Modeling the Relationship between Critical BIM Attributes and Environmental Sustainability Criteria Using PLS-SEM Technique

Abstract

Applying the concepts of sustainability to reduce energy waste and environmental pollution in architecture has created a topic called sustainable architecture with an environmental approach. In recent years, the demand for adopting methods to promote environmental sustainability has increased. The construction industry, by introducing the Building Information Modeling (BIM) method, has provided an opportunity for professionals to achieve the goals of sustainable development more effectively. This study was carried out to investigate which attributes of BIM are of most contribution to improving the most important criteria of environmental sustainability. For this purpose, after collecting BIM attributes and environmental sustainability criteria, they were evaluated in the form of two questionnaires and the research data were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in Smart PLS software. The results of the study demonstrated that the BIM attributes such as virtualization of buildings, energy efficiency analysis and simulation maintenance or the retrofit process play an instrumental role in the overall promotion of environmental sustainability. Moreover, the most important criteria based on which BIM implementation can have the most impact on their improvement are in the field of materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, and innovation.