Simulating total embodied energy of building products through BIM

The total energy involved in building construction and operation can be divided in two parts, Operational Energy and Embodied energy. Many researches have focused on simulating operation energy but the embodied energy is not much discussed for simulation or alternative selection purposes. There are a lot of complex variables that need to be quantified and analyzed before any meaningful optimization of embodied energy can be achieved. Building Information Model (BIM) is used as a platform to hold the data as a context aware, intelligent and interactive database This paper discusses the means for realizing the embodied energy data in the BIM model through linking the model with external database thus laying a foundation for the data exchange and retention needed to perform the simulations in the next phase of research. Plug-ins are developed to calculate the embodied energy for different scenarios. Finally, a case study is conducted of a simplified manufacture plant to implement the proposed methodology.