BIM level of detail for construction site design

Construction site design needs to be developed in different phases of a construction process. An early report of the research highlighted, in fact, a precise structure of contents both for pre-design (until tender) and for execution-phase design based on a systematic approach. The research is now going on applying Building Information Modeling technique to that structure, assuming the strategic role of site design in the whole design process in order to meet the safety goal as well as the time-cost requirements of a project. The actual stage issue is to identify and develop a standard design BIM-based method in order to create a proper Construction site information model (CoSIM). The final aim is therefore to help site designers to reach primarily the required health and safety employees' standards. CoSIM method needs to be supported by an inventory of BIM elements, made on 3d-models, supplied with their ergo-technique information. That inventory has been therefore developed upon a precise classification made on different elements type (equipment, facilities, plants) according to their function on construction site. The research methodology for translating ergo-technique contents in a BIM has followed therefore these steps: (i) definition of elements to be contained in a CoSIM; (ii) definition of graphical level of detail of the model and its elements; (iii) definition of ergo-technique information level of development; (iv) translation of the model into proper deliverables. Some results of the first three steps of the research here presented show the development of construction site design from the pre-design to the execution-design phase in a case study through which it has been possible to asses and refine some guidelines for the creation of the postulated Construction Site Information Model. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.