The Role of BIM in Shaping Sustainable Cities and Stormwater Management

The world recently experienced extreme weather conditions, resulting in devastating flooding in Spain, the U.S., Taiwan and many other countries. Managing stormwater conditions is crucial to a city’s design and maintenance, but urban planning should include proactive stormwater management solutions instead of relying on emergency management protocols.

Flooding creates property damage, pollution and water runoff. Using building information modeling (BIM), cities can plan how to handle future stormwater to prevent flooding. 

Discover the influence of BIM in sustainable excess water management systems and the power of technology to change how cities survive the next big storm.

The Role of BIM in Managing Sustainable Cities

BIM is a digital modeling tool that helps urban planners develop, build, and manage large-scale construction projects. Imagine it as a blueprint for an entire building, neighborhood or city. With BIM, planners can generate 3D models and input real time data to predict outcomes with advanced analytics. 

With an increasing focus on urban sustainability, using BIM is perfect for green cities of the future. Since almost any quantifiable data can be input with BIM, planners can include nature-based solutions (NbS) such as rain gardens to help with water management and meet long-term sustainability goals. 

BIS’s compatibility with other systems, such as geographic information systems (GIS), makes it the perfect planning tool for smart cities. The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) ’s roadmap plans guidance, access, education, credentialing and initiatives in the built environment. 

Applying BIM to Stormwater Management Solutions

Stormwater may have gotten nothing more than a nod with a few concrete gutters from city managers in the past, but no more. With BIM, planners can model what happens during a heavy rainstorm, how floodwater behaves, and what measures to take in different scenarios. Other applications of this modeling software include:

Predictive Design

Imagine mapping out where floodwater will flow and how it will interact with different types of infrastructure. For cities, this type of future planning is imperative, but for homeowners or building contractors, it’s valuable in planning water runoff, drainage, and property layout to ensure less future damage. 

Improved Eco-Friendly Infrastructure 

Using NbS, BIM systems seamlessly integrate natural resources like retention ponds, rain gardens and green barriers to help manage water runoff during storms. With predictive modeling, designers can evaluate a particular intervention’s success before planting or building the element. 

Predicting cost savings helps make decisions, such as choosing 75% cost-saving LED lights, which is better for budgeting and the environment. Other uses of predictive modeling help builders plan for building debris, which accounts for 600 million tons per year in the U.S., ensuring more eco-sustainable approaches help manage waste.

Real-Time Monitoring and System Alerts

Integrating remote sensors and internet reports into the BIM allows urban planners to seamlessly receive data about anything from a blocked pipe to cracked stormwater channels. Integrating a BIM system into a smart home system would help homeowners manage home maintenance and evaluate future damage. 

Scenario Testing and Adapting to Climate Change

With climate change come new infrastructure challenges, like rising sea levels and increased or changed rainfall patterns. BIM uses the latest weather mapping technology to inform future decisions on where to build roads, what type of drainage systems to use, and the materials best suited for stormwater-prone areas.

The Benefits of BIM to Stormwater Management Plans

There are a few incredible reasons construction companies should invest in a quality BIM system: 

1. Enhanced Efficiency 

With BIM software, your company can streamline planning from the first design to approval and construction. Catch design flaws early in virtual mode and save money before putting spade to soil. 

2. Better Collaboration 

When great minds gather on one digital platform, success follows. BIM software provides that platform, letting architects, designers, builders, owners and policymakers share the same vision and goals. Reduce miscommunications because everyone works off the same data sets.

3. Increased Savings

With a high-end construction project, which can run into several millions or even billions of dollars, it’s essential that you eliminate any potential flaws immediately. Track spending, material costs, timelines, labor and workflow. Predictive modeling allows you to monitor wear and tear and schedule maintenance most efficiently.  

4. Better Environments Today

Avoid urban pollution and property damage with effective stormwater management. Design efficient systems that turn stormwater into a resource by capturing and filtering it for greywater systems and long-term landscaping uses. 

5. Strategic Business Reputation

With an integrated BIM system, cities and companies build reputations for quality management of resources and challenges. An advanced management system puts sustainability at the forefront of development instead of being added as an afterthought.  

BIM and Sustainable Stormwater System Challenges

Any new system requires investment, and a quality BIM software system carries a substantial price tag. However, the return on investment is unquestionable, and long-term benefits will quickly pay off the initial layout. Other challenges include:

• Training takes time: It is a time investment to train planners and other stakeholders to use BIM efficiently. 
• Initial data quality issues: Any BIM is only as effective as the data sets used. The software can only produce inferior results when urban planners provide insufficient data. 
• Technical compatibility challenges: BIM software is a proprietary system that may not integrate with other operating systems. To achieve successful integration, you may need specialist technical expertise. 
• Resistance to the culture of change: Some stakeholders aren’t always on board with implementing a new system that changes things they’re familiar with. People are hesitant to learn and adapt to new systems, especially when the technology is this advanced. 

BIM and Future Storm Water Management 

The future of storm water management models lies in BIM and other integrated systems. With the development of artificial intelligence and nature-based solutions, predictive modeling is more viable for planning how the green cities and homes of the future will manage water, storm runoff and other drainage challenges. 

Utilizing machine learning, city planners, architects and builders create solutions before problems occur. Imagine seeing green roofs, urban wetlands and green barriers that help with stormwater management and increase biodiversity in the urban environment.