Exploratory research on BIM integration in housing refurbishment in the UK

A whole-house refurbishment is challenging due to the complicated decision making process and inefficient integration of diverse construction information at the early design phase to develop a proper refurbishment solution. Although Building Information Modelling has been introduced to enhance the integration and coordination of construction information, current BIM uptake in the housing sector remains low with 13% due to a lack of practical guide for BIM utilization. Thus, this research aims at identifying essential and practical BIM input data to determine an affordable refurbishment solution. This research adopts a case study with an energy simulation, and conducts a comparative analysis for reliability check of research outcomes. Consequently, seven major BIM input datasets for the assessment and four major datasets for the design phases are identified to develop an information enriched BIM model, and it is revealed that BIM is feasible to utilise for housing refurbishment when essential datasets are compiled and integrated into a BIM model. The findings of this research contribute to providing essential BIM input datasets that can be practically used for whole-house refurbishment and a better understanding of a BIM environment.