Customer interactive building information modeling for apartment unit design

Although apartment houses are efficient buildings in an urban society, they have a drawback in that the design of a unit is so monotonous that it cannot meet various customer needs. To provide customers with individually tailored unit designs, this study proposes customer interactive building information modeling (CIBIM), a type of parametric unit design method. In CIBIM, a parametric 3D modeling tool has been used to create separate fixed walls and movable walls which were linked to lighting and furniture families. Customer satisfaction with CIBIM was evaluated through a survey comparing an actual model house and a new design. The efficiency was evaluated by comparing a number of drawings using conventional methods and CIBIM. In comparison, the results show that the CIBIM provides various designs which reflected individual desire to change. CIBIM represents a means to meet customer needs as well as a way to reduce labor requirements by designers.