Developing a BIM-based methodology for reusing precast concrete components
Publication Date
June 15, 2026
Creator
Al-jawhar, Husam
University of Nottingham
Abstract
Concrete is one of the most widely used materials in the construction industry; however, it is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation. This highlights the urgent need for alternative ways to overcome these drawbacks. One of these alternatives is to reuse precast concrete components from existing buildings, thereby changing the linear life-cycle model to a cyclic one. Building Information Modelling (BIM) presents the opportunity to support the reusability of building components.
This study aims to develop a BIM-based methodology to promote the reusability of precast concrete components from existing buildings that were not designed for disassembly and reuse in new construction. The framework of this methodology is structured into four main steps:
1. Component Reusability Assessment: Identify which components can be reused by evaluating their disassembly potential and assessing their condition against the defect.
2. Deconstruction for Reusability: Develop an automated visual and sequential deconstruction plan to extract existing components safely to achieve reusability.
3. Compatibility Assessment: Evaluates the suitability and integration of existing building components within the new design based on compatibility criteria.
4. Sustainability Assessment: Assess the sustainability of the new design by conducting the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of the new design components before and after the compatibility.
The framework was developed as a chain of tools in a Python-based add-in for Revit. Moreover, two case studies are presented to demonstrate the functionality of the framework and its application in a real scenario.
The study concludes that this methodology offers comprehensive guidance throughout each stage of the reusability process. Moreover, integrating the framework with BIM, it becomes possible to identify potential issues in advance while also achieving reductions in time, cost, environmental impact, and human errors.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Supervisors
University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
UoN Repository URI
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HusamThesis.pdf
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6.67 MB
Format
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