INReS - Integration of sustainable stormwater management tools into planning execution and management software (BIM)

Status

completed (March 2022)

Motivation and research questions

Sustainable, integrative rainwater management is an effective climate change adaptation measure for preparing urban spaces to more frequent extreme weather events. The combination of different green-blue infrastructures, such as green roofs and facades, seepage systems and other retention solutions like cisterns, can buffer precipitation and make valuable water available for urban flora and fauna. Evaporative cooling can reduce urban overheating and improve the quality of life for its inhabitants.

The planning, implementation and operation of such systems often pose major problems for those involved due to the complexity and abundance of system solutions. Not every project, whether new construction or renovation, fully exploits the potential of retention. The INReS exploratory project developed a recommendation base for user group-specific as well as project-related solutions and approaches in order to subsequently make them available to different stakeholder groups via an interactive web application. The project objective was to prepare and test the applicability of an interactive web application for recommending suitable measures for dealing with rainwater in existing buildings and in new buildings, which (1) allows BIM compatibility for object-related implementation and (2) enables a simplified application in the form of the rainwater toolbox.

Status quo: There are always external interfaces between planning and execution, which are well known. An interface between experts and regulatory framework conditions is usually only available to a very limited extent. Nevertheless, experts and users are dependent on the legal frameworks and have to take them into account when planning and implementing their projects. This requires a high level of knowledge and time-consuming analyses.

Content and objectives

In order to ensure the widest possible dissemination and best possible integration in all phases of a project, from conception to planning, construction, operation and potential refurbishment, compatibility with the Building Information Model (BIM) is essential. This enables a wide range of stakeholders and trades to access data, process it jointly and react quickly and without loss of information in the event of changing plans. In order to advance the digital interfaces of GIS and environmental data for implementation in BIM, an interface analysis in the form of a data survey in various BIM-related standards is necessary. This enables digital planning processes to be implemented in accordance with current regulations and technologies. INReS provides a remedy for this problem by means of multi-sectoral interfaces entered in a database. The external interfaces to the legal framework, external databases (such as eHYD and eBod) and BIM data are summarised here.

Approach

Throughout the INReS project, internal processes of an extensive system database, the basis of the web application, were elaborated and further developed. By identifying relevant interfaces, compatibility with BIM and other databases was ensured. Predefined technical parameters form the basis for the proposed solutions and, subsequently, rainwater-relevant calculations for concrete planning. Best practice models were prepared and made available to an interested public in the form of factsheets. Furthermore, potential stakeholders (interested public, manufacturing companies and experts) were identified and profit and non-profit business models were created.

Results and conclusions

A proof of concept on the real object checked the consistency of the data and parameters that are to flow into a real web application in subsequent projects. People from the interested public were asked about their interests regarding the different stormwater management measures. Persons interested in a measure in the field of sustainable stormwater management were given access to the digital decision matrix in order to be able to identify possible solutions for them. In the factsheets, the respective proposals were described in more detail in order to get a first overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the measures. Their feedback will be incorporated into the further development of the web application. The matrix was applied to two real projects (white-box test) and the results were analysed. A market potential analysis highlighted existing solutions, analysed as well as potential competitors, defined basic functions and identified users.

This holistic approach of a simple, user group-optimised web application, complemented by maximum compatibility with BIM, covers the needs of almost all potential stakeholders striving for a sustainable, integrative rainwater management in the best possible way and guarantees broad applicability. Thus, a first rainwater toolbox prototype could be realised and is available at.

Outlook

In a further research project, the available rainwater management measures are to be expanded and entered into the toolbox database with concrete products by manufacturing companies.

Project management

Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Project or cooperation partners

• Green4Cities GmbH
• DI Joachim Kräftner, Ingenieurbüro für Landschaftsplanung und -architektur
• DIE ANTWORT · Büro für Informationstechnik GmbH

Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
Peter-Jordan-Straße 82/III
A-1190 Vienna
Tel.: +43 (1) 47654-87400
E-mail: rosemarie.stangl@boku.ac.at
Web: https://boku.ac.at/baunat/iblb