10 The Role of BIM in Energy-Efficient Building Design
James Mirie
Introduction
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a powerful digital tool that promotes efficient and integrated design processes (IDP) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. It is a highly collaborative approach which permits architects, engineers, real estate developers, contractors, manufacturers and other construction professionals to plan, design, and ultimately construct structures using a 3D model. BIM contributes greatly to sustainable design by offering a comprehensive, data-rich approach during the design phase of construction projects. This usually involves choosing sustainable materials, enhancing energy efficiency and minimizing waste throughout the project’s lifespan from the design stage into operation. BIM facilitates simulations, enhances collaboration and incorporates sustainability (energy) indicators into the design workflow (BIM) enables the project stakeholders to make informed decisions based on the desired environmental objectives. This study will explore how BIM affects the design of sustainable buildings.
Rationale for studying the case
Buildings account for a large share of global energy use and emissions, which is approximately a third of the global energy consumption and related CO₂ emissions [1]. This harsh truth highlights the urgent need to optimize the building phase for energy efficiency. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a powerful tool in this context by enabling designers to incorporate rich data about geometry, systems and performance into a single model [2]. BIM is widely adopted in design practice, however, its specific impact on energy-efficient design warrants deeper understanding. Therefore, exploring how BIM contributes to reducing building energy consumption and CO₂ emissions through energy optimization is both timely and necessary.
Motivation
The motivation for studying the role of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in enhancing energy-efficient building design. This is as a result of the need to develop innovative solutions to decarbonise buildings and enhance sustainability in construction. The rising need for sustainable infrastructure is driving innovations that minimize energy consumption and carbon footprints. Traditional design processes frequently fail to incorporate energy modelling in the initial design stages, reducing the potential for performance-driven decision-making. ‘Green’ building design has become a priority throughout the world as the construction industry strives to lower its negative environmental impact by integrating sustainable practices. When correctly applied, BIM facilitates performance simulation, material optimization and life-cycle analysis in the initial phases, hence advancing the goals of sustainable design and high-performance structures [3].
Purpose
The objective of this case study is to examine the role of BIM in achieving energy-efficient building design, utilising an expert interview as the main source of qualitative data. The study aims to clarify how BIM tools and processes are actually used, or could be used, to optimize energy performance by analysing its capabilities, challenges and contributions. Specifically, it examines if the BIM model was treated as more than just 3D geometry, i.e., a repository of data for energy simulation and long-term performance management. The interviewee’s perspective provides a unique point of view on BIM’s potential and limitations. This case will highlight both practical design factors like passive strategies or “simplicity” and technological aspects like digital twins and automation, thereby identifying lessons for architects, engineers and other stakeholders aiming for sustainable outcomes.
Focus
The case focuses on BIM’s integration with sustainable design practice especially in the early design phase, from the point of view of the interviewee. The areas of focus include how the interviewee and their team used BIM for energy modelling and daylighting, how they considered passive design strategies within the BIM process and how they balanced automated tools such as simulations and AI with human decision-making. The focus is on design process, as well as some aspects of the technology, for example, how collaboration among architects, engineers and contractors took place through BIM. We also focus on long-term thinking, like how did the interviewee view the building’s future performance, adaptability and life-cycle. The interview spanned technical details, conceptual issues and some philosophical values.
Detailed description of the facts related to the case
The case study revolves around the insights of Christopher Monson, a licensed architect, who is also an educator in architecture and construction, having earned their Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (with a concentration in environmental design) and a PhD holder whose research interests focus on the contemporary problems of integrated architecture, engineering, and construction practices, particularly the communication processes and team workflows that support them.
Although not all project names were disclosed, he described working on a retrofit and new construction projects with some energy goal requirements where they worked closely with engineers and energy consultants from early design phases. He also mentioned that he also focuses on the way people use energy prediction information as part of their design process.
During the interview, he described a recent renovation where an as-built BIM model helped preserve embodied energy. By modelling the existing structure in BIM, they could reuse much of the original framework rather than just demolishing the structure and other elements. In another example, on a new-build campus, BIM was used to test building orientations, envelopes and shading devices before construction in order to see the effects of the proposed design and their effect on energy performance.
Interview Questions
Shown below is a list of the interview questions that were used to gather information for this study:
| Number | Question |
| Part 01: Professional Background and Overview of Their Work | |
| 1 | How long have you been practicing in the industry? |
| 2 | What is your main area of focus? |
| Part 02: Detailed Discussion of Design Projects and BIM Use | |
| 3 | How do you define BIM and Sustainability? |
| 4 | How long have you been working with BIM? |
| 5 | How does BIM support sustainability in buildings? Please elaborate. |
| 6 | How have you used BIM in your projects to achieve sustainability? How did that go? |
| 7 | At what stage of the project was BIM integrated, and how did it influence energy performance decisions? |
| 8 | What specific BIM tools or features were used for energy analysis in the design phase? |
| 9 | How was energy performance simulated and evaluated through the BIM model? |
| 10 | How did BIM support decision-making when selecting energy-efficient systems or design strategies? |
| 11 | Can you describe any significant design changes made based on energy simulations or BIM analyses? |
| 12 | How did the BIM model help in reducing energy-related construction waste or inefficiencies? |
| 13 | What barriers have you faced while using BIM to achieve sustainability goals and how did you overcome them? |
| Part 03: Reflections on the trends and values | |
| 14 | How do you see BIM evolving in the context of sustainable design and energy efficient building design? |
Table 1: Interview questions
To wrap up the interview, the interviewee was asked whether they had any questions for the interviewer. This data collected is important to understanding the integration and role of BIM with relation to sustainable design in the AEC industry.
Description of the data collected
An interview was conducted with a licensed architect, who is also an educator and academic in the AEC industry. With the interviewee’s permission, the interview was recorded and transcribed. The interview questions addressed different stages of the industry and practice. They were based on the following three categories:
a) Professional background and overview of their work
b) Detailed discussion of design projects and BIM use
c) Reflections on the trends and values
The interview was semi-structured, allowing the subject to elaborate on some of his experiences, for example, describing a specific retrofit case, and to articulate opinions on topics like digital twins. The data collected included direct quotes and narrative descriptions of project workflows. In addition, the architect provided a summary of some of the project goals and outcomes. The transcripts were coded repeatedly. Key remarks and anecdotes were highlighted, and the relevant data was organized into themes. The data was treated qualitatively, with an emphasis on identifying recurring ideas and patterns, rather than quantifying behaviours. The interview data recorded forms the evidence base for the thematic discussion below.
Discussion of the patterns/theories found
1. BIM as Geometry + Information
One of the key themes was that BIM is far more than a 3D model. The interviewee repeatedly defined BIM as geometry plus data, i.e., the model’s dimensions and the embedded information about materials, systems and performance parameters. The architect emphasized that while many see BIM as just a simple 3D representation, its true power lies in the attached data such as materials, thermal properties and fenestrations, which are essential for meaningful energy analysis. They use BIM to run energy simulations by exporting the 3D model for early daylight studies and refining it with detailed data later. Simplifying complex shapes is sometimes necessary to prioritize certain performance parameters like material properties. BIM also serves as a “single source of truth” during collaborative design sessions, aiding in both visualization and data-driven decisions. Overall, she views BIM as a collaborative, data-centric tool that is an essential tool for energy-efficient building design.
2. Model Accuracy and Digital Twins
The architect explained the difference between a design-stage BIM model and a digital twin, emphasizing that a true digital twin emerges when the BIM is updated with data which accurately simulates real-world, post-construction use. BIM helps design for efficiency, while the digital twin tracks real-world performance.
3. Iterative Design Optimization
The interviewee identified iterative design optimization as a significant benefit of adopting BIM for energy-efficient buildings. His team used BIM to model and analyse a variety of design possibilities, including building orientation, exterior fenestrations and shading devices, which were all validated using energy simulations. This technique offered immediate, data-driven input, allowing the team to progressively enhance the design based on performance results. BIM allowed for real-time modifications and collaboration across disciplines, ensuring that the final design matched energy targets while staying practical and cost-effective. Without BIM, such a dynamic and performance-focused design approach would have been significantly more difficult to implement.
4. Enhanced Stakeholder Collaboration
The interviewee emphasized that BIM helps to promote collaboration between professionals by providing a shared digital platform for architects, engineers and other consultants. This centralized approach enables all disciplines to monitor and respond to any design changes in real time, ensuring that changes in one area, e.g., the structure, are quickly reflected and evaluated for their influence on energy performance. As a result, this shows how BIM has been widely accepted by the teams to promotes coordinated, collaborative decision-making, which is essential to meet the energy-efficiency objectives.
5. Data-Driven Decision-Making
The interviewee highlighted that BIM helps to enable data-driven decision-making between the architects, engineers and project stakeholders by allowing the design team to steer their decisions based on energy and performance findings. Rather than depending strictly on aesthetics, they investigated how modifications such as material selection or orientation influenced energy performance. This iterative method resulted in a feedback loop in which each design update was evaluated and enhanced using quantifiable outcomes. While data did not replace professional judgment, it provided objective facts to the professionals which helped the team make decisions and enhance sustainability outcomes.
6. Incorporation of Passive Design Strategies
The interviewee underlined the importance of passive design techniques such as orientation, sun-shading and natural ventilation for energy-efficient construction. His team used BIM to explore design choices such as roof overhangs and courtyard layouts in order to maximize sunshine and shading. He believes that these passive judgments generally resulted in larger energy savings than mechanical adjustments. He also emphasized that BIM’s genuine value lies in using exact data to reinforce conventional, climate-responsive design concepts, showing that old approaches can also be more effective than high-tech ones.
Connection to larger scheme of things
The findings from this study align with major trends in sustainable and energy efficient design, particularly the shift toward early integration of energy analysis using BIM. The interviewee’s emphasis on passive design strategies supports the industry’s recognition that climate-responsive solutions are necessary to achieve energy goals through energy efficient design. His primary focus of BIM to improve interdisciplinary collaboration reflects broader movements toward integrated project delivery and cloud-based teamwork in the AEC industry. The interviewee’s view that BIM tools should enhance, rather than replace, human decision-making echoes the current debates around automation and the use of digital twins in architecture. Overall, the case highlights how architects and other consultants collaborate today to combine digital modelling skills with traditional design knowledge to meet rising performance expectations, regulatory demands and climate imperatives.
References
[1] Buildings – Energy System – IEA, “Buildings – Energy System – IEA,” IEA, 2025. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings
[2] C. F. Vaz, L. L. D. F. Guilherme, A. C. F. Maciel, A. L. De Araujo, B. B. F. Da Costa, and A. N. Haddad, “Building Information Modeling/Building Energy Simulation Integration Based on Quantitative and Interpretative Interoperability Analysis,” Infrastructures, vol. 9, no. 5, p. 84, May 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures9050084
[3] S. Azhar, W. A. Carlton, D. Olsen, and I. Ahmad, “Building information modeling for sustainable design and LEED® rating analysis,” Automation in Construction, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 217–224, Mar. 2011. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2010.09.019
