A new method combining BIM and GIS data to optimise the sustainability of new construction projects in Switzerland

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development relies on national municipalities to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Research indicates many of the SDG are related directly or indirectly to activities in the construction industry. Achieving the SDG requires instruments which are able to digitally model various sustainable development scenarios. However, it is still unclear exactly what has to be modelled and how. This paper presents initial findings from the GEOBIM project. The aim was to investigate and show the extent to which it is possible to support the optimisation of the sustainability of construction projects by using BIM and GIS data. A major problem with today’s construction projects is that too often sustainability and digitization are still viewed as two separate topics. This is due to industry uncertainty about to what extent it is possible to benefit from synergies between the two areas. The Swiss certification system developed by the SGNI (Swiss Sustainable Building Council) is used as the basis for the analysis. The system is divided into 7 groups of criteria, with 22 individual topics. The criteria cover the most important sustainability aspects, including key topics, e.g., sustainable development, life cycle management and digitization. A total of 343 indicators are evaluated. The GEOBIM project includes a demonstrator where it is possible to explore and show exemplarily, how the sustainability criteria of the international DGNB system can be supported to a large extent by BIM and GIS data. The findings will be used to develop a new method, which allows a systematic analysis and use of existing BIM and GIS data to optimise the sustainability of construction projects. One of the key findings from combining existing BIM and GIS data is that it allowed a variety of sustainability aspects to be more easily visualised and understood. The corresponding possibilities can be demonstrated exemplarily using the example of the demonstration project. Virtual and augmented reality technologies enable exploring new and innovative ways to improve the design of buildings with respect to sustainability. An example is the visualization of a large number of sustainability aspects as part of the planning process. This enables clients to check and control at an early stage, whether the planned building really supports their specific needs and meets sustainability and other user requirements. The results illustrate the use of BIM- and GIS-data for the optimization and visualization of the sustainability of buildings as part of certification processes, which make digital planning valuable in the long term. In order to achieve a multifactorial optimisation of the sustainability of real estate also requires a high level of understanding of the complexity in the planning-accompanying processes. The project specifically shows how an efficient and sustainable combination of the two methods is possible within the framework of Lean Planning and Construction Management. This is highly relevant and will be absolutely necessary in the future in order to be able to significantly reduce the economic costs of sustainability certification through the intelligent use of this new methods and the resulting synergies.