Cloud-based BIM for data sharing and collaboration to foster circular economy in construction

Purpose The construction industry faces a significant challenge due to the lack of digital tools and collaborative platforms for managing recycled materials and fostering a circular economy (CE) throughout a building's life. This study aims to mitigate the environmental impact of the construction industry by integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with CE principles. Design/methodology/approach In this research, Python and Microsoft Visual Studio were used to introduce a bidirectional data-sharing process and integrate Material Passports (MPs) within the Autodesk Revit framework. A case study was conducted to check the efficacy of the developed prototype in a real-world project of NEOM City. Twelve industry experts have validated the developed prototype named BIM-Circular Economy System (BIM-CES) through a demonstration, followed by a semi-structured interview, and further analyzed using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Findings The prototype demonstrated a framework for using wood material-related MP within a BIM model. IPA revealed that BIM-CES effectively addresses key issues of lack of collaboration, technological solutions, technical skills and circular design, ranking high in importance and performance. Practical implications For the industry, BIM-CES is a game-changer, providing a key dataset that simplifies the reuse, recycling and refurbishment of materials, making collaboration and data sharing in CE easier and more effective. Academically, this research is a steppingstone, opening exciting new paths for exploring sustainable construction and digital solutions in future studies of CE Originality/value Very meager research has been carried out to utilize BIM in support of CE in the construction industry. BIM-CES, developed in this study, represents a novel approach to bridging the gap between BIM and CE, introducing a new method for digitizing MPs and enhancing collaboration among BIM designers.