PW researchers contribute to the transformation of Europe’s construction sector

The openBIM methodology and tools used in the project will support more efficient resource management, shorten delivery times and reduce costs. They will also help embed circular-economy principles throughout the design, construction, operation, renovation and revitalisation of buildings.

Digital tools based on BIM methodology and open standards are being tested on three buildings: the PW Faculty of Civil Engineering building; a historic residential building in Valladolid, Spain; and a school building in Athens, Greece.

Built in the 1970s, the reinforced-concrete building of the WUT Faculty of Civil Engineering provides a challenging test bed.

"We have already completed the building survey and structural assessment, as well as the digital model of the building, drawing on drone surveys, 3D scanning and 360-degree photography," says prof. Tomasz Piotrowski, PhD, the head of the DTERBIM project at WUT. "The data gathered will underpin the digital models used in subsequent project stages and allow further optimisation work to be transferred to a BIM-based system. In practice, we will test how effectively open BIM standards support the planning of efficient, more sustainable renovation while retaining key elements of the existing structure."

The PW project team comprises prof. Tomasz Piotrowski, PhD; prof. Andrzej Garbacz, PhD; Maja Kępniak, PhD; Agnieszka Kaliszuk-Wietecka, PhD; Ireneusz Czmoch, PhD; and Marta Nawrocka, MSc.

The DTERBIM consortium comprises 18 organisations from eight countries: Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Estonia. The project is being carried out under a Horizon Europe grant and co-funded by the European Union.