Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Sustainable Building Design in Nepal: A Systematic Review of BIM-Enabled Assessment Approaches

Abstract

Nepal’s construction sector is rapidly transforming due to postearthquake reconstruction, urbanization, and environmental pressures, highlighting need for sustainable building design practices. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as an effective digital approach for improving sustainable building design by integrating design, construction, and lifecycle information within a collaborative environment. Despite Building Information Modeling (BIM)’s potential for lifecycle-integrated, energy-efficient, and sustainable design, its application for sustainability assessment within Nepal’s Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector remains limited. This study presents structured review of Global and South Asian literature to evaluate how BIM can support sustainable building design in Nepal. It focuses on three sustainability assessment approaches: Green Building Rating Systems, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and BIM-based energy simulation workflows, mapping their applicability to Nepal’s technical, institutional, and policy context. The review is grounded in frameworks integrating BIM Maturity Model (Bew-Richards), Triple Bottom Line (TBL), and BIM-LCA workflows. Findings indicate that although awareness of BIM is increasing within Nepal’s AEC industry, its application for sustainability assessment remains limited. Key barriers include the absence of national BIM policy, limited BIM-LCA interoperability, lack of Nepal-specific green building rating system, and limited academic integration.  The study identifies gaps and recommends localized BIM-integrated sustainability assessment framework aligned with Nepal’s National Building Code and climate commitments.