BIM in facilities management applications: a case study of a large university complex

Abstract

BIM in facilities management applications: A case study of a large university complexPurpose: Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Facilities Management (FM) applications is an emerging area of research based on the theoretical proposition that BIM information, generated and captured during the lifecycle of a facility, can improve building operation. Using this proposition as a starting point, this research aims to investigate the value of BIM and the challenges affecting its adoption in FM applications.Design/methodology/approach: Two inter-related research methods are utilised. The literature is utilised to identify the application areas, value and challenges of BIM in FM. Due to the lack of case studies identified in the literature review, and to provide empirical evidence of the value and challenges of BIM in FM, a case study of Northumbria University's city campus, is used to empirically explore the value and challenges of BIM in FM. Findings:The results demonstrated that the value of BIM in FM stems from improvement to current manual processes of information handover; improvement to the accuracy of FM data, improvement to the accessibility of FM data and efficiency increase in work order execution. The main challenges were the lack of methodologies that demonstrate the tangible benefits of BIM in FM, the limited knowledge of implementation requirement including BIM for FM modelling requirements, the interoperability between BIM and FM technologies, the presence of disparate operational systems managing the same building and finally, the shortage of BIM skills in the FM industry.Originality/value: There is lack of real-life cases on BIM in FM especially for existing assets, despite new constructions representing only 1-2 % of the total building stock in a typical year. The originality of this paper stems from both adding a real life case study of BIM in FM in existing estate and providing empirical evidence of both the value and challenges of BIM in FM applications.

Building information model implementation for existing buildings for facilities management: a framework and two case studies

“…Technology allows to create asbuilt models that can be used during buildings operation phase but, according to Kassem et al [17], a lack of clients' demand to implement models for FM together with "a shortage of BIM skills and understanding by FM professional… is creating a vicious circle inhibiting BIM adoption in FM applications".…”

“…Facility managers are constantly challenged to improve and standardize all available information to address day-to-day operations and lifecycle management [6]. Nowadays, buildings information is often incomplete or obsolete [15,16] hence during operation "an inordinate amount of time is spent locating and verifying specific facility and project information" [17]. BIM provides integration of data systems during the building's life cycle [6], therefore there is an opportunity for facilities managers to improve the current practice and use BIM as a decision making tool.…”

A Review of Heritage Building Information Modeling (H-BIM)

“…Therefore, in recent years, an international information exchange and storage standard, called Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie), has been developed [75]. The ability of COBie to support the IFC format makes it the BIM application with the best interoperability that is related to the administration and management of facilities [76,77]. The aforementioned features and functionalities have played a fundamental role in convincing the AEC sector that BIM is the most efficient and precise for use in the management, construction, restoration, or maintenance projects of existing buildings (new or historic).…”

Development of BIM Execution Plan for BIM Model Management during the Pre-Operation Phase: A Case Study

“…Bosch et al [7] investigated information management during the operations stage from the viewpoint of owners and determined the added value of BIM within this growing field of construction. Kassem et al [8] provided a real-life case study of BIM in FM and explored empirical evidence of both the value and challenges of BIM in FM applications. Arayici et al [9] explained how BIM could contribute to and improve the FM profession service.…”