A Review of Building Information Modelling Applications for Disaster Resilience Assessment

Emerging digital technologies are expected to improve the resilience of communities and infrastructures. Within the construction sector, the building information modelling (BIM) has gained popularity as a way for better collaboration and data integration along the entire life cycle of an asset. This paper aims at analysing why (to what purpose) and how (in what manner) BIM has been applied in disaster resilience assessment procedures. To do so, a systematic literature review has been carried out. Among the selected paper, 35 included case studies which were examined by research topic, disaster phase, BIM use purposes and characteristics. The findings reveal that BIM applications are common for evacuation route planning and for fire safety management. Also, it has been used mostly for disaster mitigation and preparedness phases. Finally, BIM has been appreciated for its gathering (e.g. data collection and monitoring) and communicating (e.g. data visualisation and transfer) capabilities. Building information models, especially when integrated with other information technologies, enable well-informed decision-making. However, resilience performance assessment has been rarely performed using BIM; hence, there is room for future improvements and investigations in this matter.