Interdisciplinary Exploration of Sustainability Through BIM: Advancing Sustainable Environmental Design Through Collaborative and Data-Driven Approaches

<p dir="ltr"><i>The construction sector is a major contributor to global energy use and carbon emissions, making sustainability a critical priority. Building Information Modelling (BIM) offers a powerful, data-driven platform to enhance ecological performance through interdisciplinary collaboration. Despite its potential, limited research exists on BIM’s role in optimising ecological outcomes across the project lifecycle in alignment with the UK’s 2050 net-zero targets. This study explores BIM’s capacity to support sustainability through expert interviews involving fifteen purposively selected professionals from architecture, engineering, and environmental disciplines. The findings examined BIM’s capabilities in energy modelling, material efficiency, and carbon footprint reduction, alongside its use of tools such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to support evidence-based decisions.</i></p><p dir="ltr"><i>Analysis revealed 11 key themes, including material and resource optimisation, carbon reduction, interdisciplinary collaboration, predictive data integration, ecosystem-based design, energy-water nexus modelling, climate resilience, circular economy practices, policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and site planning.</i><i> </i><i>The findings indicated BIM’s transformative potential as both a sustainability optimisation tool and a platform for innovative, data-driven solutions that align interdisciplinary practices with ecological engineering and sustainable development goals.</i></p>