The way briefing is prepared in conjunction with building projects is crucial to the project's adherence to the client's intentions. It is through the brief that the values expected are documented and transferred. However, international research has for a long time pointed out the briefing stage as a constantly recurring problem area for the construction sector.

The aim of this research is to achieve a more value-driven building process by the use of ICT. The objective of this study is to improve the briefing phase using ICT.

To reach this objective the following questions will be addressed:

Q1: What values are defined in the briefing process?

Q2: What values were created by the use of ICT?

Q3: How could ICT be developed to further support a value-driven briefing process?

In order to answer the research questions one of the case studies concerning a healthcare building is presented here. The ICT tool Program of Technical Standard (PTS 2012) was used to support the briefing process in the building project studied.

The result of the studies is that using ICT to support the briefing process has many valuable advantages. The use of ICT-support in the briefing process makes the process more efficient. PTS enables capturing of requirements, facilitates information transfer and enables a united vision of the project.  PTS also enables consistency of standard and enables benchmarking and exchange of knowledge by the fact that ten Real Estate organisations of County Councils in Sweden use and develop PTS in collaboration. The ICT-support could be improved by better supporting verification of requirements, prioritization of the client's requirements and discussions about alternative conceptual and possible solutions.

This research is a part of the Eracobuild project “Value Driven Procurement in Building and Real Estate” (www.valpro.eu).

Validation of the EBD-SIM (evidence-based design-simulation) framework, a conceptual framework developed to integrate the use of lighting simulation in the EBD process, suggested that EBD's post-occupancy evaluation (POE) should be conducted more frequently. A follow-up field study was designed for subjective-objective results implementation in the EBD process using lighting simulation tools. In this real-time case study, the visual comfort of the occupants was evaluated. The visual comfort analysis data were collected via simulations and questionnaires for subjective visual comfort perceptions. The follow-up study, conducted in June, confirmed the results of the original study, conducted in October, but additionally found correlations with annual performance metrics. This study shows that, at least for the variables related to daylight, a POE needs to be conducted at different times of the year to obtain a more comprehensive insight into the users' perception of the lit environment.

The EBD-SIM (evidence-based design, simulation) framework is a conceptual framework developed to integrate the use of lighting simulation in the EBD process to provide a holistic performance evaluation method. A real-time case study, executed in a fully operational office building, is used to demonstrate the framework’s performance. The case study focused on visual comfort analysis. The objective is to demonstrate the applicability of the developed EBD-SIM framework using correlations between current visual comfort metrics and actual human perception as evaluation criteria. The data were collected via simulation for visual comfort analysis and via questionnaires for instantaneous and annual visual comfort perception. The study showed that for user perception, the most crucial factor for visual comfort is the amount of light on a task area, and simple metrics such as Eh-room and Eh-task had a higher correlation with perceived visual comfort than complex performance metrics such as Daylight Autonomy (DA). To improve the design process, the study suggests that, among other things, post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) should be conducted more frequently to obtain better insight into user perception of daylight and subsequently use new evidence to further improve the design of the EBD-SIM model.

By the rise of concerns for global warming, reducing emissions via lowering energy consumption has become a necessity in every sector and the lighting sector is no exception. However, it should not come at the cost of lighting quality and user comfort which is a common practice in today’s lighting design and energy reduction initiatives. The “energy reduction” view should change toward “value driven optimization” in which energy reduction is balanced against lighting quality and user comfort for optimization of the total value of the building. As the use of IT technology grows in lighting design, constant reviews of the software tools are necessary in order to evaluate their performance and ability to design value driven lighting.The main objective of this paper is to compare different lighting simulation tools with respect to their ability to simulate lighting quality both artificial and daylight. The indicators for the comparison are defined based upon findings from another project “criteria for good lighting quality” that is currently being conducted at the same university. First, current numerical metrics for lighting quality are summarized. Then, different simulation tools are evaluated based on a literature study. The outcome of this research summarizes the strength and shortcomings of a number of simulation tools.

The use of lighting simulation tools has been growing over the past years which has improved lighting analysis. While computer simulations have proven to be a viable tool for analyzing lighting in physical environments, they have difficulty in assessing the effects of light on occupant’s perception. Evidence-based design (EBD) is a design method that is gaining traction in building design due to its strength in providing means to assess the effects of built environments on humans. The aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for integrating EBD with lighting simulation tools. Based on a literature review, it was investigated how EBD and lighting simulation can be combined to provide a holistic lighting performance evaluation method. The results show that they can mutually benefit from each other. EBD makes it possible to evaluate and/or improve performance metrics by utilizing user feedback. On the other hand, performance metrics can be used for a better description of evidence, and to analyze the effects of lighting with more details. The results also show that EBD can be used to evaluate light simulations to better understand when and how they should be performed. A framework is presented for integration of lighting simulation and EBD

This paper presents the findings of a web-based survey on the current use of lighting simulation tools in Sweden. The objective was to understand which lighting simulation tools are currently used in Sweden and to understand the design practitioners’ needs for future software development. The results showed that lighting simulation programs are widely used in Sweden. However, the respondents paid less attention to daylight than to artificial light. The respondents’ principal training methods were university courses and self-study. Interior illuminance values, glare indexes, and the daylight factor were the most commonly calculated simulation outputs. “Ease of use” and “accuracy” were identified as the most important factors in the use of the software, while “slowness of simulations process” causes the most dissatisfaction. Dialux was the most popular software program used.

The relationship between lighting and human well-being is pivotal in architecture and environmental design. Adequate lighting enhances visual appeal and significantly influences occupant comfort, productivity, and satisfaction. This pilot study aimed to integrate digital occupancy assessment methods to understand indoor lighting conditions' impact on occupant well-being. Hypotheses explored the potential link between lighting conditions and occupant well-being, as assessed through physiological indicators and the influence of interior attributes on occupants' perceptions and physiological responses. The identified main components were satisfaction with artificial and daylighting, ambiance, and stimulation. The study explored the relationship between lighting conditions, physiological responses, and subjective assessments, revealing potential influences on occupant perceptions. A real-time data visualization could be valuable for data-intensive projects, enhancing comprehension and decision-making for facility management. While limited by the small sample size, trends, and moderate correlations were observed, indicating the need for larger, more diverse samples in future research.

There is increasing pressure from developers toward architects and engineers to deliver scientifically sound proposals for often complex and cost-intensive construction products. An increase in digitalization within the construction industry and the availability of intelligently built assets and overall sustainability make it possible to customize a construction product. This servitization of construction products is assumed to perform much preferably in satisfying stakeholders’ physical, psychological, and social needs. The degree to which these products are performing can be evaluated through an evidence index. This article aims to introduce a conceptual model of an evidence index and test it in the programming stage of a case study. The investigation follows the evidence-based design approach and renders evidence through key performance indicators in the programming stage of the building process. For testing the concept, a case study investigation was performed by simulating a novice research assistant, and the amount of evidence was collected and appraised for evidence index. The case study showed that key performance indicators of a servitized project could be evaluated on a four-point scale. The quality of the evidence index generation depended on the level of expertise the evaluator has in research and the skilful use of scientific databases.

Målet med denna förstudie är att inventera dagsläget och framtida möjligheter för verifiering av krav samt analyser av värden genom använda IKT och BIM. Detta ger nya möjligheter för byggherrar att skapa en mer värdedriven byggprocess med målet att optimera byggnadsverkets totala värde för dess ägare, brukare och samhället som helhet.

Resultaten visar att verifieringar av krav och analyser/simuleringar av värden används i ganska begränsad utsträckning idag. De verifieringar som utförs är fokuersade på grundläggande information om utrymmen, t ex att rätt utrymmen finns med samt att de har ungefär rätt storlek. När det gäller analyser och simuleringar så är det kostnadsberäkningar och energianalyser som används i flest skeden.

En av de främsta drivande faktorerna i utvecklingen av analyser och simuleringar är hållbarhetsdiskussionen. Användningen av miljöklassificeringssystem har blivit utbrett i byggbranschen. Litteraturstudien visar att det redan idag går att verifiera med hjälp av BIM att ett flerbostadshusprojekt kommer upp till LEED-guld (71 % av teoretiskt maxvärde). I en mer övergripande studie utgick man ifrån 132 hållbarhetsaspekter, och identifierade programstöd som kunde analysera 55 % av dessa aspekter.

Regelbaserade kontroller av BIM-modeller har redan fått stort praktiskt genomslag, främst för kollisionskontroll. Ju mer utvecklade BIM-modellerna blir desto mer går att kontrollera. En av de mest använda programvarorna som använder denna teknik är Solibri Model Checker. Studier av denna programvara visade att tekniken skulle kunna användas för att automatiskt verifiera de flesta byggherrekrav, om relevant information finns i BIM-modellen.

För en fortsatt utveckling behövs fortsatt implementering av verifieringar och analyser samt erfarenheter från praktisk användning. Men det behövs också att mer information läggs in i BIM-modellerna samt att brister i interoperabilitet (informationsöverföring) mellan BIM-programvaror byggs bort. Kvaliteten på analyserna är helt beroende av kvaliteten på indata, och att modellen är korrekt uppbyggd.

Litteraturstudien gav ett antal indikationer på framtida inrikningar: Ett större fokus på tidiga skeden och en mer holistisk syn på hållbarhet är två sådanan tydliga trender. Det finns också en trend mot att verifieringar och analyser bör vara en del av en evidensbaserad produktframtagningsprocess där användarscenarier är en central del och där utvärdering av byggnadens användning samt verifiering och validering av människors upplevelser är en annan.

About 80% of new homes in Sweden are being built using prefabricated elements. This rate of prefabrication is the highest in the world and the manufacturing of timber-frame homes has become a modern sector of the economy in Sweden. Information, and communication technology (ICT) has long played a key role in industrializing the wood-based building industry and novel ICT, like augmented reality, are believed to provide new opportunities. It is in this context that we explore how artificial reality solutions can be applied to improve the quality assurance process in a company producing prefabricated homes in Småland, Sweden. The research question asked in this study is: How can augmented reality be successfully applied to support quality assurance practice in the wood-based building industry? This question warrants investigation since improving quality assurance in house manufacturing not only improves products but also increases customer satisfaction. To investigate this question, we conduct a case study in a company where we set up a quasi-experiment with five quality assurance professionals using Microsoft’s HoloLens displaying production data. To make sense of their experiences, we conducted a series of semi-structured de-briefing interviews. Moreover, for understanding how AR can be successfully deployed in quality assurance we apply the design science research method. Findings are that the success of using AR in quality assurance depends on the quality of information displayed on the system, the geolocation of the models, the quality of the software and hardware used, and the ruggedness of the devices. We claim to have provided a range of valuable practical and theoretical contributions transferable to other construction companies seeking to apply augmented reality in their quality assurance routines.

Windows and blinds play a significant role in both shaping energy consumption and enhancing indoor comfort. But there are still difficulties with selecting windows and blinds due to the existence of potential conflicts between visual comfort, thermal comfort, energy consumption and life-cycle cost. A literature review was conducted with the purpose of developing a decision-making framework that resolves the conflicts, and allows selecting a window and blind design based on trade-off between visual comfort, thermal comfort, energy consumption and life-cycle cost. The decision-making framework was developed by integrating non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II as an optimization algorithm with analytical hierarchy process as a multi-criteria decision-making method. The optimization algorithm considers different window and blind design variables and analyses multiple designs, while the multi-criteria decision-making method ranks the optimization results and selects a trade-off design. An operating package enabled the decision-making framework to be automated. The operating package was obtained by coupling EnergyPlus as a simulation tool and modeFRONTIER as an integration platform. The decision-making framework was developed to select a trade-off window and blind design through intelligent use of simulation in analysing big-data in built environment, energy and cost sectors. Application of the framework ensures the minimum visual and thermal comfort thresholds with the lowest energy demand and cost. Architects and designers can use the framework during the design or renovation phase of residential and commercial buildings.

Sweden has an ambitious target to attain 50% more efficient energy use by 2030. Improving the energy performance of buildings provides a great opportunity to achieve the above-mentioned target. At this point, windows play a substantial role in improving indoor environmental quality and reducing energy consumption and cost. A computer-based system was therefore developed, which allows selecting a suitable window design. The computer-based system was intended to be used in a largesized window and door manufacturing company in Sweden. However, the benefits of implementing the computer-based system cannot be realized until users accept using it. Former literature employed the technology acceptance model to investigate the influence of external variables on cognitive beliefs and trace their effects on users’ intention and actual system use. A successful application of TAM relies on the specification of the external variable. Accordingly, this paper conducted a systematic literature review to determine the external variable, affecting users' acceptance, thereby extended TAM. The analyses of results showed that organizational, individual, technological and environmental characteristics were the most influential external variables when investigating determinants of users' acceptance toward a computer-based system. Organizational characteristics contained mainly top management support, training, organizational culture, and organizational size, while individual characteristics embraced users’ previous knowledge and experience. Technological characteristics comprised information quality and system quality, meanwhile environmental characteristics included fulfillment of regulations and competitiveness. The extended TAM overcomes limitations attributed to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model since it considers attitude as direct determinants of intentions. In addition, the extended TAM is advantageous when compared with technology, organization, environment framework, because it has clear constructs, which allows tracing the influence of external variables on cognitive beliefs, and thereby their effects on users’ intention and actual system use. The extended TAM will be used to investigate determinants of users’ acceptance of the computer-based system in the manufacturing company in Sweden and compare the effect of external variables on users' acceptance. 

Window blinds have a substantial role in shaping the energy consumption and improving thermal comfort and visual comfort. However, difficulties in selecting a window blind remain, due to existence of potential conflicts between visual, thermal, energy and life cycle cost. To overcome this problem, this study evaluates the performance of interior blinds, including venetian with slat of 0° and 45°, roller and double-pleated blinds with respect to visual, thermal, energy and life cycle cost. Later, the Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used for selecting the best blind based on trade-off among the visual, thermal, energy and life cycle cost. In using AHP, visual comfort is determined as most important objective with a weight of 52%. The results show that venetian blind (VB) with slat of 0° drawn 100% is the trade-off blind. Accomplishing the sensitivity analysis on blinds’ global weight shows that VB with slat of 0° drawn 100% remains the trade-off blind until the weight of energy and life cycle cost is below 37% and 57%, respectively, and the weight of visual comfort is above 4%. However, changing thermal comfort weight has no impact on ranking of the blinds. This study shows the capability of AHP in managing the conflicts.

The Energy Performance of Building Directive obligated all European countries to reduce the energy requirements of buildings while simultaneously improving indoor environment quality. Any such improvements not only enhance the health of the occupants and their productivity, but also provide further economic benefits at the national level. Accomplishing this task requires a method that allows building professionals to resolve conflicts between visual and thermal comfort, energy demands, and life-cycle costs. To overcome these conflicts, this study exploits the incorporation of building information modelling (BIM), the design of experiments as an optimization algorithm, and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) into a multi-criteria decision-making method. Any such incorporation can (i) create constructive communication between building professionals, such as architects, engineers, and energy experts; (ii) allow the analysis of the performance of multiple construction solutions with respect to visual and thermal comfort, energy demand, and life-cycle costs; and (iii) help to select a trade-off solution, thereby making a suitable decision. Three types of energy-efficient windows, and five types of ground floors, roofs, and external wall constructions were considered as optimization variables. The incorporation of several methods allowed the analysis of the performance of 375 construction solutions based on a combination of optimization variables, and helped to select a trade-off solution. The results showed the strength of incorporation for analyzing big-data through the intelligent use of BIM and a simulation in the field of the built environment, energy, and costs. However, when applying AHP, the results are strongly contingent on pairwise comparisons. 

Increasing use of BIM requires solutions for sharing Product Data (PD), generated and governed by manufacturers, across applications and actors of the AECO industry. PD must be available in a machine-interpretable way to facilitate digital processing, but is usually provided in proprietary data formats. Aiming to analyse manufacturers’ current approach to PD provision, a scoping literature review was conducted, supported by a case study investigating a database providing IFC BIM objects, and the possibility to represent PD using Linked Data (LD). Findings suggest that PD provision is limited for reasons spanning from lacking expertise to data management issues. While the representation of PD in IFC BIM objects as well as with LD was concluded to be possible with currently available means, it has yet to be adopted by the industry.

Samhällsbyggnadssektorn är den största enskilda sektorn i de flesta länder och en viktig handelspartner för tillverkningsindustrin. De komplexa produkterna som samhällsbyggnadssektorn producerar och förvaltar består till övervägande del av produkter som realiseras av tillverkningsindustrin. Idag finns det ett ökat tryck på både tillverkningsindustrin och samhällsbyggnadssektorn att bli mer hållbara och stödja omställningen till cirkulär ekonomi. För att göra en sådan omställning möjlig behöver informationsöverföringen mellan samhällsbyggnadssektorn och tillverkningsindustrin förbättras. Syftet med denna förstudie var att skapa ett förslag till en synergi med tre nya forskningsprojekt. Förslag på forskningsprojekt har utarbetats och diskuterats med företagsrepresentanter. Tidigt i förstudien klargjordes att synergiansökan kommer skickas under 2024, vilket i sin tur resulterar i en förbättrad tidplan än den som beskrevs vid ansökan av förstudien till Smart Housing Småland (SHS). Det extra utrymmet har utnyttjats till att, i samarbete med näringslivet, ta fram två strategiska projekt inom området för synergin. Ett av dessa projekt har redan beviljats och arbetet i projektet har påbörjats. Det andra projektet håller på att utformas och kommer sannolikt beviljas eftersom projektet initierats av finansiären. Med dessa projekt som grund fortsätter arbetet med synergin, och målet nu är att starta 2 strategiska projekt samt 3 projekt inom ramen för synergin.

Byggsektorn har mestadels fokuserat på att minska investeringskostnaden. Denna kostnad är väldigt liten i förhållande till kostnaden för förvalting av byggnaden, verksamheten i byggnaden samt värdet av verksamhetens resultat. Detta förhållande indikerar att det finns stora möjligheter att öka ett byggnadsverkets totala värde genom att öka dess värde för verksamhet och förvaltning. Att fokus ändå har legat vid att sänka inversteringskostnaderna beror delvis på att det saknas modeller, metoder och verktyg för en värdebaserad styrning.

ValPro (Value Driven Procurement in Building and Real Estate) är ett multinationellt projekt med deltagare från Cypern, Danmark, Finland, Frankrike, Norge och Sverige. Syftet med projektet är att utveckla byggsektorns processer till att bli mer värdeskapande genom att just utveckla koncept, metoder och verktyg för mer värdebaserad upphandling.

Det övergripande målet för den svenska delen av ValPro var att studera IKT-stöd för en värdedriven byggprocess med fokus på tidiga skeden och att föreslå hur dessa kan utvecklas för att bättre stödja en värdedriven process. Tre fallstudier utfördes där användningen av de två, i Sverige, mest använda IKT-stöden för tidiga skeden studerades, Program för teknisk standard (PTS) och dRofus. Fallstudierna visar att användning av IKT-stöd för tidiga skeden ökar värdet av byggnaden för verksamheten samtidigt som byggprocessen blir effektivare. Fallstudierna visade också att IKT-stöd, såsom PTS, kan underlätta samarbete, kommunikation och erfarenhetsutbyte mellan olika parter och på det sättet vara en starkt bidragande orsak till en mer värdeskapande process.

Vid fallstudierna framgick det att informationsöverföringen mellan förvaltning och byggprocess är viktig men ofta problematisk. Liknande resultat framkom också vid en kartläggning av dagens IKT-stöd i byggprocessen, genomförd av den franska delen av ValPro. Denna kartläggning visade att det finns väldigt lite IKT-stöd som underlättar kunskapsöverföring från förvaltning till tidiga skeden i byggprocessen.

De svenska fallstudierna visade också att IKT-stöden hade väldigt lite stöd för utvärdering av förslag i tidiga skeden. Under 2000-talet har en mängd forskningsprojekt arbetat med att ta fram modeller för hur värden av en fastighet ska mätas, sk värdemodeller. De flesta fastighetsföretag gör också kontinuerlig utvärdering av företagets fastigheter under produktanvändningen, ofta genom sk nyckeltalsstyrning. Utvärdering av byggnader sker både under förvaltningsskedet, baserat på verksamhetens behov och kundnyttan, samt under tidiga skeden i byggprocessen, för att utvärdera förslag inför ny- eller ombyggnad. Samtidigt saknas det verktyg för att överföra information mellan förvaltning och tidiga skeden. Inom den finska delen av ValPro-projektet testades idén att använda samma mätmodell för värden både i förvaltning och byggprocess. Prototypen Needscape implementerades med detta som utgångspunkt i samarbete med Senatfastigheter i Finland.

Slutsatsen från ValPro är att användnigen av IKT-stöd för kravställning i tidiga skeden, t ex PTS, tillsammans med IKT-stöd för utvärdering av olika förslag som har sin grund i förvaltningens utvärderingsmodeller, t ex Needscape, skulle ge en mer värdedriven byggprocess där värden för verksamhet och förvaltning får en mer framskjuten position och är styrande genom hela byggprocessen. En sådan utveckling skulle också ge en ny utmaning för utvecklingen av BIM: att vara ett verktyg för att i tidiga skeden kunna verifiera kraven och analysera värden för den slutliga fastigheten.

The way briefing is prepared in conjunction with building projects is crucial to the project's adherence to the client's intentions. It is through the brief that the values expected are documented and transferred. However, international research has for a long time pointed out the briefing stage as a constantly recurring problem area for the construction sector.

The aim of this research is to achieve a more value-driven building process by the use of ICT. The objective of this study is to improve the briefing phase using ICT.

To reach this objective the following questions will be addressed:Q1: What values are defined in the briefing process?Q2: What values were created by the use of ICT?Q3: How could ICT be developed to further support a value-driven briefing process?

To answer these questions three case studies were used. One of the case studies concerning a building for culture and music is presented here. The ICT tool Program of Technical Standard (PTS 2012) was used to support the briefing process in the building project studied. In the case study three questions were answered:

What functionalities in PTS support the briefing process?How did the use of PTS influence the process? What values were created by the use of PTS?

The result of the studies shows that using ICT to support the briefing process has many valuable advantages. The use of ICT-support in the briefing process makes the process more efficient. PTS facilitates information transfer and consistency of standard.

The amount of information on evidence-based design in lighting is mounting, however the facility managers, lighting designers, and researchers are struggling with an implementation of an efficient post-occupancy evaluation system. This research aims to establish a method for Digital Occupancy Assessment for Lighting Evaluation (DOALE) to strengthen evidence-based lighting research supporting value generation for stakeholders. A prototype has been implemented using Azure Digital Twin and the RealEstateCore ontology to investigate how an ontology and a commercial platform, developed to facilitate data integration for smart buildings, can be used for occupancy assessment. The prototype was evaluated using a post occupancy evaluation session where data concerning environmental factors (temperature, illuminance) and data concerning occupants (motion, galvanic skin response, and heart rate) were gathered. Questionnaires concerning occupancy perception were also carried out using mobile technology. Several interviews/discussions were also conducted with the lighting researchers using the prototype to perform the POE. The result indicates that it is possible to use current commercial digital twin technology to implement a post-occupancy evaluation system, but the technology is at present so complex that it is hard for a lighting researcher to adopt the system.

Design errors cause a big part of the defects occurring in building production and maintenance. Earlier research have shown that the most common cause for design errors is lack of knowledge. Product-model based CAD-systems are increasingly used in structural engineering practice and it is well known that these systems reduce the design errors, mostly through better visualization and collision checks. The design errors caused by lack of knowledge are not prevented using product-model based CAD-systems as we do today. This paper describes a case study of design errors where the structural engineer is involved. The aim of the study was to find new ways to prevent design errors using the product-model based technique. The study supports earlier findings that the use of product-model based CAD-systems have a great potential in preventing design errors, especially co-ordination errors. The study also shows that many of the design errors caused by lack of knowledge could be prevented in future projects if the design errors from earlier projects were systematically documented and made available to the structural engineer in the design process. This could prevent as many design errors as is prevented by using product-model based CAD-systems today. The study shows that about 90% of the design errors that could be prevented in this way were situated where two or more elements meet. It was also found in the study that the information needed about the design errors could be retrieved from construction deficiency reports. Based on these findings it is argued that design errors, caused by lack of knowledge, can be prevented in future projects by making the information from the construction deficiency reports available and retrievable for the structural engineer by indexing them using information about the elements meeting where the design error occurred.

Design knowledge reuse is the most common design method in structural engineering and dominates completely in the design of steel connections. This paper describes a case study and a prototype with the objective of gaining knowledge on how to create computer support for knowledge reuse in the design of steel connections. The case study identified the key characteristics of the design knowledge reuse process in the form of subprocesses. It also showed that the most commonly used documents in these processes are drawings and that these contain most of the information needed for reuse. The prototype was implemented using the Case-Based Design approach. Evaluation of this prototype confirmed the findings of the case study and suggested that information about the geometry and topology of the members connected was sufficient for indexing previous steel connections. The prototype significantly facilitated the process of finding the documentation of recalled previous connections and thus most of the information necessary for reuse. A method of capturing the required information automatically during the process of the designer creating the drawings was implemented and evaluated.

Over 50% of the work done by the designer on a day-to-day basis is routine design that consists of reusing past design solutions (Moore, 1993). Despite of this fact, there are no tools that rationally support reuse of such solutions. Case-based design (CBD) has been pointed out as a promising aid to help this situation. In order to be of practical use, however, a case-based design system has to be able to use the information that the designer creates during the design process. The design information that the designer creates is today mostly in the form of weakly structured information, e.g. text documents, calculation documents, and 2D-drawings. This paper proposes an approach that enables capturing and representation of weakly structured information for the purpose of case-based structural design. The representation proposed allows us to apply most of the objectoriented abstract principles also on weakly structured information. It is also shown how the conceptual framework, the dependency structure, and the design process can be captured, represented, and used in CBD. The approach is successfully implemented into a prototype for reuse of computerized design calculation documents.

Syftet med denna förstudie är att motivera och formulera hur svenska byggherrar, i egenskap av kravställare och beställare, ska kunna medverka till att påverka och driva utveckling inom ICT till nytta för byggherrefunktionen och därmed stärka byggherrens roll som förändringsagent.

Förstudien har genomfört en enkätundersökning med svenska byggherrar avseende deras inställning till ICT. Resultatet visar att byggherrarna idag tydligt fokuserar på ICT som ett redskap att hantera problem i produktframställningsprocessen. Det är också inom detta område man ser de största affärsnyttorna. Det här är anmärkningsvärt, eftersom produktframställningen inte primärt är ett byggherreansvar. Resultatet visar också att de svenska byggherrarnas intresse och fokus ligger relativt sent i byggprocessen.

Förstudien har som jämförelse studerat situationen i våra grannländer avseende ICT genom en nordisk kartläggning. En undersökning visar att Sverige idag är ledande i Norden när det gäller användning av BIM, men vi använder trots det bara en bråkdel av de verktyg som finns till förfogande, inte minst för byggherrens processer. I synnerhet Finland och Norge framstår som mer progressiva inom området, med starka offentliga beställare som driver utvecklingen och sätter standard för branschens samtliga aktörer. I Danmark har man lagstiftat om att projekt över en viss storlek skall ha digital informationshantering i enlighet med byggherrarnas önskemål, de s.k. byggherrekraven.

I Danmark, Finland och Norge har man på detta vis utvecklat ICT-stöd för byggherrens processer i form av:

• informationsstrukturer för byggherrens krav, som ger säkrare informationsöverföring
• generering av lösningsförslag
• analyser av dessa förslag i tidiga skeden
• verifieringsmetoder för automatisk verifiering av att ett lösningsförslag uppfyller kraven.

Sammantaget ger detta en bild av en nordisk byggherreroll, där fokus ligger på tidiga skeden (produktbestämningen) och där byggherrekraven på ett tydligt sätt styr och formar hela byggprocessen och då inklusive valet av ICT-verktyg. Aktuella ICT-verktyg med tillämpning under byggprocessens olika skeden beskrivs i rapportens analysdel.

Mot bakgrund av enkätundersökningen och den nordiska kartläggningen har förstudien formulerat en ny vision för svensk ICT-användning ur ett byggherreperspektiv. Visionen är att med hjälp av ICT stärka byggherrens nyckelposition som kravställare i förhållande till de andra aktörerna i byggprocessen genom att flytta fokus till byggprocessens tidiga skeden. Visionen innebär således att fokus flyttas från produktframställning till produktbestämning, med en tydlig koppling till de krav som ställs från verksamheten, kunden, brukaren, ägaren och samhället.

The significant impact of the built environment on resource consumption and waste production has led to calls for a shift towards a circular economy model that maximizes the efficient use of resources. This study explores the use of digital product passports (DPPs) to improve how we manage products throughout their lifecycle. However, dealing with the complexity and large volume of data in DPPs can be challenging in terms of effective information management and utilization. We address this issue by adopting a modular ontological approach to systematically capture product lifecycle information from its origin to its end-of-life phase. To ensure interoperability and reusability of the ontology, we annotate key concepts and relationships using International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards that promote circular economy. Our research led to the development of several ontology modules derived from literature reviews and interviews conducted with industry and academia experts who specialize in sustainability. These modules were then integrated to create a digital product passport ontology. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using a modular ontology approach to manage the complex information inherent in DPPs paving the way for more sustainable management practices in the built environment sector. 

The built environment is heavily dependent on wasteful linear economic models and needs to transition to the circular economy (CE). One of the key enablers of CE is Digital Product Passports (DPPs). However, determining the necessary information and selecting suitable technologies remains to be challenging in practical implementations. This research aims to present a framework for implementing DPPs using Knowledge Graphs (KGs). A literature review was conducted to identify the key components of the framework. The result shows that the key elements encompass use cases identification, data collection, modelling, integration, governance, access and querying, and maintenance and updating.

As building information modeling (BIM) gains popularity in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, manufacturers are required to distribute their product specifications in digital product models. Currently, manufacturers mainly employ proprietary formats, such as BIM objects supplemented by PDF documents to represent their product data descriptions. However, these formats do not support flexible automated product search and data integration. This paperdescribes the use of Semantic Web technologies in combination with BIM-based visual programming language (VPL) to automatically integrate product data from external databases. To facilitate data integration, we introduced a method to semantically represent product data linked with the CEN/TS 17623:2021 standard using ontologies in web ontology language (OWL). The study has focused on the use case of a manufacturer of lighting products. Results show that building designers are able to execute a more efficient product search that satisfies their query requirements and returns suitable products of their choice from the manufacturer's database based on their requests. This approach eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually entering product data into BIM software.

Easy and solid information exchange constitutes an important part in BIM-based projects. To conduct reliable simulations and optimizations, information about products, such as luminaries, windows, doors, etc., need to be provided by the manufacturing industries to the building designers at the early design stage. Several studies and ongoing researches presented the Semantic Web (SW) and Linked Data (LD) technologies as an interoperable and flexible approach for providing product information from the manufacturers during the design and construction stage as well as gathering consumers data to the manufacturers during the operation stage. A systematic literature review has been conducted to investigate benefits and limitations of using the SW and LD technologies for developing product data templates for information exchanges between the building and product manufacturing industries in comparison with the conventional approach of information ex-changes using the openBIM standards. Results show that SW and LD could apport considerable benefits to the information exchange in the building sector. Moreover, SW and LD technologies enable the sharing of products’ information from manufacturers to designers who can search product information, compare different products and take informed design decisions during the very beginning of the design process.

Design errors are claimed to account for 26% of the cost of defects, these in turn are stated to encompass 2-9% of production cost for building and constructions. Lack of knowledge and information has been identified as a major reasons for design errors. Recently Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been considered as a mean for reducing design errors. However, limited research has been conducted on the role of BIM as a means for transfer and sharing knowledge in order to reduce design errors. The aim of the paper is to analyse BIM’s role of facilitating knowledge and expertise sharing in order to prevent design errors. The aim is achieved by analysing a case study of design errors in a construction project. By drawing on the concept of boundary object it is confirmed that BIM can serve a mean for preventing design errors by facilitating knowledge and expertise sharing, across discipline, time and space, and professional boundaries. Depending the kind of boundary knowledge and expertise should be shared across, different challenges emerge in organizing the knowledge and expertise sharing.

There is a lack of a cohesive, integrated approach to design and production planning and control, where real-time data can be captured to support various management functions in an interconnected autonomous platform for collaboration. This paper presents a systematic literature review on collaborative digital platforms for BIM-based projects to facilitate synchronous updates of workflows based on real-time project data. The results show that a combined model, including Knowledge Graphs, Common Data Environments, and Digital Twins have potential to support a fully integrated, automated system. Future studies should therefore investigate how to connect these technologies together in an integrated project platform.

In response to the increasing demand for construction informatics (CI) expertise, universities inthe Nordic countries have developed new educational offers. This study explores how CI related education is being delivered by three different universities, two in Norway and one in Sweden. By comparing curricula and interviewing CI teachers, this paper contributes to the recent debate on the international standardization of CI competence by providing a Scandinavian view. The paper uses a pedagogical framework for hybrid teaching identifying which different “Scandinavian” aspects of CI-based work are focused on education. The results illustrate how all universities provide core competencies for digital work in projects, but their emphasis differs. What all CI education, sampled in this paper, had in common is a strong emphasis on the socio-technical aspects of CI as well the hands-on technical aspects of BIM. It can be reasonably claimed that a more Scandinavian approach to CI education could further inform the standardization of BIM competence. Moreover, this integrated approach appears well suited for creating student engagement and for turning construction into a modern sector of the economy.

The construction industry is responsible for 32% of the world’s consumption of natural resources, causing 850 million tons of construction waste in the European Union alone. The construction and manufacturing industries mostly apply a linear economy model, where resources are used once and then disposed of. As a response, the concept of a circular economy (CE) was introduced with the aim of keeping materials within a closed loop and regaining their value in the end-of-life phase. This paper aims to investigate the different CE strategies in the construction industry and the related manufacturing industry and how these strategies can be supported by digital technology. The 11Rs framework has been used as a reference within the concept of CE through a scoping literature review, in which 117 articles were reviewed. The analysis focused on the frequency of the various Rs in papers, as well as their applications and possible implementation. Seven interviews were conducted with Swedish experts to obtain industry perspectives and thereby specify a potential research gap related to CE. According to the study, existing research for the application of CE by construction companies has not been fully explored. There is also a lack of knowledge about CE and its benefits, as well as poor collaboration between different stakeholders, both in information sharing and processes. Findings suggest that all stakeholders in the industries need to make efforts to change their strategies if the transition to CE is to occur.

The construction industry is characterized by fragmentation due to the distinct phases, as well as the complex structure of the industry itself. The numerous processes involve diverse stakeholders each requiring seamless integration through the accurate transfer of information to maintain its integrity. Different information models both those defined by standards and industry-specific, complicate the choice of models to adopt, impacting interoperability. This research aims to develop a methodology to address this issue by unifying existing ontologies developed for different information models. The approach combines elements of the Modular Ontology Modelling methodology, and the Level of Information Need (LOIN). This methodology is currently being evaluated in collaboration with multiple companies in the Swedish AEC industry as part of an ongoing project. Results suggest using standardized machine-readable data templates, industry accepted data dictionaries and ontologies based on standards enable unambiguous exchange of information along the value chain of a construction project. 

Lighting in the built environment affects different aspects, ranging from building performance in terms of costs and energy consumption to human well-being in terms of thermal comfort, visual effects, and beyond-vision effects. Buildings optimised for specific performance metrics rarely consider different aspects simultaneously, leading to sub-optimised, unbalanced, or non-trade-off solutions. Therefore, multi-objective optimisation has commonly been used to overcome conflicting performance objectives. Recently, light effects beyond vision gained more interest in building design but it is unclear if and how they are integrated with other existing building performance metrics and simulation workflows. A scoping review investigated the state-of-art in multi-objective lighting design optimisation regarding building performance and human well-being focusing on performance metrics, simulation workflows, and the overall information flow. Results show that metrics for beyond-vision effects are not integrated with other human well-being and building performance metrics. The simulation workflows included multiple steps and computational tools in multi-objective optimisation. This process has limitations such as a long simulation time, no ubiquitous integrated tool, and a reduced information flow.

Lighting in the built environment has effects on different aspects, ranging from building performance in terms of costs and energy consumption to human well-being in terms of thermal comfort, visual effects, and beyond-vision effects. Buildings optimised for specific performance metrics rarely consider performance aspects simultaneously, leading to sub-optimised, unbalanced, or non-trade-off solutions. Therefore, multi-objective optimisation has been more commonly used to overcome conflicting performance objectives. Recently, metrics to quantify light effects beyond vision became available, but it is unclear if and how they are integrated with other existing building performance metrics. A scoping review investigated the state-of-art in multi-objective lighting design optimisation regarding building performance and human well-being focusing on performance metrics, simulation workflows, and the overall information flow. The search in Scopus and Web of Science databases resulted in 89 journal articles and conference papers, and the 21 papers reaching the highest optimisation level were discussed. The information extracted was categorised into optimisation metrics, levels, and design variables. The results show that none of the papers combines visual and beyond-vison effects with other building performance metrics.

Both standards and ontologies are among the important components to realize the vision of BIM (Building Information Modeling). They provide a community consensus for interpretation, communication and interoperability of building data. This consensus is pivotal in enabling diverse stakeholders and systems to seamlessly collaborate and share data across the entire building life cycle. In this paper we describe the development of ontologies for building product properties, aligning with standards, and demonstrate their usage in achieving semantic interoperability. First, a top-domain ontology, BPPO (Buiding Product Property Ontology), is developed for building product properties. This top-domain ontology is used to guide the development of domain ontologies for properties in different categories of products or groups of product categories. Subsequently, a domain ontology, LPPO (Lighting Product Property Ontology), is built for lighting product properties, with guidance from BPPO, in this work. The ontological terminologies of both BPPO and LPPO are aligned with the standards set forth by the BIM community. Furthermore, the ontologies have been used in an application to support and enhance the interoperability between the manufacturer’s product database and the BIM platform.

Successful buildings’ simulation and analysis inevitably require information exchange between multiple building information modeling (BIM) software. The BIM information exchange based on IFC is widely used. However, Industry Foundation Classification (IFC) files are not always reliable and information can get lost when using different software for modeling and simulations. In this research, interviews with lighting simulation experts and a case study provided by a company producing lighting devices have been the research methods used to identify the necessary steps and data for successful information exchange between lighting simulation tools and authoring design tools. Model creation, information exchange, and model simulation have been identified as key aspects for the success of information exchange. The paper concludes with recommendations for improved information exchange and more reliable simulations that take all the needed parameters into consideration.