Model and data management issues in the integrated assessment of existing building stocks

The increasing population growth and urbanization rises the worldwide consumption of material resources and energy demand. The challenges of the future will be to provide sufficient resources and to minimize the continual amount of waste and energy demand. For the achievement of sustainability, increasing recycling rates and reuse of materials, next to the reduction of energy consumption has the highest priority. This article presents the results of the multidisciplinary research project SCI_BIM, which is conducted on an occupied existing building. Within SCI_BIM, a workflow for coupling digital technologies for scanning and modeling of buildings is developed. Laser scanning is used for capturing the geometry, and ground-penetrating radar is used for assessing material composition. For the semi-automated generation of an as-built BIM, algorithms are developed, wherefore the Point-Cloud serves as a basis. The BIMmodel is used for energy modeling and analysis as well as for the automated compilation of Material Passports. Further, a gamification concept will be developed to motivate the buildings’ users to collect data. By applying the gamification concept, the reduction of energy consumption together with an automated update of the as-built BIM will be tested. This article aims to analyze the complex interdisciplinary interactions, data, and model exchange processes of various disciplines collaborating within SCI_BIM. Results show that the developed methodology is confronted with many challenges. Nevertheless, it has the potential to serve as a basis for the creation of secondary raw materials cadaster and for the optimization of energy consumption in existing buildings

Environmental Optimization of Urban Densification using BIM and LCA-Tools

Zusammenfassung in englischer SpracheAbweichender Titel nach Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des VerfassersIm Jahr 2025 wird in Wien eine Bevölkerungszahl von knapp über 2 Millionen erwartet, daraus resultiert, dass jährlich etwa 10.000 neue Wohnungen benötigt werden. Das existierende Bauland wird jedoch immer knapper, wodurch neue Konzepte zur Unterstützung der Nachverdichtung benötigt werden. Die vielen Einkaufsmärkte wie zum Beispiel Hofer, LIDL, Billa und die dazugehörigen Parkplätze verbrauchen sehr viel Fläche und fördern dadurch die Zersiedelung. Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist einerseits die Entwicklung eines Konzepts für die Untersuchung der Nachverdichtungspotentiale auf den Grundstücken der Supermärkte in Wien und andererseits die Erstellung einer Ökobilanz für die Nachverdichtung, welche mit Anwendung eines herkömmlichen und eines innovativen LCA-Werkzeugs und BIM (Building Information Modeling) durchgeführt wird. Als Fallstudie wird eine ökologische Wohnanlage in Holzbau auf dem Parkplatz eines bestehenden Einkaufsmarkts geplant, womit die Gesamtöko- und Flächeneffizienz des Grundstücks verbessert werden soll. Um die Ökobilanzierung durchführen zu können, werden detaillierte 3D-Modelle des Bestands und des Neubaus mit BIM erstellt. Mit der Anwendung von zwei unterschiedlichen LCA-Werkzeugen werden die BIM-Modelle manuell und automatisiert bilanziert, verglichen und schlussendlich bewertet. Das Konzept der Nachverdichtung und die Anwendung neuer Bilanzierungswerkzeuge werden durch die Fallstudie veranschaulicht und können in Zukunft für andere Bauvorhaben angewendet werden.In the year 2025 a population of more than 2 million people is being expected in Vienna, which means that about 10.000 new apartments will be needed each year. As building land is getting less, new concepts for supporting urban densification are required. The many supermarkets like for example Hofer, Lidl, Billa and their related parking areas waste too much space and as a result they promote urban sprawl. The main focus of this thesis is on the one hand the development of a new concept for the analysis of urban densification-potentials on the site of supermarkets in Vienna and on the other hand the creation of a life-cycle assessment for the densification, which is accomplished with the application of one conventional and one innovative LCA-tool and BIM (Building InformationModeling). As a case study an ecological residential building in timber construction is being planned on the parking area of an existing supermarket (Lidl) in order to improve the overall eco- and area efficiency of the site. Therefore detailed 3D-modells of both, the existing building and the new building, are being generated with BIM. With the application of LCA-Tools the models are being accounted in two different ways-manually and automated- and finally compared and evaluated. The concept of densification and the application of the new balancing methods are exemplified in the case study and can be used for other building projects in future.14

Prozess-Design für die semi-automatisierte Generierung von BIM-basierten Materiellen Gebäudepässen

Kumulative Dissertation aus vier ArtikelnAbweichender Titel nach Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des VerfassersZusammenfassung in deutscher SpracheDerzeit stellt Ressourcenknappheit sowie die signifikant steigenden CO2 -Emissionen relevante Themen in der nachhaltigen Entwicklung dar. Der Bausektor, als größter Verbraucher von Rohmaterialien, benötigt eine dringende Minimierung des Ressourcenverbrauchs, sowie der ökologischen Umweltfaktoren wie z.B. CO2 Emissionen. Durch den zu erwartenden Bevölkerungswachstum von 7 Milliarden bis zu 9 Milliarden im Jahr 2050, sind nachhaltige Lösungen in Bezug auf Optimierung des Ressourcenverbrauchs und der schädlichen Emissionen von Gebäuden notwendig. Bestehende Konzepte wie Circular Economy und Urban Mining fordern die Wiederverwendung und das Recycling von Gebäuden und ihren Elementen. Jedoch besteht derzeit kein Wissen über den Baubestand und den eingebauten Materialien, was eine große Herausforderung für das Recycling des Bestands darstellt. Neue digitale Werkzeuge und Methoden wie z.B. Building Information Modeling für Design-Optimierung gemeinsam mit Werkzeugen für die Materialdokumentation von Gebäuden wie z.B. der materielle Gebäudepass (MGP) haben das Potential die Kreislaufwirtschaft in der AEC-Branche zu fördern. Die Forschungsfrage dieser kumulativen Dissertation ist, wie eine automatisierte BIM-basierte Generierung eines MGP ermöglicht werden kann. Dabei dient der MGP als Optimierungswerkzeug für den Ressourcenverbrauch sowie für die ökologischen Umweltfaktoren in frühen Planungsphasen und darüber hinaus als Dokument, welches die materielle Zusammensetzung von Gebäuden darstellt. In dieser Dissertation wird das Konzept, der Umfang sowie die relevanten Parameter für den MGP definiert. Darüber hinaus wird das Potential von BIM als Wissensbasis und als Optimierungswerkzeug für den Ressourcenverbrauch und schädlichen Emissionen untersucht, sowie das Potential für die automatisierte Generierung von materiellen Gebäudepässen analysiert. Schließlich wird ein Daten- und Stakeholder Management Rahmenwerk präsentiert, welches als Basis für die Implementierung für den entwickelten BIM-basierten Workflow für MGPs dient. Der entwickelte BIM-basierte Workflow wurde an zwei Use Cases getestet, und der Proof of concept für die Anwendbarkeit des entwickelten BIM-Workflows für eine semi-automatisierte Erstellung von MGPs ist gegeben. Trotzdem ist eine Optimierung des Workflows notwendig, da ein vollautomatisierter Prozess aufgrund von inkonsistenter Parametrisierung von Materialien in BIM sowie durch Dateninkonsistenzen in unterschiedlichen Öko-Repositorien immer noch nicht möglich ist. Diese Dissertation schlägt eine Harmonisierung von MGP-relevanten Daten innerhalb der Industrie vor, welche durch Regulationen der öffentlichen Hand unterstützt werden können. Zudem wird ein neuer Stakeholder, der MGP-Konsulent, für die Standardisierung und Implementierung des BIM-basierten Prozesses zur Generierung von MGPs benötigt. Der MGP zeigt großes Potential für die Optimierung des Ressourcenverbrauchs sowie der ökologischen Umweltfaktoren in frühen Planungsphasen. Dabei repräsentiert der MGP auch einen wesentlichen Schritt in Richtung Verstärkung der Circular Economy und Urban Mining Strategien durch Unterstützung von Recycling und Wiederverwendung der Bestandsgebäude. Diese Dissertation wurde im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts BiMaterial (Projektnummer 850049) durchgeführt und vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Innovation und Technologie (BMVIT) durch die österreichische Forschungsforderungsgesellschaft (FFG) gefördert.Concerns about shortage of primary resources as well as the increase of CO2 emissions, are nowadays relevant topics in sustainable development. The construction sector, as the largest consumer of raw materials, needs urgent optimization of resources consumption as well as minimization of environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions. Since the population is expected to grow from 7 billion today up to 9 billion in 2050, sustainable solutions regarding the optimization of resources consumption and harmful emissions of buildings are required. Existing concepts, such as Circular Economy and Urban Mining are claiming the reuse and recycling of buildings and their elements. However, currently knowledge about the existing stock and embedded materials in buildings is lacking, which is the main obstacle in the recycling of existing stocks. New digital tools and methods such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) for design optimization together with methods for the material documentation of buildings, such as Material Passports (MP) offer potentials to enhance Circular Economy in the AEC-industry (Architecture, Engineering and Construction). The main research question of this cumulative PhD thesis is how to enable an automated BIM-based generation of MPs. Thereby the MP serves as optimization tool of resources consumption as well as of environmental impacts in early design stages and moreover as a document that shows the material composition of buildings. Within this thesis, the concept, scope as well as relevant parameters for the MP are defined. Further the potential of BIM as knowledge-base and optimization tool for resources consumption and emissions is investigated as well as its potential for the automated generation of MPs. Finally, a data- and stakeholder management framework is presented, which serves as basis for the implementation of the developed BIM-based workflow for MPs. The developed BIM-based workflow is tested an two use cases, and the proof of concept for the usability of the developed BIM workflow for a semi-automated compilation of MPs is provided. However, optimization of the workflow is necessary, since a fully automated process is still not possible due to inconsistent parametrization of materials in BIM as well as inconsistent data within various eco-data repositories. The thesis proposes a harmonization of MP-relevant data within the industry, supported by policy making and introduction of a new stakeholder an MP consultant to successfully standardize and implement the BIM-based process for the generation of MPs. The MP shows large potentials for the optimization of resources consumption as well as environmental impacts in early design stages. Thereby the MP also represents a crucial step towards the enhancement of Circular Economy and Urban Mining strategies, through supporting recycling and reuse of existing stocks. This dissertation was conducted within the research project BiMaterial (grant No. 850049), which was funded by the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) through the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)

Kan miljömässigt, socialt och styrningsrelaterat hållbarhetsarbete förbättra företagens lönsamhet : En undersökning av sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och ROA / ROE på svenska börsnoterade industriföretag

Hållbarhetsarbete har blivit en central del av företagsstrategier, och ESG-betyg används idag som ett verktyg för att hjälpa investerare fatta informerade beslut om företagets hållbarhetsinitiativ. Tidigare forskning har visat att sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation ofta är positivt men det är inte helt enhetligt, och det är inte alltid företag med höga ESG-betyg som presterar bäst finansiellt.  I denna studie undersöks sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och nyckeltalen ROA och ROE för 73 börsnoterade svenska företag inom industribranschen. ESG-betygen togs från LSEG:s databas för varje företag och låg inom intervallet 2021 till 2024. Studien utgår från två teoretiska perspektiv: intressentteorin, som framhåller vikten av att förstå och tillgodose intressenters behov för långsiktig framgång, och beteendeekonomi, som betonar att beslut ofta påverkas av känslor och kognitiva biaser snarare än rationella överväganden. En regressionsanalys genomfördes baserat på insamlade data för att analysera sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation. Vårt resultat avviker både från tidigare forskning som hävdar att det finns ett positivt samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation, och från studier som pekar på ett negativt samband. I stället visar vår studie att det inte finns någon statistisk relation mellan ESG-betyg och nyckeltalen ROA och ROE. Sustainability efforts have become a central part of corporate strategies, and ESG ratings are now used as a tool to help investors make informed decisions about a company's sustainability initiatives. Previous research has shown that the relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance is often positive but not entirely consistent, and it is not always the companies with high ESG ratings that perform best financially. This study examines the relationship between ESG ratings and the key financial metrics ROA and ROE for 73 publicly traded Swedish companies in the industrial sector. ESG ratings were retrieved from LSEG's database for each company and covered the period between 2021 and 2024. The study is based on two theoretical perspectives: stakeholder theory, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and meeting stakeholders' needs for long-term success, and behavioral economics, which highlights that decisions are often influenced by emotions and cognitive biases rather than purely rational considerations. A regression analysis was conducted based on the collected data to analyze the relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance. Our results diverge from previous research suggesting a positive relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance, as well as from studies indicating a negative relationship. Instead, our study shows that there is no statistical relationship between ESG ratings and the financial metrics ROA and ROE.

Model and data management issues in the integrated assessment of existing building stocks

The increasing population growth and urbanization rises the worldwide consumption of material resources and energy demand. The challenges of the future will be to provide sufficient resources and to minimize the continual amount of waste and energy demand. For the achievement of sustainability, increasing recycling rates and reuse of materials, next to the reduction of energy consumption has the highest priority

Model and Data Management Issues in Integrated Assessment of Existing Building Stocks

Building stocks and infrastructures are the largest material stock of industrial economies. These total material stocks on the global scale are about as large as reserves of primary resources in nature. Simultaneously, buildings consume worldwide 35% of energy and produce about 40% of global CO2 emissions. Due to worldwide rapidly increasing consumption of resources and land, as well as growing generation of waste, increasing of recycling rates and reuse of materials, next to reduction of energy consumption is of highest priority for achievement of sustainability. This paper presents ongoing research within multidisciplinary research project SCI_BIM, based on coupling of digital technologies and methods for scanning and modelling (as-built BIM) of buildings. Thereby the laser scanning and photogrammetry is used for the capturing of geometry, and GPR radar technology for assessing of material composition of the occupied existing building as a use case. The algorithms for semi-automatic generation of Scan to BIM process for obtaining information-rich as-built BIM from a Point-Cloud (geometry and material) will be developed and in further steps used for energy modelling and analysis, as well as for the automated compilation of material passports. Finally, using gamification concept through user-participation, the reduction of energy consumption together with automated update of as built-BIM will be tested. The focus of this paper is analysis of the complex interdisciplinary interactions, data and model exchange processes of various disciplines collaborating within SCI_BIM workflows. Results show, that the developed methodology, which is accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis, is confronted with many challenges. Nevertheless, it has the potential to serve as basis for the creation of a secondary raw materials cadaster as well as for optimization of energy consumption in existing buildings

Kan miljömässigt, socialt och styrningsrelaterat hållbarhetsarbete förbättra företagens lönsamhet : En undersökning av sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och ROA / ROE på svenska börsnoterade industriföretag

Hållbarhetsarbete har blivit en central del av företagsstrategier, och ESG-betyg används idag som ett verktyg för att hjälpa investerare fatta informerade beslut om företagets hållbarhetsinitiativ. Tidigare forskning har visat att sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation ofta är positivt men det är inte helt enhetligt, och det är inte alltid företag med höga ESG-betyg som presterar bäst finansiellt.  I denna studie undersöks sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och nyckeltalen ROA och ROE för 73 börsnoterade svenska företag inom industribranschen. ESG-betygen togs från LSEG:s databas för varje företag och låg inom intervallet 2021 till 2024. Studien utgår från två teoretiska perspektiv: intressentteorin, som framhåller vikten av att förstå och tillgodose intressenters behov för långsiktig framgång, och beteendeekonomi, som betonar att beslut ofta påverkas av känslor och kognitiva biaser snarare än rationella överväganden. En regressionsanalys genomfördes baserat på insamlade data för att analysera sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation. Vårt resultat avviker både från tidigare forskning som hävdar att det finns ett positivt samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation, och från studier som pekar på ett negativt samband. I stället visar vår studie att det inte finns någon statistisk relation mellan ESG-betyg och nyckeltalen ROA och ROE. Sustainability efforts have become a central part of corporate strategies, and ESG ratings are now used as a tool to help investors make informed decisions about a company's sustainability initiatives. Previous research has shown that the relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance is often positive but not entirely consistent, and it is not always the companies with high ESG ratings that perform best financially. This study examines the relationship between ESG ratings and the key financial metrics ROA and ROE for 73 publicly traded Swedish companies in the industrial sector. ESG ratings were retrieved from LSEG's database for each company and covered the period between 2021 and 2024. The study is based on two theoretical perspectives: stakeholder theory, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and meeting stakeholders' needs for long-term success, and behavioral economics, which highlights that decisions are often influenced by emotions and cognitive biases rather than purely rational considerations. A regression analysis was conducted based on the collected data to analyze the relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance. Our results diverge from previous research suggesting a positive relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance, as well as from studies indicating a negative relationship. Instead, our study shows that there is no statistical relationship between ESG ratings and the financial metrics ROA and ROE.