DECEMBER 2022CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONBy Chris Wilson, Energy Manager, SPIE UKBEYOND CONSTRUCTION: HOW BIM CAN SUPPORT BUILDING MANAGEMENT"In recent years Building Infor-mation Modelling (BIM) has become an important tool for the built envi-ronment to drive greater efficiencies across the entire lifecycle of a building or piece of infrastructure. By creating an exact digital footprint from which informed decisions can be made, BIM can help facilities managers optimise the management, energy usage, and refurbishment of physical assets.Unfortunately, BIM is often only used in a design capacity which disguises the multiple efficiency gains it can deliver. For one, it limits the level of cooperation between the various stakeholders that exist in our industry. Thinking more creatively about how BIM can support building management will be sorely needed as we tackle the UK's growing built environment needs in conjunction with existential societal challenges such as the climate crisis. Improved visibility and communication On a project, teams typically share reliable data on all project phases from design through construction with site management professionals who will use it to inform the facility's operations. However, gaps in understanding can appear as buildings are passed from the construction phase to the operational phase, because building data is incorrectly transferred or not fully handed over.These knowledge gaps and inaccuracies can have knock on impacts to the building's maintenance. In using BIM, all the data about a building is stored in one place, allowing this to be easily handed over to facilities managers as they take on the maintenance and operations of a physical asset. This data can then be easily integrated within their own systems without any loss or inaccuracy. As a result, building managers will have access to a clear picture of what has been installed, how it ought to operate and the associated cost to ensure better programming of Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) or Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) activities.Such exact data sharing is even more crucial following the recommendations for a `golden thread' of information made in the Building a Safer Future report by Dame Judith Hackitt. BIM will be a key part of realising the recommendations of the report to create a single source of truth, improve accountability, and foster a more collaborative culture across the sector. Reducing costs through stakeholder collaborationA huge benefit of BIM is that it encourages buy in and collaboration from all stakeholders from the conceptual stage through to the operational Chris Wilson
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