Construction research projects

Atmospheric image depicting a construction site with the words "R&D in Software Engineering" and "Construction Domain" integrated.

UBUBI Project

Open-source software for the simulation of an alternative energy footprint for the life cycle of materials available in construction design.

This CRD project aims to develop a tool to support designers of energy-efficient buildings by integrating materials Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in BIM modelling, similar to Tally, but in open-source software.

The research team would like to propose an innovative assessment approach that extends the calculation of the overall energy of traditional building materials and energy equipment.

We are currently identifying the needs of each stakeholder in order to develop a document on high-level software requirements. See our article on this topic.

Challenge

Develop an open-source software component that is integrated in BIM Revit software in order to provide an interface and functionalities, and enable the use of an energy-related database on materials that would enable an assessment of alternatives, the energy life cycle (including its impacts), as well as various materials available at architectural design.

We use an agile software engineering process that requires the creation of a prototype, vision document and software requirements specification (SRS) to specify each stakeholder’s functional and data requirements.