BIM as a Tool for Urban Ecosystems Control

Increasing urbanization in our cities and disastrous weather phenomena produce changes in hydrological regimes that put a strain on traditional city drainage infrastructure, causing significant impacts on urban areas, citizens, the environment and the economy. In addition to proper climatic factors, the characteristics of urban morphology and their distribution within the fabric significantly affect the urban microclimate. Therefore, it becomes essential to regulate water flows through the control of spatial topography, housing density, uses of spaces and prevailing age of construction of buildings, orientation of streets, amount of undeveloped and vegetated spaces. BIM technology enables the control of all these aspects through the simulation of design choices that aim to restore and reactivate the potential of urban ecosystems to adapt and mitigate the consequences of climate change. We will look at some proposals for using BIM for climate - sensitive urban planning, foregrounding actions to increase the quality and safety of cities.