Purpose -Because of global environmental concerns, sustainable design has become a mainstream building design goal in recent years. Sustainable development is even more urgent in the light of global climate change. This paper aims to examine the contributions which building information modelling (BIM) can make to the production of sustainable building designs. Design/methodology/approach -Various research methodologies have been adopted, including literature review, design tool analysis, a case study and structured face-to-face interviews. Data collected were synthesized as part of the research process. Findings -BIM is found to be ideally suited to the delivery of information needed for improved design and building performance. Two most significant benefits of BIM for sustainable building design are: integrated project delivery (IPD) and design optimization. However, there are also barriers to adopting BIM for sustainable design. Research limitations/implications -This paper does not attempt to address all aspects of BIM functionality because the scope of BIM is very great and the resources of this research were limited. Practical implications -Successful implementation of BIM is able to eliminate the extra cost of design changes during the subsequent phases of construction process. BIM, therefore, is also capable of enhancing the project delivery culture in future. Social implications -BIM solutions can contribute to the selection of best solutions to reduce energy and resources consumption. This new technology and the approach also can generate the need of more innovative professionals and job opportunities. Originality/value -This paper investigates the contribution of BIM to sustainable buildings from the perspective of design performance and improved communication and coordination.

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PurposeBuilding information modelling (BIM) is a paradigm shift in the architectural, engineering and construction industries which transforms processes to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the implementation of BIM in Hong Kong and the USA and recommend strategies for BIM implementation in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of BIM initiatives taken in Hong Kong and the USA was conducted including the government policy, guidelines, standards and implementation status. Findings from the literature review were complemented with insights obtained through focused interviews of experts in the field for arriving at recommendations based on the research. The principal investigator of this research also participated in the establishment of a BIM professional institute as one of the founding board members.FindingsAs a result of studies performed for this paper, guidelines are proposed for BIM implementation in Hong Kong. The role of government in implementing BIM in different phases of a project lifecycle is also highlighted.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited mainly to the initiatives of BIM taken by the public sector (government). The roles of other stakeholders are not specifically studied. Results from this study should be considered in the context of a qualitative research methodology adopted and the limited number of responses obtained for arriving at the findings of this paper.Practical implicationsResults from this study can be used as guidelines for the implementation of BIM elsewhere and this implementation can be compared with other countries.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the best practices of BIM implementation, which is useful for the effective and efficient implementation of BIM in Hong Kong.

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Purpose – This research paper is a literature review of the existing building retrofitting process. It proposes studying the functional, technical, and organizational issues of the green retrofit process. The purpose of this paper is to expand the domain of design framework for retrofitting existing buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a review of the model-based design process from enrollment to evaluation stages representing the green retrofitting process in selected publications. The paper opted to review the Green Retrofit Design (GRD) process model for achieving a systematic design model of GRD development in the future. Findings – Functional and maintenance issues are mainly for new buildings, also in the field for renovation and demolishing. Publications also show that environmental, social, and technical issues are often examined separately in the decision process of GRD. Papers in the facility management scale would concentrate more on organization/legal issues. Publications with questionnaire design are devoted to the usage on life-cycle assessment on existing building, but not yet on the stakeholder management and design process and related issues. Social implications – The achievement of the study is to provide a new framework of design approach that is significant to the theoretical research, education, communication, and practical works in terms of GRD development. Originality/value – The paper not only achieves a specific sequence of practical approaches, including awareness of problems, conceptual development, and design embodiment, to meet design objectives, but also conforms to academic practice-based research of creative design taking on GRD practice.

An approach for enhancing the production efficiency of bill of quantities (BQ) used on construction projects is presented. The approach was developed to integrate the quantities obtained from a building information model of the project into a suitably prepared electronic format of BQ with 3D views. In this format of BQ, the building information modeling (BIM) technology provides enhanced functionality to a contractor's quantity surveyor whose primary task is to accurately determine the quantities from the project drawings. A review of the traditional BQ preparation methods is presented to highlight their characteristics and to reflect on their benefits and barriers. Questionnaire surveys were conducted with various groups of respondents to obtain their opinions about the proposed BQ format. They included experienced quantity surveyors from the public and the private sectors, postgraduate, and undergraduate students studying in BIM-related courses. The results of the questionnaire survey showed mostly a positive view toward the proposed BQ format. Slight differences in the opinions of these three groups were also present. It is expected that the approach as presented in this paper for the development of BQ with 3D BIM views could usefully be incorporated into the standard quantity surveying practices for quantity takeoffs in various countries. B Abid Nadeem

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PurposeThis paper aims to identify the challenges of Hong Kong and overseas developers in project management when undertaking real estate projects in China, and then focuses on how to mitigate and solve the problems. The proposed solution is about a concept of using the IT tool “web‐based construction project management system” (WPMS) to help assuring projects success in China. The study reported in this paper focuses on how to implement WPMS to manage construction projects in China considering the overall situation, limitations and Chinese culture.Design/methodology/approachCase studies and interviews were adopted to identify the main reasons why experienced Hong Kong developers have apparently been outperformed by the capital‐deprived local developers in China. SWOT was applied to analyse project failure factors. Afterwards, 49 web‐based construction project management software systems were reviewed to identify their features, their client expectations, the technology propagation modes, and the most emphasized functions in the construction stage. An in‐depth case study was adopted to test the hypothesis that web‐based construction project system could help Hong Kong developers to properly manage their projects in China.FindingsCooperation and coordination difficulties among participants caused by long geographical project distance and remote management control were identified to be the main causes of project failure. Web‐based construction project management system was proved to be efficient and effective in cross region project coordination and monitoring. Since property development business is a continuing and non‐one‐off activity, the investment of a tailor made WPMS is really good value for money. Concerning the low readiness of business partners in China, an encouraging pattern with more self‐incentives should be considered for achieving a win‐win‐win situation as an essential tactic as proposed in this paper.Research limitations/implicationsHow to evaluate the benefit of using WPMS in quantitative method remains a challenge. Future research could compare the project with WPMS and without WPMS.Practical implicationsThe case study of the application of a tailor‐made web‐based project management system (named ICPMS) by one of the major developers in Hong Kong has demonstrated that the headquarters in Hong Kong is able to get timely first hand project information, facilitating timely decisions and ensuring project success. Thus, the adoption of WPMS is a worthwhile investment for overseas developers undertaking real estate development projects in China.Originality/valueThis paper puts forward the concept of overseas developers using WPMS to help assure project success in China. Chinese culture and other limitation factors were considered for the first time in WPMS implementation in the construction industry. How to make the implementation of WPMS to successfully overcome such barriers is illustrated based on this empirical study.