Building information modeling-enabled design for construction waste minimization

Design for Construction Waste Minimization (DfCWM) is a highly creative process to handle myriad information to accomplish a building design, meanwhile minimizing its potential waste generation. Building Information Modelling (BIM), with its widely propagated capabilities of visualizing and managing information, is promised to be an enabler for DfCWM, but their juxtaposition has been rarely documented. This chapter aims to piece together the prevailing notions of DfCWM and BIM, and develop a framework through which BIM-enabled DfCWM can be possibly carried out. Based on a critical literature review, a tentative framework was developed, which was further fine-tuned, substantiated, and finalized through cases. The framework illustrates the three utilization approaches of BIM to facilitate DfCWM: (a) DfCWM-related data gathering, (b) design development for waste minimization, and (c) conclusive building information transference. This research also provides real-life examples to corroborate that BIM can be a trustworthy design companion throughout the intricate DfCWM process.