Management in Construction Research Association (MiCRA) Postgraduate Conference BIM PERSPECTIVES ON CONSTRUCTION WASTE REDUCTION Alireza Ahankoob 1, a* , Seyed Meysam Khoshnava 2, b , Raheleh Rostami 3 , Christopher Preece 4 1,2 University Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Malaysia, Johor 3 University Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Built Environment, Malaysia, Johor. 4 Professor of International Construction Business at Razak School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Malaysia, kuala Lumpur a Email: alireza.a1982@gmail.com, b Email: Seyedmeysamkhoshnava@yahoo.com Abstract —recently the need for sustainable buildings by the clients from the one side and demanding for more profit by stakeholders from the other side has caused substantial changes in construction methodologies. One of the most significant issues which improve the profitability of building is to use a preventive policy to reduce construction waste. Different researches and construction waste minimization techniques have been done so far, but a comprehensive approach that can be effective in various areas in construction has not provided. Building information modeling (BIM) as a feat in construction industry has developed methods to cut construction wastes in design and pre-construction phase. This paper will focus on the construction waste origins, current practices of waste reduction and finally describes the potential application of BIM to design out waste. Keywords— Construction waste; BIM; Pre-construction phase. I. INTRODUCTION The concept of green building and sustainable design is becoming a main factor for change in building projects and built environment owing to its effectiveness in reducing energy consumption and material usage. The obvious results of these changes are waste reduction and having a cleaner environment. In average wastage on construction site can be in between the range of 5% -10% of total material usage. According to WRAP 2011, waste generated from construction and demolition activities in the UK for example accounts for 32% of total waste generation. From a financial perspective, it has been evaluated that the true cost of waste could as much as 10 times that of disposal (WRAP 2011a). Waste in the construction industry is important not only due to the efficiency, but also concern has emerged in recent years regarding to the adverse effect of the waste of building materials on the environment. This kind of waste typically accounts for between 15 and 30% of urban waste [1, 2]. Construction materials waste is difficult to recycle or reuse due to its high degree of contamination and heterogeneity [2]. Thus the construction industry is under pressure to find and explore effective and efficient techniques and tools to decrease its escalating waste production. A relatively new methodology that is increasingly getting popular is Building Information Modeling (BIM), which has been playing a major role in reducing construction waste in design and pre-construction phase. BIM involves representing a design as objects that carry their geometry, relations and attributes [3]. Preparing separate drawings for contract documents and then developing a separate set of detail drawings are considered waste and inefficiency in terms of cost and time. BIM not only helps reduce this waste and inefficiency but also helps in reducing the potential for litigation [3]. The ability to use BIM to virtually construct a building prior to construction of the actual building provides an effective means to check its constructability in the real world and to resolve any uncertainties during the process. This allows for more efficient, better designed structures that limit waste of resources, optimize energy usage, and promote passive design strategies. This paper describes the causes of construction waste at construction site thereupon continues with discussion of current practices for waste reduction and finally focuses on the preventive BIM solutions for waste minimization. II. CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL WASTE In general there are various types of waste at construction site such as waste of energy, waste of time, waste of manpower and waste of material etc. However, excess consumption and waste of material is the main factor of construction waste regarding to cost. Large amount of construction waste origins are related to design changes, leftover material scraps, design or detailing errors and poor weather [4]. A study conducted on the attitudes of architects and contractors toward origins of construction waste identifies that construction material waste is due to design, site operation, procurement routes, material handling and sub- contractor’s practices [5]. Osmani et al. (2007) explored further to find and classify the main sources of waste factors in terms of construction lifecycle stages, comprising contractual, design, procurement, transportation, material storage, material handling, site operation, residual, and other. A summary of these reasons from literature are according to below: • Lack of material management system • Weather • Poor housekeeping & storage condition • Poor quality control • Contractors negligence • Inexperience workers • Theft and lost