Optimization for Sustainable Design through Building Information Modeling

More than thirty years after the definition of the concept of sustainable development, the European Union's Agenda 2030 renews its commitment to protect the Planet and to support the needs of present and future generations. All sectors of human activity have to make their contribution to this significant challenge of our time. Therefore, the construction sector can also make an essential contribution in terms of its impact. In this context, designers are called upon to modify their actions in order to take into account the environmental, social, and economic impacts during the entire life cycle of construction. Therefore, a substantial transformation in the designer's "mentality" is necessary. The digital revolution could be a suitable opportunity for a profound renewal oriented towards sustainability. The new digital technologies and the increased computing power are useful to manage the increasing complexity in current projects and to support collaboration between the many experts involved. The thesis aim is to analyse the current state and identify the signs of change and the cues to imagine possible virtuous complicity between sustainable development goals and the potential of the digital revolution, supported by the operational features of optimization methods. The further intent is to translate the synergy between the three key topics - sustainability, digitization, and optimization - through an operational strategy that can be a concrete demonstration of what is proposed and offered to designers.