
set of spatial operators for the definition of rules in the
context of these application areas [9].
In summary BERA shows the high potential of
language-based methods and that this can be an important
point of departure. Nevertheless this approach lacks a
generality in the logic base, which is necessary to achieve
a higher versatility especially to define more complex
structures.
3 Challenges of an Automated Code
Compliance Checking
3.1 Common Structure
In order to demonstrate the challenges of the technical
implementation of an Automated Code Compliance
Checking the basic structure of the overall process has to
be identified first. Although each of the presented
approaches is characterized by its individual features, a
common structure of the compliance checking process
can be found. Eastman [9] defines the overall process as
a flow and interaction of four single process steps, shown
in Figure 3.
The main requirement and first step of any
compliance review is the translation of rules into a
machine-interpretable language. The idea of the
digitization of language in oral or written form exists
since the early days of computer science and is still a
highly relevant topic in the various application areas.
Basically it is about to translate the content of spoken or
written word as precisely as possible into binary code
[13]. Since guidelines and standards describe the
contented information usually in many different ways, it
is a major challenge to standardize this process.
Rule Interpretation
Building Model
Preparation
Rule
Execution
Report
Checking
Results
Figure 3. Common structure of an Automated
Code Compliance Checking process (inspired
by [9])
In a next step the digital rules are read from an
executing instance, interpreted and processed on base of
information, which is provided by the digital building
model. Various investigations have shown that this step
can be a major error source due to inconsistencies,
contradictory, false or non-existent information in the
building model [14]. A direct use is therefore not
recommended, but to prepare the required information
separately and in a pre-processing step.
In a last step, the results of the review are finally
processed and retained for the user. In the more modern
approaches of an Automated Code Compliance Checking
this process step is designed primarily graphically.
3.2 Major Challenges
As shown in Section 2, there are a lot of different
approaches for an automation of the compliance
checking. Nevertheless several factors can be found,
which relativize this already reached degree of
automation:
Most of the existing approaches lack because of the
insufficient transparency and visibility of the processing
steps for the user. Many methods focus too much on the
automation of the checking process and do not consider
the incorporation of the user and therefore the practical
applicability. The correctness and accuracy of a
compliance checking is the responsibility of the reviser
and cannot be transferred to a machine because of legal
reasons. Therefore in building practice it is common to
manually verify and validate the results with
simultaneous or trailing plausibility checks, e.g. by rough
calculations by hand or comparison with empirical values.
Such a validation based on the experience of the reviser
is not possible if the transparency of each single process
step is not given. Because of its hardcoded machine-rules
the SMC represents such a black-box method and so it
fails in this point [8]. As a result an automated checking
must be a dynamic and semi-automated process that
moves the user into the focus and incorporates him into
the process. Although the reviser has usually no
programming skills, the human-readability of the
translated codes must be maintained. Such a method is
called white box and is schematically shown in Figure 4.
Input Output
Input Output
Black-Box
White-Box
Figure 4. Schematic representation of a black-box
and a white-box method (inspired by [11])
Furthermore, many of the approaches focus on
comparatively simple and straightforward rules. A
transfer of this method to a higher level of complexity
will be probably difficult, since the hard-coded and fixed
implementation of rules cause a rigidity, which inhibit
the formulation of complex rules. As a representative for
language-based approaches, BERA has shown that the
problem can be solved by creating a larger space of action
for the translation step. According to the modular
principle, complex structures can be build up by
composing simple elements with a low degree of
complexity, which are already well-defined and can be
reused by the user. For this purpose it is necessary that
the individual elements of the language are defined
within a fixed logic frame, in order to implement a formal
rigidness at the base.
4 Visual Code Checking Language
The approaches in Section 2 have shown, that there
are a lot of ways to automate the compliance checking,
but there are still a lot of inadequacies. To overcome
these insufficiencies we introduce a new approach, which
uses a visual language for representing the Code
Compliance Checking process.
4.1 Methodological Basis
In general a visual language can be defined as a
formal language with a visual syntax and visual
semantics, which means that it represents a modular
system of signs and rules using visual elements instead
of textual ones on the semantic and syntactic level [13].
Information systems, which are described by a visual
language can be interpreted much faster and easier by
humans. Visual languages are often also called flow-
based, since they display the complicated structures as a
flow of information. The reason for the higher
interpretation capability can be found in cognitive
psychology, which states that visual information can be
processed with two instead of only one hemisphere of the
human brain in parallel. Schiffer [13] performs a detailed
discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of visual
languages. In recent years visual languages, which are
also known as Visual Programming Languages (VPL),
have been established particularly in the field of control
and modification tools of digital information systems.
Known software products in the context of building
design are in particular the plug-in Grasshopper for
Rhinoceros3D [15] or Dynamo for Autodesk Revit and
Autodesk Vasari [16].
By adapting such a visual language to the specific
needs of the Code Compliance Checking, the presented
insufficiencies discussed in Section 3 can be overcome.
The approach focusses in particular on the human-
machine-communication, which represents a previously
defined, mandatory requirement for the success of an
automation of the Code Compliance Checking. At any
time and degree of completion of the visual processing
system, the user is able to understand and inspect every
single processing step, what is particularly important,
since the reviewer is responsible for the accuracy and
correctness of all compliance check results. If errors are
identified in the processing chain, the system can be
adjusted very quickly and simply according to the user’s
requirements. With the help of such a visual language, it
is possible to describe any compliance check without
sacrificing the transparency for the user.
Figure 5. Schematic illustration of the
principles of the VCCL
As shown in Figure 5 the VCCL follows three
principles: genericity, finest granularity and maximal
flexibility. The genericity describes the property of the
VCCL that all elements must be defined as generic as
possible regardless of the level of complexity. As a result
each elements can be used in any situation and on any
point of a desired structure. At the same time it must be
possible to break down each element to its lowest level.
This property of the VCCL is called finest granularity.
These two features cause a maximum of flexibility for the
user, who can formulate the desired content. Furthermore,
a visual language is ideal for building a library of simple
base elements, as it was introduced in Section 3.2. A
schematic structure of such a library for the VCCL is
shown in Figure 6.
VCCL
Genericity
Finest
Granularity
Maximal
Flexibility
Figure 6. Schematic illustration of the VCCL node
library and its resultant VCCL graph library with
its ascending degrees of complexity
The principle behind it is to make the overall process
of compliance checking visible, by structuring this
process in a compilation of composite process steps.
Each of these elements is a single white box, which can
be considered as a small module of the whole process.
Therefore we introduce a modular principle, which can
be used by any user even without profound programming
skills. In this way we allow that any engineer can bring
his professional skills and his experience into the process.
4.2 Elements of the VCCL
To define a new language, both base aspects -
semantics and syntax - need to be defined. In the
following, the elements of each level and their graphical
representation are presented for the VCCL.
Object Node : datatype
label description label datatype
Figure 7. Illustration of an object node on VCCL
All elements of the semantic level are represented as
nodes. The object node, as shown in Figure 7, describes
an object that can be individually and clearly identified
in a real-world system. Therefore it must be of a
particular, unambiguously data type. For a better
interpretation, attributes of objects can also be visualized
as single elements (see Figure 8). The visualization of
attributes is not obligatory and is only intended to let the
user capture a complex flow of information.
Area : Float
Room X : Room
Height : Float
Walls :
set<Wall>
Wall 1
Wall 2
Wall n
set
<Wall>
Figure 8. Illustration of an attribute and set node
A special form of an object node is a set of objects. In
this node multiple objects of the same type can be stored.
Principally it represents thus a special data type for an
object node. An example of a set object is shown in
Figure 8.
Operator Node
label description
Figure 9. Illustration of an operator node on
VCCL
For the description of processes between object nodes
the VCCL uses the operator node (see Figure 9). Such a
node describes a well-defined operation on a specified
number of input variables - the operands - and generates
a corresponding result.
Input-Port Output-Port
Figure 10. Illustration of a generic node and its
interfaces (called ports) and directed edges
The elements of the syntactic level are represented as
edges and interfaces. A directed edge links two VCCL-
nodes and thus builds up a processing chain. By defining
the unambiguously direction of the edge, the
representation of the information-flow is specified (see
Figure 10). To describe the connection between VCCL-
nodes precisely, each semantic object has a certain
number of interfaces (called ports) defining which
information can be passed. In this way, the transmission
of information across the processing chain is given a
fixed frame and inconsistencies can be prevented. A port
on the left side of a VCCL element is responsible for the
incoming information and therefore is called Input-Port.
Accordingly, ports on the right side are responsible for
outgoing information and therefore called Output-Port. A
schematic illustration of the different types of ports is
shown in Figure 10.
4.3 Application of the VCCL
With these elements, it is possible to build up a VCCL
graph, which describes a certain checking procedure. At
the same time the process remains transparent and each
process step visible as a single element of the information
system.
Set :
set<Wall>
Get
Access
set<Wall>
Building Model :
Model
Wall:
String
String
Wall 1
Wall 2
Wall n
set
<Wall>
Model
Figure 11. VCCL graph describing the access to a
certain data member
An example of the VCCL for accessing wall
components of a building model is illustrated in the
following example, shown in Figure 11. In this example,
both initial object nodes hold certain information of a
defined data type and transfer it via the ports and the
edges to the operator node. Inside of this operator the
information of both elements is processed according the
instructions that were assigned to the operator node. In
this case, the model instance is accessed for the filter
criteria “Wall”, which means that the operator extracts all
building elements of type “Wall” from the building
model. This is a common procedure, which can be
applied for any attribute which is stored in the respective
object. The result is finally transferred to the resulting set
node.
Figure 13. Excerpt of the data table for the
required smoke ventilation area in m² [1]
Since this is a very simple example, the application
will now be shown for a more sophisticated case. In order
to demonstrate the potential and versatility of the
approach, a semi-automated compliance check regarding
an applicable German standard is shown. A central
regulation of the DIN 18232-2:2007-11, a German
standard for the design of buildings in terms of smoke
and fire protection represents a spatial case of fire (see
Figure 1). Depending on the height of the room, the
height of the smoke layer and the fire classification, the
guideline requires a minimal smoke ventilation area that
is listed in a data table, which is shown in Figure 13. The
translation of this central regulation is shown in Figure
12 as a VCCL-graph. In this processing graph a single
room is identified and afterwards its attributes are used to
capture both values “Target area” and “Actual area”. The
final result of this check is the comparison of these values,
to check whether the limit value is met or not.
Get Float(*)
Building Model :
Model
Area : Float
Access
Room X:
String
Room X : Room
Model
Room
Height : Float
Get
Room
Height:
String String
Necessary smoke
ventilation area
(**)
Float
Opening:
String
Get
Room
String
Openings :
set<Opening>
set
<Opening>
Area:
String
Area : Float
String
set
<opening>
Actual area:
Float
Target area :
Float
Float Comparison
Float
Float
Result : Bool
Bool
Fire classification :
String
String
Height smoke layer :
Float
Float
String
Opening X
Opening Y
set<Opening>
(*)
Automatic sum up of all
Float-attributes of the
elements, which are stored
in the object node
(**)
Special node, which can
access a datatable and
search for limiting
boundary values according
to certain criteria
Figure 12. VCCL graph describing the central regulation of the DIN 18232-2:2007-11
4.4 Proof of Concept
In order to validate the concept of the VCCL a
practical implementation of this language-based method
was carried out and is presented in this section.
Figure 14. User interface of the bim+ viewer [17]
The application of the VCCL was developed and
designed in close cooperation with the German software
vendor Nemetschek [17]. As basis for the VCCL serves
bim+, which is a standardized central platform for
building information exchange. Next to a large number
of basic functionalities, such as a web project
management and a web viewer (see
Figure 14), the platform provides an open REST-API,
which enables developers to use the platform for their
own purposes, such as the building information handling
by the VCCL.
We developed the CodeBuilder plugin, which allows
the user to build up a VCCL graph using a library of
elementary nodes. Since bim+ is used as a database,
which allows a fast loading and switching of different
models, especially the principle of generality of a VCCL-
graph comes into effect. Each graph, which was built up
by the user, is valid for any building model stored on the
platform. Therefore the model can be changed on the fly
and the graph can be re-processed immediately.
Furthermore the CodeBuilder focuses particular on the
incorporation of the user in the checking procedure. Most
of the nodes are able to display intermediate results of the
processing procedure. As an example, relevant building
elements, which fulfil or fail a certain check can be
highlighted directly in the geometry view as shown in
Figure 15. In this way, the user is able to check, if the
processed result meets his expectations and requirements.
The developed tool was examined for its practical
applicability. To this end the central regulations of DIN
18232-2 discussed above were translated into VCCL and
successful semi-automated. Exemplarily, the user
interface as well as a result of a geometric checking,
which stated an intermediate result of the VCCL
processing, is shown in Figure 15.
5 Conclusion and Outlook
The large number of existing approaches have shown
the extraordinary relevance and importance of an
Automated Code Compliance Checking for the
construction industry. The introduction of VCCL has
demonstrated that it is possible to automate the
compliance checking of a building information model
using a visual language and BIM. At the same time
various requirements that were not met adequately in
previous research approaches can be fulfilled. By
implementing the VCCL within the CodeBuilder plugin,
we proved the practical viability of the approach.
In building practice, there is a variety of codes and
many different ways of presenting information.
Therefore it is necessary to develop more VCCL
elements, which are able to represent this information
within a node and in a VCCL graph. Based on an analysis
of other standards, these representations can be identified
and serve as a basis for further development. In this way,
a library of VCCL elements progressively grows, which
captures more different applications.
The introduction of a visual, flow-based language for
Figure 15. Left: User interface of the CodeBuilder plugin in bim+ [17] Right: Visualized result of a check:
Automatic identification, which building elements contain an opening and belong to a certain Room
Automated Code Compliance Checking creates the basis
of a new genre for the automation of processes in
construction industry. This approach opens up a variety
of opportunities for other developments in the field of
construction. An example is the bidding process for a
construction project, which is subject to individual
company rules and specific guidelines for the quantity
take-off.
In summary it can be stated that the introduction of
the VCCL represents a step towards the automation of
many processes in construction industry and can serve as
a base for several following approaches.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support by
Nemetschek Allplan GmbH for the presented research.
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... The challenges to the automated code compliance checking field of study thus hinder the actual implementation in the real world. The challenges and limitations presented in past studies revealed the research gap in this field, in which the practicality for users were not prioritised during the development of an automated system [28]. In conjunction with this, AEC experts should be involved in developing the rule database, rather than solely software developers [15]. ...
... Assuming limited programming skills among AEC professionals, the VPL approach was introduced to represent the mapping between the rules and BIM data [28]. This approach represents data in a diagrammatic manner consisting of nodes, each of which contains receive statements and send statements [60]. ...
... This approach represents data in a diagrammatic manner consisting of nodes, each of which contains receive statements and send statements [60]. One of the earliest studies demonstrated the development of domain-specific VPL programs known as Visual Code Checking Language (VCCL) programs [28]. The VCCL programs were further refined through a nesting approach to reduce their complexity [18]; an additional visual language known as VQL4BIM was also developed to support the data retrieval of IFC models [61]. ...
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Developing automated code compliance checking systems is becoming increasingly complex—to the extent of challenging the implementation of these systems. This paper addresses the need to develop an automated system that prioritises user accessibility. Accordingly, the study aims to develop a system through a semi-automated rule translation process and the utilisation of BIM models in native file format. A total of 256 fire safety clauses in Malaysian regulations were translated through logic-based approaches (classification technique, decomposition through semantic mark-up method, and interview method), which further assisted in identifying the necessary BIM properties. A visual programming language was then utilised to demonstrate the proof-of-concept prototype. The classification technique and semantic mark-up method were established and structured in this study by developing a framework and flowchart to provide specific guidelines for formalizing the clauses. The semi-automated translation process encouraged the participation of relevant regulatory experts and provided more user accessibility compared to existing studies. This study also offered more practicality for designers to employ the system by utilizing native BIM model data representation. High mean scores ranging from 4.09 to 4.96 were obtained for the validation process, which affirmed the feasibility of the BIM-based Automated System for Malaysian Code Compliance Checking (BIMSMACC) to assist designers.
... This language is concerned with defining a simplified schema in a relational database to represent a read-only building model that includes its geometry. Also, Preidel et al. [36] have presented the Visual Code Checking language. This language employs a formal language with visual syntax and visual semantics. ...
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Compliance with principles and guidelines for ethical AI has a significant impact on companies engaged in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Specifically, ethics is a broad concept that continuously evolves over time and across cultural and geographical boundaries. International organisations (IOs), individual states, and private groups, all have an interest in defining the concept of ethics of AI. IOs, as well as regional and national bodies, have issued many decisions on AI ethics. Developing a system that complies with the ethical framework poses a complex challenge for companies, and the consequences of not complying with ethical principles can have severe consequences, making compliance with these requirements a key issue for companies. Furthermore, there is a shortage of technical tools to ensure that such AI systems comply with ethical criteria. The scarcity of ethics compliance checking tools for AI, and the current focus on defining ethical guidelines for AI development, has led us to undertake a proposal consisting in a semi-automated software model to verify the ethical compliance of an AI system’s code. To implement this model, we focus on the following important aspects: (1) a literature review to identify existing ethical compliance systems, (2) a review of principles and guidelines for ethical AI to determine the international and European views regarding AI ethics, and (3) the identification of commonly accepted principles and sub-principles of AI. These elements served to inform (4) our proposal for the design of a semi-automated software for verifying the ethical compliance of AI systems both at design-time (ethics-by-design perspective) and afterwards on the resulting software.
... Prisma guidelines were observed while conducting the literature review (Umar, 2021). According to the selected research papers (Dimyadi and Amor, 2013;Eastman et al., 2009;Fátima et al., 2015;Getuli et al., 2017;Greenwood et al., 2010;Han et al., 1997;Kasim, 2015;Malsane et al., 2015;Nguyen and Kim, 2011;Preidel and Borrmann, 2015;Preidel and Borrmann, 2017;Reinhardt and Mathews, 2017), the key problems with current building code compliance are cost, delays, time consumption, likelihood of errors, labour intensity and difficulty, inconsistencies in interpretation, iterations, ambiguity, uncertainties, unreliability, inconsistency and incorrect execution. Interviews with CDA officials confirmed these problems. ...
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The design, construction and handing over of building projects need to comply with the rules set by the local authorities. However, manual assessment of the drawings and plans against variable and complex sets of rules is quite cumbersome, inconsistent, expensive and prone to human error, resulting in huge delays in construction projects. The aim of this research was thus to develop an automated code compliance (ACC) checking process using building information modelling (BIM). The drawbacks of manual code compliance were assessed through a review of the existing system. These were confirmed by 15 interviews with officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Pakistan. Feedback on the newly developed ACC system with BIM integration was sought through 30 interviews with customers and CDA employees. While the new programme of the code compliance reduced the time involved from 1 week to 6 h, customers were concerned about the additional expense of engaging an architect to develop a complete set of BIM models. ACC and BIM integration in local municipalities should raise the profile of Pakistan in industry innovations and pave the way to meeting several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
... Solibri Model Checker (SMC) is a popular BIM application used to check the integrity, quality, and safety of BIM models [42]. SMC, which contains built-in geometryoriented rules, automatically analyzes and checks virtual building models to detect design deficiencies and missing elements [43]. SMC strictly checks model structure requirements [16]. ...
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Occupant safety is pivotal in building designs. The present study developed a building information modeling (BIM)-based methodological framework and rule set for occupant safety-focused design checking for institutional building designs in Ontario, Canada. A comprehensive review was conducted to determine safety-related regulations, standards, and best practices included in the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) guidelines. Identified safety standards were defined in a BIM model checking software as a ruleset. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the proposed ruleset for an institutional building in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The case study demonstrated that the intended ruleset did not contain errors and effectively performed the rule check. The proposed rule set prevents safety hazards for building occupants by accurately identifying building elements that do not comply with the safety guidelines and codes. Furthermore, the proposed approach promotes BIM adaptation in the Canadian construction industry.
... The necessary fields for each data table are created, and the component part codes are set as the primary key to ensure the uniqueness of each information record. Preset data information is obtained through BIM software, generating a detailed list or external plug-in to import data into the database after passing code compliance checks [45][46][47][48][49]. Additionally, an open data table is created to allow project stakeholders and users to define and input customized information entries and corresponding data. ...
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In the context of building industrialization, the dissemination and transmission of information related to prefabricated building component parts are of paramount importance throughout the building’s life cycle and the entire industry chain, necessitating high standards of information integration. At present, the development of information coding for prefabricated building component parts in China is hindered by various challenges, such as the lack of uniform norms and standards across different regions, as well as significant differences in the composition and character length of coded information categories. Through reviewing academic papers and society, group, and local standards related to the coding of prefabricated building component parts, this article identifies the importance of component part coding information categories. Considering the readability of codes, a practical coding system is adopted for the coding design, proposing a semi-implicit practical coding method for prefabricated building component parts. This method has strong flexibility and wide applicability. Additionally, a common coding system for component parts is devised to address the issue of missing information caused by the limited characters of component parts codes. This system enables comprehensive life cycle information management of component parts of prefabricated buildings and promotes the application of prefabricated buildings in China.
... Retrieval of all required information in its correct representation is one of the challenges in all information flow management processes (Eastman et al. 2009, Preidel & Borrmann 2015. Construction typology, materials, geometry, and condition are examples of information that could be retrieved. ...
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Structural design optimization (SDO) plays a pivotal role in enhancing various aspects of construction projects, including design quality, cost efficiency, safety, and structural reliability. Recent endeavors in academia and industry have sought to harness the potential of building information modeling (BIM) and optimization algorithms to optimize SDO and improve design outcomes. This review paper aims to synthesize these efforts, shedding light on how SDO contributes to project coordination. Furthermore, the integration of sustainability considerations and the application of innovative technologies and optimization algorithms in SDO necessitate more interactive early stage collaboration among project stakeholders. This study offers a comprehensive exploration of contemporary research in integrated SDO employing BIM and optimization algorithms. It commences with an exploratory investigation, employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques following the PRISMA systematic review methodology. Subsequently, an open-ended opinion survey was conducted among construction industry professionals in Europe. This survey yields valuable insights into the coordination challenges and potential solutions arising from technological shifts and interoperability concerns associated with the widespread implementation of SDO. These preliminary steps of systematic review and industry survey furnish a robust foundation of knowledge, enabling the proposal of an intelligent framework for automating early stage sustainable structural design optimization (ESSDO) within the construction sector. The ESSDO framework addresses the challenges of fragmented collaboration between architects and structural engineers. This proposed framework seamlessly integrates with the BIM platform, i.e., Autodesk Revit for architects. It extracts crucial architectural data and transfers it to the structural design and analysis platform, i.e., Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis (RSA), for structural engineers via the visual programming tool Dynamo. Once the optimization occurs, optimal outcomes are visualized within BIM environments. This visualization elevates interactive collaborations between architects and engineers, facilitating automation throughout the workflow and smoother information exchange.
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There has been extensive amount of research conducted internationally over the last four decades in the area of automated and semi-automated regulatory compliance checking for the Architectural, Engineering, Construction (AEC) industry. This paper summarises the earlier research initiatives, explores common themes and different approaches used, as well as compares the strengths and limitations of a number of major code compliance checking tools. Some of these tools have been implemented commercially and others are beginning to be adopted or are in their final stages of development. The paper also examines how readily these tools can be applied in the context of a performance-based code as found in New Zealand.
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There has been an extensive amount of research conducted internationally over the last four decades in the area of automated and semi-automated regulatory compliance checking for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper summarises the earlier research initiatives, explores common themes and different approaches used, as well as comparing the strengths and limitations of a number of major code compliance checking tools. Some of these tools have been implemented commercially and others are beginning to be adopted or are in their final stages of development. The paper also examines how readily these tools can be applied in the context of a performance-based code as found in New Zealand. Due to a recent push for innovation and productivity improvement in the AEC industry, there is an increased uptake of building information modelling (BIM) and the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) open standard data model for interoperability. The availability of high performance personal computers, efficient web-based technology, and new initiatives in legal knowledge representation modelling should make the development of commercial compliance checking systems more viable than ever. However, the quest for an industry agreed unified approach seems to be far from over. Research is being conducted to develop a computer interpretable representation of New Zealand’s performance-based codes using an open standard legal data exchange protocol. This is to be integrated into a web-based BIM compliance checking framework. The fire safety clauses of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC) are used in the case study.
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Ontologies have been successfully applied as a semantic enabler of communication between both users and applications in fragmented, heterogeneous multinational business environments. In this paper we discuss the underlying principles, their current implementation status, and most importantly, their applicability to problems in the building information modeling domain. We introduce the development of an ontology for the building and construction sector based on the industry foundation classes. We discuss several approaches of lifting modeling information that is based on the express family of languages for data modeling onto a logically rigid and semantically enhanced ontological level encoded in the W3C Ontology Web Language. We exemplify the added value of such formal notation of building models by providing several examples where generic query and reasoning algorithms can be applied to problems that otherwise have to be manually hard-wired into applications for processing building information. Furthermore, we show how the underlying resource description framework and the set of technologies evolving around it can be tailored to the need of distributed collaborative work in the building and construction industry.
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The construction industry has been facing a paradigm shift to (i) increase; productivity, efficiency, infrastructure value, quality and sustainability, (ii) reduce; lifecycle costs, lead times and duplications, via effective collaboration and communication of stakeholders in construction projects. Digital construction is a political initiative to address low productivity in the sector. This seeks to integrate processes throughout the entire lifecycle by utilising building information modelling (BIM) systems. The focus is to create and reuse consistent digital information by the stakeholders throughout the lifecycle. However, implementation and use of BIM systems requires dramatic changes in the current business practices, bring new challenges for stakeholders e.g., the emerging knowledge and skill gap. This paper reviews and discusses the status of implementation of the BIM systems around the globe and their implications to the industry. Moreover, based on the lessons learnt, it will provide a guide to tackle these challenges and to facilitate successful transition towards utilizing BIM systems in construction projects.
Chapter
IntroductionIssuesCoding modelAnalysis of regulationsPassing and failingLogical analysisMore complex examplesRepresentation of existing regulationsOntologiesStandardsConclusions Acknowledgements
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This paper surveys rule checking systems that assess building designs according to various criteria. We examine five major industrial efforts in detail, all relying on IFC building models as input. The functional capabilities of a rule checking system are organized into four stages; these functional criteria provide a framework for comparisons of the five systems. The review assesses both the technology and structure of building design rule checking, as an assessment of this new emerging field. The development of rule checking systems for building is very young and only limited user experience is presented. The survey lays out a framework for considering research needed for this area to mature.
The business value of BIM: Getting building information modeling to the bottom line
  • N W Young
  • S Jones
  • H Bernstein
N.W. Young Jr., S. Jones, H. Bernstein, The business value of BIM: Getting building information modeling to the bottom line, Bedford, MA: McGraw-Hill Construction. (2009) 51.