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The use of optimization techniques with Building Information Modelling tools is not widespread. The digital approach of Building Information Management (BIM) has several possibilities in construction that have not yet been explored. This paper aims to describe the possibilities of combining meta -heuristic optimization techniques, proposing possible synergies with benefits for the quality of construction and design. BIM can perform as a database of relevant construction information, and the optimization techniques can automatically analyze the choices from the data available related to possible choices. The combination can lead to optimal design and construction.Furthermore, this paper will discuss the use of machine learning and cloud computing tools. Moreover, considerations are proposed concerning the respective possible benefits. Finally, a description of three possible scenarios illustrating processes and possible benefits are presented. 4º CONGRESSO PORTUGUÊS DE BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING

The construction sector is notable for its interdisciplinary knowledge and complex interactions between different parties and the sector has been gradually adopting new methodologies to improve work and collaboration practices, such as the case of Building Information Modeling (BIM). A protocol for a systematic review is proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality techniques in the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Operations sector. The search will be carried out in the reference databases for the field. One of the main outcomes of this study is to assess the effectiveness of virtual reality tools implemented in construction projects at the same time it will try to estimate the cost of the equipment and the implementation of the intervention and if any other mentioned cost might be related to risk reduction or better performance. This protocol is registered in PROSPERO under the code of PROSPERO CRD42018085845.

Introduction: Despite the recent trends in technology, construction projects are becoming increasingly challenging, which, in the result, brings in more complex and dynamic construction environments. In fact, traditional management and monitoring methods are currently unable to keep up with the industry's quick development, leading to several problems in task efficiency and transfer of information between stakeholders. As a result, the Architecture Engineering Construction and Operations (AECO) sector is making use of the digitalization in order to improve project management, assist trade-crews and achieve a more proficient working environment. The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) embodies a paradigm shift from the traditional approaches towards a collaborative and integrated working process. Though BIM is improving the aforesaid issues, not every construction entity can easily adapt and use it successfully. Therefore, supportive tools to assist BIM in achieving its full potential are in high demand. Objectives: The current research objective is to provide a review of previous works in the field of BIM-based Virtual Reality (VR), in order to establish a clear view of this research field. This work provides the primary data on such goals. Methodology: In order to conduct the research, the PRISMA Statement strategy was used. The selected primary keywords were "construction", "virtual reality" and "building information modelling" and their variants. The research was carried out in the main engineering databases and journals, being Scopus, Science Direct and IEEE Xplore some examples. Results: After the identification of 2,950 records, exclusion criteria were applied: year of publication, type of document, type of source and deduplication. The titles and abstracts of the publications were screened in order to determine the scope of the papers, leaving for full-text analysis just 75 studies. After going through the eligibility criteria, only 14 papers remained. Using the snowballing technique, two more papers were added to the study, resulting in 16 included papers. Most of the papers focused on the Construction Design, Construction Management, and Construction Safety fields, being "design" the most occurring construction stage. The highlighted target groups for the VR interfaces were Engineers, Architects and Workers. Most system architectures comprise, at least, three layers regarding a BIM software tool, a visual enhancement module and a game engine to provide the virtual environment and interaction functionalities. However, some studies referred to a fourth layer (database). Conclusions: The BIM-VR relation addressed in the articles was mainly focused on the model's geometric information since BIM provides an accurate display of building geometry. Most VR interfaces do not possess a database component to provide access to BIM parametric information, leading to the conclusion that BIM is not achieving its full potential with VR tools.