• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.51-63
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• 2024

While the government policy to fully adopt BIM in the construction sector is being implemented, the construction and utilization of landscape BIM models are facing challenges due to problems such as limitations in BIM authoring tools, difficulties in modeling natural materials, and a shortage in BIM content including libraries. In particular, plants, fundamental design elements in the field of landscape architecture, must be included in BIM models, yet they are often omitted during the modeling process, or necessary information is not included, which further compromises the quality of the BIM data. This study aimed to contribute to the construction and utilization of landscape BIM models by developing a plant library that complies with BIM standards and is applicable to the landscape industry. The plant library of trees and shrubs was developed in Revit by modeling 3D shapes and collecting attribute items. The geometric information is simplified to express the unique characteristics of each plant species at LOD200, LOD300, and LOD350 levels. The attribute information includes properties on plant species identification, such as species name, specifications, and quantity estimation, as well as ecological attributes and environmental performance information, totaling 24 items. The names of the files were given so that the hierarchy of an object in the landscape field could be revealed and the object name could classify the plant itself. Its usability was examined by building a landscape BIM model of an apartment complex. The result showed that the plant library facilitated the construction process of the landscape BIM model. It was also confirmed that the library was properly operated in the basic utilization of the BIM model, such as 2D documentation, quantity takeoff, and design review. However, the library lacked ground cover, and had limitations in those variables such as the environmental performance of plants because various databases for some materials have not yet been established. Further efforts are needed to develop BIM modeling tools, techniques, and various databases for natural materials. Moreover, entities and systems responsible for creating, managing, distributing, and disseminating BIM libraries must be established.