The BIM approach is transforming the construction industry,resulting in the desired digitalization and automation over a project’s whole life cycle.It is made up of three components:technologies,policies,and processes.Together,they serve as a shared knowledge resource for information,allowing for its management,the construction of a reliable source of data for decision-making,and the ability for all stakeholders to interact throughout the project,beginning with the first step.Furthermore,BIM encompasses how data is managed in terms of generation,use,reuse,and incorporation into digital models with the goal of improving and developing the design,construction,and operation of one or more projects.Among the many applications for the BIM approach,there is cost management support,which links cost data to the 3D model.This method is referred to as the 5D BIM.Project cost management is the process of planning,estimating,budgeting,financing,funding,managing,and controlling expenses in order to complete a project within the client’s or sponsor’s agreed and intended budget.In any building project,cost estimating is one of the most important preliminary steps.A high initial cost estimate can make it difficult for the client to move forward with the project.An excessively low cost estimate,on the other hand,could result in financial difficulties during the next stage.The most common method for estimating preliminary costs is the floor area method.However,it is only a guess and should not be taken as the final price.The quality and quantity of data accessible at the early stages of a project are typically limited or undefined,leading to a number of assumptions.The utilisation of historical data may be able to fill in the gaps created by a lack of data.Traditional detailed cost estimation,on the other hand,is a time-consuming and labour-intensive operation.This research presents a BIM-based cost calculation for the project’s various stages built on historical cost data delivered by previous projects and following storage in a cost database.Additionally,it quantifies the benefits of BIM to the entire Architect-Engineer-ContractorOperator（AECO）industry.Through the use of interviews,it assists the AECO industry in achieving more accurate design,fewer clashes,more precise cost estimation and scheduling,the integration of the design and construction phases,and the smooth collaboration of various construction players.The issues for cost management during the various stages of the project lifecycle were identified through study in academic publications,master dissertations,PhD theses,cost and BIM books and recommendations.Easily updatable cost estimation in response to layout changes was one of the goals,as was the ability to update the cost estimate as the BIM model evolved.As a result,a workflow was created based on an adaption of the floor plan area approach,which involved splitting the total cost value in a classification system and categorising the areas based on their use.For the initial example,a hypothetical project was employed.Following that,a genuine case study was conducted in partnership with a Pakistani construction company.As a result,utilising a cost historical database as a source of cost information,it was feasible to construct a cost estimation within a BIM environment for early stages.The prior project’s modelling choices were considered,as well as the wide range of conceivable uses and advantages resulting from the proposed work’s implementation.