BIM to Numerical Modelling Interoperability for Geotechnical Design of Underground Metro Station

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is one of the important processes being adopted by the construction industry as it provides a collaboration platform in conjunction with technical standards for interoperability over the lifecycle of an asset. However, geotechnical analysis engaging numerical tools has yet to leverage the BIM benefits due to the lack of effective interoperability means, which not only results in unnecessary remodelling and rework at a cost of labour and computational waste, but also with possibility of errors, misinterpretation and omission of information. Using a trinocular underground station as an example, a workflow underpinned by heuristic techniques is proposed to enhance the interoperability between a BIM design authoring tool (Revit) and a numerical modelling tool (FLAC3D) for geotechnical analysis. A BIM-based multiple LoD (levels of detail) model framework is proposed to represent different information requirements for different purposes of BIM use throughout the project lifecycle. Leveraging the associated geometry and semantics, techniques of parametric modelling, data manipulation via visual and traditional programming are engaged to bridge BIM and numerical modelling for geotechnical analysis on different design scenarios. The simulated results are visualised through a backward automation cycle to Revit for design optimisation. The presented solution offers and automates an error-free design-to- design workflow solution and therefore enables efficient exploration of design scenarios and design optimisation.