Facility management deals with a complex array of activities and processes that coordinate the physical structure of a workspace, human activity, and organizational systems.
For years facility managers struggled to keep well organized and updated data about the buildings they manage. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is something that has just started to change the scenario.
BIM is revolutionizing facility management through the rationalization of maintenance and operations activities resulting in increased efficiency and lower costs.
In this blog we will discuss the adoption of BIM for facility management and its advantages.
Building Information Modeling – An Overview
Building Information Modeling (BIM) involves digital representation of a building’s physical and functional elements. A facility’s digital model is built and collaboratively managed. The models hold all sorts of information about the building from design to construction and on to operations and maintenance activities.
BIM is not simply a 3D model but also the data associated with the model’s components, systems, and materials. This data proves to be quite useful for facility managers as it offers a comprehensive view of the entire building lifecycle. With the help of BIM, facility managers can get access to correct and precise information that aids in decision making processes and improves operational management.
The Importance of BIM for Facility Management
BIM as a tool for facility management. There are many ways in which the implementation of Building Information Modeling can add value to the ongoing management and operation of a facility. The information included in the BIM model and the ability to keep this information accurate and up to date throughout the building’s life cycle provides facility managers with valuable tools.
Maintenance and repair is one of the main areas where BIM adds value to facility management. Accurate information about the building and its contents means that when something does go wrong, facility managers have all the relevant information at their fingertips to minimize downtime and repair times. Another area is space management, where the BIM model provides facility managers with accurate room dimensions and data such as occupancy and usage, which minimizes space wastage and ensures maximum and efficient use of space.
BIM also facilitates the management of energy usage. In the course of managing the built environment, it is important for facility managers to monitor energy usage and develop a consumption pattern. This will enable them to apply energy conservation measures and enhance the overall performance of the building. Similarly, BIM can be used to plan, schedule, and coordinate retrofitting and refurbishment activities to manage the operational needs of a building with little or no disruption.
In summary, BIM aids facility managers in making their jobs easier and more efficient and aids in better decision making. It also adds value to the buildings in which it is used and can help towards more sustainable and financially viable building operations. With the correct and accurate data, BIM as a tool for facility management cannot be overlooked in today’s world.
- Enhanced Maintenance Management
This is one of the most important areas where BIM as a tool for facility management can add value. The more traditional methods of maintenance management are usually paper based and rely on physical documents and in many cases, outdated and obsolete records. This makes it very difficult to keep tabs on current maintenance activities, schedules, and the history of each component within the building.
BIM models eliminate these drawbacks by providing a central database in which all this information can be stored and updated and is easily accessible to the facility manager. They can review the history of each piece of equipment or system, plan and track preventive maintenance, and watch how various building systems and assets are performing relative to each other. By doing so, they can catch issues before they become many-times-larger problems, reducing downtime and facility repair costs.
- Enhanced Asset Management
Proper asset management is critical to proper facility operations. BIM provides facility managers with an accurate and comprehensive list of all the building assets along with their location, description, status, maintenance records, etc. This data helps in decision making related to asset replacement, repair, and scheduled maintenance.
BIM also helps in monitoring asset life cycles so that assets are properly maintained and replaced when the lifetime is over. This helps in increasing the useful life of assets as well as being helpful in budgeting and financial planning.
- Streamlined Operations
BIM helps in simplifying facility operations by providing a single source of truth about the building. This means all the building related information is stored in one place and there is no need of depending on multiple and many conflicting sources of information.
For example, if a hospital wants to optimize its space, BIM can give information about the building, layout, occupancy, etc. Facility managers can then use this information to efficiently manage space, plan for expansion, and enhance operational efficiency.
The Benefits of BIM in Facility Management
There are many ways of integrating Building Information Modeling in facility management. This integration will make the whole process easier and more effective in many ways. First, it enhances team collaboration by allowing different teams to work with a common, updated digital representation of the building. This, in turn, will enhance communications and reduce mistakes and miscommunications.
Second, it supports decision making, providing detailed and accurate information regarding the building’s components and systems. Third, it supports predictive maintenance, identifying emerging issues.
Fourth, it helps with space requirements and resource allocation. In general, integrating BIM into facility management will enhance productivity, cut costs, and make the whole process smoother.
- Cost Savings
BIM reduces cost by simplifying the process of maintenance and building operation. This includes costs related to repairs, downtime, and poor asset management. BIM’s capability to facilitate proactive maintenance enables facility managers to replace assets once they reach their optimal life cycle. This will ultimately reduce expenditures.
- Enhanced Collaboration
BIM enhances collaboration among all facility management stakeholders such as service providers, maintenance staff, and facility managers. A centralized virtual model helps stakeholders work with common data and reduce miscommunication. Reports also can be generated from the BIM database and provided to other teams by facility managers.
- Improved Decision Making
The facility manager can collect and process detailed data from the BIM and use it for improved decision making. This includes scheduling maintenance for building systems, budgeting for the replacement of assets, and knowing the underutilized or vacant spaces that can be converted or sub-leased. Overall, BIM aids facility managers in creating strategic and long-term plans that will improve productivity and efficiency.
- Enhanced Sustainability
BIM can also improve the sustainability of a built structure. When the maintenance and operation of a building are optimized, it reduces energy usage and lessens the environmental footprint of the facility. BIM modeling can also help in selecting sustainable materials and practices to be used in all phases of the building’s life cycle.
BIM in Practical Use for Facilities Management
So, with this process of building information modeling, what kinds of things can facilities managers do? Here are a few examples.
A hospital might use BIM to manage equipment maintenance scheduling. This would include all of the hospital’s equipment to make sure every piece of equipment is working properly. A university might be interested in space management to efficiently allocate resources and plan for space renovations. An airport may monitor energy use to cut operational costs and increase sustainability.
Examining these examples, it’s easy to see how BIM facilitates maintenance scheduling, space management, and energy efficiency–the kinds of practical applications and increased efficiency that make sense for you and your enterprise.
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Hospitals
BIM can help keep complex mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (MEP) running efficiently in a hospital setting. Facility managers may use BIM modeling to create maintenance scheduling for regular checks and to keep a record of equipment performance and health. BIM can also ensure compliance with pertinent medical and safety regulations. In a crisis situation, time is of the essence, and the detailed data BIM provides about a facility’s systems is invaluable.
- Educational Institutions
Educational institutions often occupy very large and complex facilities which must be managed efficiently. BIM supports facility managers at schools and universities by optimizing space management to allocate resources where and when they are needed, creating maintenance scheduling, and assisting in long-term planning for renovations or expansions. The detailed virtual model can also serve as a tool for safety planning and emergency response.
- Commercial Buildings
BIM can facilitate tenant management and increase the overall efficiency of facility operations in commercial buildings. Facility managers may use BIM to record leasing data, schedule, and record work orders, and monitor energy use. As with other types of buildings, the detailed virtual model allows for the examination of systems and components and assists with upgrade and renovation planning.
Challenges and Future Directions
There are certainly many advantages to using BIM from an FM perspective but what are the challenges?
- First of all cost and efforts to get BIM going in your organization. Creating a digital model for an existing building can take a lot of time and money. However, the initial investment is often justified by the use of BIM in the further operation of the building.
- Training and education is another challenge. People in the facilities management business, the managers and maintenance personnel, must learn to use the BIM software tools and understand the data presented by the software. This requires ongoing learning and professional development.
Looking to the future-
- BIM can be combined with other emerging technologies to great effect such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).
- IoT sensors can deliver real time, condition, and performance based data related to building services installations, and artificial intelligence can be used to analyze data and make recommendations.
- BIM combined with IoT and AI can offer facility management businesses even greater efficiencies and effectiveness.
Conclusion
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is changing the way facility management is organized by restructuring how maintenance and operation activities are carried out. The accurate and detailed information supplied by BIM enables facility managers to practice effective maintenance management, optimize asset management, and organize operation activities efficiently. Saving costs, better collaboration, improved decision making, and higher sustainability are some of the advantages of using BIM in FM.
As the technology advances the use of BIM will be combined with other emerging technologies such as IoT and AI to offer even greater capabilities and value. The challenges of BIM in FM will be overcome and the future of facility management appears to be bright BIM will be central to the efficient and effective management of buildings and facilities.
Facility managers who adopt BIM will be in a good position to tackle future challenges and provide better for their organizations and the society at large.
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