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Sustainable design in renewable energy projects by BIM

Conference Paper · October 2018

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 Sustainable design in renewable energy projects by BIM

F. Fougner C.K. Sandvik

Norconsult AS Norconsult AS
PO Box 626 PO Box 626
1303 Sandvika 1303 Sandvika
Norway Norway

Introduction
The construction industry, a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, has for the last two decades increased its
efforts to combat climate change and mitigate adverse environmental impacts caused by construction related
activities. This development has gathered momentum in the last few years with sustainability assessment
certifications such as BREEAM and LEED, which have become an important part of modern building projects. In
recent years, the focus on sustainable design has increased also in civil engineering projects through schemes such as
CEEQUAL. The use of sustainable materials and sustainability-driven design should be a natural motivation in the
hydropower industry, who’s raison d'être is to produce renewable energy. Simultaneously, increased use of Building
Information Modelling (BIM) has led to a paradigm shift in exchanging project information between designer,
suppliers, contractor and owners.
By taking BIM to the next level and using parameters such as product declarations, carbon footprint, and the use of
toxic chemicals directly within BIM, we develop greater ability to optimise the design to a more sustainable solution.
Gathering all information in one model is efficient and practical. Project stakeholders will always have updated
qualitative and quantitative data about the impact of design changes, not only regarding the amount of reinforcement
and concrete, but also a budget for greenhouse gas emissions such as CO₂ equivalents and other environmental
impact factors. In this way, one can avoid falling into traps, such as focusing only on keeping CO₂ per. tonne at a
minimum, but rather focus on the accumulated impact of the whole project. BIM together with survey data will
ensure precise quantities, not only for excavation and blasting work, but also for material procurement, planning
man-hour input and equipment utilisation. It will also help to optimise resource usage and reduce waste. Adopting
fully integrated BIM also allows the asset management during operation of the building to be significantly improved;
engineers will through a more detailed “as-built” model have a greater insight into all aspects of the building and can
thus optimise operation and maintenance.

1. Background
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how engineering practices need to change in order build more sustainable
infrastructure projects and how technology is going to play an important part in achieving this. Beginning in 2015,
Norconsult has been at the forefront of technological development in infrastructure projects using a fully integrated
BIM approach and has participated in several projects where the construction process has been carried out
completely without the use of drawings. Fully integrated BIM extends beyond traditional three-dimensional
geometry and offers numerous benefits for both client and contractor, including cost reduction, ease of
quantification, reduction of errors, clash control, optimisation, construction of complex geometry, planning and
coordination. Norconsult has in addition linked their BIM-models directly to the project’s bill of quantities through a
tailor-made Application Programming Interface (API), thus creating a highly flexible and efficient tool for
determining quantitative and qualitative data about the materials used in the construction. With just small
adjustments, APIs like this can be reprogrammed to also include properties to indicate sustainability, such as
emission of greenhouse gases. Simultaneously Norconsult has extensive experience with sustainable
optimisations processes in large and complex infrastructure projects, /1/, and linking this process with BIM is the
next step.

1.1 Sustainability
While there are many interpretations of “sustainability”, one most commonly referred-to definition is from the
Brundtland Commission, which stated that “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meets their own needs”, first presented at the
World Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 /2/.

Sustainable design is a design approach put into practice to promote the environmental and social quality of a project
within robust economic boundaries. The environmental aspect does not only consist of reducing carbon footprint
under construction, although though this is a major component. The construction industry is a major contributor of
greenhouse gasses worldwide; the cement industry alone produces 5% of global man-made CO2 emissions /3/. The
concept of sustainable design does however also include a positive work environment for project stakeholders and
third parties, both in the construction phase and during the projects lifetime. While all of this is to be achieved
without compromising the economic soundness of the project, there is an underlying assumption that the long-term
perspective must be adopted – not only quarterly results. This concept is often described as the Triple Bottom Line
(TBL) figure, Fig. 1, where sustainability lies at the intersection of economics, society and the environment.

Economy

Environment Society

Fig. 1 The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) of

Sustainability
These concepts are often interlinked within the context of sustainable design. For example, the most effective way to
achieve our goals for reducing the carbon footprint of building and infrastructure projects is to reduce material
quantities, particularly of concrete and steel. This measure will at the same time also be economically beneficial in
most cases. Lastly, clear societal benefit will often be required for public support and appreciation for the project. If
the environmental cost is perceived to outweigh societal and economic incentives, a project may be forced to adopt
suboptimal and unsustainable solutions.

1.2 Sustainability assessment certifications

It is important that all participants in the design phase focus on sustainability from the very beginning of the project
development and involve the structural engineers in the feasibility design. A common approach to setting and
reaching sustainability goals in the last decade has been to use a standardised sustainability assessment certification
system, such as BREEAM, LEED and CEEQUAL. Even though these do have some weaknesses, they have made it
much easier to set quantifiable goals and to evaluate and compare results. These certification systems are based on
what is called a “life cycle assessment” (LCA), calculating carbon footprint and other environmental indicators for a
structure from cradle to grave. Usually, the greenhouse gas emissions are calculated, but methods also exist to
estimate other impacts, including material and energy use, eutrophication, human toxicity, eco-toxicity in various
forms, etc. Estimating the full range of impacts can require extensive gathering of data and modelling, as many of the
impacts need to be analysed and are regimented through legislation, compulsory environmental risk assessments and
permits, including environmental product declarations (EPD). The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)
and International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has in codes like EN 15804 /4/ and ISO 14020 /5/,14021
/6/, 14024 /7/, 14025 /8/ defined rules for conducting the LCA of building projects in the context of EPD.
Of the certification systems mentioned above, CEEQUAL is the sustainability rating scheme most suited to
hydropower projects. CEEQUAL is now owned by BRE, similar to BREEAM, and is an international evidence-
based sustainability assessment, rating and awards scheme for civil engineering and infrastructure projects. However,
hydropower projects demand other performance parameters than housing and office buildings, as the production of
renewable energy results in carbon-positive lifecycle ratings when using conventional rating systems. This does not
reflect the fact that there is nonetheless great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in most hydropower
projects.

2. Sustainable Design with Fully Integrated BIM

3D-modelling and Computer Assisted Design (CAD) have been staples in the industry for decades, but must not be
confused with Building Information Modelling. BIM assigns information to objects, and a collection of objects
constitutes a model. Typically, the information is represented as parameters predefined for each kind of object, such
as material properties, quantities, cost or schedule. Once a model is adequately detailed with sufficient parameterised
information and a structured methodology and workflow related to conveying the model information is established, a
turning point is reached. This is when the model is used exclusively as the medium for conveying information from
designer to contractor (Fig. 2). In other words, the BIM model takes on the contractual role and purpose previously
held by structural drawings. This is what we denominate as “fully integrated BIM”. Furthermore, once a model
reaches this level of maturity where it can replace structural drawings, a wealth of design possibilities become
available. For the purpose of this paper, these are roughly divided into the two groups, relating to the TBL definition
of sustainability, namely socio-economic and environmental benefits.

Fig. 2 Section from the BIM model of Vamma 12 hydropower plant

2.1 Economic Benefits – Design Smart and Build Smart

A key reason to pursue fully integrated BIM is to realise economic benefit for the project. This is found chiefly in
two areas; the design phase and during construction.
It is often postulated that there exists an inversely proportional relationship between design maturity and the cost of
design changes. Furthermore, it is common that during the design phase, the various disciplines work mostly
independently with a limited amount of thorough interdisciplinary coordination as they go through the stages of
concept, system and detailed design. Only towards the end of the design phase does the interaction between the
disciplines ramp up to resolve conflicts or collisions (if they are discovered at all) and to look for improvements and
optimisation opportunities. At this point, the project has significant inertia and design changes become difficult to
implement. This is clearly a costly workflow with high opportunity cost. If contracts are signed, or worse
construction/production is underway, costs can further escalate.
In this regard, BIM is an excellent tool for facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration at a much earlier stage, as no
matter how many disciplines work on the project, the result of their work all flows into one unified model. By
developing an interdisciplinary and comprehensive BIM model, available to all project stakeholders from the concept
stage through to commissioning and beyond, the scenario looks very different. The design output, from civil,
electrical, hydromechanical, architect, HVAC as well as suppliers and the contractor, all feeds into the model. This is
made available to all stakeholders, so that collisions and conflicts can be discovered at a much earlier stage than with
traditional design. If a digital rebar traverses straight through a modelled cut-out both HVAC and Electrical were
planning to fill, this conflict is both evident and unproblematic when discovered early enough in the model space. If
the conflict was discovered on site, the consequences would be much greater. Naturally, such mistakes are avoidable
with traditional workflows too, yet remain stubbornly pervasive. Moreover, the model, as a digital twin of the
planned development, makes it far easier for the various disciplines and stakeholders to engage with each other at an
early stage to explore the planned development and look for ways to optimise the design.
While firm numbers are hard to come by, it is from our experience clear that mistakes at site are a significant
contributor to cost-overruns and delays. Whether an error by the designer or the contractor, all parties must scramble
to resolve the issue, with the danger of follow-on errors occurring. As such, it is of paramount importance that the
design is communicated in such a way as to minimise the probability of errors on both sides. This is where the
discussion of drawings vs. model becomes very important. To illustrate the difference with an example, consider the
following. A power station is designed, and structural drawings are issued. Then, say, a slab reinforcement must be
changed. The designer must then make sure to implement the change on and reissue every drawing the reinforcement
in question is represented on. Any omissions and suddenly two versions of the truth exist as far as the contractor is
concerned. In 3D space, this does not happen. The designer changes the reinforcement, and the reinforcement is
updated in every angle, section, plane or orientation the contractor may want to inspect it in. Furthermore, a fully
digital twin in the model space is proving easier to understand from the contractor’s perspective than a set of 2D
drawings. Whether inspected on a screen in the site office, on a tablet in a tunnel or fully surrounded by in Virtual or
Augmented Reality (AR), designers can convey their intention with an entirely new level of clarity. As well as being
invaluable during construction, a digital model superimposed on the “real world” by AR technology would continue
to pay off during operations, rehabilitation and decommissioning by providing easy access to a wealth of information
about each physical object. This can be displayed as text or symbols, viewable on a pair of safety glasses or a
smartphone.
A successful BIM-model can also be used as a centre point for implementing a Leaner workflow during construction
and operations. Project management systems employ a host of different solutions for managing workflows, and there
is increasing demand for more efficient and structured processes. BIM can be used for dispensing with the majority
of action and task lists if successfully integrated with the project management system. Most site queries, technical
issues, progress planning etc. are all linked to specific, physical objects. By linking the workflow related to these
issues to the specific object in mind – a task object-based BIM is eminently suited to – the issues can be resolved
very efficiently.

2.2 Environmental Optimisation

For hydropower projects, the key adverse environmental impacts are related to land use and embedded carbon in
concrete and steel. A sophisticated BIM-model allows both designer and project owner to have extensive control
over environmental performance as measured by these parameters. Starting with embedded carbon, each model
object is assigned a material that contains parameters such as embedded carbon. Given complete control over
theoretical and actual quantities, as well as the embedded carbon of the material, project stakeholders can easily
assess the environmental performance of various design options.
Low carbon concrete is becoming ever more common, and their use is typically considered a hallmark of
environmentally friendly design. Average concrete CO2/m3 or reinforcement-concrete ratio are often part of
certification schemes but afford only limited insight into real environmental performance. The relevant question
would be what is the life cycle carbon footprint of my dam? Not what is the average CO2/m3 of the dam? Equipped
with a comprehensive BIM-model, we can stop focusing on the latter question and start exploring the former. We
can investigate the performance of various concrete grades in separate layers of our dam, or answer whether our
power station would be better off with deep beams of low carbon concrete, or sleek but heavily reinforced high-grade
concrete. BIM is also useful for designing efficient HVAC-systems, by enabling accurate analysis of the power
station model accounting for the thermal properties of the materials used.
Reducing the impact of a hydropower development on the surrounding countryside is often of paramount
importance, as land use and changed watercourses are evaluated against the benefits of renewable energy production
by government agencies and environmentalists. BIM affords another advantage in this regard, with accurate control
over excavation volumes and necessary land fill volumes using scanning technology. By scanning tunnels and
caverns as they are excavated, an accurate assessment of total volume to be landfilled is readily available.
Superimposed on the digitalised terrain, various landfill configurations can be explored together with relevant
stakeholders in order to identify the least damaging option.

3. Experience and Further Work

Norconsult is Lead Designer on three hydropower projects (128 MW, 85 MW and 77 MW respectively), where
many of the innovations outlined in this paper are already being employed. Principally, all the projects are termed
“Fully Integrated BIM” projects and are being constructed without any party issuing construction drawings, but
solely based on the BIM model.
This stands to illustrate that almost all the technology required is already available and commercially viable. A key
experience from these three projects is that the fully integrated BIM methodology is successful in realising more
sustainable design and construction, particularly related to cost control. A visually clearer, more dynamic and
collaborative design tool looks to substantially reduce extra costs from mistakes, variations or miscommunication on
site. One useful tool is to link the Bill of Quantities directly to model objects, which is proving useful for reducing
the volume of variation orders. Furthermore, the combination of modelling tools and effective and accurate scanning
technology make managing quantities of materials, excavations etc. much more streamlined than in the past.

In terms of further work, much is related to expanding on already established methods and technology. Establishing
libraries of material parameters related to environmental performance alongside mechanical properties is one such
example. For instance, in order to limit the extent of data collection and assessment, the EPD standard/code must be
parametrised and made user friendly to allow alternative designs to be compared effortlessly and to avoid having one
EPD on every version of a product /9/. Once these can be utilised efficiently in BIM, designers will have a powerful
tool to aid them in delivering smart structures for the future.

Some aspects of the technology are still immature, for example the use of AR technology to convey information
from the designer to the contractor and asset manager. However, given the exponential rate at which this technology
has developed in the last few years, this will likely soon be readily available. The greatest challenge in implementing
this methodology is simply the mindset of the project stakeholders. With ambitious project owners, designers,
contractors and suppliers, BIM can be taken much further than common practice today, and in doing so enable more
sophisticated sustainable design than before.

4. Conclusion
The paper has demonstrated some of the ways in which a fully integrated BIM methodology can be employed to
effectively deliver sustainable design. In the context of hydropower, the production of renewable energy should be
taken as inspiration for delivering optimised sustainable projects, not the opposite. This is achieved by striking the
correct balance between economic, environmental and societal factors. BIM has been shown to be highly useful for
giving designers, and by extension all project stakeholders, a better tool-box for this optimisation process. The key
benefits that stand out are much better control over qualitative and quantitative data on environmental performance
parameters, as well as better cost control. Furthermore, BIM is eminently suited for delivering better interdisciplinary
collaboration from an early stage in the project development. This in turn is necessary for effective design in such a
cross-disciplinary and complex field as hydropower. Most of the technology is already available, and the first steps
of implementing the method are already tried and tested. What remains is for audacious designers and project owners
to step up and make use of these tools to deliver even more sustainable hydropower projects in the future.
 Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all colleagues in the Hydropower - Civil Works Department at Norconsult for valuable
discussions, in addition to Øyvind Engelstad, former Vice President of Norconsult, for having the courage to initiate
the company’s BIM ambitions.

References
1. Søyland, K et al., “Making the world’s longest subsea tunnel sustainable”, Proceeding of International Association for
Bridge and Structural Engineering Concerence, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. World Business Council for Sustainable Development, “The cement sustainability initiative: Our agenda for action”,
Geneva, 2002.
3. Jahren, P, and Tongbo, Sui., “Concrete and Sustainability”, CRC Press, 2013.
4. EN 15804:2012, “Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Core rules for the product
category of construction products”, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium
5. ISO 14020:2000, “Environmental labels and declarations -- General principles”, International Organisation for
Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
6. ISO 14021:2016, “Environmental labels and declarations -- Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental
labelling)”, International Organisation for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
7. ISO 14024:2018, “Environmental labels and declarations -- Type I environmental labelling -- Principles and procedures”,
International Organisation for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
8. ISO 14025:2006, “Environmental labels and declarations-Type III environmental declarations–Principles and procedures.”,
International Organisation for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
9. Sandvik, C. K. and Fougner, F., “BIM as a tool for sustainable design”, Proceedings of fib Congress 2018, Melbourne,
Australia

The Authors

Fredrik Fougner graduated with an MEng in Civil Engineer from University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Specialised in
structural engineering, geotechnics and sustainable engineering. Consultant in hydropower engineering with Norconsult, Oslo
Norway since 2016. Works primarily with project management, tendering and hydropower concept design. He is currently
managing the design team for a 77 MW hydropower development under construction which is employing fully integrated BIM-
methodology.

Christian K Sandvik graduated, MSc, in civil and structural engineering from Norwegian University of Science and Technology
majoring in concrete structural design, and is now working as Company Discipline Coordinator for Dams and Hydropower in
Norconsult AS. He has 7 years' experience related to structural analysis and design of dams, penstock, foundations, water tunnels,
hydropower plants and Autodesk Revit. Experience also includes concrete technology, reassessment and condition analysis of
concrete structures. Sandvik is professionally engaged in The Norwegian Concrete Association as a member of the Environmental
committee, as well as a skilled cross-country skiing coach.

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