Building information modelling (BIM) represents the process of development and use of a computer generated model to simulate the planning, design, construction and operation of a building. The utilisation of building information models has increased in recent years due to their economic benefits in design and construction phases and in building management. BIM has been widely applied in the design and construction of new buildings but rarely in the management of existing ones. The point of creating a BIM model for an existing building is to produce accurate information related to the building, including its physical and functional characteristics, geometry and inner spatial relationships. The case study provides a critical appraisal of the process of both collecting accurate survey data using a terrestrial laser scanner combined with a total station and creating a BIM model as the basis of a digital management model. The case study shows that it is possible to detect and define facade damage by integration of the laser scanning point cloud and the creation of the BIM model. The paper will also give an overview of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), total station surveying, geodetic survey networks and data processing to create a BIM model.

Multi-attribute analysis is a popular tool in many economical, managerial, constructional etc. problems. This document provides a review of international and national practices in investment decision support tools in bridges and road quality management. Cost benefit analysis and multi-attribute analysis are principal methodologies in supporting decision-making in bridges and road quality management. The complexity of the applications shows significant differences in international practices. There are continuing discussions amongst practitioners and researchers, regarding to which one is more appropriate in supporting decision-making. It is suggested that more than one approach should be regarded as complementary instead of competitive means. Multi-attribute analysis may be particularly helpful in early stages of project development, strategic planning. Cost benefit analysis is used most widely for project prioritization and selecting the final project from a set of alternatives. These methodologies are applicable to the problems with large numbers of scenarios and attributes. The research has concluded that multi-attribute decision-making methods are very useful for bridge and road construction.

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Accidents in construction industry have the major negative impacts in many countries. The objectives of this paper are: (1) examine the current safety practices in Indian construction industry (2) identify the causes of accidents (3) recommend solutions to improve safety performance at Indian construction workplace. Interviews were conducted with experienced professionals in Indian construction industry. Results indicated that accidents were caused by the combination of organizational and individual factors. Based on these findings, it was suggested that adoption of information technologies in various ways would help to reduce accidents by addressing the following issues (1) safety planning, (2) safety education and (3) safety monitoring.

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This article in general reflects the significance of socio-economic factors and the real estate market in sustainable urban development. The relevance of the research is being determined by the high ratio of the real estate market and construction industry in Latvian and Baltic economic structure, as well as well as their major impact on the state socio-economic status. The objective of the research is to identify the major problems existing in the sustainable development of real estate industry for improvement of the situation. The particular attention will be paid to the problems of socio-economic aspects and related macroeconomic indicators. On the basis of the results of the research the proposals for advancement of sustainable and competitive development are prepared. The subject of the research is an interaction of socio-economic factors and real estate market over the period from 2009 to 2013.The article reflects the impact of Latvian national economy and real estate market on the sustainable urban development, as well as the main trends in the real estate market and the socio-economic sphere of the country, in the overall context of the development of the Baltic States. The role of the state is reflected in the socio-economic processes regulation, interaction of the economy and real estate market development, factors influencing the house building, the main challenges and directions of Latvian sustainable development strategies, as well as the correlation of some macroeconomic indicators in terms of sustainable development. On the basis of the conducted study, the main trends in the sustainable development of the real estate market and in the socio-economic sphere have been defined, as well as recommendations on improvement of the situation in the longer term and preventive measures have been developed. The historical, logical, analytical and comparative methods have been used in the article.

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