Investigation on the potential of building information modeling in structural health monitoring of buildings

This paper investigates the feasibility of utilizing building information modeling (BIM) in structural health monitoring (SHM) of buildings and infrastructure. A building was modeled in Autodesk Revit Structure and then exported to ETABS for structural analysis purposes, as well as to identify the ideal locations for installing SHM sensors, such as strain sensors. The model was then returned to Autodesk Revit to update the existing BIM model. Strain sensor was modeled and placed in its designated locations in the BIM model. Some data were assigned to the virtual strain sensor —using the IFC file format of the BIM model. An external visualization tool verified and validated the sensor modeling and its associated data. A possible consequence of this research is that these integrated environments could be used as the basis for the integration of BIM and SHM into an effective real-time monitoring system for a smart environment.