BIM-based framework for estimating service life duration of wood construction elements under environmental exposure
(2026) In Building and Environment 287.- Abstract
As the construction industry adopts more data-driven and sustainable practices, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is increasingly used for energy analysis, lifecycle management, and maintenance planning. However, its integration with service life performance analysis especially for wood, a material susceptible to environmental degradation remains limited. This study presents a BIM-based framework that incorporates wood-specific parameters such as environmental exposure, material properties, and design detailing to estimate the service life of wood construction elements. The framework is structured using ISO 15,686–4 principles and implemented through custom Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) property sets. A Revit plugin developed in... (More)
As the construction industry adopts more data-driven and sustainable practices, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is increasingly used for energy analysis, lifecycle management, and maintenance planning. However, its integration with service life performance analysis especially for wood, a material susceptible to environmental degradation remains limited. This study presents a BIM-based framework that incorporates wood-specific parameters such as environmental exposure, material properties, and design detailing to estimate the service life of wood construction elements. The framework is structured using ISO 15,686–4 principles and implemented through custom Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) property sets. A Revit plugin developed in C# integrates the model into the BIM environment. A case study of a wooden playhouse is used as a proof-of-concept to demonstrates the framework's ability to evaluate the impact of design, material, and environmental factors on service life. The results confirm that the framework supports service life prediction and enhances decision-making for wood-based construction. Twenty-one-month observations align with predicted results. However, long-term (2–9 year) predictions remain unvalidated, requiring extended monitoring. By integration of the service life prediction for fungal decay into BIM it offers a practical and scalable tool to support service life–informed design and planning for wood structures.
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- author
- Acquah, Richard ; Niklewski, Jonas LU ; Sandak, Anna and Sandak, Jakub
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-01-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Building Information Modelling (BIM), Environmental exposure, Service life prediction, Sustainable Construction, Wood construction, Wood material durability
- in
- Building and Environment
- volume
- 287
- article number
- 113890
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105019974472
- ISSN
- 0360-1323
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113890
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors
- id
- 14beba56-7637-4627-adab-3786abc0c481
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-28 18:27:40
- date last changed
- 2025-12-01 11:10:26
@article{14beba56-7637-4627-adab-3786abc0c481,
abstract = {{<p>As the construction industry adopts more data-driven and sustainable practices, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is increasingly used for energy analysis, lifecycle management, and maintenance planning. However, its integration with service life performance analysis especially for wood, a material susceptible to environmental degradation remains limited. This study presents a BIM-based framework that incorporates wood-specific parameters such as environmental exposure, material properties, and design detailing to estimate the service life of wood construction elements. The framework is structured using ISO 15,686–4 principles and implemented through custom Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) property sets. A Revit plugin developed in C# integrates the model into the BIM environment. A case study of a wooden playhouse is used as a proof-of-concept to demonstrates the framework's ability to evaluate the impact of design, material, and environmental factors on service life. The results confirm that the framework supports service life prediction and enhances decision-making for wood-based construction. Twenty-one-month observations align with predicted results. However, long-term (2–9 year) predictions remain unvalidated, requiring extended monitoring. By integration of the service life prediction for fungal decay into BIM it offers a practical and scalable tool to support service life–informed design and planning for wood structures.</p>}},
author = {{Acquah, Richard and Niklewski, Jonas and Sandak, Anna and Sandak, Jakub}},
issn = {{0360-1323}},
keywords = {{Building Information Modelling (BIM); Environmental exposure; Service life prediction; Sustainable Construction; Wood construction; Wood material durability}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Building and Environment}},
title = {{BIM-based framework for estimating service life duration of wood construction elements under environmental exposure}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113890}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113890}},
volume = {{287}},
year = {{2026}},
}