A Visual Support Tool for Decision-Making over Federated Building Information

Abstract

Interconnecting building information on multiple scales and lifecycle stages enables designers to improve their decision-making and tackle ecological, societal, and economical challenges. However, this information is often generated in different software tools, saved in different file formats, using a stakeholder’s own domain language, and is stored in decentral storage locations. This paper presents a tool that integrates data from different stakeholders into a single viewpoint. The tool – LBDviz – combines a browser-based IFC viewer and semantic web technologies to combine geometry with other data that falls outside the scope of the IFC schema. The tool is tested in multiple case studies. These case studies range from requirement checking during the design phase, generating design feedback during the operational phase, and maintaining building performance in a sustainable and economically viable manner. The results of these studies can be reused in future designs, stimulating a more circular design process. The method used in LBDviz enables the interconnection of data within and without the architectural design domain and reduces data interoperability challenges in many lifecycle phases of a construction project.