Potential Impacts of BIM-Based Cost Estimating in Conceptual Building Design: A University Building Renovation Case Study

BIM-based cost estimating methods can potentially improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the conceptual design process. However, research is still needed to understand how to apply these systems in practice, and to quantify the effect of doing so. This paper uses a retrospective case study for describing a conceptual design process in which the design team developed the shading strategy for a university building. A detailed process map describes the information the design team constructed and shared during the development of the process. The research then contributes a speculative future state process map that applies modern BIM-based cost estimating methods to projects, and defines process metrics to describe their efficiency and effectiveness. A comparison of current and future state process maps and metrics enables a discussion about the potential costs and benefits of BIM-based estimation methods, and helps identify areas for future research and application.