Skip to main content
ClaudeWave
Skill254 repo starsupdated 5mo ago

bim-cost-estimation-cwicr

This Claude Code skill automates construction cost estimation by extracting quantities from Building Information Models, using AI to classify building elements into standard work items, and applying vector search across the DDC CWICR database of 55,719 construction items to retrieve accurate pricing. Use this when rapid, data-driven cost estimates are needed during design phases or when design changes require quick estimate updates.

Install in Claude Code
Copy
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/DDC_Skills_for_AI_Agents_in_Construction /tmp/bim-cost-estimation-cwicr && cp -r /tmp/bim-cost-estimation-cwicr/1_DDC_Toolkit/Cost-Management/bim-cost-estimation-cwicr ~/.claude/skills/bim-cost-estimation-cwicr
Then start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.

SKILL.md

# BIM Cost Estimation with DDC CWICR

Generate accurate cost estimates from BIM models using AI classification and the DDC CWICR construction cost database.

## Business Case

**Problem**: Traditional cost estimation:
- Manual and time-consuming (weeks for detailed estimate)
- Subjective and inconsistent between estimators
- Requires specialized knowledge
- Difficult to update with design changes

**Solution**: Automated BIM-to-cost pipeline:
- Extract quantities directly from model
- AI classifies elements to work items
- Vector search finds matching prices in CWICR
- Complete estimate in hours, not weeks

**ROI**: 80% reduction in estimation time, consistent methodology

## System Architecture

```
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  BIM TO COST ESTIMATION PIPELINE                          │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                           │
│   ┌─────────┐     ┌─────────┐     ┌─────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐   │
│   │ BIM     │     │ DDC     │     │ AI      │     │ DDC CWICR       │   │
│   │ Model   │────►│Converter│────►│ LLM     │────►│ Vector Search   │   │
│   │.rvt/.ifc│     │         │     │         │     │ (Qdrant)        │   │
│   └─────────┘     └─────────┘     └─────────┘     └─────────────────┘   │
│                        │              │                    │             │
│                        ▼              ▼                    ▼             │
│                   ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐         ┌──────────┐       │
│                   │ .xlsx   │    │ Work    │         │ Matched  │       │
│                   │ QTO     │    │ Items   │         │ Rates    │       │
│                   └─────────┘    └─────────┘         └──────────┘       │
│                        │              │                    │             │
│                        └──────────────┼────────────────────┘             │
│                                       ▼                                  │
│                              ┌─────────────────┐                        │
│                              │ COST ESTIMATE   │                        │
│                              │                 │                        │
│                              │ • By element    │                        │
│                              │ • By trade      │                        │
│                              │ • By phase      │                        │
│                              │ • Resources     │                        │
│                              └─────────────────┘                        │
│                                                                           │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## DDC CWICR Database

```yaml
Database Overview:
  work_items: 55,719
  resources: 27,672
  languages: 9 (AR, DE, EN, ES, FR, HI, PT, RU, ZH)
  fields_per_item: 85
  embedding_model: text-embedding-3-large (3072d)
  vector_db: Qdrant

Collections:
  - ddc_cwicr_ar  # Arabic (Dubai prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_de  # German (Berlin prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_en  # English (Toronto prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_es  # Spanish (Barcelona prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_fr  # French (Paris prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_hi  # Hindi (Mumbai prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_pt  # Portuguese (São Paulo prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_ru  # Russian (St. Petersburg prices)
  - ddc_cwicr_zh  # Chinese (Shanghai prices)
```

## Pipeline Stages

| Stage | Name | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| 0 | Collect BIM Data | Extract elements from Revit/IFC |
| 1 | Project Detection | AI identifies project type |
| 2 | Phase Generation | AI creates construction phases |
| 3 | Element Assignment | AI maps types to phases |
| 4 | Work Decomposition | AI breaks types into work items |
| 5 | Vector Search | Find matching rates in CWICR |
| 6 | Unit Mapping | Convert BIM units to rate units |
| 7 | Cost Calculation | Qty × Unit Price |
| 7.5 | Validation | CTO review for completeness |
| 8 | Aggregation | Sum by phases and categories |
| 9 | Report Generation | HTML and Excel outputs |

## Python Implementation

```python
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from qdrant_client import QdrantClient
from qdrant_client.models import Filter, FieldCondition, MatchValue
from openai import OpenAI
from typing import List, Dict, Optional
from dataclasses import dataclass
import json

@dataclass
class WorkItem:
    """Matched work item from CWICR"""
    cwicr_code: str
    description: str
    unit: str
    unit_price: float
    labor_cost: float
    material_cost: float
    equipment_cost: float
    productivity: float  # units per hour
    currency: str
    confidence: float

@dataclass
class CostLineItem:
    """Single line item in estimate"""
    bim_type: str
    work_item: WorkItem
    quantity: float
    quantity_unit: str
    total_cost: float
    labor_cost: float
    material_cost: float
    equipment_cost: float
    phase: str
    trade: str


class BIMCostEstimator:
    """BIM to cost estimation using DDC CWICR"""

    def __init__(
        self,
        qdrant_url: str,
        qdrant_api_key: str = None,
        openai_api_key: str = None,
        language: str = "EN"
    ):
        self.qdrant = QdrantClient(url=qdrant_url, api_key=qdrant_api_key)
        self.openai = OpenAI(api_key=openai_api_key)
        self.language = language
        self.collection = f"ddc_cwicr_{language.lower()}"

    def get_embedding(self, text: str) -> List[float]:
        """Generate embedding for text"""
        response = self.openai.embeddings.create(
            model="text-embedding-3-large",
            input=text,
            dimensions=3072
        )
        return response.data[0].embedding

    def search_cwicr(
        self,
        query: str,
        limit: int = 5,
        category_filter: str = None
    ) -> List[WorkItem]:
        """Search CWICR database