BIM-based framework for indoor acoustic conditioning in early stages of design

Indoor acoustic performance is a critical factor for user comfort and it is linked to a healthy indoor environment. In this sense, designing a healthy indoor environment is included in the Declaration on Occupational Health for All of the World Health Organization. Thus, building projects should take into account indoor acoustic considerations in the early stages of design since it is often more expensive and difficult to achieve acoustic standards in subsequent stages. In this context, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology offers an improvement opportunity to designers who want to consider acoustic conditions from the initial phase of the building projects. BIM, as a methodology, involves a process to generate and manage data on the properties and characteristics of the construction project during the building life cycle. The BIM model is a digital representation of all the physical and functional characteristics of a building, a database of reliable information which can be consulted throughout the service life of a construction, from design to demolition. The aim of this study is to propose a framework using BIM methodology for decision making at early stages of design. For this purpose, a software tool implemented in BIM has been developed that allows us to estimate and take into account the main acoustic parameters (absorption, insulation) during the design of the project.