Towards a Model-Based System Specification and Verification in Integrated AEC-Projects

This research project overcomes the increasing complexity of building designs that the AEC-industry are facing at this moment. Substantially, this complexity is a result of the quantity and interdependence of components that these designs embrace, which demands an approach in which these components and the complexity that they aim can be interpreted pointing out the areas of consideration. Basically, this approach can be determined depending to which extent project requirements are properly identified, understood, and implemented during the project development process. Lamentedly, the preliminary literature study shows a lack of requirements identification, traceability, and inadequate requirements-management frameworks in this process. As a consequence, misinterpretation of project complexity to several project failures such as exceedances of cost and schedule, and poor project performance. Therefore, this research proposes a more systems approach to deal with these limitations, by exploring the integration of System Modeling Language (SysML) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), to improve the systematic identification, capturing, and verification of functional requirements in integrated AEC-projects.
For this purpose, a research approach was defined consisting of the following five consistent phases: (a) phase 1: Theoretical Framework; (b) phase 2: Practical Framework; (c) phase 3: Model Development; (d) phase 4: Model Validation; and (e) phase 5: Conclusion. Accordingly, the SysML-to-BIM Integration Model was developed comprising an integrated process where SysML and BIM are linked. At first hand, SysML establishes a visual modeling approach to support specification, design, verification, and validation of complex systems through its diagram taxonomy. Whereby, functional requirements can be model based on diagrams and models; therefore, overwhelming the communication ambiguity among stakeholders, and the complexity of requirements regarding their structuring, interrelationships, and traceability. On the other hand, BIM-through its open-standard – provides fundamental concepts that contribute to an explicit specification of functional requirements in the briefing phase, and a consistent validation of them in the design process. Finally, this research contributes to the improvement of collaboration among project stakeholders for developing high-performance buildings.