Research Jasmine Meysman

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to increase the sustainability of buildings through advanced digitalization throughout the entire lifecycle of the building, including and with a considerable focus on the operational phase. The service platform leverages the expertise and experience of the research groups M4S and EMIB in the field of digital technologies and sustainability analyses in the construction sector. The platform can support facility managers and the construction sector in general in making the right choices regarding materials, maintenance, repairs, and technical management. The project will align and connect the Building Information Management (BIM) data pipeline with predictive and simulation needs during the operational phase of the building. Based on these predictions and simulations, maintenance will be optimized to reduce the financial and ecological footprint of the building. The platform also strongly emphasizes change management to determine how the technologies fit within the economic reality of the sector and to facilitate the step towards innovation from a clear value creation perspective. This vision is shared by the industry association Embuild Flanders, which is eager to focus on the digitalization in construction. They found out that in many building projects, a BIM model was established during the design and construction phase of a building, but that it is often not utilized or underutilized during the exploitation phase of a building. Embuild Flanders indicates that during the establishment of such BIM models, the ultimate users or managers of these buildings are often not taken into account, resulting in it often not meeting the needs of these stakeholders. There is also increasing interest in BIM within the facility management domain, but the limited applicability due to insufficient data remains a challenge. Therefore, it is necessary to bridge the gap between the different stakeholders during the various life cycle phases of a building, a role that the BIM4SIM service platform is eager to take on. This project has been developed in close collaboration with Embuild Flanders, the trade organization of the construction sector, and is supported by its Director General, Marc Dillen.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hellinckx Peter
• Co-promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine

Research team(s)

• Modelling for Sustainability (M4S)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The central mission of the service platform B.Cycle is to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable construction sector and this by providing scientifically sound and tailored made decision support. Key elements are incorporating a life-cycle perspective, including future oriented assessment techniques and developing innovative circular business models to steer optimization and innovation trajectories. To unlock the full potential of any innovation effort, it is crucial to provide quantitative information as early as possible during the development process. More specific, B.Cycle offers expertise to support such trajectories in a holistic way through objective quantitative information on the environmental impact and cost of a product, process or service based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analyses (LCCA). The strength of B.Cycle is the fundamental knowledge of applying LCA and LCCA at low TRL applications, which maximizes the benefits after upscaling to an industrial scale at a low development cost. B.Cycle explicitly targets inquiries from the field for process optimization or innovation, where conventional consultant agencies mainly focus on certifying products that are already available on the market. In order to maximize the valorization potential of B.Cycle's expertise, both short-term hotspot analyses as well as more thorough and ambitious long-term trajectories will be offered. The short-term projects are relevant for lowering the barrier for companies to make a first step. However, the unique knowledge of B.Cycle can be used to its fullest extent in the more ambitious trajectories, which in turn can lead to a greater added value for society. The fundamental knowledge of prospective sustainability assessment is B.Cycle's greatest asset and this financial IOF support creates the opportunity to transfer this knowledge to the construction sector. By setting up a central structure to safeguard the scientific quality and at the same time increasing B.Cycle's visibility, the opportunity will be created to set up new collaborations and generate revenues beyond conventional academic funding channels.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Buyle Matthias
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project