BIMERR
Another international project joined by Budimex SA is BIMERR. 16 consortium members – companies and scientific entities from ten European countries – are involved in its implementation. BIMERR is connected with the building information modelling (BIM) and its main purpose is to support stakeholders involved in the thermal upgrading process in the area of AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) through the design and development of a new set of tools to support the renovation process of existing buildings – from concept to delivery.
Digital revolution in thermal upgrading. Budimex in an innovative, international project of BIMERR.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a key element of the digitisation of the construction industry, which contributes significantly to improving the efficiency of planning and execution of constructions. BIMERR is a supplement and extension of the BIM functionality with tools supporting the energy renovation process of residential buildings. Budimex SA will be the leader of one of the stages of this international, innovative project.
Various objectives are formulated worldwide to respond to climate change. The studies presented in the reports by, among others, International Energy Agency, indicate that buildings are the most significant energy recipients in the European Union, which account for almost 40% of its total consumption, as well as high CO2 emissions – nearly 36%. A way to reduce the level of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Europe can be improvement in energy efficiency in developed areas. According to the “Energy Roadmap 2050” study published by the European Commission in 2011, most of the residential buildings in Europe are over 50 years old and the overall improvement of their energy efficiency is characterised by a low renovation rate of about 1% per year.
One of the main factors influencing the slow pace of energy renovation of buildings is the lack of their digital models, which significantly impedes the planning, evaluation and calculation of work efficiency. The objective of BIMERR project is to develop a package of tools that will enable the creation of improved digital models of existing residential buildings.
One of the assumptions of BIMERR is the development of Scan-to-BIM technology using smart glasses and augmented reality (AR). As a result, apart from geometrical data, digital models of residential buildings will be able to be supplemented, among other things, with the characteristics of materials and components affecting energy efficiency, data on energy consumption, as well as the manner of their operation. Another BIMERR innovation will be an algorithmic extension which enables the analysis of those patterns of behaviour of building residents that impact energy consumption.
The project also involves the creation of additional applications supporting BIM. The first of them, Renovation DSS (RenoDSS), will be dedicated to energy renovation projects of buildings and property managers. The application will assess the feasibility of renovation, e.g. with regard to the replacement of heating systems, insulation materials, or windows. It will also help to estimate the influence of the renovation on the economic indicators of the building. The second application is Process & Workflow Modelling and Automation (PWMA). It will simulate the renovation at every stage of the process, from preparation to execution.
The tools will act in synergy and will enable creation of more accurate information models about buildings. The extended digital modelling will certainly bring greater opportunities for the use of BIM and will lead to higher efficiency of energy renovation planning in terms of quality, time and costs.
The solutions developed within BIMERR will be tested in real-world conditions. To this end, two residential buildings which require energy renovation will be selected. The tests will be carried out in Poland and Spain, due to differences in construction law regulations, building standards concerning the use of different components and various heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Budimex SA, leader of the testing stage and Ferrovial Agroman, will independently develop BIM models that will serve to assess the performance of BIMERR tools. This will create a set of guidelines to improve this innovative package.
BIMERR is an international project financed by EU funds within Horizon 2020 programme. 16 consortium members – companies and scientific entities from ten European countries – are involved in its implementation, e.g.: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The project started in January 2019 and its completion is planned for September 2022. The co-financing value is EUR 6,933,320. The BIMERR consortium is composed of: BOC Asset Management GmbH (AT), Budimex SA (PL), Conkar SA (GR), Ethniko Kentro Erevnas Kai Technologikis Anaptyxis (GR), Exergy Ltd (UK), Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung E.V. (DE), GlassUp S.R.L. (IT), Heriot-Watt University (UK), Hypertech (Chaipertek) Anonymos Viomichaniki Emporiki Etaireia Pliroforikis Kai Neon Technologion (GR), Merit Consulting House SPRL (BE), Novitech AS (SK), Suite5 Data Intelligence Solutions Limited (CY), Ubitech Limited (CY), University of Peloponnese (GR), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES), Xylem Science and Technology Management GmbH (AT).