Knowledge Mining for Inferring BIM Skills and Roles to Promote Energy efficiency in the built environment

Global warming has drastically increased the pressure to reduce energy use in buildings. The European construction sector is facing unprecedented challenges to achieve ambitious energy efficiency objectives and generalize near-zero energy buildings during an economic crisis that is dominated by reduced investments, and a search for cost effectiveness and high productivity. Moreover, the industry is experiencing a digital revolution and the Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach has been gaining interest across Europe. The member states of the EU have implemented many different approaches through regulations and maturity targets, which have to constantly face the traditional lowtech and informal practices of construction businesses. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of BIM-related roles and skills for construction professionals to inform current and future training strategies, and with a view to deliver energy-efficient buildings. The methodology included a Europe-wide consultation with experts and practitioners, as well as an in-depth analysis of social media sources used across construction communities, informed by a comprehensive literature review. This has helped to infer the roles and skills that are necessary in delivering a BIM-based project, as well as informing future BIM training and education needs. One of the main findings is that these roles, skills and associated training needs are not static but evolve to reflect the maturity and evolution of technology and the construction workforce.