development of bim-based evacuation regulation checking system for high-rise and complex buildings

Automation in Construction xxx (2013) xxx–xxx

AUTCON-01687; No of Pages 12

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Automation in Construction

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Development of BIM-based evacuation regulation checking system forhigh-rise and complex buildings

Jungsik Choi a, Junho Choi b, Inhan Kim b,⁎a College of Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Koreab Department of Architecture, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea

⁎ Corresponding author.E-mail address: [email protected] (I. Kim).

1 OpenBIM is a universal approach to the collaborative dof buildings based on open standards and workflowsbuildingSMART and several leading software vendors usinmodel [2].

0926-5805/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.005

Please cite this article as: J. Choi, et al., DeveAutom. Constr. (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.

a b s t r a c t
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:Accepted 10 December 2013Available online xxxx

Keywords:Automated checking systemBuilding information modeling (BIM)Quality checkEvacuation regulationHigh-rise and complex buildingsIndustry foundation classes (IFC)Open BIM

Recently owing to the increasing requirements for the improvement of qualitative factors of BIM-based designprojects, it is necessary to develop an automated checking and evaluation process for the BIM data. Regulationinformation is an important factor for initial architectural design evaluations. The purpose of this study is to de-velop an automated system that designers and owners can check the evacuation regulation compliance of BIMdata. In this study, the scope of applied regulation information is confined to evacuation regulation, as high-rise and complex building design has high priority and is critical on adequate disaster prevention systems andegress routes. To achieve this purpose, the authors have investigated case studies of BIM-based regulationchecking process and illustrated the possible mechanism for the process through evacuation regulation analysis.Based on the presented methodology and scenario of the proposed automated evacuation regulation checkingsystem, the authors developed a prototypical system, called InSightBIM-Evacuation.

© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Communication between numerous participants is essential oncollaborative projects, because the various design stages of the archi-tectural process involve the collaboration of many disciplines. Themanagement and utilization of the information that is used to com-municate in these complex and diverse processes are very impor-tant. In particular, the design information that is generated in theearly stages of a construction project is utilized and modified in thefollow-up stages. Thus, systematic management is required in allthe construction stages [1]. Recently, in the construction industry,the complexity and size of buildings have been increasing the uncer-tainty and decreasing the reliability. Furthermore, the specializationand departmentalization of the construction industry are increasing.In addition, the demands for collaboration with various disciplinesare increasing. Open building information modeling (BIM)1 couldbe one of the solutions to handle these situations [3]. Software canbe communicated using a neutral format throughout the open BIM

esign, realization and operation. Open BIM is an initiative ofg the open buildingSMART data

ghts reserved.

lopment of BIM-based evacua1016/j.autcon.2013.12.005

environment, such as the industry foundation classes (IFC),2 which isan international standard [5]. BIM-based parametric and intelligentbuilding objects can represent properties such as function, structure,usage, and regulation information. BIM is especially useful for checkingthe regulation using building object properties such as the characteristicand relation information for various disciplines [6,7].

The delivery of the BIM data is mandatory in advanced countries,and these countries are promoting the automated checking for BIM quality,including compliance with the regulation [8]. For example, Singapore hasdeveloped a BIM-based automated regulation checking process throughthe software FORNAX [9] and has built a construction administrationsystem, CORENET [9]. The SMARTcodes [10] project in the USA has struc-turalized the regulations of the International Code Council (ICC) anddeveloped automatic code compliance checking systems. In particular,regulation checks through an automated regulation checking systemcan reduce errors, time, and the inefficient use of human resourcesthrough objective verification [11].

2 Industry foundation classes, IFC, are the main buildingSMART data model standard.The IFC format is registered by ISO as ISO/PAS 16739 and is in the process of becomingan official International Standard ISO/IS 16739. IFC can be used to exchange and shareBIM data between applications developed by different software vendors without the soft-ware having to support numerous native formats. As an open format, IFC does not belongto a single software vendor; it is neutral and independent of a particular vendor's plans forsoftware development [4].

tion regulation checking system for high-rise and complex buildings,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.005

mailto:[email protected]

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Fig. 1. BIM-based quality assurance process plan in Korea [12].

2 J. Choi et al. / Automation in Construction xxx (2013) xxx–xxx

Fig. 1 shows the BIM-based quality assurance process plan inKorea [12]. This process can be classified as quality assurance bydesigners/architects and as quality assurance by a BIM quality center.The designers and architects create BIM data using BIM support tools.

Fig. 2. InsightBIM–Eva

Please cite this article as: J. Choi, et al., Development of BIM-based evacuaAutom. Constr. (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.005

They submit the BIM model and IFC model after error checking andmodification through a BIM assurance process. The owners receive theresults of the quality assurance through the BIM quality center andapprove the final permission [13]. In this study, the authors have

cuation interface.


image of Fig.�1

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Table 1Overview of related research.

Researcher Focus of research

Eastman et al. [14] ▪ Investigation of requirements and case study for rule-based design check▪ Suggestion for major challenges of regulation checking– Verification of code checking– Rule checking system as a design development support system

Martins et al. [20] ▪ Development of LicA—code checking tool for regulation▪ Development of LicAXML—database▪ Application to design water system

Pauwels et al. [18] ▪ Application of semantic web technology as a way to solve the limitations of IFC▪ Development of a semantic rule checking environment for building design and construction

Tan et al. [13] ▪ Proposition of building information model extensions, called EBIM, for building envelope design based on the building code▪ Development of prototype system for evaluating the hygrothermal performance of an exterior wall

Ding et al. [21] ▪ Development of means of encoding design requirements and domain specific knowledge for building codes▪ Implementation of automated regulation check system using EDM [22] and SMCa[24]

Kim [25] ▪ Development of rule-set for regulation check for emergency elevator and fire safety zone based on SMC▪ Development of rule-based checking modules for the evacuation regulations of super-tall buildings

a Solibri Model Checker (SMC) is used to analyze BIM models saved in the IFC format for potential problems, conflicts, or design code violations. It also includes visualization,walkthrough, interference detection, model comparison, collaboration, and quantity take-off capabilities [23].

3J. Choi et al. / Automation in Construction xxx (2013) xxx–xxx

developed a BIM assurance process and support system with a focuson evacuation regulations.

The various quality checks are performed using the BIM-basedchecking software. However, there are problems such as the lack of aBIM-based quality assurance process [11,13,14] and requirements[1,15,16] for quality checks, and a lack of functionality in the automatedquality checking system [17,18].

The purpose of this study is to develop an automated system thatallows designers and owners to check the evacuation regulation complianceof BIMdata through the BIMquality check process in BIM-mandated projects.3 In terms of designers, the guidelines and application process arepresented for the creation of BIM data; and, in terms of owners, thecriterion and a way to apply the automated checking system are pre-sented for legally checking the BIM data. In this study, high-rise andcomplex buildings are the target.

The scope of the applied regulation information is confined toevacuation regulations, because high-rise and complex building de-signs have a high priority, and adequate disaster prevention systemsand egress routes are critical. In the evacuation discipline, an automatedregulation checking system makes it possible to ensure the quality ofhigh-rise and complex buildings' BIM data. In addition, time, cost, andmanpower savings can be expected through the automated evacuationregulation checking of BIM data. The methodology of this study toachieve this purpose is as follows.

• The authors have investigated case studies of open BIM-based regula-tion checking processes.

• The authors have suggested an open BIM-based quality checkingprocess and scenarios. The suggested quality checking process hasbeen applied to assess the quality of the evacuation regulationsusing an automated evacuation regulation checking system. Thisscenario can be utilized as a guideline for presenting a method fordefining regulation properties to improve the regulation checkingaccuracy in the system and the BIM data.

• The authors developed a prototypical evacuation regulation checkingsystem called InSightBIM–Evacuation and used it to verify the resultsof an evacuation regulation check. Fig. 2 shows the InSightBIM–

Evacuation interface. This system concludes a BIM model view,property information & pre-check results, and evacuation regula-tion check results.

3 In Korea, the BIM is applied mandatory in the new public building which costs morethan 50 billion won since 2012, and it is planned to be applied in all the public buildingsin 2016.


2. Related works

An aspect of BIM, quality control, encourages the correct utilizationof data, while a quality check can check the validity of the physical,logical information to increase productivity. The quality checkcriteria based on BIM can be classified as physical information quality,logical information quality, and data quality according to the goals andobjectives of the quality check [19]. The logical information qualitychecks the requirement properties of building objects and space routesfor evacuation according to the relevant regulation in the BIM data [5].The authors investigated cases with the goal of automatically checkingthe regulations and logical criteria (Table 1).

In addition, the practices applied to the actual work after the devel-opment of a national regulation checking system are as follows:SEUMTER [26,27] is an electronic system that enables the automationof all the processes and various documents related to architecturaland housing administration services in Korea. CORENET [9,28] focuseson the development of a set of infrastructure and industry projects inorder to provide governance to business infrastructure, so as tofacilitate the submission, checking, and approval processes for electron-ic building plans. CORENET consists of an e-submission system and inte-grated plan checking. Integrated plan checking is an automatedchecking process for IFC-based files and leading-edge systems that canintegrate an expert knowledge of regulations, artificial intelligence(AI), and building information modeling (BIM) technologies. TheSMARTcodes project [10,29] has developed automatic code compliancechecking for I-Codes at the international, federal, and state levels. Theautomated code compliance check takes a building plan,which is repre-sented by the BIM, and automatically checks for code compliance usingmodel checking software (MCS). The GSA [30,31] developed a system toautomate the fusion of the technology BIMdata expressed by the guide-lines that are used for the planning, design, construction, maintenance,and management of a court building. In the planning stage of the courtbuilding, the GSA analyzed the space program for the proposed designand the level of security of the space design, which were delivered inBIM data from the architects using BIM technology (Table 2).

As cases of BIM-based quality checking for regulation checks, data-bases and automated checking systems have been developed usingvarious methods to systematically manage the regulations. The com-mercial quality check software SMC is widely used, and the others areself-developed. SMC can be used to develop additional rule-sets in theJava API environment. It is easy to develop a prototype system forearly application. However, there are disadvantage involving the limita-tions of APImodules and the dependence of SMC. Therefore, the authorshave developed a BIM-based regulation checking system in a special



Table 2Overview of regulation checking systems [14].

Development agency Project Target codes/rules Checking platform

Korea, MOLIT SEUMTER Building code (e.g., fire prevention check)– Fire partition– Fireproof– Regulation of firewall– Site– Building scale– Usage– Building structure

ArchiBIM server

Singapore CORENET Building code (e.g., BCR, BFA, fire code)– Access to and exit from buildings– Fire safety requirements– Sprinkler provision– Environmental health requirements– Vehicle parking requirements– Waste and drainage provision– Gas services in building

FORNAX

USA, ICC SMARTcodes Building code (e.g., IECC 2006)– Window and door assemblies– Sealing of the building envelope– Insulation and fenestration criteria

DA's SMARTcodes for SMC, XABIO

USA, GSA Circulation and security (e.g., U.S. Courts Design Guide)– Occupant circulation

SMC


program environment to apply the suggested methodology in thisstudy.

3. BIM-based evacuation regulation checking process for high-riseand complex buildings

In this study, the authors have suggested the application processand various element technologies for open BIM-based quality

Fig. 3. Quality check process through open BIM-b


checks for evacuation regulations. In the case of IFC, expandable de-velopment methods such as the structuring of evacuation regulationand the definition of property information have been suggested forreflecting the evacuation regulation information. In addition,scenarios that summarize the regulation checking methods andresults reflecting the BIM modeling requirements and automatedregulation checking system have been suggested to improve thereliability of the evacuation regulation checking results.

ased evacuation regulation checking system.


image of Fig.�3


Table 3Summary of Korean evacuation regulations for high-rise and complex building application.

Check list Regulation Condition Criterion

Checking a high-rise and complexbuilding

Architects enforcement(Article 2)

– Over 50th floor or over 200 m in height

Analysis of fire compartments andfirewalls


Floor below the 10th floor Division within each 100 m2floor area

Floor above the 10th floor Division within each 200 m2floor area

Analysis of evacuation safety zones Architects enforcement(Article 34)

For high-rise buildings Installation within each maximum 30th floor from groundlevel

Analysis of escape stairs andexit routes

Regulation of the evacuationand fire proof constructioncriteria (Article 9)

Direct stair leading to the evacuationfloor or ground floor (below the 2ndfloor or above the 5th floor of the building)

(Vertical routes) Directly connected to the ground floor orevacuation floor


From all parts of the living area to thedirect stairs

(Horizontal routes) 30 m or less walking distance

Analysis of emergency elevator Architects enforcement(Article 90)

For height of building over 31 m The maximum floor area isless than 1500 m2

Installation of more than oneelevator

The maximum floor area ismore than 1500 m2

Installation plus one elevatorfor each (more than 1500 m2

and less than 3000 m2)


3.1. Suggestion for quality checking process

As shown in Fig. 3, the automated evacuation regulation checkingenvironment based on open BIM can be constructed using a BIM dataand checking system that is developed according to application scenarios.The quality check process using the open BIM-based evacuation regula-tion checking system is as follows.

(1) The designer expresses a design planwith the evacuation regula-tions and application requirement scenarios using the BIMmodeling software. In this case, it is necessary to define theobject's properties for the quality check.

(2) The high-rise and complex building BIMmodel that was createdusing the BIM modeling software is exported to the IFC format.

(3) The BIMdata is checked according to the quality checking criteriasuch as the evacuation regulations. The automated regulationchecking system accurately and efficiently evaluates the quality.

(4) The designer continually revises and reviews the design until thedesign requirements are properly reflected in the BIM model

Fig. 4. Definitions of properties for a


through the quality checking criteria. The owner will be able toperform amore accurate and rapid evaluation through these pro-cesses of the designer.

(5) The quality checking results can be summarized in a report.

3.2. Analysis of evacuation regulations

Korean regulations related to evacuation are contained in Article49 to Article 53 of the “Building code.” The “Regulation of the evacua-tion and fire proof construction criteria” is defined for the purpose oftechnical standards regarding fire protection and evacuation of abuilding. The “Special law on disaster management of complex build-ings and coordination of high-rise and underground” was recentlyestablished to handle the evacuation of high-rise and complex build-ings [32].

This study deals with the Korean evacuation regulations, with high-rise buildings as the application targets for thedevelopment of automat-ed evacuation regulation checking systems. In order to apply the Korean

pplying evacuation regulations.


image of Fig.�4


Table 4Scenarios for checking installation of fire compartments and firewalls.

Classification Application procedure Content

Model Modeling High-rise building modeling withspace and firewall

▪ Defining a space properties for fire-compartment analysis

Definition of space and firewallproperty set(PSET)

▪ Defining a “Department” of space property as a “Fire Partition”▪ Defining a “Combustible” of main structure Pset as a “False”▪ Defining a “Combustible” of “Pset_WallCommon” which surrounds the firecompartments, as a “False”

System Checking the modelaccording to the regulations

Checking the architectural model ▪ Checking the total GFA through space objects (more than 1000 m2)▪ Checking the incombustibility of the main structure (combustible value)

Checking the compartment of thearea unit

▪ Compartment within each 1000 m2 total floor area (lower than 10th floor)▪ Compartment within each 200 m2 total floor area (higher than 11th floor)

Checking the compartment of thestory unit

▪ Checking the compartment of a single floor (except 1st, 2nd floor)▪ Checking that floor height equals the height of the space

Checking whether the firecompartments are fireproof

▪ Checking whether an incombustible wall surrounds the fire compartments(combustible value)

Judgment of legality andresulting output by comparinganalyzed results

Main checking item ▪ Name of check: Analysis of fire compartments and firewall▪ Result:– Normal: Fire compartments are installed properly.– Error: Fire compartments are not installed properly.

Detail checking items ▪ Name of check: Checking the fire compartments in target building▪ Result:– Normal: Fire compartments found in target building.– Error: Fire compartments not found in target building.

▪ Name of check: Checking fire compartment by area unit▪ Result:– Normal: Fire compartments by area unit have been installed according to the

installation criteria.– Error: Fire compartments by area unit have not been installed according to the

installation criteria√ Fire compartments by area unit installation error: 5 places√ Error items (example): Space 1 (300 m2) exceeds floor area criterion (200 m2).

▪ Name of check: Checking fire compartment by story unit▪ Result:– Normal: Fire compartments by story unit have been installed according to the

installation criteria.– Error: Fire compartments by story unit have not been installed according to the

installation criteria.√ Fire compartments by story unit installation error: 7 places√ Error items (example): Space 1 (12 m) exceeds height criterion (6 m).

▪ Name of check: Checking whether the fire compartment is fireproof▪ Result:– Normal: Fire compartment is a fireproof structure.– Error: Fire compartment is not a fireproof structure.

√ Fire compartment by fireproof structure error: 7 places


evacuation regulations to an automated regulation checking system,the sorting of regulation items that can automatically be analyzedusing a computer should be a priority. The selected evacuation regu-lation items place a higher priority on regulations that are requiredin high-rise and complex buildings compared to general buildings(Table 3).

3.3. Structuring evacuation regulation

Regulation checking criteria and methods should be definedbased on the relevant regulations for an automated checking system.The defined regulation checking criterion should be coded for theregulation check by linking the BIM data and regulation. The auto-mated regulation checking progresses through the identification ofthe targets and contents of building objects in BIM data comparedwith the regulations. The BIM property information contains thenames, materials that have further applicable information for vari-ous disciplines such as a regulation check. This property informationis utilized to determine the quality check results in the qualitychecking system. IFC provides the definitions for additional propertyinformation through the development of a property set (PSET) in theextension of the concept model for the definition of additional attri-butes of the BIM model [33]. The buildingSMART provides basic


PSETs (e.g., Pset_WallCommon), where additional properties aredefined for building objects, along with a methodology for definingadditional properties. The PSETs and properties for applying theevacuation regulations are shown in Fig. 4.

3.4. Proposition of scenarios for applying evacuation regulations

The BIM data are created to reflect the required property informa-tion, and the regulation checking system checks the suitability of theregulation criteria through the defined properties in the BIM data. Theregulation checks are divided into 1) checks based on a grasp of thebuilding object's property information such as the location and quantityand 2) checks involving calculations based on the regulation checkingcriteria. In order to increase the reliability of these regulation checkingresults, scenarios that can create suitable BIM data and offer regulationchecking methods for a system are needed.

3.4.1. Checking based on grasp of property information for regulationchecking criterion

An analysis of fire compartments and firewalls is performed in thefollowing procedures. The criteria and procedures should be reflectedin the BIM data and the regulation checking system (Table 4).



Fig. 5. Flowchart for checking installation of fire compartments and firewalls.

Table 5Scenarios for checking escape stairs and exit routes (system).

Classification Application procedure Content

Vertical routes Checking the model accordingto the regulations

Checking whether the refuge floor is installed ▪ Checking whether evacuation safety zone module is executedChecking the connection of direct stairs ▪ Creating the reference points for each direct stair (center)

▪ Checking the distances between reference points and floor heightChecking the connection between direct stairsand refuge floor

▪ Defining the reference point of refuge floor▪ Determining connection with adjacent floors (start point is refuge floor)▪ Checking whether vertical route ends at a refuge floor


Checking item ▪ Name of check: Analysis of installation criterion of escape stairs▪ Result:– Normal: Escape stairs are installed properly.– Error: Escape stairs are not installed properly.

Horizontalroutes

Checking the model accordingto the regulations

Checking whether the refuge floor is installed ▪ Checking whether evacuation safety zone module is executedChecking for escape stairs and exits withintarget floor

▪ Checking that “FireExit” of space property is “True”▪ Checking that “Department” of space property is “escape stair”▪ Checking that “FireExit” of door property is “True”

Checking the distance between escapestairs, exit, and each space

▪ Checking the distance from the outermost point to the escape stairsand exit

▪ Definition of node by space property


Checking item ▪ Name of check: Analysis of exit routes▪ Result: Distance from each space to exit is proper– Exit error: 7 routes– Error: The distance from the escape stairs

(Space. 1) to Space. 20 is 30.51 m. This is 0.51 m longer than the criterionfor the walking distance.


Please cite this article as: J. Choi, et al., Development of BIM-based evacuation regulation checking system for high-rise and complex buildings,Autom. Constr. (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.005

image of Fig.�5

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Table 6Types of nodes.

Type Description Image

Door Node Center point of door

Open Node Center point of virtual wall (open edge)

Corner Node Offset point of vertex point that exists at polygon's outermost edge

Outermost Node Farthest point from the door point


Fig. 5 shows a flowchart for the installation criteria checks for thefire compartments and firewalls of an area unit in the regulationchecking system. In this flowchart, it is possible to compare the prop-erties of IFC and determine the compatibility based on the regulationcriteria.

3.4.2. Checking through calculations based on regulation checking criteriaRegulation checks based on a calculation algorithm are required

for more specific and various automated regulation checks. Thescenarios applied to the system development are described inTable 5.

In case of the exit route, the definition of a node for defining theroute in the building is necessary. Taneja et al. [34] presented therequirements for developing automated route navigation within abuilding, and represented a graph network for building spacesand spatial connections using a Geometric Topology Network (GTN)in IFC files. In this study, a node was defined at the centerline ofthe route. Lee et al. [35] defined a computational method formeasuring the walking distances within buildings based on a

Fig. 6. High-rise and complex BIM


length-weighted graph structure for a given building model. A uni-versal circulation network has been implemented as plug-in soft-ware in SMC. In this study, a node was defined using the path ofthe offset distance as the movement of people in the space. Ruppelet al. [36] analyzed the path required in the event of an emergencyin a building based on BIM. In this study, a node was defined in a va-riety of ways (e.g., Door to Door, Mesh, Quadtrees, Straight Skeleton).Lee [15] analyzed the flow line to a destination via a valid spacefrom the starting point to the destination. This was classified usingthe True Validation Space, False Validation Space, UnidentifiableSpace, and Potential Validation Space to find the path interferenceand flow line.

The exit routes that were used in this study consisted of paths thatwere determined by using the open BIM (IFC) to find the distancefrom the farthest point of each room to the door and escape stairs andexits. The authors have defined the “node” of each “space” and markedthe path by searching for the start space point and end nodes. There area variety of ways to define the nodes, as shown in Table 6. These nodecombinations were applied in this study.

model using KBIMS library.


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Table 7Property definitions of evacuation regulations by item.

List Property definition

Analysis of fire compartments and firewalls ▪ Defining a “Department” of space property as a “Fire Partition”▪ Defining a “Combustible” of main structure Pset as a “False”▪ Defining a “Combustible” of “Pset_WallCommon” surrounding the fire compartments, as “False”

Analysis of evacuation safety zones ▪ Defining a “FireExit” of “Pset_SpaceFireSafetyRequirements” as “True”▪ Defining a “Department” of space property as a “Safety Zone”

Analysis of escape stairs and exit routes ▪ Defining the escape stairs' “FireExit” property of “Pset_StairCommon” of IfcStair as a “True”▪ Defining the outward exit's “FireExit” property and “IsExternal” of “Pset_DoorCommon” of IfcDoor as a “True”▪ Defining “IsCombustible” of “Pset_FireRatingProperties” of IfcBuilding as “True”

Analysis of emergency elevator ▪ Defining “FireExit” of “Pset_TransportElementCommon” as “True”


4. Usage cases and verification of proposed BIM-based automatedchecking system

In this study, the BIM data were modeled by using a BIM standardlibrary for the verification of the automated checking system. The prop-erty information of the evacuation regulations was defined in the BIMdata. The complete high-rise and complex BIM data was used to checkthe evacuation regulations through InSightBIM–Evacuation, which wasdeveloped in this study. The results showed whether the BIM datawas suitable for evacuation regulations and verified the checking resultsthrough the applied scenarios.

4.1. High-rise and complex building BIM data modeling

The BIM data were modeled using the pilot version of the standardlibrary KBIMS (Korea BIM Standard) v0.9, which was made public atbuildingSMART Korea [37], and the Autodesk Revit Architecture software.The KBIMS library has a total of 152 objects of the Autodesk RevitArchitecture and Graphisoft ArchiCAD software for the application of

Fig. 7. Example of property definition for evacua


high-rise BIM libraries [38]. The BIM data were based on the real build-ing design for a high-rise and complex building currently being con-structed in Korea, although the final design is significantly differentfrom the design represented in this BIM data. It contains the walls,slabs, columns, beams, doors, curtain walls, stairs, etc. The plan andshape of the high-rise BIM data are shown in Fig. 6. The total numberof stories is 107, and the model was designed to allow for checks of itscompliance with the evacuation regulations for the high-rise andcomplex buildings.

4.2. Reflecting property information for evacuation regulations

The property information thatwas utilized to judge the results of theregulation check was defined in the BIM data according to the applica-tion scenario. The property definition for each item of the evacuationregulations is shown in Table 7. Fig. 7 shows a sample definition for“FireExit” property of the evacuation regulations for the door object inRevit Architecture.

tion regulation checking system (FireExit).


image of Fig.�7



4.3. Results of regulation check through automated evacuation regulationschecking system

The authors have developed a prototype system in order to verify themethodology and scenario for the proposed automated evacuation regu-lation checking. The systemwas called InSightBIM–Evacuation. It has beendeveloped using Visual Studio2008, and the viewer function for the repre-sentation of the shape information utilized OpenCascade6.5.4. In order toaccurately control the data information of IFC-based open BIM files, theIFCEngine DLL [39] was used as an IFC parser. IFCEngine DLL is a librarywritten in the C language of the IFC file W/R engine that was distributedby TNO. In addition to simply read the IFC data, the IFCEngine DLL can alsoprovide written and visualization outputs of a 3D object, which can bevisualized or calculated by the graphics processing unit.

The following examples are the results of applying InSightBIM–

Evacuation, whichwas developed and applied to the study of evacuationregulations. The applied results were checked to determine whether theBIMdata had suitable criteria for the evacuation regulations based on theapplied scenario.

The first result focused on the installation criterion of fire compart-ments to check whether the regulation criteria and property informa-tion were suitable. Fig. 8 shows the installation error of the firecompartments criterion for fire resistance. It can be displayed with thenumber of errors and the error list and confirmed visually with the cor-responding error compartments when the errors are selected. Specificcompartments for area/story unitswere set up, but legal errors occurredduring the fire-resistant construction of the compartments. Errors canoccur when the property information is missing or entered improperly.Users can reduce errors by identifying the scope and target of the prop-erty information because the property information differs with thetarget of the regulation checking.

The internal applied algorithm included in the regulation checkingsystemwas used tofind the second result based on criteria for the escapestairs installation and exit routes in this study. Fig. 9 shows the checkingresults for the errors in the escape stairs and exit routes. The escape stairs

Fig. 8. Results for checking fire compartment and firewall installation cri


of the vertical routewas installed legally. However, an exit routewalkingdistance that exceeded the exit route criterion of the horizon route wasfound. All the errors can be checked graphically in this system.

4.4. Benefits and contributions

TheBIM-based regulation checking system can reduce the inefficientuse of time andhuman resources, andminimize the errors. The errors inthe checking results could beminimized by improving the quality of theregulation checking system to allow it to check the requirements andcriteria automatically according to the application scenario, as present-ed in this study. In addition, architects and designers whowish to checkthe design themselves or the owner should be able to access the systemthrough the step-by-step approach of the detailed results.

The following expected benefits can be achieved when automatedchecking is achieved through an open BIM-based quality checking system.

• The automated evacuation regulation checking system uses the in-ternational standard IFC format and makes it possible to check theBIM data consistently and correctly. It is possible to reduce the man-power and cost losses by shortening the time spent in the process ofchecking the regulations if hands-onworkers perform a preliminarycheck of the regulation suitability of the high-rise and complex BIMdata, which include a massive quantity of information.

• The authors suggest the possibility of extending the automatedchecking system in the BIM-based quality check process. A quality im-provement of the BIM data in the design stage is expectedwhen specif-ic checks for various disciplines are suggested and implemented.

• The authors presented themethodology for automated checking sys-tem development. This methodology can be utilized to reference datain liaison research such as the application of additional regulations.

• In the case of checking the criteria of exit routes, the varioussimulations of the evacuation exit route analysis can be extendedusing related calculation algorithms.

teria (installation error for fire compartment of fireproof structure).


image of Fig.�8


Fig. 9. Result of checking for escape stairs installation and exit routes (exit route error).


5. Conclusions and future works

The design information that occurred throughout the constructionindustry includes a various and massive information. In particular,the regulations that are applied at the design stage should be assessedand checked to ensure that the design meets the related design require-ments. In addition, continuous checks in the design or developmentphasemust bemade to ensure that this continues to be truewith the fre-quent design changes. However, a BIM-based quality check cannot be ful-filled systematically because of the lack of an automated system anddetailed guidelines, despite the significance reorganization of these sys-tems and the widespread assessment of design information.

The authors have presented the development of an open BIM-basedevacuation regulation checking system for high-rise and complex build-ings as improvement method for these problems. The results of thisstudy are summarized as follows.

• The authors have developed a methodology and technologies for im-proving the design quality with a focus on the evacuation regulations.By applying it, the expansion possibilities for various disciplines can beverified.

• The authors have suggested an open BIM-based quality check processwith a focus on the evacuation regulations. Architects and designersare able to evaluate the design quality frequently while they are cre-ating BIM data to reflect the design. The owners are able to evaluatethe design quality according to the standardized method. These re-sults provide the opportunity to change the existing BIM researchfocus from quantitative to qualitative.

• The authors have suggested a scenario that can be applied to BIMmodeling and in thedevelopment of regulation checking systems. De-pending on the methodology of the development scenario, variousregulation items can be added. Scenarios are definitely required inorder to apply a standardized BIM as a BIM guide. Therefore, it is es-sential liaison work, not only for automated regulation checking, but


also to develop the guides for expandable applicationswithin other dis-ciplines in the future.

• The authors have presented a methodology and environment for thedevelopment of the open BIM-based software. It is expected that sys-temdevelopers could refer to the technical information data for expan-sion applications in their disciplines.

In this study, the scope of the applied regulationswas limited by someof the items of the evacuation regulations related to high-rise and com-plex buildings. This caused difficulties with the practical application ofthe evacuation regulations applied in this study. To remedy this, the appli-cation scope of the evacuation regulations should be expanded.

The definition of the properties information from a user is veryimportant becausemost of the regulation checks are based on the prop-erty information in the BIM data. As shown by the problems seen in theapplication results, the user's input errors are a significant proportion oferrors. Therefore, interface software that allows users to input and mod-ify the property information directly in the BIM data/IFC formatwithoutBIM modeling software is required. The regulation checking items aresimply listed in the applied scenario; detailed evaluation qualitychecking criteria and a related detailed checking-list should be devel-oped for systematic and accurate quality checks in the future. Inaddition, it is necessary to develop new modules for additionalregulation checks and re-define the scope of specific evacuationregulations.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant (13AUDP-C067809-01)from Architecture & Urban Development Research Programfunded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Koreangovernment. This research was supported by Basic Science ResearchProgram through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)funded by the Ministry of Education (No. 2013R1A1A2065654).


image of Fig.�9



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