Validation criteria and interoperability check in the BIM management for renovations and interventions on the Nuova Sede del commissariato della Polizia di Stato in Cesena

The research developed in this thesis is focused on the development of a validation method for BIM-based digital models for the disciplines of the Construction sector, in order to satisfy the interoperability requirements established by the Italian Codes and Regulations, to allow archiving and to make digital models suitable for future interventions. The Validation method involves a deep analysis, using specialized software, of the Architectural, Structural and Systems Design, embedded into BIM digital models as it can be expressed through Levels of Detail (LoD) in the open and neutral Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) format. A reliability scale to evaluate how information can be properly organized in IFC models was proposed in this thesis. If the percentage of reliability obtained from the analysis is less than an imposed threshold, the model is considered unreliable and it has to be fixed by designers. Otherwise, following the Employer Information Requirements as it is requested by Italian laws, the model is explored in more detail to check if all project requirements are met. If this final check is successful, the model is valid and usable for the purposes of the design process. The validation method proposed was tested on a real case study, the “Nuova sede del commissariato della Polizia di Stato in Cesena”, actually prepared for real public procurement. The study was provided by Provveditorato Interregionale per le Opere Pubbliche Lombardia – Emilia-Romagna. The results of the analysis proved how most of the errors found in models were due to bad management of the IFC format. In the case study, the requirements of the Employer Information Requirements were all present, allowing to follow all the steps proposed in the validation method developed. In conclusion, the study presented in this thesis contributes to bring novel criteria in the validation of BIM models, which can be extended to all needs expressed by public and private construction sector.