Madaster simplifies material tracking by linking materials in your BIM models to actual products and keeping track of it in the platform. The platform supports open BIM standards, and the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) format, ensuring compatibility with tools like Revit, ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, and more.
Structuring data within the digital model allows elements to be categorized according to national classification standards and mapped to the appropriate building layers.
Exporting IFC files with correct settings, such as the “IFC4 Design Transfer View,” ensures that base quantities and material definitions are preserved for accurate assessments.
Additionally, integrating custom property sets allows for more detailed data tracking, including material composition, waste codes, and reuse potential.
This approach makes it easier to track materials and access important data for future reuse, helping to drive circularity efforts.
Learn more about how this works on our dedicated page: Preparing BIM IFC source files.
How Madaster leverages BIM IFC to drive circular construction
Madaster’s platform utilizes BIM data to transform how materials are tracked, assessed, and reused throughout the lifecycle of a building. Here’s a breakdown of how we integrate BIM to support circular economy principles:
1. Full lifecycle data management
The core of circularity is the ability to track materials through their entire lifecycle – from extraction to production, construction, operation, deconstruction, and eventual reuse. By leveraging the capabilities of BIM in conjunction with Madaster’s material passports, Madaster creates a digital twin for every building component. This twin stores critical data that can be accessed across its lifecycle, ensuring that materials can be easily identified for reuse when the building is deconstructed.
- Material passport integration: Each IFC element is linked to an EPD containing key attributes such as composition, source, environmental impact (embodied carbon), and the potential for future reuse or recycling. Manufacturers can create material passports for their products and share them with customers, providing valuable data for informed decision-making on sustainability and circularity.
- Lifecycle tracking: With BIM, you can update all the phases of your building, creating an evolving record of material use and sustainability outcomes.
2. Automated environmental impact assessments
Linking IFC data with EPDs enables automated Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of a building’s carbon footprint and environmental impact. Madaster facilitates this process by automatically assessing embodied carbon. Users seeking more granular control can select from thousands of available EPDs, ensuring precise insights for material sourcing, usage, and disposal while supporting regulatory compliance.
- Embodied carbon tracking: Each material’s carbon footprint is calculated and stored in the material passport, providing a clear view of its environmental impact.
- Optimized material use: Madaster then uses the data to give a simple overview and identifies the most carbon intensive materials in the project.
3. Optimizing material reuse and recycle paths
One of the most significant benefits of BIM integration is the ability to evaluate deconstructability and plan for the future reuse of materials. Madaster makes it easier to identify which materials can be extracted, recycled, or reused after a building’s end-of-life by combining material characteristics with detailed deconstruction data.
- Deconstruction readiness: BIM can be used to implement detachability and design for disassembly, ensuring that materials and components are tracked in Madaster for efficient reuse.
- Reuse opportunities: By connecting BIM data with databases of materials and components from past projects, Madaster creates opportunities for cross-project material reuse, reducing the need for virgin materials and lowering construction costs.
4. Regulatory compliance and data transparency
IFC ensures that the data embedded in the BIM model is interoperable and transparent, meeting the regulatory standards for sustainable construction. Madaster’s platform ensures that all materials are assessed against global standards, including the EU Taxonomy, enabling full compliance with sustainability regulations across jurisdictions.
- Real-time compliance monitoring: By integrating IFC-based compliance tracking, Madaster provides real-time updates on a building’s adherence to sustainability regulations and standards.
- Accurate reporting: Whether you’re reporting for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals, green building certifications, or regulatory compliance, the BIM IFC model offers a single source of truth for all environmental and material data.
The future of BIM IFC in circular construction
BIM IFC is part of the digital transformation needed for to make circular construction a reality. Its interoperability supports more advanced data analysis, material reuse, and the integration of digital twin technology and predictive analytics. At Madaster, we focus on combining BIM, IFC, and circular economy principles to set a new standard in sustainable design.
With the right system, BIM and IFC enables effective data exchange, material tracking, and environmental compliance. Madaster’s platform ensures that every material is accounted for, every decision is informed by data, and buildings are prepared for future reuse, recycling, or repurposing.
Ready to lead the way in circular construction? Start leveraging BIM and IFC for your next project with Madaster and join the movement towards a more sustainable and efficient built environment.
