BIM application for the improvement of efficiency of facility management processes. The case study Poste Italiane

(1)

POLITECNICO

DI

MILANO

SCUOLA

DI

ARCHITETTURA,

URBANISTICA,

INGEGNERIA

DELLE

COSTRUZIONI

CORSO

DI

STUDI

IN

MANAGEMENT

OF

BUILT

ENVIRONMENT

BIM APPLICATION FOR

IMPROVEMENT OF EFFICIENCY OF

FACILITY MANAGEMENT PROCESSES.

THE CASE STUDY POSTE ITALIANE.

Supervisor:

Prof. Cinzia Talamo

Co-supervisor:

Ing. Francesco Porcaro

Ing. Massimo Piraino

Academic Year 2016/2017

Student: Selene Pravettoni

Matriculation number: 834415

(2)

(3)

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figura 1. Sintesi delle criticità riscontrate nello scenario dell’Area Immobiliare, dei benefici apportabili dal BIM e delle sfide che limitano l’implementazione del BIM. ... xiv Figura 2. Schema del processo di integrazione del BIM all’interno dell’attuale sistema

informativo. ... xv Figura 3. Dati associati all’oggetto visualizzabili attraverso il BIM. ... xvi Figura 4. Rappresentazione schematica del percorso metodologico proposto per

l’implementazione del BIM in ambienti di FM già esistenti. ... xvii Figure 1. BIM as a methodology that involves all buildings Lifecycle Phases ... 6 Figure 2. BIM as three-dimensional model that describes the building ... 7 Figure 3. Levels of BIM adoption in North America (Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012) .... 9 Figure 4. Standards and guidelines necessary for BIM development (Source: NBIMS – US

Content Mode) ... 12 Figure 5. Index market value 2000–2017. New building work versus renovation (Source:

Euroconstruct (2014) 78th Conference, Milan, 18–19 Nov 2014) ... 13 Figure 6. Representative schema of the involvement of all building LC phases with BIM. (Source: www.innova-systems.co.uk) ... 16 Figure 7 Example of geometrical information automatically provided by a BIM object. ... 20 Figure 8. Example of geometric and non-geometric information included in a BIM object and . 20 Figure 9. Level of Development (LOD) in ascending order: they refer to the increase of

information attached to the project along its development (source: practical BIM

http://practicalbim.blogspot.it/ 2013/03/what-is-this-thing-called-lod.html). ... 25 Figure 10. Level of Detail (LOD) in ascending order: they refer to the increase of graphical detail inside project elaboration (plans, elevation, etc.) (source: practical BIM

http://practicalbim.blogspot.it/2013 /03/what-is-this-thing-called-lod.html). ... 25 Figure 11. Informational structure of the COBie data drops. (Source: UK Government Cabinet Office (2012) COBie data drops: structure, uses and examples. In: The building information modelling (BIM) task group. Available via DIALOG. http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-uk-2012) ... 27 Figure 12. The information management process as proposed by the BSI PAS 1192-3:2014. ... 28 Figure 13. Development of BIM, development of FM and emergence of Standards supporting their integration (Source: Parn et al 2017) ... 31 Figure 14. Parameters included in a door downloaded from the NBS BIM Library. Focus on parameters useful for FM activities ... 33 Figure 15. Some parameters useful to FM activities extracted from the SPie datasheet template of a generic door. (Source: http://www.nibs.org/?page=bsa_spie) ... 34 Figure 16. Product Data Template (PDT). Focus on the operations and maintenance parameters. (Source: http://www.cibse.org/knowledge/bim-building-information-modelling/product-data-templates) ... 35 Figure 17. FCE coordination (source: Matejka et al (2016)) ... 40 Figure 18. CIIRC communication scheme for future use (source: Matejka et al (2016)) ... 41 Figure 19. Example of hierarchical open structure applied both to spaces and technical

elements... 50 Figure 20. Part of the scheme of classes and of the general relationship between them and summary of some classification tables. (Source:ISO12006-2:2001) ... 51

(6)

vi

Figure 22. Example of application of the classification system. (Source: UNI 8290-1:1981,

“Residential building. Building elements. Classification and terminology”) ... 56

Figure 23. Property window of a BIM object. On the right the OmniClass structure, directly inside Revit. ... 59

Figure 24. Revit hierarchy of elements (Fonte: Lynda.com) ... 60

Figure 25. Property window. The selected door is the number 13 (contrassegno) between the doors of the same family “Single-Flush” and the same type “800x1200” present in the model. 61 Figure 26. Categories of objects present in Revit. Model elements represents building components, spaces and technical elements. (Source: Lynda.com) ... 62

Figure 27. Schema representing the structure of Area Immobiliare ... 66

Figure 28. Graph of managed surfaces ... 67

Figure 29. Graph of number of buildings managed ... 68

Figure 30. Graph of surfaces owned and rented ... 69

Figure 31. Graph of real estate owned and rented ... 69

Figure 32. Two Post Offices. On the left the tipical “francobollo” building; on the right a post office in a residents environment. ... 70

Figure 33. Minor industrial typology ... 70

Figure 34. Mechanical Postal Center of Milano Roserio ... 71

Figure 35. Post Offices with architectural value. Direzione Filiale di Varese, Direzione Filiale di Bergamo, Ufficio Postale di Milano Via Dell’orso. ... 71

Figure 36. Graph of Costs and Investments for the year 2015. ... 72

Figure 37. Graph of Costs and Investments for the year 2015 by Engineering ... 73

Figure 38. Graph of Facility Distribution of Costs and Investments ... 74

Figure 39. Graph of Facility and Utilities Costs and Investments ... 74

Figure 40. Schema representing macro-processes that characterize the Area Immobiliare. ... 76

Figure 41. Phases in which the Agency and Property activities concentrate. ... 77

Figure 42. Graph FTE (Full-time Equivalent) of Agency and Property ... 77

Figure 43. Phase in which Engineering activities concentrate ... 79

Figure 44. Graph FTE (Full-time Equivalent) of Engineering ... 79

Figure 45. Phases in which Facility activities concentrate ... 81

Figure 46. Map of Filiali borders with localization of 3 CMP in Lombardy ... 82

Figure 47. Graph of FTE (full-time Employees) of Facility ... 82

Figure 48. Chart describing the process of design and execution of works. ... 85

Figure 49. Information flow within Area Immobiliare structure ... 90

Figure 50. Break-down structure followed by classification system pf DMS ... 92

Figure 51. Example of hierarchical open structure applied both to spaces and technical elements. (Source: Talamo Bonanomi ,2016) ... 95

Figure 52. Presence (in green) and lack (in red) of information in the actual Building Registry .. 95

Figure 53. Example of a Maintenance Sheet ... 108

Figure 54. Chart describing the process of Scheduled Preventive Maintenance (MPP). ... 109

Figure 55. Chart describing stakeholders and Information Technologies involved in the MPP process... 110

Figure 56. Incidence of Categories and Under-Categories over the total cost of Maintenance for Post Offices ... 111

(7)

vii Figure 57. Incidence of Categories and Under-Categories over the total cost of Maintenance for

Industrial and Managerial Sites... 112

Figure 58. Chart describing stakeholders and Information Technologies involved in the corrective maintenance process. ... 114

Figure 59. Chart describing the Corrective Maintenance (Ticketing) process ... 115

Figure 60. Schema representing the cleaning service process. ... 117

Figure 61. BIM model creation processes in new or existing buildings depending on available, preexisting BIM and LC stages with their related requirements. (Source: Volk et al 2014) ... 127

Figure 62. Schema representing the migration of information inside BIM and its value of shared platform. ... 130

Figure 63. Schema representing exchange of information between BIM and other software. . 131

Figure 64. Systematic overview of data capturing and surveying techniques to gather existing buildings' information. (Source: Volk et al 2014) ... 135

Figure 65. Characteristics of main data capturing techniques in the construction sector. (Source: Volk et al 2014) ... 135

Figure 66. Proposed bilateral workflow from BIM Platform to EAM System (Source: Kasprzak and Dubler, 2012) ... 136

Figure 67. Proposed framework of integration between BIM and EAM system (Realgimm). ... 137

Figure 68. Graph of design-centric workflow compared to the cost of changes in the project and the ability to impact on project performance. (Source: www.cadlinesw.com) ... 138

Figure 69. Graph representing the anticipation of effort through BIM ... 139

Figure 70. Chart schematizing the design and execution of work with BIM in the prepared environment ... 141

Figure 71. Chart describing the Engineering, Construction Company and Facility task in the design process. ... 142

Figure 72. Representative schema of relationship between knowledge base of asset and strategies for maintenance. (Source: University lesson, C. Talamo, Politecnico di Milano, 2016) ... 146

Figure 73. Activities of definition and implementation of maintenance plan. (Source: UNI EN 15331: 2011- Criteria for design, management and control of maintenance services for buildings.) ... 147

Figure 74. Extraction of data from Realgimm visualized through Microsoft Excel. ... 148

Figure 75. Hierarchical open structure for the classification of asset used by Poste Italiane. ... 150

Figure 76. Property window with name and instance of an object. ... 151

Figure 77. Some of the Categories of objects in the Italian library of Revit. ... 152

Figure 78. creation of new Categories of Families ad hoc for the equipment of Poste Italiane. 152 Figure 79. Composition of the complete Instance Code. ... 153

Figure 80. Extraction from the coding sheet for Failures. ... 154

Figure 81. Extraction from the coding sheet for Activities. ... 154

Figure 82. Visualization of data extracted from Realgimm with the Excel spreadsheet. ... 155

Figure 83. Example of application of the filter tool on the Province field. ... 156

Figure 84. Visualization of useful fields for the feedback management of data extracted from Realgimm ... 158

Figure 85. Spreadsheet of Families and their description. ... 159

Figure 86. Set up of a matrix for the management of feedback data for FM ... 160

Figure 87. Example of ticket compilation by Post Office Director (DUP) or equivalent ... 162

(8)

viii

Figure 91. Satellite view of CPD of Casalpusterlengo. ... 168

Figure 92. Main BIM software can communicate thanks to standard format of interchange. .. 169

Figure 93. Example of interface of Revit Architecture. ... 170

Figure 94. Example of interface of Revit MEP ... 171

Figure 95. Example of interface of Revit Structure ... 171

Figure 96. Floor plan in DWG format available on Ref to Space and used as base for the modeling. ... 172

Figure 97. Wall editor. It is possible editing stratigraphy, materials, aspect, etc. ... 173

Figure 98. Schema representing Level of Detail and Level of Development of the model. ... 174

Figure 99. East façade of CPD of Casalpusterlengo model. It is possible to edit dimension of objects by editing reference levels. ... 175

Figure 100. Example of a BIM library (Source: www.bimobject.com) ... 176

Figure 101. Procedure of inserting an object in the model... 176

Figure 102. 3D visualization of the model of CPD of Casalpusterlengo ... 177

Figure 103. Followed methodology for the implementation of BIM inside the existing FM structure. ... 178

Figure 104. Chart representing the duration and the man hours for the resolution of a ticket . 180 Figure 105. Visualization of Floorplant of Areas in Autodesk Revit ... 181

Figure 106. Chart describing the different timing with and without BIM in tracing and modifying surfaces... 182

Figure 107. Ergonomics of a working operator inserted in a BIM model. ... 183

Figure 108. Visibility condition checking through the “photo” tool of Revit. ... 184

Figure 109. Ceiling plan with lights... 186

Figure 110. Example of abacus of lights extrapolated from Revit ... 186

Figure 111. Data set of useful information for Facility Management inserted as door parameters. ... 187

Figure 112. Example of a spreadsheet for the calculation of the expense evaluating for a lights improvement project ... 188

Figure 113. Energetic analysis performed by Revit ... 189

Figure 114. Schema representing the interoperability functionalities between Revit and other specialized software ... 189

Figure 115. Chart describing the timing with and without BIM for the feasibility study of Project LED. ... 190

Figure 116. Properties associated to the door in the panel of Property in Revit ... 191

Figure 117. Three-dimensional view of CPD of Casalpusterlengo with the description of the two different glazed surfaces. ... 192

Figure 118. Data input for the creation of abacus. Parameters inserted are Familiy, Area of glazed panel, glazed percentage, etc. ... 193

Figure 119. Parameters attached to the single object in BIM ... 194

Figure 120. Pie graphs representing the distribution of failure over different families. ... 196

Figure 121. Graph of total failures over the total number of ticket for each family. ... 197

Figure 122. Schema representing the ticketing process without BIM ... 199

Figure 123. Schema representing the ticketing process with BIM ... 200

(9)

ix Figure 125. Proposed methodological path for the implementation of BIM into existing FM context. ... 206

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Costs of inadequate interoperability by stakeholder groups and life-cycle phases. (Source: Gallaher MP, O’Connor AC, Dettbarn JL, Gilday LT (2004) Cost analysis of inadequate interoperability in the US capital facilities industry. NIST GCR 04-867, Gaithersburg) ... 14 Table 2. Project life-cycle phases (PLPs) and sub-phases. ... 17 Table 3. Observed challenges faced in literature for BIM implementation in existing FM

environments. ... 45 Table 4. Critical overview of commonly outlined benefits associated with BIM and FM

integration (base: Anneli Parn et al, 2017) ... 47 Table 5. Standard classification for building elements and related site work (Source: ASTM E 1557-09, “UNIFORMAT II”) ... 52 Table 6. Classification of the building's elements (Source: UNI 8290-1:1981, “Residential

building. Building elements. Classification and terminology”) ... 55 Table 7. The tables proposed by the OmniClass building classification system ... 57 Table 8. Main function and users of each Information Technology used by Area Immobiliare ... 97 Table 9. Maintenance Sheets to be linked to Post Offices, divided for category. ... 102 Table 10. Maintenance Sheets to be linked to Industrial and Managerial Sites, divided for

category. ... 104 Table 11. Main functions of an information system with notes about the Area Immobiliare’s one. ... 120 Table 12. Analysis of BIM values and challenges for Area Immobiliare ... 129 Table 13. Data extrapolated from Realgimm used for the analysis of failure distribution ... 195

(10)

(11)

xi

ABSTRACT

Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology is achieving huge success in the planning, design and construction phases, but it is still not much used in the management and control field after the buildings entry into service. The understanding of the challenges and value-adding potential of BIM in existing FM processes is the purpose of this work. To explore these areas, a literature review (Section 1) and confirmatory case study (Section 3) were used.

The scenario of Poste Italiane, and in particular the Area Immobiliare Division, appointed for the Real Estate management of Poste Italiane asset, was analyzed as current scenario in Section 2. The analysis reveals some weaknesses in the management of the FM processes, that are difficulties in information retrieval due to fragmentation of data, weak interoperability within software and weak integration of information, lack of a central database and lack of feedback information management.

BIM as a unique shared platform for the integration of processes and information was proposed for the improvement of the current scenario.

In order to develop a strategy of BIM implementation within the existing information system, a case study was modeled with the BIM-based software Revit and issues like data capture, Level of Development, naming and coding and integration with other software were explored. A set of procedure for the implementation of BIM in the existing Area Immobiliare environment is proposed. Anyway, to avoid waste of energies, the research suggests the implementation of a pilot project that must specifically identify Area Immobiliare needs and provide empirical experience to successfully implement BIM on the whole managed asset.

This work represents a first study about limits and potentialities of BIM applied to the Area Immobiliare Facility sector. The prepared case study serves as a tool and knowledge base for the future BIM implementation in FM processes.

The results demonstrated that BIM value in FM originates from its capability to serve as a central shared platform containing accurate and accessible FM data, leading to improvement to current manual processes of information handover and efficiency increase in work order execution. The main challenges are linked to the interoperability between BIM and FM technologies, the lack of methodologies and case studies as benchmarks, the shortage of BIM skills in the FM industry and in particular a limited knowledge of implementation requirements and in general the high effort of study, analyze, capture and model the Area Immobiliare big Real Estate portfolio.

(12)

(13)

xiii

ESTRATTO IN LINGUA ITALIANA

La metodologia BIM (Building Information Modeling) sta raggiungendo un grande successo nelle fasi di progettazione e costruzione, ma non è ancora utilizzata in maniera altrettanto diffusa nella fase di gestione, dopo che l’edificio sia entrato in funzione. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di comprendere quali siano le sfide da affrontare e i motivi che determinano questo ritardo nell’applicazione del BIM al settore del Facility Management. Allo stesso tempo mira a valutarne le potenzialità e descriverne il valore aggiunto. In particolare, lo sviluppo di applicazioni BIM in contesti di FM già esistenti e strutturati sembra essere quello meno diffuso e studiato. Per esplorare quest’area sono stati utilizzati due metodi di ricerca: una literature review nella Parte Prima e un caso studio di verifica nella Parte Terza.

Lo scenario di Poste Italiane ed in particolare l’Area Immobiliare, che si occupa di gestirne il patrimonio immobiliare, è stato descritto ed analizzato in qualità di scenario attuale di riferimento per lo sviluppo di ipotesi di implementazioni BIM (parte Seconda). L’analisi ha rivelato alcune debolezze nella gestione dei processi di FM che si possono riassumere in (1) difficoltà nel reperire le informazioni a causa di un sistema frammentato, (2) scarsa interoperabilità tra software e scarsa integrazione delle informazioni, (3) mancanza di un database centrale ed, infine, (4) mancanza di procedure per la gestione dei feedback.

Per l’ottimizzazione dello scenario attuale è stato proposto l’utilizzo del BIM come un’unica piattaforma condivisa per l’integrazione dei processi e delle informazioni.

Al fine di sviluppare una strategia per l’implementazione del BIM all’interno del sistema informativo esistente, è stato modellato un caso studio con il software BIM-based Revit. In questo modo sono stati esplorati alcuni temi importanti quali la cattura dei dati, i Livelli di Sviluppo, la codifica degli elementi, le modalità di integrazione del BIM con altri software. Un set di procedure per l’inserimento del BIM all’interno dell’ambiente dell’Area Immobiliare è proposto nella Parte Terza. Tuttavia, per evitare inutili consumi di energie, la ricerca ha suggerito lo sviluppo di un progetto pilota che vada ad identificare in modo preciso le esigenze dell’Area Immobiliare e che possa servire da esperienza reale per la futura implementazione del BIM all’intera Area Immobiliare.

Questo lavoro di tesi rappresenta un primo studio rispetto ai limiti e alle potenzialità del BIM applicato al settore Facility dell’Area Immobiliare. Il caso studio potrà servire come strumento e base di conoscenza per lo studio di una strategia di implementazione futura nei processi di FM. I risultati dimostrano che il valore del BIM è originato dalla sua capacità di fungere da piattaforma condivisa e database centrale contenente dati accurati e accessibili. Ciò porta al miglioramento dell’attuale trasferimento manuale dei dati e all’incremento dell’efficienza nella gestione degli ordini di lavoro. I principali ostacoli sono rappresentati dalla bassa interoperabilità tra tecnologie BIM e CAFM, la mancanza di metodologie e di casi studio da usare come benchmark, la carenza di competenze BIM all’interno dell’industria del FM e in particolare una conoscenza limitata rispetto ai requisiti di implementazione, il grande sforzo necessario allo studio, analisi, cattura e modellazione dell’esteso patrimonio dell’Area Immobiliare.

(14)

xiv

• Analisi dei processi di FM dell’Area Immobiliare e dei supporti informativi coinvolti (Parte Seconda);

• Comprensione delle esigenze del Facility dell’Area Immobiliare e di come il BIM possa aggiungere valore alle sue attività giornaliere (Parte Terza); (Figura 1)

• Sviluppo di una strategia di implementazione del BIM all’interno dell’attuale sistema informativo (Parte Terza); (Figura 2)

CRITICITA’ RISCONTRATE NELLO SCENARIO A.I.

BENEFICI DERIVANTI DAL BIM

LIMITI

NELL’IMPLEMENATZIONE DEL BIM

Difficoltà nel reperimento delle informazioni a causa della frammentarietà dei dati e dei sistemi che li contengono.

Velocità nel reperimento delle informazioni da un database centrale.

La trasformazione dei dati in modelli BIM è un processo lungo e costoso. Scarsa integrazione ed interoperabilità tra software. Possibilità di interazione attraverso applicativi di inserimento dati ed estrazione dati.

Nella pratica attuale, pochi software sono interoperabili in modo bidirezionale.

Numero significativo di software da mantenere.

Il BIM come piattaforma condivisa integra le informazioni e aggiorna gli altri sistemi.

Necessità di funzionalità interoperabili.

Dipendenza da una “conoscenza tribale”

La conoscenza aumenta nel tempo con il popolamento del BIM con le informazioni di O&M.

Formazione del personale; mancanza di una definizione chiara di ruoli e

responsabilità

dell’inserimento dei dati e della loro proprietà. Mancanza di un database

centrale.

Tutte le informazioni utili riguardanti il patrimonio immobiliare sono contenute nel BIM.

Necessità di specifici

requisiti informativi da parte dell’Area Immobiliare.

Mancanza di gestione delle informazioni di feedback.

La conoscenza del

patrimonio aumenta grazie alla gestione dei feedback e alle analisi probabilistiche.

Necessità di interoperabilità con il software gestionale Realgimm.

Figura 1. Sintesi delle criticità riscontrate nello scenario dell’Area Immobiliare, dei benefici apportabili dal BIM e delle sfide che limitano l’implementazione del BIM.

(15)

xv Grazie al Sistema di codifica e attraverso procedure di collaborazione tra Revit, Realgimm ed Excel, è possibile isolare e analizzare dati singoli ed aggregati. I principali campi su cui è stata concentrata l’attenzione nella sperimentazione sono:

• CODICE IMMOBILE _ isolare solo gli immobili appartenenti ad una determinata Filiale, Provincia, Regione, Tipologia, Competenza (BM), per analisi e comparazioni.

• ID TICKET _ per visualizzare un ticket in particolare; è utile nella comprensione di situazioni che comprendono più guasti o più attività manutentive applicate allo stesso oggetto.

• CODICE FAMIGLIA _insieme al codice immobile rappresenta il codice univoco che identifica l’oggetto. Consente di isolare, analizzare e comparare oggetti per categorie, produttore, modello, famiglie di Revit.

• CODICE GUASTO _ isolare solo una categoria di guasti o un guasto in particolare per analisi e comparazioni.

• CODICE ATTIVITA’ _ isolare solo una categoria di attività manutentive o un’attività in particolare per analisi e comparazioni.

• DATA INTERVENTO _ isolare tutti i ticket avvenuti in un certo periodo (settimana, mese, anno) per analisi e comparazioni.

(16)

xvi

Dall’esperienza di modellazione del caso studio sono stati rivelati alcuni importanti aspetti del processo di integrazione del BIM nel sistema esistente di FM. Primo tra tutti l’esigenza di una profonda ed accurata analisi delle necessità del Facility, i suoi requisiti informativi, i processi che saranno coinvolti nel nuovo ambiente BIM.

(17)

xvii Dall’esperienza maturata e dall’analisi dello scenario internazionale attraverso la literature review, è possibile affermare che, in generale, per l’implementazione di una strategia BIM di successo è necessario:

• Studiare attentamente le esigenze del FM e i processi che lo caratterizzano; iniziare un progetto BIM senza avere chiaro in mente il suo futuro uso, le sue funzionalità e le sue interazioni con altri sistemi è rischioso e può rivelarsi inutile.

• Definire i requisiti informativi di FM attraverso il coinvolgimento di Building Managers e proprietari

• Considerare la dimensione del patrimonio immobiliare da convertire in BIM e le problematiche connesse alla fase di transizione dal tradizionale all’ambiente BIM; se il tempo di transizione è troppo lungo, considerare i rapidi cambiamenti tipici delle tecnologie informatiche.

• Misurare i benefici dell’implementazione BIM al fine di definire l’entità appropriata dell’investimento.

Le sfide individuate e il percorso metodologico proposto possono essere usati dai ricercatori per studi futuri che identifichino i fattori critici per un’implementazione di successo del BIM nel FM e ne descrivano strategie ad hoc per la sua realizzazione.

Figura 4. Rappresentazione schematica del percorso metodologico proposto per l’implementazione del BIM in ambienti di FM già esistenti.

(18)

(19)

INTRODUCTION

This composition derives from an internship experience which happened thanks to the cooperation between Politecnico di Milano and the Company Poste Italiane. The internship, aimed at drafting of the Master's thesis, had a double benefit for both parts: on one hand the intern matured a working experience within a major Italian reality, performing different tasks both in a team and autonomously; on the other hand, the Company gained, through this composition, a representation that comes from an external, young, unprejudiced viewpoint and, from this representation, an analysis and an optimization proposal.

During the last months of the internship it had been possible to discuss thesis topics that could be interesting for both parts. After comprehending, at least in a superficial way, how Area Immobiliare works, described in Chapter 3, and the structure of its Information System, Chapter 4, the discussion went to the topic of BIM (Building Information Modeling).

This topic aroused the interest of the Company which expressed the need for a huge reality like the one that had been discussed to keep up with the times. The innovation that comes from applying BIM is particularly useful in fields like the of Area Immobiliare, in which is possible to work at different aspects of building management, from acquisition, to design, to management, and, finally, to the building's end of life.

On the other hand the ABC Department of Politecnico di Milano has already taken part in many publications, research and collaborations regarding the BIM topic. The experience gathered by the Department in years has been a solid basis of knowledge from which to start developing an implementation hypothesis.

The Company's foresight in approaching a current and innovative topic like BIM is an important step for the national scene. Our country, in fact, is one of the least prepared to face the radical change that the BIM technology is generating all over the world. Also, the Facility Management sector is the one that, at an international level, observed the lowest success rate in applying this technology, because of both the lack of proper standards and the scarcity of real case studies as basis for future experiences.

However, the Information Management system handled with BIM could greatly optimize the whole sector. According to a study by the American institute NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) the facilities industry reported a loss of efficiency for about 774 million dollars (compared to a market of about 15.8 billion dollars) caused by the inefficiency of the information exchange between the different phases, as well as by the inadequate interoperability between support systems for building processes, problems that could be easily solved using the BIM methodologies.

Therefore, it is important for the Companies to approach this topic, which could greatly improve their efficiency, if properly explored and regulated.

This work of thesis describes the main characteristics of the BIM approach, focusing on its application in FM context already existing and structured, such as Area Immobiliare, and highlighting the main challenges found in international literature.

(20)

2

In a field of research still not much explored, but quickly growing in answer to the needs that the analysis of the current situation has underlined, this composition proposes an implementation of BIM for existing buildings, in an FM environment that hasn't been previously prepared to BIM, and describes its potential and its limitations.

Taking into account the complexity of Area Immobiliare and the vastness of the Structure at both local and national levels, a proposition for a radical change involving all processes of Agency, Property, Engineering and Facility1_{hasn't been taken in consideration. This approach, which could}

solve all the problems reported during the analysis, would imply an enormous effort in terms of money, staff training and redefinition of procedures. For the moment the main focus is on the Facility processes, taking into account that even a small improvement, applicable to any Area Immobiliare, could produce an important result overall.

Consequently, BIM could be introduced gradually, even though it would be in a smaller scale compared to its potential, allowing the Company to register any innovation step by step. Using new tools to back up the one already existing, the Company has the possibility to integrate them gradually when the time is right. This possibility of inserting the BIM approach gradually in an existing context is one of the reasons why it became the topic of this composition at the end of the internship.

Since each BIM implementation project in existing FM contexts is very specific, it is necessary for Area Immobiliare to develop a pilot project to obtain a quantitative and timely reflection of the problems encountered during the BIM models construction, the information exchange, the integration of systems and processes. In the same way, being possible to quantify the benefits in terms of money, it would be also possible to quantify the entity of the investment needed and to evaluate its feasibility.

Thanks to priority criteria, Area Immobiliare could consider an initial BIM approach only for sky-earth buildings or for those with higher strategic importance, and then gradually expand the same approach to a higher number of buildings.

(21)

SECTION ONE. Theoretical scenario of reference

CHAPTER 1. BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM)

AND FACILITY MANAGEMENT (FM)

The aim of this chapter is to present the international scenario of reference within which the research issues originating this work are established. After a short introduction of the BIM topic and some considerations about its circulation, the focus is put on the needs of the Facility Management sector regarding the information management. As of today, the sector is negatively influenced by the typical fragmentation of the Construction industry and the inadequacy that characterizes the information exchange between the different building lifecycle phases. However, the study of the relationship between BIM and FM highlighted some fundamental potentials in overcoming these weaknesses. Thus, the main research groups that are working on an international level on the relationship between BIM and FM, underlining the main issues to which the international research tries to give an answer, are quoted.

(22)

(23)

1. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Facility Management (FM)

5

1.1 BIM diffusion in Facility Management sector

Despite the wide diffusion of BIM (Building Information Modeling) applications in the whole building sector, renowned as being a great technological innovation as well as a more and more relevant tendency, this acronym's definition seems to be still ambiguous and confused.

Today the acronym BIM, coined by the researcher Charles M. Eastman more than thirty years ago, is used with different results in regard to the application context and the different building process environment.1_{The definition that can be found in international literature are summarized}

as “Building Information Modeling”, “Building Information Model”, “Beyond Information Models”. Here it is inserted the selection which Anna Osello gathers in “Il futuro del disegno con il BIM per

ingegneri e architetti” (2012).

1. BIM as Building Information Modeling

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) is one of the most promising developments in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. With BIM technology, an accurate virtual model of a building is constructed digitally. When completed, the computer-generated model contains precise geometry end relevant data needed to support the construction, fabrication, and procurement activities needed to realize the building.2

• Building Information Modelling […] is a method that is based on a building model containing any information about the construction. In addition to the context of the 3D object-based models, this is information such as specification, building elements specifications, economy and programmes.3

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become a valuable tool in same sectors of the capital facilities industry. However in current usage BIM technologies tend to be applied within vertically integrated building functions rather than horizontally across an entire facility life cycle. Although the term BIM is routinely used within the context of vertically integrated applications, the NBIMS Committee as chosen to continue using this familiar term while evolving the definition and usage to represent horizontally integrated building information that is gathered and applied throughout the entire facility life cycle, preserved an interchanged efficiently using open and interoperable technology for business, functional and physical modelling, and processes support operations.4

• […] a model needs only two essential characteristics to be described as a BIM model. The first is that it must be a three-dimensional representation of a building (or other facility)

1_{Bonanomi M, Talamo C (2014) BIM & FM: tra problemi aperti e prospettive di sviluppo. FMI-Facility}

Management Italia 23:23-30

2_{Eastman, Teicholz, Sacks, Liston (2011) BIM Handbook. A guide to Building Information Modeling for}

Owners Managers, Designers, Engineers and contractors. 2nd_{ed. Wiley, New Jersy, NJ.} 3_{Bips, Ballerup (2007), 3D Working Method 2006 Digital Construction, Denmark, pag.12}

4_{National Institute of building science, United States. National Building Information Modeling Standards.}

(24)

6

based on objects, and second, it must include some information in the model or the properties about the objects beyond the graphical representation.5

2. BIM as Building Information Model

• A Building Information Model (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward. A basic promise of BIM is collaboration by different stakeholders at different phases of the lice cycle of a facility to insert, extract, update or modify information in the BIM to support and reflect the role of that stakeholder. The BIM is a shared digital representation founded on open standards for interoperability.6

• The Building Information Model is a data-rich, object-oriented, intelligent and parametric digital representation of the facility, from which views and data appropriate to various users' needs can be extracted and analysed to generate information that can be used to make decisions and improve the process of delivering the facility.7

5_{Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (2009) National Guidelines for Digital Modelling,}

Brisbane, Australia.

6 _{AIA California Council (2007), A Working Definition – Integrated Project Delivery, Mc Graw Hill}

Construction, pag.2

7_{http://www.wbdg.org/bim/bim.php}

Figure 1. BIM as a methodology that involves all buildings Lifecycle Phases (Source: greenhubblog.files.wordpress.com)

(25)

7 • A Building Information Model is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such, it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward.8

3. BIM as Beyond Information Models

• BIM is not a software application. BIM is an information-based system that builds long-term value and advances innovations. It improves how projects get designed and built. It builds economic value in many areas. It improves the environment and people's lives. BIM is an evolutionary change in how people relate to the built environment. The speed of this change create many opportunities for ambiguity. We define BIM as Beyond Information Models to align with the universal nature of the concept.9

This ambiguity in the existing definitions could be resolved considering that the BIM concept contains all these meanings. It represents the set of processes needed to extract, manage and transmit information between the different actors involved in the different building lifecycle

8_{AGC, The Contractor's Guide to BIM, pag.3}

9_{Jernigan (2007), BIG BIM little bim. The pratical approach to building information modeling. Integrated}

Practice done the right way!, Salisbury, USA, pag.22

Figure 2. BIM as three-dimensional model that describes the building (Source: engenhariacivildiaria.files.wordpress.com)

(26)

8

phases; however these activities are possible only thanks to the sharing of an univocal and constantly updatable information resource, that is the BIM digital model.10

As Talamo and Bonanomi argue (2014) “The acronym BIM refers to a technology that allows to develop, with a methodology based on the information interexchange, a unique integrated system able to operate throughout the whole building lifecycle, favoring the decision-making process, communication and interaction of all the experts involved thanks to the development of standards of exporting data and the interaction among the different operational supports.

This is a methodology and, at the same time, a tool able to gather and contain the whole information system concerning a building and its parts. All the data necessary to the different professionals (architectural designer, structuralist, plant engineer, etc.), and to the related software used in specific work fields and in the different building lifecycle phases, are contained in a single referential model and can be extracted in an univocal and updated way.

In a BIM model, in fact, each element non only is described by a graphic threedimentional representation that depicts its shape and geometry, but is also characterized by a set of exportable metadata that refer to it and that allow the interaction and data exchange between the different software platforms.

Having an univocal, shared and updated information resource throughout the entire building lifecycle represents the main innovation produced by the BIM methodology in a sector as fragmented as that of the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) field.”11

It is not surprising that a tool with such potential has rapidly spread in the whole Construction sector all around the world. Particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, where the concept of Lifecycle Management has been spread for decades and the building is conceived in terms of lifecycle, the paradigm shift was immediate.

However, BIM development in the construction field is heterogeneous and still needs many efforts in terms of standardization and interoperability.

For example, BIM methodology is achieving huge success in the planning and design fields, but it is still not much used in the management and control field after the buildings entry into service. A major role, among the causes of this heterogeneous development, has been given to the many benefits that BIM gives to the designer compared to those offered by CAD. In fact, the benefits from the viewpoint of saving time and energy linked to computer graphic actions are immediately evident, while those linked to the information exchange and the creation of a database containing all the information useful to the building management are less appealing.

A reason for this shortcoming can be found in the fact that professionals linked to the building management and control field are relatively new and there aren't still many consolidated conventions about the procedures to follow in this sector. On the other hand, the idealization and planning phase is standardized and regulated, and the elements that make it up are part of everybody cultural background, including non-experts.

10_{Bonanomi M, Talamo C (2014)} 11_Ibidem

(27)

9 As it is underlined in the paper “Towards increased BIM usage for existing building interventions”, in order to make the Facility Management sector too develop procedures regarding the BIM methodology, some standards referring also to the interventions on existing building.

“To even further improve collaboration, there is a move toward the production and usage of BIM standards in various countries. These are typically national documents, including guides, protocols, and mandatory regulations, that introduce guidelines about what information should be exchanged at what time between which partners and in what formats. If a nation or a construction team agrees on these guidelines, improved collaboration can come about on top of the collaboration benefits induced by the mere usage of BIM. This scenario might also be targeted for interventions in existing buildings.

In particular:

• at data modeling level: other kinds of data formats need to be considered, coming from terrestrial laser scanning and automatic digital photogrammetry tools;

• at data exchange level: exchange requirements should take explicit statements about modeling tolerances and levels of (un)certainty;

• at process modeling level: business process models should include information exchange processes from the very start of the building survey (BIM→facility management→BIM or regular audit).”12

12_{Barbosa MJ, Pauwels P, Ferreira V, Mateus L (2016) Towards increased BIM usage for existing building}

interventions, Structural Survey, Vol. 34 Iss 2 pp. 168 – 190.

(28)

10

Probably there will be a bigger use of BIM in the operation and management phase when the maintenance culture will become, or will go back to being, a background shared in the society with norms and ways of handling the issues that are still coming to be.

For now, the situation emerging from a survey by the Politecnico di Milano created within the INNOVance project, in collaboration with Ingegneri.cc and Made Expo 2013, is that of a common knowledge of the existence of BIM, but it is scarcely used.

In the USA, too, the heterogeneous development of BIM is evident. In fact, despite the advent of BIM promises to greatly lighten up the seeming complexities inherent in the tasks assigned to the facility manager as well as other professionals. Despite this potential, the results from a recent survey (Becerik-Gerber et al., 2011) in the USA suggests that the operation and management stage appears to be the least explored, compared to design and construction, in adopting BIM applications to execute requisite project tasks.13

The main challenges hampering progress in BIM implementation for existing buildings are outlined by Volk et al. (2014):

1. high modeling/conversion effort from captured building data into semantic BIM objects; 2. updating of information in BIM;

3. handling of uncertain data, objects, and relations in BIM occurring in existing buildings. “To further improve collaboration in such projects, reliance on BIM standards and guidelines is advised. Such guidelines, namely, provide the means to agree upon and streamline the way in which information is consumed and passed on throughout the entire construction project. By relying on this basis, a lot of the manual work can be done more efficiently. Following the same line of thought, workflows are likely to be improved for interventions in existing buildings as well when relying on BIM standards and guidelines. The emergence of such guidelines might then further stimulate the usage of BIM technologies in this field.” 14

It is clear that a lot more can be done at an international level to standardizing the procedures related to the BIM environment, making its diffusion more homogeneous and its use more efficient. At the same time, focusing the standardization efforts also on the interoperability field, it will be possible to boost the sector.

One of the major concepts BIM is based on is, in fact, the software interoperability and the related data exchange between professionals as well as applications. This term refers to “the ability of two or more programs to share and exchange information between them e then to be able to use them in a single global system, in this way foreseeing the undesired effects of fragmented and asymmetric information flows.”15

As of now, at an Italian and European level some standardization procedures are being develop, aimed at regulating the use of the new BIM technologies.

About this Talamo and Bonanomi say (2014):

13_{Oti AH, Kurul H, Cheung F, Tah J (2016) The utilization of BMS in BIM for facility management,}

Conference Paper Research Gate.

14_{Barbosa et al (2016).}

(29)

11 “The fundamental convention "Il BIM e il sistema delle costruzioni: innovazione sostenibile", held in Rome on last January 31 and planned by the Consiglio Superiore dei Lavori Pubblici and AICQ-CI (Associazione Italiana Cultura Qualità Centro Insulare), surely represented for all the actors in the building process a big opportunity for enhancing and updating about the state-of-the-art Italian and European scene, as well as the future research and development programs.

From the opening speeches of works promoted by Eng. Massimo Sessa, President of the Supreme LLPP Board, by Filippo Romano, General Director of Public Contracts Supervision, and by Armando Zambrano, President of the National Engineers Council, it was clear the pressing need to proceed towards a legal standardization of the planning activity and of the building process in order to create a regulatory framework to support the new technological tools.

As highlighted in the speech by Eng. Alberto Galeotto, leader of the UNI National Standardization Area, the purpose is not only to translate the recent and previously mentioned European Directive16_{, but also and especially to comply with the regulatory framework formulated in ISO in}

regard of the IFC, IDM and IFD standards.

It is necessary to build as soon as possible a solid basis that can support the first Italian experiences in regard to BIM, which are already standing out within some major design companies and construction companies such as Politecnica and CMB.

As it has being highlighted by the international English (Eng. Adam Matthews - UK BIM Task Group) and Norwegian testimony (arch. Marius Sekse - COWI), the adoption of guidelines, exchange procedures and shared standards is, in fact, the fundamental and necessary background to the development of achievements conducted on the base of a BIM methodology.

To face such technological innovation requires a cultural jump involving in a relationship of close cooperation not only the Italian entrepreneurial reality, but also and above all the political-administrative framework, just like it is happening at the moment in English territory.”

At an European level the directive 2014/24/EU named European Union Public Procurement

Directive (EUPPD), encourages the use of BIM for building projects financed with public funds

starting from 2016.

Here it is the article 22, clause 4:

“For public works contracts and design contests, Member States may require the use of specific electronic tools, such as of building information electronic modelling tools or similar.”

In 2016 Italy has transposed the European directive in the New Code of Public Procurement, which in the article 23, clause 13, establishes that a decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure will have to set out the modality and the times progressive introduction of Building Information Modeling for administrations and businesses. This path will be evaluated “in relation to the typologies of the works to be entrusted” and to the strategy “of digitization of public administrations and of the construction sector”17_.

16_{DIRECTIVE 2014/24/EU European Union Public Procurement Directive (EUPPD)} 17_{Codice Appalti Pubblici, Art. 23, c.13. 2016.}

(30)

12

Returning to Talamo and Bonanomi (2014):

“As highlighted at the aforementioned convention "Il BIM e il sistema delle costruzioni: innovazione sostenibile", a reasoned systematization of the Italian landscape is needed in regard of both the regulatory and the entrepreneurial viewpoint, in order to take on the technological paradigm and help the adoption of the BIM methodology in our country.

We are talking about not only adapting the norms to the new technological tools, but also and above all rethinking the building process in a logic of supply chain whose key points happen to be the aggregation of processes and the integration of information flows.

The assimilation by the construction field of some key concepts like Life Cycle Data and Total Quality Control, the establishment of a unique and shared reference regulatory system at international level and the adoption of open standards as well as exchange procedures defined in specific protocols, are the three major steps to realize in order to recover the delay that the Italian landscape seems to have accumulated compared to other countries, such as, for example, the United Kingdom or Norway.”

(31)

13

1.2 Information needs of Facility Management sector

“Economic crisis and its impact on the construction sector18_{, stricter decrees for resource and}

process efficiency,19_{more and more complex design information}20_{motivate the Architecture,}

Engineering, Construction, Facility Management (AEC/FM) sector to boost innovation towards a more efficient and collaborative construction industry. Due to long building life cycles and considering that the rate of new construction is more and more shifting to renovation and maintenance (R&M) of existing buildings (Figure 5), Facility Management (FM) and asset management are likewise major levers to improve productivity and efficiency in the AEC/FM domain21_.

The FM market in fact has experienced significant growth during the last ten years since the construction sector has become more and more aware of the strategic benefits of an Asset Information Management, particularly in terms of cost savings, time efficiency and quality of information exchange between the different life-cycle stages of the construction process.

18_{Euroconstruct (2014) 78th Conference, Milan, 18–19 Nov 2014.}

19_{See the European Regulation No 305/2011 and the European Directive No 24/2014.}

20_{Alshawi B, Ingirige B (2003) Web-enabled project management an emerging paradigm in construction.}

Autom Constr 12(4):349–364.

21_{Volk R, Stengel J, Schultmann F (2014) Building information modeling (BIM) for existing}

buildings—literature review and future needs. Autom Constr 38:109–127.

Figure 5. Index market value 2000–2017. New building work versus renovation (Source: Euroconstruct (2014) 78th Conference, Milan, 18–19 Nov 2014)

(32)

14

Several studies and researches also highlight that FM has been able to react in a positive way to the global financial crisis by absorbing the negative impact on growth of the construction sector. It has been forecasted that this growing trend will stabilize in the next future.

Although this positive trend, reciprocal interdependencies between different stakeholders, such as real estate investors, contractors, suppliers, architects, facility managers etc. are still a major problem in the FM sector, as in the whole construction process22_{. Considering that each}

stakeholder possesses different set of skills, standards and tools, the communication and the information exchange are characterized by an high level of complexity. Therefore, the knowledge and process management are often time-consuming23_.

Table 1. Costs of inadequate interoperability by stakeholder groups and life-cycle phases. (Source: Gallaher MP, O’Connor AC, Dettbarn JL, Gilday LT (2004) Cost analysis of inadequate interoperability in the US capital facilities industry. NIST GCR 04-867, Gaithersburg)

Stakeholder group Planning, design, and engineering, phase Construction phase Operations and maintenance phase Total Architects and engineers 1007.2 147.0 15.7 1169.8 General contractors 485.9 1265.3 50.4 1801.6 Specialty fabricators and suppliers 442.4 1762.2 – 2204.6 Owners and operators 722.8 898.0 9027.2 10648.0 Total 2658.3 4072.4 9093.3 15824.0

The lack of communication between the actors and the lack of interoperability between the tools are the most important reasons behind common problems arising during a building lifecycle such as information asymmetry and data fragmentation.

The inadequate interoperability which characterizes the AEC/FM sector increases the cost burden of all the stakeholders involved in the construction process. Moreover, if we consider that most of the information, which is necessary during the building use phase, has been produced in the previous lifecycle stages (i.e. design, construction etc.) and comes from different stakeholders (i.e. designers, manufacturers, etc.), it is clear the importance of an Information Lifecycle Management (ILM), above all for the FM industry.

22_{Clough RH, Sears GA, Sears SK (2008) Construction project management: a practical guide to}

field construction management. Wiley, New Jersey.

23_{Rizal S (2011) Changing roles of the clients, architects and contractors through BIM. Eng Constr}

(33)

15 It has been estimated that the cost of inadequate interoperability in the U.S. market is equal to $15.8 billion per year. Specifically, owners and operators bore approximately $10.6 billion, or about two-thirds of the total estimated costs (Table 1).24

As a response to this increasing complex environment, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been developing at a very fast pace. Many actors involved in the FM sector, such as facility managers and building owners, have begun to use Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) software and Facilities Information Systems (i.e. Archibus25_{) to support}

operation and maintenance activities of building assets.

Recently, a major shift in ICT for the FM industry has been a growing interest in Building Information Modeling (BIM) due to many benefits and resource savings coming from an ILM with impacts to the all lifecycle phases of the construction process26_.” 27

24_{Gallaher MP, O’Connor AC, Dettbarn JL, Gilday LT (2004) Cost analysis of inadequate interoperability in}

the US capital facilities industry. NIST GCR 04-867, Gaithersburg.

25_{Archibus is an Information System which is a worldwide market leader in the field of CAFM software. It}

is divided in 9 modules, each of them focused on a specific FM activity: Real Estate Portfolio

Management, Capital Project Management, Space Planning and Management, Move Management, Asset Management, Environmental and Risk Management, Building Operations, Workplace Services,

Technology Extensions.

26_{Eastman et al (2011)}

27_{Talamo C, Bonanomi M (2016), Knowledge Management and Information Tools for Building}

(34)

16

1.3 BIM methodology for Information Management

The innovative component is inherent in the very concept of BIM, which, as already described above, not only represents a tool but above all a methodology. The development of BIM in the construction field happened enthusiastically thanks to its ability to boost the efficiency in the design phase on one hand and for the strong orientation to managing the whole life cycle of the property on the other.

The innovative aspect is precisely the management of the building life cycle, from its design to its disposal, as a continuum and not as if the peculiar phases were an end in themselves. Actually, the idea that a BIM environment could be applied within the whole building process is rather recent.

“Initial research focus was just concerned with the earlier lifecycle phases of the construction process: design (D) and construction (C). Instead, operations (O) has been overlooked for a while. Therefore, for a certain period of time, the use of BIM has been concentrated just on D + C sub-activities and tasks, such as programming and cost planning, architectural and structural design, construction planning and detailing (Table 2).

Recently there has been a shift from this approach, which was taking in consideration just earlier lifecycle phases, to a vision including also the building use phase. So, the BIM environment has started to be referred to the whole lifecycle process.28

28_{Eastman T, Sacks L (2011).}

Figure 6. Representative schema of the involvement of all building LC phases with BIM. (Source: www.innova-systems.co.uk)

(35)

17 In fact, just by assuming the interdisciplinary and lifecycle approach of BIM, it is possible to really boost knowledge and process management by building up a unique and coherent working environment which facilitates stakeholders’ collaboration and information exchange, in order to reduce waste of time and effort, as well as mistakes and delays29_.”30

Table 2. Project life-cycle phases (PLPs) and sub-phases.

(Fonte: http://www.bimthinkspace.com/2008/11/effects-of-bim-on-project-lifecycle-phases.html)

Design phase (D) Construction phase (C) Operations phase (O)

D1: conceptualization, programming and cost planning

C1: construction planning and construction detailing

O1: occupancy and operations

D2: architectural, structural and systems design

C2: construction, manufacturing and procurement

O2: asset management and facility maintenance D3: analysis, detailing, coordination and specification C3: commissioning, as-built and handover

O3: decommissioning and major re-programming

As already underlined, the “I” of BIM can be managed according to the different PLPs and fields of the construction process. For example, informational attributes associated to building elements in the case of a BIM model developed for an energy simulation will be surely different from the parameters included in the case of a structural analysis. “Then, BIM process modeling and data implementation are both related to:

• space. In which working area am I using BIM? (i.e. Facility Management, structural analysis, energy simulation, etc.);

• time. In which lifecycle phase am I using BIM? (i.e. use phase, design phase, construction phase, etc.).

According to these two parameters, different datasets with different data quality and level of detail can be associated to BIM objects.31

Focusing on the building use phase, which is characterized by a wide information requirement due to the multidisciplinary nature of the FM activities, the BIM potentiality to capture and preserve data along the whole building lifecycle can reduce the traditional information loss and asymmetry characterizing data exchange between different stakeholders and phases of the

29_{Bryde D, Broquetas M, Volm JM (2013) The project benefits of building information}

modelling (BIM). Int J Project Manage 31:971–980.

30_{Talamo C, Bonanomi M (2016)}

31_{Becerik-Gerber B, Jazizadeh F, Li N, Calis G (2012) Application areas and data requirements}

(36)

18

construction process. For example the exchange from the design/construction stages to the use-phase is often characterized by an high level of information loss and data asymmetry.32

Current FM activities, which nowadays are negatively influenced by the fragmentation within the AEC/FM industry and the inadequate information exchange between PLPs, can be improved and addressed by the synchronized and collaborative nature of BIM which works as a lifecycle and interdisciplinary 3D data store.

Although promising benefits of an efficient knowledge and process management by using BIM in FM, the adoption of this new methodology for asset management and facility maintenance is lagging behind other sectors of the construction process (i.e. building design, structural analysis, construction management etc.). Until now Building Information Modeling has been developing at a very fast pace for new buildings, but the implementation of BIM in the FM field is just now going one step further.

Recently the BIM potentiality to overcome the traditional uncertainty in the information management of the built environment and to improve deficient documentation prevalent in existing buildings has boosted the research focus towards this direction33_.

Although there is agreement about the benefits deriving from an ILM, which is made possible through a BIM implementation in the FM stage, it is still unclear which should be the information requirement to support FM activities in a BIM environment.”34

“Given the tridimensional data repository nature of BIM, it is clear the importance of standardizing information requirement, as well as developing data interoperability. By considering this new methodology in its broader perspective,35_{BIM data models are developed}

according not only to technical issues, but also to a functional, informational and organizational/legal structure.

The functional structure, which can be considered as both the focus and the output according to a BIM model is made, depends on:

• the stakeholders involved in the process, and thus on their specific information requirement. For example, a BIM model which has been developed by an energy engineers’ team to perform an energy simulation will surely include different information (i.e. U-values, radiation data etc.) in comparison to a BIM model used to support a facility manager in the FM activities of a building (i.e. replacement costs, warranty starting dates, etc.);

• the lifecycle phases which the model refers to, and thus on the different levels of detail of information. For example, a BIM model which has been developed for a preliminary design-phase will not provide all the specific product information which a BIM model at a construction phase includes (as-built digital model). In fact, the informational structure of a

32_{Wong J, Yang J (2010) Research and application of building information modelling (BIM) in the}

architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry: a review and direction for future research. In: Loughborough University (ed) Proceedings of the 6th international conference on innovation in

architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), Pennsylvania State University, 2010.

33_{American Institute Architects (AIA) E202 (2008) Building information modeling protocol exhibit. In: The}

AIA contract documents. Available via DIALOG. http://www.aia.org/contractdocs.

34_{Talamo C, Bonanomi M (2016)}

35_{The so called “BIG BIM” approach proposed by Jernigan which refers to BIM both as the data-enriched}