Edinburgh Napier University

  A ubiquitous effort to phase the adoption of a fully integrated Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach into the construction industry is gaining pace due to the many reported benefits claimed of working in a holistically digital environment. The energy performance of buildings is also a large area of concern for the industry given the significant contribution the sector makes to global greenhouse gas (GHG) levels. With the universally acknowledged existence of a gap between the predicted and actual energy consumption of buildings, it has never been more important to align current efforts to digitise the industry with achieving energy efficiency. However, despite many attempts to quantify the benefits brought by green BIM practices, overall uptake outside the public sector remains low and an ambiguity exists surrounding expectations for sustainable design beyond regulations. The paper therefore aims to critically review the drivers and environmental benefits of BIM adoption in the UK and Scotland, with a view to consolidating the position of BIM within current GHG emission targets. Through a critical review of current academic and industrial literature, the paper also presents a deeper understanding of the shortcomings of BIM adoption in spite of these benefits. The limitations of past research studies into the definition of the energy performance gap are also discussed. By addressing current barriers to the adoption of green BIM practices, it is suggested that the effective implementation of BIM could be the missing link in bridging the gap.