BIM Journal Issue 5

ISSUE FIVE

BIM for FM, Clients, Owners and Operators

BIM JOURNAL

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COPYRIGHT AND CREDITS SALES & ENQUIRIES:

sales@bimjournal.com

EDITORIAL:

editor@bimjournal.com

DESIGN:

Suki Chagger

CONTRIBUTORS:

David Philp, AECOM - Global BIM/MIC Consultancy Director, DBB Core Team Paul Thomas, FM Principal Consultant at Turner & Townsend Reid Cunningham, Strategic Development Director, BAM FM & BAM Energy Nicholas Nisbet, BuildingSMART UKI Graham Kelly, Associate, BIM Academy Ivor McCauley, Facilities Manager, Glasgow Life Steve Owen, Managing Director, FM180 Ltd Mike Packham, Director, BWA (Europe) Ltd Derek Lawrence, Associate Director, Arup Simon Ashworth, Zurich University of Applied Sciences Deborah Rowland, Director Public Sector Affairs, Sodexo David Churcher, Director, Hitherwood Consulting Ltd Will Brocklebank, Founder & CEO, Shepherd Networks Stephen Beadle (FM Consultant) Igor Starkov, CEO, EcoDomus Dr Matthew Tucker, Liverpool John Moores University Mihaela Meslec, Research Assistant, BIM & Digital FM, Zurich University of Applied Sciences BIM Journal is published by: The BIM Hub 25 Queens Square Business Park, Huddersfield Road, Honley, Holmfirth, HD9 6QZ thebimhub.com

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Editors FOREWORD

New year new start - welcome to Issue 5 of BIM Journal, a themed publication that deep dives into a pertinent topic of the day from the BIM/ Digital AEC realm.

In the prior edition, we focussed on the world of BIM as viewed from a Manufacturer’s perspective. In this issue we will seek to explore the BIM and Facilities Management realm via a compendium of practical tips and valuable advice, each gleaned from the named industry players who are already in the know. Real-world use cases will also be presented and examined.

Indeed, with organisations like the BIFM recognising that FM should engage with the everevolving FM landscape so as to future-proof the profession, many members of the newly formed BIM Technology Working Group have contributed directly to the articles in this issue.

By chronicling the FM journey so far and the pitfalls along the way (with a look at what is yet to come) it is hoped that you find this publication appealing and that you glean confidence when discussing and understanding the topic going forward.

Hope to bump into you soon,

Nathan Hudson

BIM refers to the virtual 3D building information model or models which are then brought together “as one” at key intervals.

“

NEWCOMER HINT:

“ BIM also refers to the potentially agonising process of getting project participants to interact with the model collaboratively, when they should, in the agreed format, using the available standards, on time (aka the BIM process).

BIM JOURNAL

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One

CONTENTS Six

WELCOME TO THE DIGITAL ESTATE

THE FACILITIES MANAGER’S ROLE IN A BIM PROJECT

Two

Seven

BACK TO BASICS – THE WHATS, HOW’S AND WHY’S OF BIM IN FM

BIM FOR DESIGN VS BIM FOR OPERATIONS

Three

Eight

BIM AWARENESS IN THE FM SECTOR

DEFINING FM AND CLIENT INFORMATION: OIR, AIR, PLQ AND EIR

Four

Nine

Five

Ten

DEMYSTIFYING BIM FOR FACILITIES MANAGERS

PAS 1192-3 AND BIM TRAINING FOR FACILITIES AND ASSET MANAGERS

THE (BIFM) EIR TEMPLATE & GUIDANCE

BIM & FM - PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

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CONTENTS Eleven Sixteen TEN STEPS TO SOFTEN ANY LANDING

BIM AND AUGMENTED REALITY IN CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE

Twelve

Seventeen

BIM & FM - IT’S A CIRCULAR THING

AUGMENTED REALITY IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Thirteen

Eighteen

Fourteen

Nineteen

CASE STUDY A – DURHAM CATHEDRAL CASE STUDY B - SMART CONNECTED BUILDINGS

BIM AND FM IN THE REAL WORLD

Fifteen

BEYOND INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

SUPPORTING WHOLE LIFE EFFICIENCY THROUGH BIM

THE VALUE AND INFLUENCE OF LIFE CYCLE COSTING & ASSESSMENT WITH BIM

One: WELCOME TO THE DIGITAL ESTATE In a look at the trajectory of how our digitally enabled assets will transform over the coming months and years, not least in the field of Prop-Tech, here is David Philp (AECOM - Global BIM/MIC Consultancy Director, Digital Built Britain – Core Team) to enlighten us accordingly.

Whilst construction is traditionally perceived as being a conservative and slow-moving sector, over the last half decade we have genuinely witnessed a positive narrative forming around our built environment. One that builds upon the two central planks of digitisation and collaboration. Undoubtedly there is a mutualism between these two themes and when they do converge, and together they apply a powerful lever for reform and modernisation - not just in how we create our built assets but in how we care for them too.

Central to this shift had been the United Kingdom’s concentration on Level 2 Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other associated central government requirements. Where the client now becomes very good at buying a physical asset that matches its digital requirements, complete with the ongoing curation of these data rich models to then support better outcomes in the operational stages. In turn this leads to better briefing of maintenance activities, better and more complete asset management or indeed modification or replacement strategies. Each being suitably facilitated by a now up to date accurate asset information model.

The key to Level 2 BIM success is the integration of a “Soft Landings” process. Where identifying required outcomes, defining performance targets, prescribing all required operating data, fine-tuning, testing actual performance and structured feedback from end-users are underpinned by BIM reality checks and collaborative working practices.

Arguably the soft landings process not only ensures a better and more rigorous briefing

“Clients increasingly want more with the assets that they already have (not just using technologies to build for less)”

process, but also fuses together the operational and capital delivery teams from the earliest stage. With BIM promoting a common understanding between all parties (especially where the use of Virtual Reality and other immersive techniques occur).

Early BIM projects are seeing the project information models (PIM) feeding into the asset information model (AIM) and unlocking real benefits especially for the owner operator clients. Make no mistake, creating a digital twin for a portfolio takes time and effort, particularly as it needs to integrate with and pull data from other often home-brewed legacy databases. However, the benefits of a digital estate will subsequently deliver significant savings and reduced risk. Being

“Using data to constantly monitor and refine how clients use their space is essential to any payper-use on-demand new model”

able to run a plain language question (PLQ) across an entire estate to inform an investment decision or respond to a trigger event, such as a component or system failure. This has a massive benefit for a client in order to inform better enterprise level decision making with greater accuracy and speedier outcomes.

As Clients increasingly want more with the assets that they already have (not just using technologies to build for less) there is an ever-growing need to blend legacy databases together, analyse it and run joined up queries that uses data from many sources. This brings big-data and analytics very much to the forefront and data management is becoming an essential skill for all of our built environment professions. Indeed frictionless data that can move circularly around an end to end life-cycle will underpin the digital estate, which is already becoming the ambition of many organisations that are looking to improve the service provision.

Whilst the lines between Capex and Opex are blurring, there is still a habitual demarcation in the procurement of these stages.

However, enterprise data, systematic feedback loops and the opportunity that distributed ledger technologies offer could see new outcome based forms of contract, where we start to see the provision of space as a service that is aligned with customer demand (especially in the backdrop of an ever-growing activity-based gig economy).

Leveraging the value of both real-time information and probabilistic algorithms will also tend feature here.

Early adopters of advanced Prop-Tech (Property Technology) are demonstrating how the market could be disrupted by such a service provision model, one that focuses on improving client productivity. Indeed the role of an asset being recognised in organisational and workplace performance is becoming increasingly important and is central to the ambitions of the UK Government’s Digital Built Britain (DBB) programme ,and its creation of a Centre Digital Built Britain at Cambridge University: www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk Using data to constantly monitor and refine how clients use their space is essential to any pay-per-use on-demand new model.

Connectivity is obviously a key enabler, with the Internet of Things (IoT), being the network of connected “smart” devices that communicate seamlessly over the Internet, helping us understand how assets are used and how end-users interact. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also set to harness and process all the terabytes of data being collected by these ever ubiquitous technologies among other telemetry. So deployed in order to analyse data in real time, whilst running countless iterations of scenarios to optimise how the asset is performing, which can also be used to automate insightful investment decision-making.

This is an exciting time for those in the world of Facilities and Asset Management as we find ever more innovative ways to use data, and assets become ever more responsive and self-adapting. Whilst these changes will be profound, it is essential that a solid foundation will be established from which to build from, so ensuring that Level 1 BIM (with indexable and searchable information) is a must already.

History has taught us that culture trumps technology every time, so make sure that any behavioural changes are made well in advance.

“Make sure that any behavioural changes are made well in advance”

Two:

BACK TO BASICS – THE WHATS, HOW’S AND WHY’S OF BIM IN FM

Although the application of BIM-enabled facilities management has the potential to add significant value to assets and estates. There are of course many challenges that need to beAlthough considered in order to make the application of BIM-enabled thefacilities transition easier.hasTotheprovide management potential to add significant value to assets esan overview of the currentand aptates. There are of course many challengproach to FM and what BIM is, es that need to be considered in order Graham Kelly (Associate, BIM to make the transition easier. To provide an overview of the current approach Academy) adds some muchto FM and what BIM is, Grahamin Kellythis (Asneeded perspective sociate, BIM Academy) adds some much emerging field. in this emerging field. needed perspective Current Approach to Facilities Management

Facilities management (FM) encompasses multiple disciplines with the aim of ensuring optimal functionality of the built environment – by integrating people, places, processes and technology. It covers everything from maintenance and cleaning, real estate and financial management. Indeed the variety of these services highlights the complexity of the industry.

At present, most new build or major refurbishment contracts require the manual handover of paper documents, each being vital in supporting the management of facili-

ties by the owner and facility managers. Existing buildings have varying levels of quality and consistency of information, largely due to this handover process. Whereas construction handover processes benefit from having complete, accurate and required information available that is easily located as needed.

This prevents the need to invest additional time and money in recreating information and working with inefficient workflows.

Even though the majority of costs occur during the operational and maintenance (O&M) phase, buildings are currently driven by short-term construction savings rather than long-term operational savings. As a result, there is a substantial economic and environmental requirement to improve the management of new and existing facilities in a much more efficient way.

BIM (a Reminder)

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is defined as an integrated digital process providing coordinated, reliable, shareable data throughout all project phases (from design through construction and into operation).

“An improvement in BIM skills and understanding by FM professionals can only increase the awareness of BIM among clients”

There are currently four levels of BIM (0-3), with Level 2 set as a minimum target by the UK government for all public-sector work

by April 2016. BIM Level 2 involves each discipline creating their own 3D model and sharing the information in a common data standard such as IFC (Industry Foundation Class) or COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange).

Throughout any project, information is collected, managed and shared through a common data environment (CDE) to ensure that everyone working on a project has access to the latest information. Government Soft Landings (GSL), which is incorporated within the BIM mandate on all public sector buildings, aims to consider the whole life cycle of the asset during design and construction to ensure that whole life value is achieved, and better outcomes are provided through BIM. BIM Level 3 involves full collaboration between disciplines over a single data-rich model for the project, shared on a CDE in a standard format, allowing for the smooth

“The design and construction industry need to see the business case for FM as well”

flow of information between the project team. This is known as ‘open BIM’ and aims to support a transparent, open workflow whilst avoiding conflicting information. However, while the aspiration for BIM level 3 has been defined, delivering this in a practical way is still some way off.

The Benefits and Challenges of BIM-enabled FM

Among the main drivers for using BIM in FM is improving the handover processes. Data and information collected through a BIM process during the building life cycle will reduce the cost and the time required to collect and build FM systems (even with current interoperability challenges).

BIM will also eliminate the need to duplicate information in downstream FM systems.

In order to better capture the value of implementing BIM-enabled FM, the following section is subsequently broken down into the categories of people, process and technology.

People

Collaboration between the key people involved in the design, construction and O&M phases of the building allows for knowledge to be captured and exchanged for a better understanding of the whole life cycle of a building for all involved. This in turn encourages longer-term thinking, which reduces the overall cost of the building.

Early FM involvement is seen as a key opportunity for facilities management in the BIM4FM survey undertaken by the BIM task group in 2013.

An improvement in BIM skills and understanding by FM professionals can only increase the awareness of BIM among clients.

A greater demand from clients and enhanced collaboration between project stakeholders for modelling and model utilisation would also help to develop the implementation of BIM-enabled FM. As BIM-enabled FM requires continuous maintenance to remain valuable, this adds to

the challenge of adopting BIM. The BIM4FM survey (2013) also supports this by emphasising that there is a challenge around the initial cost of software, and that staff training is also a cost that has to be allocated too.

Consequently, the benefits of BIM-enabled FM need to be clearly proven before its application within the FM industry picks up.

In addition, the design and construction industry need to see the business case for FM as well. Which can be partly achieved by establishing long-term relationships by providing FM information services as part of the project specification aligned with the client’s goals.

Process

The BIM process and GSL identifies the need to engage those involved in the operational phase of a building during the design process, ideally ensuring that the needs of the end users are also specified within the brief. This process of requirement gathering has been identified as Organisational, Asset and Employers Information Require-

“It is essential that BIM data is transferred or linked to existing FM legacy systems�

ments (OIR, AIR, EIR) in the BIM process.

Which aims to ensure that the correct information is handed over.

As such, adopting BIM could facilitate the future involvement of facility managers at a much earlier stage. This will allow for key operational issues to be highlighted earlier on in the process, eliminating potential O&M problems and allowing for facilities to be run more efficiently.

The traditional procurement of FM contractors, in which FM contractors are appointed for a period of generally three to five years, is also considered an obstacle in BIM for FM. As short contracts can provide less of an incentive to consider the whole life cycle of a building and the impact of their current decisions on the O&M in the future.

However, changes in FM contracts can lead to improved information exchanges between FM contractors, preventing additional surveys of the existing building being undertaken to capture as-built conditions.

This would make the process more cost effective, more efficient and lead to reduced duplication of information. There needs to be enhancements made to the workflow of handover data, and the maintenance of that data, throughout the life of the building.

Currently, one of the major challenges for BIM-enabled FM applications is the process of updating the model with as-built information. Ownership of BIM data and how to protect it (through copyright and other legislation) is still to be agreed. Additionally, who is responsible for creating and maintaining the model through the life of a building remains ambiguous, but progress is being made.

Licensing agreements are emerging in BIM policies as a feasible option that allow limited use to another party, while maintaining copyright and ultimate control being with the initial creator. However, this solution does not fully appreciate the difficulties with embedded data and model validation. As a result, most contract forms still require the handover of paper documentation.

The applications of BIM-enabled FM are much less explored compared to parallel implementations in the planning, design and construction processes. Despite new building works making up only a minuscule percentage of the total building stock in an average year, research into BIM applications in FM has mainly concentrated on new buildings. Although this has started to shift in recent years.

Technology

The ability to capture manufacturer information in 3D parametric objects reduces the need for duplicating asset information significantly. BIM is considered an enabler to improve the quality and reliability of data, which will in turn result in increased workflow efficiencies. Also the quality of data will improve as more people become accustomed to working in a BIM environment.

Data is exchanged in a standard common format, allowing for flexibility and continuous use throughout the life of a building, compatible with existing FM packages. The information exchange specification, COBie, was developed to provide the information needed to maintain, manage and operate facilities. However, it should be noted that while there is an agreement that COBie is necessary for structuring data, which in turn produces greater interoperability between different software. FM still needs to provide details on what information is to be provided, when and by whom.

BIM provides various users with the ability to extract and analyse views that are specific to their needs, which will assist in making decisions and improving the maintenance of facilities. For example, 3D visualisation alone can help FM technicians to better uti-

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“The underlying ethos seems to be that we all have a degree of blindness in terms of knowledge”

lise their perceptual and cognitive reasoning for problem solving.

BIM visualisation provides accurate geometrical data that can support the analysis of building proposals and the simulation and benchmark of performance. For example, intelligent algorithms could be created to automate decision-making for FM applications, which was not possible before the addition of digital data.

Scenarios showing the benefits of BIM-FM interventions, such as troubleshooting broken equipment and improving ergonomic conditions, are also emerging. Other important BIM-enabled FM applications are in monitoring and controlling; emergency management; space management; personnel development and training.

For refurbishment projects, BIM and associated technologies (such as laser scanning) are expected to reduce the cost of producing as-built information, and the accuracy and reliability of FM information overall. Researchers are already exploring ways of integrating scanning technology with BIM. This also extends to the enhanced data capture of existing buildings with non-destructive testing techniques to analyse materials and existing properties, as these will not be captured in a scan.

To date, little attention has been given to the ongoing issue of interoperability between BIM technologies and current and legacy FM technologies (e.g. Computer Aided Facility Management Systems (CAFM)) during the handover of information to the operational stage. The existing systems need to be linked to BIM technologies to enhance, support and leverage the existing information and process. This was also highlighted in the BIM4FM survey (2013).

Indeed it is essential that BIM data is transferred or linked to existing FM legacy systems and used to improve current methods of operation, in order to support the business case for adopting BIM on existing assets.

FM needs to identify vital areas that may be overlooked and feed this back into the design process. However, the underlying ethos seems to be that we all have a degree of blindness in terms of knowledge, however, by collaborating together the full picture is revealed and with it a better understanding of how to make the project deliver true value to the client and the end users.

As FM becomes more confident with BIM and the understanding of the process, they can then feed their knowledge back into the Asset Information Requirements (AIR) which informs the Employers Information Requirements (EIR) for future projects. This then ensures that the correct information is requested and produced at handover.

During the life of the building, a facility should exist for information to be updated - which is So, as it can be seen, by embracing BIM the also responsive to change. There is a need FM process can become substantially more for standardised data libraries and open efficient going forward. systems that can be utilised by any CAFM or asset management system. Without such non-proprietary formats, facility owners and managers must dictate which proprietary information systems to use, or re-input in“Short contracts formation into a CAFM system. Re-inputting can provide less of information into relevant FM systems is inefan incentive to ficient, timely and costly to the owners and consider the whole facility managers. It is also suggested that there are challenges based around how and life cycle” where to update the data, whether it is in the native BIM or in the CAFM system.

Three: BIM AWARENESS IN THE FM SECTOR

To present a snapshot of the joint research carried out with the British Institute of Facilities Management, here is Simon Ashworth (Zurich University ApTo present a snapshot of theof joint research carried out with the British Instiplied Sciences) and Dr Matthew tute of Facilities Management, here is Tucker (Liverpool John Moores Simon Ashworth (Zurich University of University) to telland usDrmore about Applied Sciences) Matthew Tucker (Liverpool John Moores University) to tell how the worlds of BIM and digius more about how the worlds of BIM and tal are impacting this important digital are impacting this important field. field.

It has become clear over the last few years that BIM can no longer be considered a passing trend or buzzword as it is increasingly influencing the way that we design, build and operate our facilities across the world. Professionals from a wide range of AEC industries are moving beyond merely seeing BIM as a new technology or a process, and are instead seeing it much more as an approach or a ‘mindset’ to be applied to the entire built environment.

In this bigger picture, when we think about assets over their whole life cycle it is clear that facility managers have a crucial role to play, as they are tasked with the responsibility of managing these assets when they are handed from construction into operation.

This recognition has brought the role of FM in the BIM process more into focus with the appreciation that early involvement is crucial if the BIM process is to be successful in delivering long term sustainability in the built environment at all.

That said, the role and utilisation of BIM within the FM industry is a hot topic of debate for facility managers and clients. Increasingly however, awareness of BIM and its potential impact on, and benefits to, the FM industry is growing. However, the findings of a major industry research survey “FM Awareness of BIM” (Ashworth and Tucker, 2017) published by the BIFM in August 2017

shows disparity across many specific organisations, business sectors, industries and indeed countries regarding the level of sophistication and maturity with respect to BIM and its adoption overall.

Crucially the report also captures however, that it is clear that most people have heard about BIM and sincerely believe that it will have a significant impact on the FM industry.

However, many also indicate the FM industry is not really clear about what BIM is, which raises concerns about what the FM industry needs to do in terms of education and training in order to ensure successful engagements with the BIM process.

Mark Bew (Chairman, Digital Built Britain) commented in the report’s introduction that “the Asset and Facilities Management (A&FM) sector play a critical part in the safe, reliable and productive delivery of services across the nation. Approaching a third more money is spent each year on operational budgets than capital, but the investment in innovation and development is less”. He also goes on to say “This survey has provided a valuable insight into the current operations market in the light of the Governments Level 2 BIM intervention”.

Accordingly, the following gives a snapshot of the key findings from the executive summary;

Awareness of BIM:

A high number of respondents (92%) had heard about BIM, with 84% believing that BIM will help to support the delivery of facilities management. 74% think that BIM will have a significant impact on the FM industry with 84% indicating that BIM is already having an impact, or will do so in the next five years.

81% agree (or strongly agree) that BIM may offer companies that adopt and use it an advantage over those that do not. Fur-

thermore, 84% agree (or strongly agree) that “BIM has the potential to deliver significant added value to FM” and most people (84% overall) agree that “BIM should help to improve data transfer into CAFM systems”.

72% say “the FM industry is not clear what BIM is” and 68% disagree or strongly disagree that the FM industry is well prepared to deal with BIM projects. Clearly indicating that more work needs to be done by the FM industry to ensure that people are better informed about, and more prepared for, BIM projects in general. This aligns with a high number of respondents (91%) who agree that FM professionals would benefit from more familiarisation with BIM, to be able to define the outputs in the BIM process.

88% agree (or strongly agree) that BIM is about “an increased collaboration process and not just software models”.

72% disagree that BIM is only for newbuilds.

Of the respondents that agreed, the top three benefits of BIM to FM were: 1. Strategic decision-making about asset maintenance and management 2. Visualisation of buildings/assets for customers, health and safety and maintenance 3. Data transfer from construction into CAFM and other software tools Whereas the top three concerns were: 1. CAFM software suppliers should work on tools that allow bi-directional transfer of data between BIM and CAFM 2. BIM training, and how facilities managers will access data in 3D models at handover 3. A lack of training (and the cost of training) associated with BIM

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BIM JOURNAL

Survey responses: international input from twenty-eight countries.

Overall, 66% believe that BIM will help the UK government to meet its target for a 33% reduction in the initial cost of construction and the whole life cost of built assets, with 54% being generally confident about the targets for a 50% reduction in the overall time to complete projects.

However, they were slightly less confident about the sustainability and trade targets when questioned.

BIM Experience

When it came to direct or indirect experience with BIM: 40% had some experience of being involved in a BIM project, but only 21% had direct experience of writing or implementing an Asset Management Strategy in line with ISO 55000 or another system.

Tellingly, as assets are often the second biggest expense to organisations after personnel, perhaps more focus should be given to defining initial strategies with respect to both asset management and to BIM. The number of people who had both “written and implemented” key documents used in the BIM process was generally low. The percentages being; OIR (15%), AIR (19%),

EIR (20%), BIM strategy (17%) and BEP (13%).

This could be due to BIM being new to FM, but might also indicate that more needs to be done to ensure that the FM industry is equipped to write/implement the key documents that drive the start of the BIM process.

58% (combined) said that they agree or strongly agree “our employees would benefit from BIM certification or further BIM training courses”. 28% were neutral and 14% disagreed.

This indicates a significant number of people who feel that further training is necessary.

When respondents were asked to indicate the level of BIM training and support in their organisation only 10% rated it as very good, with 23% recording minimal and a significant 33% even recording none!

It is clear indeed that the sector still has some way to go, but also that the foundational change to this new “mindset” is clearly occuring. At long last.

The report findings includes input from 28 different countries (as the figure shows) and

the full report, undertaken as part of a joint collaboration project between LJMU, ZHAW and the BIFM, together with other BIM guidance developed by the BIFM can be downloaded from the BIFM website here.

Four: BIM JOURNAL

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DEMYSTIFYING BIM FOR FACILITIES MANAGERS

With BIM being notoriously difficult for newcomers to grasp, here is Mike Packham With BIM being notoriously difficult for newcomers to grasp, here Mike Packham (Director, BWA (Europe) Ltd) to deli(Director, BWA (Europe) Ltd) to delicately guide allis willing participants. cately guide all willing participants.

I am sure that for many in the FM sector Building Information Modelling (BIM) is nothing more than a meaningless jumble of three letter acronyms (EIR, OIR, GSL) complete with frequent references to obscure standards, such as PAS 1192 and the like. So let us start at the beginning, what is BIM? Well, it is certainly not a computer application, despite what the software providers would like us to believe. Indeed, there is a lot of debate about what BIM actually stands for - is it Building Information Modelling or, as is strongly argued by others, does it more correctly refer to ‘Building Information Management’ or even ‘Better Information Management’? This latter definition gives us a clue as to the true purpose of BIM, thus it, and its far less acknowledged sibling ‘Soft Landings’ provides us with a process that helps to facilitate a more efficient method of designing, creating and maintaining our assets.

The emphasis on the word “maintaining” is important, because maintaining the asset is precisely what most of us in facilities management are employed to do in one way or another. Consequently, it was a little worrying therefore to read the result of the recent (August 2017) BIFM ‘Awareness of BIM’ Survey, where roughly two-thirds of respondents reported themselves as having either none or very limited knowledge or involvement in BIM. But why is this? Are the TLA’s and standards the root cause? Or is it a question of many FM’s being so heavily involved in the day-today management of their organisation’s premises and that, from their perspective, BIM is simply something that could involve a lot of additional work when they have better things to do?

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BIM JOURNAL

In short, and this is a core feature of this situation, it must be said that the very real operational benefits to be derived from the implementation of BIM/Soft Landings have not been very well articulated to the very people who stand to gain the most from these initiatives.

This is a shame as, to my mind the operational benefits are distinct, and they subsequently fall into two broad categories: Involvement in the witness testing, commissioning and handover process. Indeed, we have probably all been in the situation where the building has been completed and we get handed a box of (allegedly) fully comprehensive O&M manuals just as the construction team heads to the nearest hostelry to celebrate.

Now the first thing that happens of course is that there is a leak and we cannot find the right valve to turn the water off. With BIM, such circumstances should be a thing of the past as we will have the opportunity to define right from the very outset of the project how we want to be involved in the witness testing, commissioning and handover stage, and indeed what training we believe will be necessary.

We are involved throughout, with decisions revolving around our and the facilities’ needs.

Asset information, perhaps not so much of a hands-on operational issue as described above, nevertheless this is one that is critical to us to embrace if we are to proactively manage the premises for which we are responsible. After all, what use is the provision of inaccurate and or unavailable useless information? Again BIM provides us with the opportunity to define our information requirements in this regard from the outset, such that the information required is available, in the prescribed format, immediately as we move into the building’s operational phase.

Of course there are undoubtedly a number of potential barriers to be overcome before these benefits can be fully realised, and these are well documented. However, if we do not at least try to get to grips with BIM, to ‘demystify’ it if you like, then these benefits will never be forthcoming.

As such, to help with the demystification process, the BIFM have published a number of explanatory notes; among them are their two guides ‘The Role of FM in BIM Projects’ and the ‘Operational Readiness Guide’ which are, of course, very much worth a read and nowhere near as sleep inducing as they may sound.

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Five:

PAS 1192-3 AND BIM TRAINING FOR FACILITIES AND ASSET MANAGERS Many facility and asset management professionals are unaware of the scope and purpose of PAS 1192-3 and the subsequent Many facility and asset management range of expert training available. professionals are unaware of the scope To and shed light on 1192-3 this minefield, purpose of PAS and the subsequent range ofChurcher expert training availahere is David (Direcble.

To shed light on this minefield, here tor, Hitherwood Consulting Ltd) is David Churcher (Director, Hitherwood to tell us more.

Consulting Ltd) to tell us more.

Many practitioners are aware of the PAS 1192 suite of standards, with PAS 1192-3 setting out the BIM Level 2 requirements for managing asset information during the operational phase of the asset lifecycle. However, this is often seen as the poor relation to BS1192:2007 and PAS 1192-2, not only because they were published beforehand, but because they focus entirely on project delivery, which is where the initial cost reduction targets were aimed.

But as many of us understand, for many built assets it is the operational phase that represents the lion’s share of the lifecycle costs. Indeed, following the five years that it perhaps took to design and construct, any given asset may then enjoy twenty-five years of operation. This is of course the vast majority of the asset lifecycle and for this reason, managing asset information is just as important as managing project information, perhaps even more so.

Indeed for long-term owners of built assets who rely on those assets to deliver their business or public services and objectives, the asset information could be substantially more important than the project information.

As such, the transfer of information from and to asset databases at the start and end of a project are critical for a smoother briefing and handover between the asset and project teams.

PAS 1192-3 recognises this perspective in three specific ways:

Firstly, the PAS is founded on both BS 1192:2007 for its CDE heritage, and on the ISO 55000 series of standards for its alignment with asset management systems. It therefore acts as a bridge between these two areas of standardisation.

Secondly, PAS 1192-3 makes no assumptions about the scale or complexity of the asset for which the information is being managed. It can be applied equally well to an entire campus of buildings or water supply network as it can to an escalator or canal lock.

Thirdly, PAS 1192-3 acknowledges the wide range of events during the life of an asset that can give rise to the need for new or updated information, and that these occur, at best, in a semi-structured sequence. As regular audits, inspections or maintenance activities with different cycle times are interspersed with random events such as breakdowns, weather events or external changes to the regulatory or business environment.

All of this means that the asset manager or facilities manager that wishes to meet the requirements of PAS 1192-3 needs to do some serious thinking and forward planning before he or she gets near the task of passing detailed information requirements to any in-house teams or contractors.

This means identifying asset information stakeholders who will need reports or analyses from the contents of the Asset Information Model to feed into their own work. Then capturing their Organisational Information Requirements related to the asset(s), and translating these into event-specific Asset Information Requirements.

Similar to the drawing up of Plain Language Questions (PLQs) and Employers Information Requirements (EIRs) for identifying project information that is of interest and value to the client, it is expected the Organisational and Asset Information Requirements compiled by a particular asset owner or operator (employer/client) will not change much over time. So the investment of time and effort to

pull these together should last for several years.

Asset information received in response to requirements will need to be verified and validated. This principle is exactly in parallel with the project information delivered via the PAS 1192-2 process. The difference comes in the way that asset management activities occur and that many of these will be short, simple tasks that provide small packets of updated asset information. Once authorised and incorporated into the Asset Information Model, this information can be used to support all of the appropriate asset management activities. These will differ from organisation to organisation, but may well include regular reports on energy consumption & costs, maintenance costs, outage frequencies, labour hours, occupancy or usage statistics and so on.

In fact, it may be that an asset owning or operating organisation embarking on BIM Level 2 has been collecting data and information for some time. As such, cost data may well have been collected through accounts systems, but this may not be easily collated into asset-specific subtotals. Indeed other data may exist in a variety of databases as well. As such, the transition to a PAS 1192-3 information management process provides a golden opportunity to audit and review existing information collection. Not only in the scope of the information collected, but also in the frequency.

There is a tendency for information collection to be set up and left running without review. Yet business needs may have moved on from the initial requirement, meaning that the information may no longer be as relevant as it was. It may even be superfluous.

An information map comparing the detailed Asset Information Requirements - obtained through a systematic review of the organisation, its stakeholders and their information needs (with existing collection practices and database fields) is likely to be very

revealing indeed. After all, some of the information that is collected may not be needed – which is wasted time and effort since every piece of information has a cost associated with it. Conversely, information that is needed may not be collected – which leads to business decisions being taken by guesswork or gut-feeling at best, with both scenarios leading to sub-optimal asset management.

“Cost data may well have been collected through accounts systems, but this may not be easily collated into asset-specific subtotals”

One recent study, on a medium-sized asset owner, revealed that 37% of information requirements were not captured through current information collection, and that 21% of the information points were outside of the stakeholder-derived information requirements. This represents a huge level of wasted or missed information.

Training resources for facilities and asset managers to apply the principles of BIM Level 2 in general, and PAS 1192-3 in particular, are few and far between. Most training offered seems to focus on the delivery of better project outcomes through design and construction information.

Video resources exist for any asset or facilities managers wanting to know more, as well as the PAS 1192-3 Masterclass offered by BSI. The BSI Masterclass being best suited for those who already have a good grasp of BIM Level 2 fundamentals. However, courses at this level are also available of course from the BRE and other leading organisations too, notably the Institute of Asset Management and the British Institute of Facilities Management.

Process diagram

“There is a tendency for information collection to be set up and left running without review”

While these organisations offer plenty of training around AM and FM, there does not seem to be much specifically for managing asset information however, yet this is certainly improving and the provision is being updated all the time.

PAS 1192-3 may still be the Cinderella amongst the information management standards, but the potential for more effective information that is managed more efficiently is all around. It is up to all FMs involved to suitably upskill ourselves in order to greatly improve this vitally important stage of the asset life cycle.

“It is up to all FMs involved to suitably upskill ourselves”

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Six:

“The FM will help to define operational outcomes and performance targets”

THE FACILITIES MANAGER’S ROLE IN A BIM PROJECT As the devil is so often in the dethe devil so oftenThomas in the detail, (FM here Before the Project Starts tail,Ashere is is Paul is Paul Thomas (FM Principal ConsultA large part of the FM role is to influence Principal Consultant at Turner & other stakeholders when it comes to the ant at Turner & Townsend) to advise Townsend) tocontribute adviseto how how FMs can provideFMs a far operational stage of the building. Early enBIM projectto outcome. canbetter contribute provide a far gagement with stakeholders can help here, as people generally collaborate better with better BIM project outcome. people that they know and trust. E s t a b During all stages of a building’s life-cycle, the role of the Facilities Manager (FM) is to maintain the focus of all parties on the required project outcomes and operational performance. In the design and construction phases, the FM is one of the end user’s key representatives. The FM will help to define operational outcomes and performance targets, including environment performance.

As such, the sooner the FM can be involved with the BIM project the greater their influence and steer will be, which then increases the likelihood of a better building. The FM’s function and focus of influence changes throughout the building lifecycle, as outlined below.

lishing a strong rapport early also facilitates an even stronger influence during the design process.

Invest time before a BIM project starts to improve and expand your network. Meet other members of the likely design team by using the BIFM membership of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) to network outside of your normal FM circle. The BIM community likes to collaborate so join your local BIM region too.

Consider what the BIM data will be used for when the building is complete and how the data will be maintained as a valid trusted source of information for the whole life of

the facility. Dependent upon the size and complexity of the building, also check that you have a suitable CAFM/ CMMS/ IWMS that is capable of managing the data and processes to update the asset information.

If you do not have a suitable system, start the process to obtain one. The BIFM have a useful good practice guide “Selecting FM Software” and a flow chart is included in the BIFM good practice guide “The Role of FM in BIM Projects” which will help.

Consider the need to develop a clearly defined space naming protocol, which may be linked to other locations to allocate assets to a named location.

Learn about your core business. As the end users’ representative, you need to fully understand the requirements and the culture of the business. This knowledge needs to include maintenance strategy, health and safety requirements, critical business systems and environmental considerations.

Download and read BS 8536-1:2015 Briefing for Design and Construction Code of practice for Facilities Management (Buildings/ Infrastructure) and the PAS BIM related documents. If nothing else, these documents will help you to understand the basic processes and the many three letter abbreviations.

Develop a list of what you want and equally what you do not want in any new building.

Try to gain an understanding of the whole life cost of both lists. This list is based upon your experience of what has worked well and not so well for your business in other locations in the past.

The FM will be asked to input into the Asset Information Requirements (AIR). The FM can test the need for the contents of the AIR by comparing them with your current Asset database in terms of what extra information would make it easier to manage the building.

If the new facility is a project linked to existing assets, the FM will have to supply the design team with the current asset information.

Check and possibly lobby to ensure that a realistic budget has been allocated for maintenance of the new building to protect the investment.

It is likely that the new building will have different equipment and new technology.

Develop an understanding of the maintenance requirements of any new technology, including any environmental technology being considered. We hear lots of stories of teams not being able to operate or understand the grey water system or biomass boiler.

Consider an appropriate method of procuring additional maintenance expertise that will be required to manage the new building. This may involve an OJEU procurement and will take anywhere from nine to twelve months, so ensure that you start in time for the project handover.

Review the design, scope and content of operating and maintenance manuals appropriate for the project.

During the design of the building the FM should consider how to replace large items of plant during the life of the building. Review access routes, plant size and weight in relation to future plant removal and replacement.

Have in place a system for receiving and working with the Asset Information Model.

During the design phase, if you do not understand the reasoning behind the design then ask!

Monitor the project during the construction phase for unwanted changes to the design.

To help the occupants settle into the new building, develop a building-user guide and arrange for its production.

Mobilise the FM team in preparation for operational use.

Once the Project has Started

Do not try to manage a large complex BIM project alongside your day job. Use the project to develop and strengthen your team by delegating some duties and backfilling roles.

distracted or put offthe by the DoDo notnot getget distracted or put off by technology. The FM needs to be aware of when the data drops will take place and how to view the drawings - but does not need to know how to carry-out the data drops or edit the drawings.

“If you do not understand the reasoning behind the design then ask!”

“Do not try to manage a large complex BIM project alongside your day job”

At Handover

Verify the Asset Information Model (AIM) by checking a sample. If you find errors, increase the level of checks and continue to do so if more errors are found. Check the legal agreement on the resolution of defects and monitor their resolution.

Check that all systems perform correctly, in the required manner, as intended by the specification.

Check that health and safety strategies are suitable, for example; action in the event of a fire.

Provide inductions to the new building for end users.

In Use

Protect the investment and maintain the facilities.

Use the CAFM / CMMS / IWMS to keep the asset information up to date.

Check that the processes for maintaining the AIM are being followed. If not, investigate why not and fix it. The problem may be that the maintenance team are reverting to old habits, or the process does not work as intended.

If identified, inform the relevant parties what design features do not work and what features work well.

Update your own design guide and lessons learnt ready for the next project.

At the end of the asset life, update the AIM with related data and information.

By being methodical, thorough and friendly a great deal of the above tasks can be readily addressed and overcome. If you’re looking for further or more detailed information on any of the lifecycle stages, then visit the BIFM here.

Seven: For a unique perspective at the interface of ‘BIM for designer’ vs ‘BIM for operator’ here is words.

For Derek a uniqueLawrence perspective at(Associate the interface of ‘BIM for designer’ vs ‘BIM for operator’ here points is Derek and Lawrence Director, Arup) with some pertinent wise (Associate Director, Arup) with some pertinent points and wise words.

In 2014, I felt that it was time to take my new-build design experience and repurpose it - by working for a commercial real estate services company. The mindset being that I was looking forward to continually improving the quality of the existing built environment for myself and others. A sensible and achievable goal perhaps, given that 80% of buildings that are here now are still expected to be around in 2050, the least we can do is look after them.

Armed with a good knowledge of digital design and Building Information Modelling I anticipated riding into this new sector like a knight in digital armour, ready to slay the perceived inefficiencies of the many existing workflows. I was due for a wake-up call.

In the two years that I worked for this company, frequently talking to their end users and owner/operators, I continually faced resistance to embracing BIM for operations. Whatsmore, it was primarily for one or two reasons:

A. What is BIM?

Try as I might I could not articulate BIM in a way that was meaningful to either cohort. Indeed, having spent time with people in the new-build design environment who spoke the language of BIM day in day out, I had forgotten how much knowledge was required to get from ‘never heard of it’ to ‘of course, this is BIM Level 2’. This was even before we got to the killer second reason:

B. How will it make me more money?

Once a building is operational the money spent on it is carefully scrutinised. As such, in the commercial real estate world, the return on investment is king. What is the return on investing in BIM? Where are the case studies that support the value of BIM? I failed to find any compelling ones that I could reliably use.

Now although this all sounds pretty glum, hope was drawn from the fact that most clients agreed that having better information about their assets was important. They were confident that better data would lead to better operational decisions. With this in mind I returned to my BIM training ground at Arup, with the objective of making BIM useful in operations.

So why aren’t more organisations using BIM in their building operational phase? Through discussion with designer, operators and owners of property I have distilled their concerns into the five points below:

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BIM FOR DESIGN VS BIM FOR OPERATIONS

1. BIM – The clue is not in the name.

Taking a new concept/workflow and wrapping it up in an acronym is not helpful. Building Information Modelling tends to lead the uninitiated into thinking that it is all about 3D modelling. This is not as surprise given that many BIM related presentations start with a 3D visual.

After that, if you want to engage with BIM it appears that your first task is to learn the acronyms (OIRs, EIRs, AIRs, PIMs and AIMs) as well as new software. This is where ‘BIM for operations’ abruptly stops for many.

2. Awesome... or overcomplicated?

I asked willing participants; when you see a hugely detailed 3D model spinning around on screen, do your feel excited or intimidated? And the answer is very much dependent on the audience. Generally, the design world is firmly in the ‘awesome’ camp, while the operational counterparts see over complication.

Consequently, to many, it feels like excited designers are creating hugely complicated information models and handing them over to operations without an instruction manual. I love instruction manuals but I also adore things that are intuitive. BIM, in its current form at least, ticks neither box.

3. Technology fan auto-enrolment

Workflows that heavily reliant on technology are not enjoyed by everyone. Now at this point it is easy to start making links between age and technology uptake. As a child of the ZX Spectrum fuelled 1980s I am a technology fan, but this is not true for my entire generation.

My 75-year-old mother is a self-proclaimed technophobe that did not make use of computers during her entire working career, nowadays however, she communicates with me on WhatsApp - complete with sharing panoramas of the hotels that she visits.

With a confusing level of technology engagement out there, it is important for our BIM story to engage the masses and simply the enthusiasts. My observation is that BIM is being used in operations certainly, but only by the enthusiast that want it to work. Many others feel like BIM is ‘being done to them’ and as such, BIM has to be useful for all levels of technical ability in order for it to become commonplace.

4. Plug and play BIM

The PAS suit of documents that help to define the workflows and processes around BIM are well written and have rightly become the industry fall-back position when seeking clarification around BIM acronyms and processes. With soon to be six documents in the suite, I feel that there is a newcomer’s fear when it comes to ‘just starting BIM’ as it may feel that people are breaking traditional conventions or best practice. Accordingly, this ‘plug and play’ or ‘let’s just start’ approach is not something that all people feel happy doing.

Uncertainty is another way of describing this and, not surprisingly, it can lead to people simply not implementing BIM at all.

5. Designer vs Operator

Designer: Why are we talking about lift movements of bins when we haven’t decided on the building orientation yet?

Operator: Have you ever operated a building? How am I going to access those lights when they break?

A mutual disregard for designing and operating points of view remain. In order for BIM to be successful, designers and operators need to get into each other’s mindsets. BIM will help with this, but without engagement between the two camps, designers (not deliberately, I am assured) will continue to deliver new build BIM that leaves operators without a suitable way in which to make use of the information therein.

Now many of the above points are drawn from new-build BIM observations, whereas if we talk about BIM for existing buildings then it gets even more complex. I have heard BIM being defined as ‘Better Information Management’ a number of times at different conferences. Admittedly, these were at conferences for operators that deliberately forced the focus of BIM away from 3D models.

Accordingly, when BIM is mentioned we should think much more about the Information bit rather than the Modelling. As such, for BIM to be truly successful in operations, a number of things need to improve:

1. AIRs – Asset Information Requirements

Do you know what asset information you need to operate your building? As a person with a foot in the design world I always hoped that this information would be easier to get than it actually is. The key to AIRs is just to start to list them. This can then be evolved and grow over time, so don’t wait for a comprehensive list to form.

2. What does my existing building BIM look like?

It doesn’t have to be a 3D Revit Model. Your current BIM (you do have one) may look like an excel spreadsheet with a list of assets on it. Finding a level of visual presentation to enhance communicating and maintaining asset information is important. If we get this right, the uptake of BIM in operations will increase.

3. Where is my data?

If your asset data helps you make valuable decisions, that value needs protecting. The data needs to be stored in a highly available secure manner with good levels of access control. If strategy changes and you need to move data to other platforms, then this should possible without data loss.

Does your one piece of software really deliver everything? Does the system that holds your data have an API (Application Programming Interface) which allows data to be used by other software? It is unlikely that you will find one piece of software that does everything. By way of example, the Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) software that does your reporting and asset tracking may not be the best tool for visualising data on site, or reporting live utilisation info. All of these systems store data and making sure that the data can be moved and updated dynamically will be key to keeping the data current. Old or incorrect data only generates uncertainty, which can affect people’s willingness to engage, plus it also inherits its own upkeep.

How are Arup approaching BIM for operations? In our new-build BIM projects we are keen to address the ‘what data is important for you’ question very early in the design process. As such, working with clients to create their Asset Information Requirements (AIRs)

is fundamental to this. Handover / user acceptance and soft landings have a part to play in making sure we don’t deliver something that is unusable at project completion. Use of intuitive visualisation tools that help to build links between a trained software environment (Autodesk Revit say) and intuitive untrained environments (Panoramic viewers such a PURAview) will also play a part in design data living on into the operational phase.

For existing buildings, the canvas that all of the data is attached to is really important as well. How do you retrospectively build record information about a building that has no records (surprisingly common)? A number of techniques from LiDAR to photogrammetry to straight panoramic photography can be used. Attaching data to the canvas in an engaging way is also important however and PURAview is a system that Arup are developing to put the end user/operator in control of this process. If the end user is in control, then the cost of the resources they deploy to collect the data can be aligned within their needs and budget. Some Scan to BIM workflows require large upfront specialist input (and cost). This can make the business case for BIM difficult without supporting value case studies. As such, an awareness that there are other ways to approach BIM is something that needs to grow.

Finally, the data storage format is important as well. We must not ignore the protocols that have been setup by new-build BIM workflows. This sees data residing in the construction model via interoperable formats like Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) or Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). This is vital as data needs to move from platform to platform so that a request to see it doesn’t return multiple sources of the truth.

Summary

If you want to implement BIM for operations, make sure you acknowledge the following as a minimum: 1. What do you need to know to operate your building? This might initially be compliance information or the like, such as which emergency lighting or fire alarm devices have been tested.

2. Think about who is going to access and update the information, and what is the most user-friendly way for them to do this.

3. Understand how the data is going to be stored and how it can move between software platforms.

4. If any of the above are beyond your experience, ask for help from one of the increasing number of specialists in this field.

Don’t let the language of BIM prevent you from improving the asset information and, in turn, the effective operation of your buildings.

Eight:

DEFINING FM AND CLIENT INFORMATION: OIR, AIR, PLQ AND EIR Given the criticality of (and confusion around) these very documents and processes, here is

a timely reminder by Simon Ashworth (Institute of Facility Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences) of how this jigsaw fits together from an FM perspective.

Facility managers and clients are beginning to think more and more about the benefits that the digitisation of their real estate portfolio may deliver when it comes to operation and strategic planning. With BIM already having the potential to help to deliver real value to this digitisation process, indeed we have all heard that “we should start with the end in mind” but what does this mean exactly for facility managers and clients? How do you start the process of defining what information is needed from a BIM project?

The expectation is that the BIM process will deliver the models, data and information in a way that will add real value to support the ongoing management of the assets in the operational phase, and in turn support the organisations wider vision, mission and strategic objectives. However, in order for these expectations to be met the client and associated facility managers need to be actively involved very early in the process, if they are to get what they really want and need at the end.

It is no secret that the BIM process involves lots of acronyms; OIR, AIR, EIR, PLQ, AIM etc and understanding what they all mean and how they come together can seem a bit confusing and daunting at first. But there is nothing difficult about it and certainly nothing to fear.

“There should be no shortcuts when it comes to organisations producing their own OIR and AIR”

Relationship between elements of information management (PAS 1192-3, 2014).

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A good starting point when thinking about “starting with the end in mind” is to consider the analogy of successfully completing a jigsaw. It is critical that you have all of the pieces to hand, as well as having a strategy in place that takes care of how to fit each piece together in the right place, and in the right order, to be able to clearly see and understand the bigger picture.

The strategy and the pieces of the jigsaw can be thought of in terms of the various “information requirements” in the BIM process (OIR, AIR, EIR) while understanding their interdependencies. These are nicely illustrated in the figure that shows the “relationship between elements of information management” and how each piece of the jigsaw fits together in the process.

When each of the pieces are successfully brought together, they ultimately provide the big picture or the end result.

For example, a good quality Asset Information Model (AIM), as defined in PAS 1192-3 as being “the data and information that relates to assets, to a level required to support an organisation’s asset management system” is typically required by the operation teams to support their day to day business and management teams when it comes to strategy planning.

However, it is important that we understand that every organisation is unique, in terms of their strategic approach to managing their assets and the specific information they need in order to support successful asset management and reporting purposes.

“They should be in place as part of an organisation’s asset management strategy irrespective of whether BIM is involved or not”

Indeed, it is this very uniqueness that means that there should be no shortcuts when it comes to organisations producing their own OIR and AIR. This is not a “copy-paste” exercise from other examples that may be in circulation. The old adage of “measure twice cut once” can also be applied here, in the fact that facility managers and clients really do need to ensure that the OIR and AIR are in place for their specific organisations, which embody their own distinct particularities.

Indeed, they should be in place as part of an organisation’s asset management strategy irrespective of whether BIM is involved or not. This explains why the OIR and AIR are essential as precursors to the EIR in the jigsaw that is the BIM process. This solid understanding of the organisation’s strategic information will then help when developing the EIR that defines what data and what information is needed during the forthcoming operation.

PLQs (Plain Language Questions) are, in today’s climate, the questions that industry professionals are putting to clients in order to ensure, or at least “second guess” the type of information that clients and FM operators may need when it comes to the actual running of the facility. However facility managers are best placed to understand client asset management strategy and how the assets will be run over their operational life.

As such, they should be taking the bull by the horns and driving the process using the client OIR and AIR to to ensure that a client oriented EIR is in place for the BIM process from day one. This requires asking questions of ourselves and our clients in the first place, before providing the design and build teams with this information early on.

Further research and guidance regarding the role of FM in preparing a BIM strategy and Employer's Information Requirements (EIR) to align with client asset management strategy can be found here. With a more detailed look at the EIR being described next.

Nine:

THE (BIFM) EIR TEMPLATE & GUIDANCE

To introduce this very useful, hands-on practical guide for clients and facility managers when it comes to EIR preparation and deployment here again is Simon Ashworth (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) and Dr Matthew Tucker (Liverpool John Moores University LJMU) to tell us more.

An essential element when starting a successful BIM project is the creation of a well-specified Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) document. But what exactly is an EIR? If we look in PAS 1192-2 (2013), it defines the EIR as being a pre-tender document that sets out the information to be delivered and the standards and processes to be adopted by the supplier as part of the project delivery process.

With this in mind, when putting together the EIR for a specific BIM project, it should be based upon a solid understanding of the organisations’ existing asset management strategy via the OIR and AIR documents. These being the existing strategy and approach that the organisation has when it comes to managing its assets, and the information that it needs to do so. If these documents are not in place then this should be addressed as part of the process. Only then can the EIR be created by facility managers and clients with the knowledge that it

is in alignment with the wider strategic and information needs.

They can use a series of common sense plain language questions (PLQ) to help with the process.

The EIR can also be a powerful tool to encourage cooperation between the main parties during the early critical stages in the BIM process as well, to help them to work together to agree and to set out the desired project outcomes. Indeed clients and facility managers should use the EIR to clearly articulate their information needs both during the project as well as for the “in use” phase of the project. If this is done succinctly it will help to give clear direction and guidance to the supply chain regarding the information needed for the successful operation of the upcoming assets post handover.

However, creating an EIR can seem a daunting task and many people are not sure where to start. In order to help clients and facility managers a research project between Liverpool John Moores University, the Institute for Facility Management (IFM) at Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the BIFM was set up in 2016 to help to produce guidance as well as a template tool that the FM industry and clients can use in the BIM process.

The project involved putting in place a review procedure to develop and review content using a focus group at the BIFM

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(The Operational Readiness Working Group) and a draft version was also tested using a case study BIM project; the Burrell Renaissance Project for Glasgow Life. This involved interviews with team members from the project supply chain, who gave valuable feedback for improving the draft EIR. Finally, the document was peer reviewed for further feedback using well know BIM experts from two organisations, the BIM Academy in Newcastle and FM180 in Harrogate.

The results were published by the BIFM in March 2017, with the document being aimed at clients and FM professionals starting to work on BIM projects who need guidance and advice on producing an EIR. The key aim was to provide an assist when it came to establishing and planning the information that may be needed in order to ensure the future optimisation of assets and their ongoing operation.

The EIR is aligned to the RIBA Plan of Work (2013) as well as the key industry standards that underpin the BIM process. It also includes an editable template which can be downloaded from the BIFM website and amended to suit specific project needs.

The EIR covers a range of important planning issues including: The need to provide clear guidance on required formats, naming conventions, essential information for the modelling process and what information is required

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Defining clear roles and responsibilities The need for a well-structured asset information delivery plan unique to the project which identifies which information deliverables should be delivered by whom and when The need to consider existing CAFM and other enterprise management tools used by clients and facility managers and how information will be transferred into these systems The table shown gives an overview of the key “management, technical and commercial content” covered by the EIR, which is in line with guidance from RIBA and the CIC. The document also includes a series of appendices including a “supplier BIM assessment form” which can be used by clients and facility managers to help to assess supplier’s capabilities in terms of their ability to deliver BIM projects.

The EIR Template and Guidance produced by the BIFM can be found here.

Ten:

BIM & FM - PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

In a candid and enlightening trip down memory lane, Ivor McCauley (Facilities Manager, Glasgow Life) reminds us of the distance travelled in terms of BIM adoption and how this has been used to bolster real world implementations.

As an early forty year old I distinctly remember a time in the early noughties when the internet began to really take hold of our lives.

Since then, and it was not a conscious decision I admit, but like many others I soon became addicted to this technological wonder and the promise that it held.

“The client wants somebody in the process to deliver a BIM Level 2 compliant model”

Back then, and it was only a decade ago, our computers would eventually start and the beeps and blips of our state-of-the-art dial up modems would kick in. This phenomena allowing me to carry out my first digital purchase (a £25 return ticket from Glasgow to Paris on a Dublin based airline) and I knew even then that the web would be taking hold of everything. It was new, exciting and everybody seemed to know that the future was going to change.

Nowadays, in the AEC world, it feels like there is a similar vacuum of technological energy that the growing influence of BIM will seek to fill.

Hitting the Ground Running

Coming from the FM sector, I noticed that when I was in a room with many other professionals the mere mention of BIM seemed to unlock a vat of hyperbole. Generally along the lines of “the capabilities are limitless” and “the industry will change beyond all recognition” and “if you don’t get on board now you will get left behind”.

Was I the only Reggie Perrin in a room full of CJ’s?

My own exposure in BIM to date is that I have been involved in the completion of one BIM capital project and another which is nearing the construction phase. My own perception from these projects has been that the technological aspects to BIM have not been nearly as influential or as dramatic as some people initially made me think.

In fact, with respect to the completed project, the impact of BIM proved to be a positive learning experience which went far and above the technological benefits, as reflected in the actual business improvements.

My own involvement on this project was that I was asked to be the client lead for ensuring that we, the client, got what we expected from BIM. To set the scene, in terms of timelines, my involvement came when the project was at around RIBA Stage 3.

In order to get up to speed I made myself familiar with the tender documents and the client brief on BIM, and I was able to find and quickly read the client EIR.

The project had been specified with what was a very simple one-page EIR, developed by a consultant on my organisation’s behalf. The verbatim contents of the EIR are not ingrained in my memory however, to all intents and purposes it read “The client wants somebody in the process to deliver a BIM Level 2 compliant model”.

At this point I hadn’t fully realised just how scant this was, so I decided to press on and throw myself into understanding BIM anyway.

Predictably, in order to quickly reach a suitable depth of knowledge I went online, but the search engine behemoths didn’t hold the answers in one easy search and I soon realised that I would need to start from scratch. However this made my own learning style fairly simple, as I began to read all of the available guidance over and over again!

Long Story Short

During the latter half of 2014 I spent many a long and dull commute pouring over the main significant documents, such as PAS 1192 and the like. Now while the PAS suite may seem to be the antithesis of insomnia, it became clear to me that a BIM mandated project should not be as complicated as many people think.

I also realised that, unlike the many debates that I had heard about BIM, which would solely focus on the technology, it was that the software is

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purely a sideshow in the BIM arena. Admittedly it is a necessary and important sideshow, but a sideshow nonetheless to what the whole BIM process should achieve.

As an end user of built assets, Facility Managers are often left in situations where new buildings do not function in quite the same way in which they were intended. Typically, not long after the season that designers and contractors attend their award ceremonies, the frustrated FM can be found pouring over incomplete O&M manuals trying to figure out the multiple problems that have simultaneously occurred in their brand new facility.

From reading the guidance I was quickly struck by the fact that BIM was a management thought process for Capital Projects, which from

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This experience reinforced in me that the actual true potential of BIM is one of being a platform where the shared input from differing professionals should help to deliver a more cohesive and productive outcome for all.

Lesson Learned

From an FM perspective it is clear that a member of the FM sector should have input regarding the client BIM requirements. Only then can the holy grail be realised, where new buildings are handed over with the right information that also perform in line with the design expectations.

Indeed this learning took itself into our second project, which has since reached RIBA Stage 4 and is seeing the benefits of collaboration through the development of the BIM already. One key aspect has been that the EIR was fully developed early on in the project, and that it was in sufficient detail to meet the project needs.

That said, the process of refining the EIR has also involved the design team at key stages, in order to make sure that our expectations were able to be met by all involved. To facilitate this, early design team meetings were held with all designers present, so as to ensure that our message was consistent.

Certainly the level of understanding among the design teams was different, but these meetings really helped to achieve commonality and a more holistic spirit of cross collaboration. And whilst the project has yet to break ground, I am heartened with the progress to date and I have an increasing hope that the impact of BIM will begin to bear fruit.

History Repeats

As I mentioned earlier, after the buzz created by the internet not too long ago, BIM seems to be creating a similar excitement today in specific industry sectors. So much so that I think BIM will be fully mature by the early 2030’s. a FM perspective, was potentially very valuable indeed.

Silver Lining

As I became more and more involved in the project it became clear that the knowledge that was shared between the entire design team was at considerably differing levels. As such, the actual outcomes for the BIM were unclear, which is not a shock when looking back at the project EIR I must say.

Now if there can be a positive aspect to having an unclear EIR and a differing level of knowledge on BIM across all of the stakeholders it was that, if we were to achieve anything meaningful, then a sharing of knowledge and learning would be needed in order to make progress and it would need to happen quick.

A professional spirit of détente ensued and, whilst the end BIM didn’t set the world alight, the positives were that the relationship between the client the design team and contractor was genuinely quite harmonious and collaborative.

Nobody knows what we will see in new buildings and facilities in that time, but I do hope that it is a world where buildings are designed, controlled and managed on one common BIM environment, that is for sure.

As the FM sector is slowly moved from the end to the start of the ‘chain of influence’, I believe that we will begin to see less combative projects emerging. Ones that do not focus merely on delivering on time and on budget, but to a focus on increased performance and efficiency.

If we can achieve that, then well done BIM!

“Early design team meetings were held with all designers present, so as to ensure that our message was consistent”

“Not long after the season that designers and contractors attend their award ceremonies, the frustrated FM can be found pouring over incomplete O&M manuals trying to figure out the multiple problems that have simultaneously occured in their brand new facility”

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Eleven: TEN STEPS TO SOFTEN ANY LANDING

As it is critical to champion even better outcomes for our built assets by facilitating a Soft Landings approach, it is a pleasure to invite Deborah Rowland (Director Public Sector Affairs, Sodexo) to quickly offer her ten tips when seeking to ensure that value really is guaranteed during the operational phase.

Before I offer my ten tips, I feel that it is important to dispel the two main myths that I regularly hear when it comes to GSL. Number one - Government Soft Landings really is included in the UK Government BIM Level 2 mandate (to be applied to all projects) and number two - a Soft Landing approach does not need to add cost to your project. Providing you follow the next ten steps:

1

2

Identify your soft landings champion for the project and embed them into the project team. As this is about true collaboration, then preferably this will be the FM responsible for the ongoing operational management of an asset - with the skills and ability to challenge the design/construction decisions that impact on operational outcomes.

Ensure that you are involved in the strategy (ideally Stage 0) and that you have input regarding the OIR (Organisation Information Requirements) and EIR (Employer’s Information Requirements). Getting it right at this stage is essential as it sets the tone, the vision and the outcomes of what is trying to be achieved. It also aids the provision of certain key performance indicators to be measured upon delivery. Better operational outcomes equals better business.

3

Read BS 8536 – Part 1: Code of practice for Facilities Management (Buildings Infrastructure). This briefing for design and construction focuses on those aspects that are concerned with achieving the required operational performance of a new or refurbished asset.

4

Identify your baseline operational budget – service cost per m2 – use existing data on current assets as a baseline to determine the cost for new service design. From this you will start to develop your own reference class to enable reliable future forecasting.

5

Remember that BIM is a process that enables soft landings to obtain varying degrees of asset information at each stage. Test and challenge (where appropriate) throughout the design/construction process to ensure that the design continues to meet the operational outcomes.

6

Be prepared to validate and receive asset data – have your AIM (Asset information Model) developed (PAS1192-3) and agree any data definitions. You will not need all of the data that comes out of the BIM, so be clear on what data you actually do need.

The data will be used for; asset operation and condition; understanding asset performance; defining better project briefs and lifecycle cost forecasting; forming the basis of the contracting model.

7

Engage and source your supplier base early. Ensure that they input, where appropriate, to the design of the spaces that they will be responsible for.

8

Ensure that the training for commissioning and handover is early and thorough and with the right people who will run the asset, including the FM team and FM suppliers.

9

Develop a post occupancy evaluation model – who will be responsible for auditing? What is the remedy of not achieving the outcomes set down in the strategy? Is it contractual or reputational? Identify and capture any lessons learnt for future projects.

10

Remember that the asset will change over time and it is important to keep the BIM model up to date periodically, with changes identified from the asset management/CAFM system.

Twelve: BIM & FM - IT’S A CIRCULAR THING

In this article Steve Owen (Managing Director, FM180 Ltd) highlights the psychology between the less than harmonious relationships that can occur among project participants and what can be done to solve it.

There is an aspect of human nature that guards us against the things that we do not like and the things that make us feel uncomfortable. In terms of FM, this most often manifests itself in the usage and sharing of data. Furthermore, we see this most often in areas relating to contractor/ client relationships, where information that could be used to improve a particular issue is hidden or held back for fear of either the individual or their organisation being viewed as incompetent, hostile or any other scenario potentially resulting in some form of financial dispute.

This happens on both sides of the equation of course, and for many similar reasons.

However, while it is unheard of for an FM provider to openly admit to keeping secrets from their clients (and vice versa) we all know that this happens. So what is my point?

There have certainly been numerous studies about the contractor/client relationship and how accidental adversarial relationships may arise - complete with how to potentially avoid these pitfalls in order to ensure contractual harmony and shared benefits. In the past this has largely relied on both the contractor and client being more open, honest and allowing for a certain level of transparency between one another. However, and it is unfortunate, but we often find that this only goes as far as each side feels comfortable. Consequently, there is an invisible and indeed unquantifiable barrier that has been established here.

The advent of the use of BIM for design

and construction has been a difficult evolution. Partly due to the way that traditional contracting has worked and partly because BIM changes the way that we develop and share information during the project lifecycle. The conventional wisdom of ‘we do it this way because it works’ has been well and truly challenged by BIM and, to a large extent, the status quo has been overturned.

Granted, although we now share information via a Common Data Environment (CDE), there are still many gates to pass through before the data is truly shared. But even with this in mind, BIM has still seen financial savings (in reduction of waste, conflict avoidance and joint working) of anything up to 30% during the Capex element of a project.

What we have yet to prove is how this translates into the Operating phase of the life cycle (the traditional ‘home’ of FM delivery).

Positively, there have been some excellent examples of using BIM enabled information to aid FM delivery (such as the UBS Broadgate project, the work of the MoJ and Sydney Opera house etc) and it has to be acknowledged that the FM teams have noted several benefits in both time and cost. Which I believe is largely due to the quality of data produced using the BIM process and the accessibility of that data to aid FM teams in their day to day operations.

So let us begin to expand this further, by considering how much more beneficial it would be for all if FM were to be involved in the BIM process from the beginning.

Early Involvement

During our contact with numerous organisations involved in design and construction, reading the literature available (the PAS 1192 series, GSL guidelines etc) and our own experience in the field, it is clear that we understand generally that any project should ‘start with the end in mind’. Yet in truth this seldom happens.

How many architecture or construction organisations have had any involvement from FM before the handover stage? How many of us have been asked to join a BIM project team at the concept stage?

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BIM brings about a potential change to the status quo in the FM sector. We are now in a position to receive an unparalleled quality of data on the buildings that we receive - which goes far beyond a mere 3D image of a building.

Indeed FM personnel should be involved in the BIM project from the start. Why? Because the value of their experience of the Operate and Maintain phase is second to none and simply not present within the design and construction disciplines (to a larger extent). However their involvement usually begins if not at practical completion then at the end of the agreed defects period (snagging).

It is not news that FM has generally been left out of the loop, left to live with the building delivered ‘to’ or even ‘at’ them.

The only feedback they have is during the defects period, which often results in a very adversarial relationship between the main contractor and, if not the client then certainly the FM provider.

I believe that FM could bring more than a spanner to the party. Not least in the fact that we have an extremely long history of what works and what does not in an operational sense.

Sure there are applications that provide ‘hard’ clash detection features in order to reduce waste and improve design. However FM can provide what I call ‘soft clash detection’ or ‘operational clash detection’ which is something that you cannot really write into a programme. This being the concept of looking at a model and its associated data whilst placing yourself virtually in that space and time and thinking about how things will work in reality. For example, ‘how am I going to service that piece of equipment?’ at the top of an Atrium or ‘how can I clean the inside of my glass roof?’. To carry out this sort of activity you need somebody with the actual on the ground knowledge and the real world experience.

It is also important at this point to identify and understand that this may well be a person or organisation that will have nothing to do with the eventual running of the building.

So how do we get FM involved in BIM? A good place to start would be at the end.

When thinking about a new asset, an FM entity needs to be involved in an advisory capacity as a minimum (if only briefly), with their influence duly taken into account.

Saving Money

This now introduces the interesting and crucial aspect of the FM entity being able to know where to save money and where to spend money in to save even more over the longer term.

For example, if we take a really simple case of door furniture, it may be that there are a number of choices open to the designer/ contractor. Some will be of a higher quality and tend to cost a little more, whereas others will be cheaper and of a lower quality with a subsequently reduced life expectancy, as you would expect. During the Capex stage however, we may need to place much more emphasis on the real world value here because, more often than not, this will result in the cheaper option being selected, simply to save expenditure during the construction phase.

Thereafter, and this is unfortunate again, but for FM this mindset can only ever increase the maintenance burdens in the Operate and Maintain phase later on.

The result is clearly a short term gain at the expense of a much longer term loss.

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Consequently, when these sorts of decisions are combined holistically, the results can greatly increase the revenue cost throughout entire the the life of the building.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg – not just in relation to MEP equipment and the like but extending this to floor coverings, cladding, ceiling tiles, luminaires etc the list goes on and the costs soon become frightening.

At present, there is no-one embedded in the process that fights the FM case.

Which needs to change.

What do I know?

By utilising the operational experience available, this means that subtle changes to positioning or flow or the like can be made in order to improve the use of a particular object or space for the benefit of the operator and the visitors alike.

One example of this is something that I have seen myself many times. The layout of specialist spaces such as kitchens, which are often left to a designer who has a list of items to fit into a space and this is seemingly all there is to it.

Now, without disregarding the skill and knowledge of the designer for one moment, we very rarely ask a chef or a cook just how they would like their kitchen to be laid out. Indeed I have spoken to many caterers in the past who, given the chance, would like to re-arrange their kitchens to function much more efficiently that what was designed for them. The advent of BIM not only gives us the opportunity to ask the caterer how they would like to position their equipment but, it actually allows us to design spaces and flow around the very people who will use it, rather than deciding the size and shape of a space and asking the people to fit within it.

I have used catering above but the criticism relates to any space and function.

Of course we have to accept that changes to working cultures will not happen overnight, but surely we should be designing the workplace/workspace around the people who will actually use it, based on the function(s) that they will carry out?

Changing the Status Quo

A more radical idea that BIM brings to the

“FM can provide what I call ‘soft clash detection’ or ‘operational clash detection’ which is something that you cannot really write into a programme”

“The concept of mutually beneficial contracting is not new. It may be rare, but it is not new” fore is the fact that we can now change the status quo in respect of the client/contractor relationship. Traditionally, we have (even as clients) accepted that a 3rd party contractor will service our assets and send us the bill without receiving any form of asset information that we can hold onto (ok, so we will receive a worksheet but you know what I mean).

Consequently, when a contract ends (either naturally or prematurely) the service provider will move on without leaving us with anything other than the financial records and some paper. When the new provider takes over, quite often the first cost to ourselves as a client is to pay them for an asset verification and/or condition survey. This is seen as a must have in order to mitigate risk on the part of the incoming provider.

Worse still is the fact that this can happen multiple times, with different specialist service providers looking after their own areas of expertise. This can be an extremely large chunk of the first year’s outlay on the contract mobilisation, and subsequent renewal thereafter.

We have at our fingertips (with BIM) the opportunity to keep the data associated with our assets exactly where it belongs, with the asset! Imagine buying a new car and leaving the service history with the dealer. Imagine getting a new service history at each service from a different garage and then leaving it with them. When

we come to sell that vehicle, its value would be greatly reduced as we have no proof that we have looked after it. A crazy idea? This is exactly what we do with our buildings currently. If we accept that a car costing a few thousand pounds is worth more with an intact service history, then why do we not apply the same rationale to buildings which are often worth many millions of pounds?

Obviously it was more difficult in the past to achieve this, but we now have the technology and the experience that is needed to implement the change. However the question now becomes, do we have the will?

Our contention is that if we accept that the value and accuracy of the data provided

by BIM is much greater than a conventional survey, we have the opportunity to de-risk contract handover/mobilisation, better understand our building (and asset) performance and use that information to better effect when considering life-cycle and procurement decisions.

The technology we have today allows us to share access to data in order to carry out tasks, record works done, get parts replaced etc without having large holes (and costs) in our knowledge between service providers.

So What’s in it for me?

Should FM be afraid of BIM? Should FM service providers be afraid of BIM?

I would argue not in the case of both, but then the idea of sharing what I know with my clients is second nature in my line of work. If we move forward with the attitude that we want to work in an open and transparent way with our counterparts, then we have nothing to fear. The concept of mutually beneficial contracting is not new. It may be rare, but it is not new.

If we are open and accept that we all have to make some form of margin to survive in business then we really can develop that ‘win, win’ scenario. Many of our current arrangements are designed to hide, and therefore ‘protect’ us from risk, but if the data is clear for all to see then these risks can finally be identified and mitigated for the benefit of all.

BIM gives the world of FM the opportunity to receive the most accurate information about the assets that they must then manage.

We must ensure that we do not waste this opportunity.

“The result is clearly a short term gain at the expense of a much longer term loss”

Thirteen: CASE STUDY A – DURHAM CATHEDRAL

With the estates team at Durham Cathedral seeking to apply digital solutions to improve the curation and management of this 900-year-old World Heritage Site, here is Graham Kelly (BIM Academy) to tell us just how well BIM can work in a historical setting.

Process

Previously, the FM team placed their reliance on architectural drawings that dated from the last century as a base for their decision making and assessment of condition of the fabric of the building. These were frequently inaccurate and often misplaced. Also the traditional restoration processes for the building was very labour-intensive and costly, and therefore became impacted by budget constraints. This was not helped by architects and contractors having to be paid to make bespoke studies due to limited access to files.

Furthermore, traditional surveying methods were often too intrusive for the sensitive nature of the building.

To investigate the possibilities of a digital solution, the Chapter House was chosen as a pilot project to demonstrate the benefits of the BIM processes as applied to the existing buildings. This saw the historic structure turned into a 3D digital model to support the improved management of this well visited facility.

The project demonstrated how digital building technology can improve the efficiency in management and operations of buildings, through the transition from traditional FM procedures to the utilisation of digital information and 3D models to deliver greater value to heritage buildings.

Indeed BIM was investigated as a methodology to achieve efficiencies, by supporting the transition facility management procedures to a process that utilizes digital information and 3D models to deliver greater value.

To capture as-built conditions of the Chapter House, 3D laser scanning was used to produce geometric models, known as point clouds. The point cloud was then imported into authoring software to create the 3D model, which was populated with parametric data resulting in a datarich ‘intelligent’ model. This included condition information of the structure and traditional outputs, such as elevations, sections, and floor plans.

Outcome

The model allowed the creation of condition surveys to interlink with the history of each element; maintenance schedules; accurate stone surveying; visual walkthroughs for virtual tours; scaffolding simulation for refurbishment planning; scenario planning (planning an exhibition inside a room); with field tools that utilise mobile technology being available to explore and update the model on site.

Following the creation of the model, it became apparent to the client that it was necessary for all relevant team members engage and support its use. This strong commitment is required to overcome the significant cultural challenges as well as the technical and procedure shift required for BIM workflow. Appropriate training and support schemes were put in place to facilitate the transition.

To escalate BIM adoption in the future it was agreed that a solid business case, based on the advantages from this pilot project, needed to be presented in order to demonstrate the efficiencies of improved facilities whilst justifying the improved upfront costs.

CASE STUDY B - SMART CONNECTED BUILDINGS By way of update to an ongoing project that considers data collection and analysis in terms BIM Academy: Case Study B - Smart Connected Buildings of social housing, here again is Graham Kelly (BIM Academy) to outline their latest initiaBy way of update to an ongoing project that considers data collection and analysis in terms of social performance. housing, here again is Graham Key (BIM Academy) to outline their latest initiatives tives when it comes to assessing predicted vs actual when it comes to assessing predicted vs actual performance.

Vision

Interest in Building Information Modelling (BIM) has seen a considerable rise in consistent data sharing practices. Design and construction processes have been significantly streamlined however, owners and occupants still do not know if their building is performing as ordered.

Therefore, an opportunity remains to improve the utilisation of information once a building is in use.

Buildings generate huge volumes of data when in use. This data can be collected in several ways - information relating to the environment can be collected by sensors monitoring temperature, humidity, daylight Vision and energy consumption. Occupancy information, such as in Building means Informationsuch Modelling has seen a considerablesurveys. rise in consistent the number of tenants, age groups and satisfaction can also be collectedInterest by various as(BIM) PROBE occupant This data sharing practices. Design and construction processes have been significantly streamlined data is commonly stored across multiple disconnected systems in numerous formats.

Because of this, the ability to make conclusions however, owners and occupants still do not know if their building is performing as ordered.

Therefore, an opportunity remains to improve the utilisation of information once a building is is limited, certainly around energy performance gaps. in use.

Buildings generate huge volumesuse of dataof when in use.

This data can be collected in several A performance gap is a disparity between the predicted energy use and the actual energy the building when in operation. ways - information relating to the environment can be collected by sensors monitoring Performance gaps occur for many reasons, which can see design details either being unbuildable, loosely defined, or missing. temperature, humidity, daylight and energy consumption. Occupancy information, such asAs the numbersuch of tenants, age groups and satisfaction also be collected by various meansin such as such, improved feedback from the in-use phases can certainly help to close gaps so that lessonscancan be applied earlier the PROBE occupant surveys. This data is commonly stored across multiple disconnected design and construction phases. systems in numerous formats. Because of this, the ability to make conclusions is limited, certainly around energy performance gaps.

Performance gaps have great impact in sectors such as social housing.APoorly designed buildings with vulnerable tenants can seperformance gap is a disparity between the ​predicted​ energy use and the actual energy use verely impact fuel poverty and occupant wellbeing. In 2015 89.7% of fuel poor occupants were in properties deemed aswhich not can being of the building when in operation.

Performance gaps occur for many reasons, see design details either being unbuildable, loosely defined, or missing. As such, improved energy efficient (GOV, 2017), directly increasing the likelihood of fuel poverty.

Process

feedback from the in-use phases can certainly help to close such gaps so that lessons can be applied earlier in the design and construction phases.

Performance gaps have great impact in sectors such as social housing. Poorly designed

To test the feasibility of developing a platform which can give insight intobuildings the causes of performance over theandpast sixwellbeing. months with vulnerable tenants can severelygaps, impact fuel poverty occupant the team had refined use cases and conducted extensive testing on a range of sensors. In addition to this, the team started deploying sensors within a number of properties in the social housing sector. The data collected will be combined with building information obtained from a building model, to provide context.

Extensive industry interviews have identified a need to understand building performance to help reduce what social housing tenants spend on energy. Therefore the main use case to prove the concept will be to analysing how hard the boiler is working to bring a building up to heat and how quickly that heat is lost.

Outcome

The project team aims to highlight issues relating to the performance of the building fabric, which will be fed back to the landlord so improvements can be made, and in addition to the industry as lessons learned. The team also aim to provide advice to tenants, which will assist them in making efficient use of the building. This will be achieved by applying powerful machine learning techniques to analyse the data collected and provide meaningful advice to help tenants improve heating control, reduce energy bills and improve overall well being.

Over the next six months, the team will develop a scalable web application which will assist in the visualisation and interpretation of the data. The development will be conducted in close collaboration with Your Homes Newcastle with the aim developing the concept further with a scalable and cost-effective way to gain significant and valuable insight into both new and existing buildings in use.

It is hoped that ongoing initiatives like this will continue to provide real world feedback, such that performance gaps of many kinds can continually narrow.

Fourteen: BIM AND FM IN THE REAL WORLD

Here to present two exciting case studies (from the Sydney Opera House and the United States Government) we caught up with Igor Starkov (CEO, EcoDomus) to give us his hands on take of where BIM for FM is at present, before reminding us of the real world benefits that are being delivered.

It has been over a year since the UK Government mandated BIM Level 2 and COBie for their centrally procured projects and, on the back of this, the industry acceptance of BIM for FM has changed dramatically since. This is both encouraging and relieving as we at EcoDomus have been promoting the benefits of Lifecycle BIM (or ‘BIM for FM’ as some call it) for around eight years, which continues to be a wonderful and enlightening journey.

We spent the first few years working with “bleeding edge” customers, then “early adopters”, and now the time has come for the mainstream users to adopt these advanced but continually refined BIM practices for the whole asset lifecycle.

Given our track record I am now very pleased to present two case studies, both from the “early adopter” users of EcoDomus. These are the fearless ones who did not ask questions such as “who else is using it?” because they understood the concept and the technology value intrinsically. As a result, they are nowadays more advanced than the average industry player on their journey to the promised land of ever more efficient and effective facility development, construction, and operations management.

Case Study 1: Sydney Opera House In 2013, Sydney Opera House embarked on a project to introduce a long-term Building Information Management Interface solution for the building and site. Including an asset management (AM) & facility management (FM) interface for this UNESCO listed architectural icon of the 20th century. As the building was designed to last for two hundred and fifty years, the need for a document management system for building related information was paramount.

The foundation of the Sydney Opera House BIM Interface is that it will be a self-hosted web based interface, that will link a constantly maintained geo-spatially accurate model of the exiting building and site to the major engineering documentation, maintenance and building management and control systems (BMCS). The primary interface component of this system will be the 3D model, and the BIM interface solution will be a one-stop ‘single source of truth’ for all regular building operational requirements, as well as ongoing maintenance, developmental works and projects.

As this was quite a new venture, a budget was set on general advice from the industry ($450K AUD). When the proposals were received from the market, naturally there was a wide range of quoted prices, which were typically dependent on the skill of the consortium tendering and their experience in delivering a tailored system. However, there were a number of offers within the budget range, and the timeline related to this endeavour is shown.

The Timeline: • •

1Q 2013 – Expression of Interest Stage - International search for solution providers completing a set of 250 qualitative/ quantitative questions.

4Q 2013 – Tender for the research, preparation and delivery of a detailed specification document detailing the Sydney Opera

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• • •

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House BIM Interface – the Technical Specification.

4Q 2014 – Tender for supply of Sydney Opera House BIM Interface implementation.

3Q 2015 – Contract Awarded to the consortium (EcoDomus, AECOM, BIM Academy).

4Q 2016 – Stage 1 “Retrieval of Information” is rolled-out.

The owner (the Sydney Opera House Trust) requested that the successful short-listed parties will form consortium’s as Sydney Opera House believed that not one company alone would be able to deliver their specific requirements. The shortlisted twenty one parties fell into three distinct groups: 1) Specialist BIM consultants 2) Solution providers 3) AEC organizations.

Six developed consortia tendered for the final stage of the project. The Sydney Opera House Trust then engaged with the lead company of the consortium (AECOM), which was determined by the Consortium members. The members then had agreements in place with the lead that reflected the contract of the lead to the principal. The EcoDomus software platform was selected as the main BIM FM interface.

It helped that BIM principles and deliverables had been enacted into Sydney Opera House construction project work since 2010, with 3D scanning, photogrammetry and point cloud technologies having been utilised since 2002. This project leveraged these facts.

Current project protocol required point cloud scanning to be undertaken as part of the project establishment. Supplemental areas where needed and a point cloud/converted model (to Sydney Opera House requirements) was to be delivered as part of the “work as executed” stage of project completion.

A BIM implementation team was developed within Sydney Opera House to lead the process and this has now expanded to a team of six staff that will support this ongoing initiative. This comprises of: 1 x Building Strategy Manager (lead) 1 x BIM Implementation Manager 1 x BIM Model Manager 1 x BIM Modeler 1 x BIM Building Auditor 1 x BIM Librarian.

The core BIM interface team regarding strategy and implementation is supported by the Model Manager and the building auditor and modeler, who have responsibility for the Revit model which is the base of the BIM4FM model geometry, room & asset ID system and external contract team.

Regarding the BIM ownership, Sydney Opera House, as the owner of the complex, has one simple rule; whatever is developed for Sydney Opera House belongs to Sydney Opera House.

Early stakeholder engagement included the development team who instigated the project. The development of the technical specification (by the UK’s BIM Academy) included multiple interviews with in-house individuals as well as the teams that would be the hands on users of the final system.

At the time of writing this article, Sydney Opera House and EcoDomus are proudly working together on adding more functionality, integrations, and deploying the solution for a larger number of internal Sydney Opera House users.

Case Study 2: USA Government Services Administration (GSA) at Camden Courthouse In 2011 the GSA funded its largest BIM pilot project to date, during which the value of BIM technology would be thoroughly tested in the facilities management phase of the building life cycle. Consequently, the BIM pilot project at the Delaware Valley Field Office (Camden Courthouse complex) ably demonstrated that BIM technology enhances facilities management, and resulted in a more widespread adoption of mobile BIM technology that building mechanics and managers are now using to better operate the facility.

In short, BIM information comfortably supports the dayto-day planning necessary to ensure that the facility operates at peak efficiency, which also reduces environmental impact and costs.

EcoDomus won the government tender and deployed its industry-leading software solutions including Mobile BIM for Work Orders, integrated BIM with GSA’s CMMS (at that time it was Corrigo, now GSA uses IBM Maximo) and, with the Building Automation System (Automated Logic) using advanced integration with EnergyPlus (energy simulation software). EcoDomus provided an interface to overlay the actual building sensors’ data over the data received from the energy simulation software, to better identify areas of underperformance.

After two years of using EcoDomus, GSA project managers analysed the Return on Investment and the results showed that the payback period was around 2 years.

One of the several areas where GSA identified savings and intangible benefits included a project to divide a library from one room into two separate rooms, requiring a trace of HVAC system above the ceiling. The building not only contained abandoned equipment above the ceiling but the drawings were not available, nor trusted, to identify the location of the existing system. By working with EcoDomus BIM the GSA reported a 75% time saving, from a task that would have typically taken eight hours to trace now only taking two.

Tenant satisfaction was improved, so demonstrated by reports of the repeated clogging of kitchen sink drains. It was not easy to identify the location of the drain piping with untrusted drawings, which could have required monthly snaking of pipes or even the partial destruction and then patching of a wall (thousands of dollars). The problem was solved by measuring the length of the snake where it hits the clog and finding the location in the BIM by applying that length to the piping in the model.

A reduction in the hours applied to routine facility maintenance operations was demonstrated. For example, lights are identified on electric panels but not on the actual lights and not on drawings that are readily available, if available at all. The BIM contains the names of the lights which are accessible by simply tapping on them on the iPad. The fixing or repair of lights can be performed without the risk of interrupting federal trials in federal court rooms (as shutting the lights off during a trial is very bad and results in the extreme dissatisfaction of the Judges). Previously staff would have worked after normal operating hours to fix/repair lights can now perform these tasks during normal operating hours.

Product data searches have been eliminated. This has been achieved by: • • •

No need for physical binders No need to walk to mechanical room where binders located or need to call 2nd engineer to walk to mechanical room where binders located, No need to search through catalog of binders with no uniform organisational and labeling system (binders have been delivered from initial project delivery and multiple Repair and Alterations projects over decades of building's existence.)

Savings 20 to 40 minutes per instance. 10 instances per month, 120 instances per year.

3-6 hrs/month 36-72 hrs/year

• • • • Identification of the location of non-visible building systems has been eliminated: • • • • •

No need to read paper and electronic 2D drawings, No need to walk to the drawing room where paper and digital drawings are located, or the need to call a 2nd engineer to walk to mechanical room where the drawings are located.

Savings 1 -2 hour per instance. 2 instances per month, 24 instances per year.

2-4 hrs/month 48- 96 hrs/year

After several years of doing business in relation to BIM for FM, EcoDomus are proud to have accumulated an unmatched experience in deploying Lifecycle BIM solutions for the leading facility owners around the world. With clients like Google, Disney, USA Govt, Singapore Govt, Stanford University, Harvard University plus many airports, hospitals and industrial facilities and many more.

It is wonderful to see the industry-wide adoption of the best BIM practices occurring and we believe that 2018 will be the year of “crossing the chasm”, when the industry laggards will finally jump aboard the adoption bandwagon.

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Fifteen:

BEYOND INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

The effect of increasing shifts in client sentiment, as felt throughout the supply chain, are captured head on as Nicholas Nisbet (BuildingSMART UKI) introduces a call to arms that champions asset performance and new business opportunities.

The UK Government Construction Strategy (and the US work on COBie) has given a considerable boost to improving the handover process on all of our projects. Not just the asset inventory, but also the information relating to the immediate needs for operation, maintenance and replacement planning as well. That said, there is a further opportunity to go beyond facility-management into asset and portfolio management - if we include zones and systems as manageable assets.

Clients have been empowered and educated to expect information alongside their physical asset. A shift that has, by taking babysteps, helped to create a lean client-driven and more responsive sector. This has rippled through the Tier 1 designers, engineers and constructors such that many more information requirements are beginning to cascade through the supply chain, even if manufactures believe that they can dictate upwards.

This known, it could be concluded that we now have a map of the road ahead. This being a gradual process improvement which generates better information flow and a more accurate and complete handover processes. But this is not nearly enough, in fact it is a sideshow compared to the real challenge.

“The real, urgent and compelling challenge is to deliver value�

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“A client-focussed industry can learn to manage this as a business opportunity, not a contractual risk”

Value

The real, urgent and compelling challenge is to deliver value. The industry has agreed to 30% savings in CapEx, OpeEx and Carbon and 50% savings in project timescales. Incremental improvements in handover and incremental reductions in waste will not deliver on these targets. What can deliver them, however, is the confident and accurate delivery of client requirements. We need to focus not on the Employers/Asset Information Requirements but on the Asset Requirements as a whole. These requirements span across projects and across the in-use phase.

It is these requirements that unite the importance of BIM in projects, as well as in use.

Mark Bew has written ‘The delivery of an asset can be viewed as a time-bounded experiment. For an experiment to be effective it needs to be measured throughout its life against a control. The brief is the control and for it to be effective it needs to be able to be digitally readable and testable.’ If we want the building and infrastructure sector to be welcome partners at the boardroom level, then we must show that the client brief, the organisational requirements, and the asset requirements can be systematically documented and tested throughout the project lifecycle and the asset lifecycle.

We need to show that we can answer the high level questions such as Capacity, CapEx, OpEx, and Carbon accurately - with manageable uncertainties. These measures are not Key Performance Indicators, they are the performance. Instead of occasionally doing cost, whole life sinking-fund or space compliance checks, we need to check these performance questions on a daily basis during design, construction and operation.

Where we now have analysis and prediction being data dead-ends, driven by craft processes, instead we need robust tools and robust information flows. The knowledge base that is currently applied to hand-crafting each individual assessment needs to be assimilated into the process and the tools and the data.

Of course requirements change, but a client-focussed industry can learn to manage this as a business opportunity, not a contractual risk.

Performance Monitoring

How about a live client dashboard reflecting the predicted and actual performance of each facility? Five performance numbers, predicted or actual, compared against the briefing objectives (allowing for uncertainties).

Some clients may be able to express their weighted preferences between capacity and cost, between capital and operational impacts, between mean values and uncertainties. If so, their reward is seeing a single master dial that answers the one question – how well is the facility performing?

To do this, we certainly need a structured information hub - not just a CDE but an integrated, coherent facility model. We also need a single coherent requirements model, showing how the basic QTO, WLC, LCA estimates, BREEAM points and whatever else feeds the dials.

The IFC schema gives us the framework that we need for both the facility and the requirements model. It gives us the language for exchanging information throughout the tiers both forward and back. It also gives us the business case for developing ever more specific knowledge as well.

So thank you EIR you were great, but let’s now focus on the ER!

Sixteen: BIM AND AUGMENTED REALITY IN CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE

The evolution (and availability) of an ever increasing array of technical approaches and devices shows no sign of abating. To discuss the reach, influence and significance of this field further, Will Brocklebank (Founder & CEO, Shepherd Networks) brings us up to speed.

Augmented Reality may sound far-fetched and indeed something from the future, but Building Information Modelling and Augmented Reality (aka “Mixed Reality”) are not new concepts. Both have been in discussion for fifteen years or more, but they have yet to become standard fare in either construction or maintenance.

This is surprising as they both seek to solve straight-forward and fundamentally human problems; how do we most effectively coordinate ourselves in a world of staggering technical detail? How can we best understand this complexity and its effects on a minute scale, yet still be able to ‘zoom out’ to sufficiently make appropriate decisions at a strategic level?

BIM begins this process by gathering together disparate sources of technical information relating to the wider built environment and the assets that are installed within it. It is the granularity of this available data that is also worthy of mention. Consider picking up a leaf from the ground and examining its shape and texture, before turning it over to inspect its intricate biological structure and engineering. On a macro level, its form is already readily understood and appreciated yet, when examined on a molecular level, it reveals the mechanics that allow it to carry out is real function in order to complete photosynthesis.

BIM sets out to achieve a similar task: to be a platform common to all stakeholders which can be viewed on a macro level to resolve questions of design and interaction, whilst being available to curate

the most intricate engineering details of its component parts, in terms of integration and maintenance. Furthermore, to support this, it must allow for inquiry and analysis by all parties and all disciplines. As anyone who is involved with data knows, it is a significant challenge to be able to encapsulate the overview as well as the engineering details of measurement, load, route, capacity and structure simultaneously.

This is where the idea of “resolution”, being able to zoom into the details and back out to the bigger picture sees Augmented Reality fitting in the best. It offers a technical lens that can overlay finegrained contextual information upon our natural, visual view of the world. Apple and Google have recently enabled ARKit and ARCore on their newer devices, ensuring that fairly soon our pockets will be endowed with hardware that has the processing power to illuminate these AR entities without further sophisticated hardware being involved.

As the data is all that is required to feed the AR view, this is where BIM and AR sit so well together because, believe it if you will, we will soon reach a place where a sufficiently detailed export of all of the key structural, mechanical and electrical information in a building can be delivered to a modern smartphone.

Imagine the utility of this. For example a maintenance engineer can now trace a faulty circuit through a building by simultaneously viewing the image generated by their device camera, which

“It offers a technical lens that can overlay fine-grained contextual information upon our natural, visual view of the world”

is now overlayed with an AR map. This even enables the operative to scrutinise the loads that are connected to the circuit in real time, as they move along. Or an energy assessment that provides a visual overlay of predicted energy & carbon data on the building, alongside the reporting of the actual performance information to identify sub-optimal assets, environments or commissioning errors. The sky's the limit.

This brings us to what I believe is the third leg in the stool needed for BIM and AR to really achieve its full potential; real-time operating data. Of course BIM and AR can be highly useful in the construction phase, but for their investment to provide a fuller return they must be utilised in the running of built asset after commissioning.

For this to be possible, the BIM model must live and breathe with the real-world performance of the building and its assets. The data from distributed sensors should be piped via BIM into various analytics services that can drive predictive maintenance, advanced risk management, optimised workplace structures and many more convenient dashboards and interfaces.

Through the use of AR, BIM and predictive maintenance as well, engineers no longer have to be ‘static’ on site in order to respond to issues as and when they are reported. The sensors will flag up any blips or signs of concern to be investigated in real time. The use of machine learning can then make sense of the data flowing through the BIM platform and can triage issues “BIM suffers from a and direct them to the ideal responder for the most rapid resolution. Diagnosis of the isproblem common to all sue can begin from afar, using the data from BIM and the real-time sensors, so much so that should site attendance by required, they can go accompanied with an AR data-intensive endeavours, environment that will pin-point the asset needing attention as well as surfacing insofar as it can be the operating manuals, past remedies and other pertinent information to expedite extremely challenging to the repair more timeously.

Statistics from GE’s Asset Performance Group, the Carbon Trust and the US Dept of Energy all concur that programmes like this can reduce overall maintenance costs by up to 30%, breakdowns by 70% and increase engineering productivity by 15% or more.

make sense of it all and find an approachable way in”

It is not news that issues regarding the adoption of BIM have tended to centre around technological cost, lack of skills and a natural inertia for the old ways of doing things. But there is also a good chance that BIM suffers from a problem common to all data-intensive endeavours as well, insofar as it can be extremely challenging to make sense of it all and find an approachable way in.

This is the key role for AR; cleverly designed views of the outputs of BIM overlaid onto the familiar physical world that blurs the boundary between the physical human space and the data engineering space. It will literally allow anybody to ‘see through’ this division to exploit the data most effectively and will drive enormous efficiencies for all operators at all levels.

But there is a good chance that the biggest impact for all of us will be felt in the way that BIM & AR affect the building after construction. The recent RICS report (“Artificial Intelligence: What it means for the Built Environment”, October 2017) stated that it is highly probable that within the build environment, the impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be felt the greatest in facilities management.

I believe that BIM and AR will play a central role in allowing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to finally have the real-world impact across the entire industry that it deserves.

Seventeen: AUGMENTED REALITY IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

The convergence of asset data with wearable mobile devices continues to make Augmented Reality (AR) a real and tangible prospect for many FM activities. Consequently, with many companies seeking to get a head start in the field, here is Reid Cunningham (Strategic Development Director, BAM FM and BAM Energy) to tell us how their initial trials have been What is Augmented Reality (AR)?

Many of us are familiar with the virtues of Virtual Reality, the act of immersing the user in an entirely digital environment. Whereas AR successfully leverages this technology to simultaneously enhance the users’ everyday view with any manner of supplementary digital artifacts - such as images, information or holograms. Consequently, for FM activities, this could include virtual access to 3D geometry, schematics, live data (from BMS), on demand support, identifying specific risks and hazards, improved/consistent work routines, reference to manufacturer’s instructions and improved initial fault diagnosis.

“BAM FM now has a fully-operational AR application which supports service engineers”

At BAM, we have already conducted several trials in this area as we believe that this technology will have a long-lasting and positive impact on the execution of many difficult and lengthy maintenance tasks in the future.

Implementing AR at BAM FM

In terms of our implementation process, the key was to start small with a single maintenance task and then test, learn, and grow the possible AR applications from there.

For example, BAM FM started with the routine testing and maintenance of a sprinkler pump system at Zaans Medisch Centrum, a 40,000m2 medical centre and hospital in Zaandam north of Amsterdam. BAM built the facility and the FM company then delivered the comprehensive maintenance, cleaning and energy supply services. In this case we employ an in-house team of fifteen technical maintenance staff for a 24/7 service delivery.

First things first and the sprinkler pump installation was laser scanned and overlaid with BIM technical data, including the pump installations and related components, in such a way that it’s 3D geometry was accessible for designing digital work instructions on a computer - the combined output of which was then viewable on a wearable device.

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Next, the entire testing and maintenance workflow was carefully analysed and each possible outcome of the maintenance tasks were considered. After this, instructions for up to fifty-nine maintenance steps in the routine testing and sprinkler pump maintenance (including steps from all the possible outcomes) were created, in order, and positioned at a convenient location for executing that specific step.

Finally, the instruction was tested extensively on-site by our experienced service engineers.

As a result, BAM FM now has a fully-operational AR application which supports service engineers to consistently, safely and conclusively complete sprinkler testing and maintenance activities. Naturally we were delighted with this as the application efficiently offered a short instruction for each step, with the entire procedure being captured.

Key Challenges

The user interface (UI) had to feel as natural as possible, enabling the user to better carry out the task without the technology ‘getting in the way’. However, we found that the instructions were constantly in the presence of the user and the only way to avoid seeing them was to take off the headset. Details like this (and many others) presented a whole new challenge to UI design, for which there is no clear guide.

Of course software and hardware makers will figure this out in time, but it is not there yet.

Also, how do you create a visual or textual instruction that everybody interprets in the same manner? Especially one that leaves no room for error? A balance had to be struck between being brief while still being clear. As such, neither long textual instructions nor overly brief commands were desirable. Indeed while simple instructions are satisfactory for self-assembly furniture in the home, FM maintenance operations tend to be much more detailed of course.

In short, the layout and position of the instructions was, and remains, a struggle to get their relative position correct to the equipment and the individual actions. This is a something that needs to be developed and solved with the assistance of hardware developers.

Outcome

“How do you create a visual or textual instruction that everybody interprets in the same manner?”

The AR sprinkler maintenance pilot proved that any one of the fifteen maintenance staff employed at the hospital can now complete the bi-weekly testing regimen in a consistent and quality controlled manner. This ensures that complex yet routine tasks, which include several possible variations, can be transformed into a simple process that can be completed by any of our team in a consistent and thorough way. This not only creates substantial flexibility, but we no longer need paper log books either, as the test routine and data is captured in the CAFM.

Next Steps

BAM FM is looking to build upon this initial AR test case with further routine maintenance and testing activities.

We are also investigating how the camera and audio features of wearable AR headsets could provide assistance and instructions from remote supervisors (or subject experts) directly to the technician in the field. This could then improve safety and efficiency by identifying, escalating and completing maintenance tasks without unnecessary delays or additional costs being incurred.

“Creating this is like developing a car in the early 1900s, everybody can see that it will change the world, but nobody can see where it is heading” Jesse Mom (BIM Engineer, BAM Bouw en Techniek).

Eighteen:

SUPPORTING WHOLE LIFE EFFICIENCY THROUGH BIM

Stephen Beadle (FM Consultant) introduces the suite of free to access BIM Tools that the Scottish Futures Trust have developed to meet the increase in BIM adoption north of the border.

The merging of digital technology with the physical environment is not only accelerating but becoming more tangible than ever before. As Scotland continues to move toward becoming a digitised construction sector, the management of digital data and the information within the public estate is seen as a key mechanism to drive efficiencies during the construction and operational stages.

Consequently, when the Scottish Government published its ‘Construction Procurement Review’ in 2013, the report identified that greater efficiencies could indeed be achieved through the whole asset lifecycle, if procuring authorities implemented BIM Level 2 where appropriate (from April 2017).

To reach that goal, infrastructure procurement and programme delivery experts the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) were invited to take the lead role in delivering this BIM programme, one that would meet the challenging objectives set by Scottish Government. SFT’s key objective being to support Scotland’s public sector bodies in the adoption of BIM from April 2017, by developing ground breaking tools and additional guidance.

The SFT BIM Guidance Portal is the culmination of this work, which brings together our innovative tools and guidance to create a unique platform to enable the public sector to define when, why and how to implement BIM in order to improve whole life outcomes.

This portal is also supported by new Scottish Government policy.

The BIM Delivery group for Scotland recognised the value of BIM and the many new ways of digital working at each stage of the asset lifecycle. As such, the opportunity to embed and support improved operational performance will now offer significant opportunities to the wider public sector estate.

Accordingly, the BIM portal developed the following focused tools and initiatives.

Embedding Soft Landings

portal has has created created the the ‘BIM Navigator’ which is a tool that links the user to the relevant BIM guidance in order to The BIM guidance portal support Clients implementing BIM. within the guidance, and fully supported by the BIM Delivery Group, is the application ‘BIM Navigator’ which is a tool thatEmbedded links of Soft Landings. the user to the relevant BIM guidance in order to support Clients implementing BIM. within the guidance, IndeedEmbedded the BIM Navigator includes guidance to adopt Soft Landings within new projects, by providing an overview of the soft landand supported the BIM Delivery ings fully approach whilstby outlining relevant standards. It also provides guidance on the method for implementation, as well as a suite of Group, is the application Soft Landinformative videos.

The BIMofDelivery group see Soft Landings as an intrinsic part of BIM Level 2 and its adoption. ings.

Indeed the BIM Navigator includes guidance to adopt Soft Landings within new projects, by providing an overview of the soft landings approach whilst outlining relevant standards. It also provides guidance on the method for implementation, as well as a suite of informative videos.

The BIM Delivery group see Soft Landings as an intrinsic part of BIM Level 2 and its adoption.

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Demonstrating ROI of BIM for Facility Managers

Another tool that has been developed is the BIM Return on Investment Tool. This tool is effectively a calculator that creates a business case for BIM adoption by comparing the cost benefits with the likely investment needs. In short, the tool prepares a quick business case to unlock an investment in BIM. Crucially, the tool considers the operational and maintenance benefits both in terms of a qualitative and quantitative basis. Additionally, it recognises the additional investment that facilities management teams may require, and allows these to be recognised within any assessment.

The power of the tool is to support awareness whilst demonstrating to FM teams the many benefits of a digital data led solution when it comes to supporting operational performance.

Embedding Whole Life Thinking

The portal also includes the new ‘Whole life Appraisal Tool for Construction’ which provides a framework to quantify and report the whole life outcomes for new assets at design and business case stage. The helps to support as well as enable outcome focused decisions early on within the project delivery process.

The tool allows the user to report on operational costs including lifecycle, energy and FM costs to allow the implications of design decisions to be reflected not only in the capital costs, but with regard to operational cost implications as well.

Identifying Best Practice through Case Studies

A further area of work that is also available on the portal is the development of case studies that showcase the benefits of BIM in terms of operational performance. Indeed this area of the portal continues to grow as new projects are developed.

As part of the BIM Programme for Scotland, pathfinder research was commissioned by SFT to look at four projects that were seeking to implement BIM. One project being the approach taken by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) as they improved their data management process of their existing historic estate. Their research focusing on the development of a digital asset information model for the palace within Edinburgh Castle. This research offering many lessons as well as outlining the organisational drivers in terms of why HES adopted this new approach to support their operational and maintenance regimes.

Welcome Aboard

The BIM Guidance Portal has been developed to simplify and support the implementation of BIM by the public sector. The work of the BIM Delivery Group for Scotland is to involve operational teams and raise awareness of the benefits that this can offer.

All of the above tools are free to access and presented in an easy to use format that is open to all. We hope that you will visit as we sincerely feel that the portal pushes the relationship between proportionality of approach, value driven adoption and efficient delivery of BIM to support whole life performance of the public sector estate.

The portal can be accessed here, with a summary video here.

Nineteen: The Value and Influence of Life Cycle Costing & Assessment

With the early involvementOF of FM teams holdingCOSTING the key to appreciating and reducing THE VALUE AND INFLUENCE LIFE CYCLE & ASSESSMENT WITH BIM

ongoing asset operation costs, here Mihaela Meslec (Research Assistant, BIM & Digital FM, Zurich University of Applied Sciences) reminds us of the parallel influence that sustainability With the early involvement of FM teams holding the key to appreciating and reducing ongoprofessionals also provide.

ing asset operation costs, here Mihaela Meslec and Simon Ashworth (researchers, Institute of Facility Management, Zurich University of of Applied Sciences) reminds of thetoparallel There are many new possibilities in terms sustainability performance whenus it comes influence that sustainability also provide. combining BIM withprofessionals the tools and techniques available to run modern day digital simulations

and data analytics. Indeed as a result of this, emerging innovations are giving a new life to the creative when workflows exist between theeconomic project stakeholders and such, with LCC, the tool There are manymany new possibilities it comesthat to combining the The performance can beas measured sustainability consultants are becoming influence it comes to onset of BIM with the tools and techniques available to run mod-an increasing for “assessing the total when cost performance of advising an asset over time, ern day digital simulations and data analytics in terms of sustainincluding the acquisition, operating, maintenance and disposal owners, designers and facility managers going forward.

ability performance. As a result of this, emerging innovations are costs [7]. As the figure shows, the lifecycle costs carry an ampligiving a new life to many creative workflows that exist between influence in the early stages of design.

After all, ​only now do we have the tools andfied technologies to make fifty year environmental the project stakeholders and as such, sustainability consultants predictions possible ​ which of course have a huge bearing onalso project coststoand performance. are becoming an increasing influence when it comes to advising Of course FMs can add value the project by measuring owners, designers and facility managers going forward. the environmental impact with the help of Lifecycle Assessment Making Predictions with Whole Life Cycle Tools (LCA) which is an internationally established method [8]. Indeed After all, only now do we have the tools and technologies to both tools are now fast evolving, driven by digitalisation and high make fifty yearWhole environmental predictions possible, which of costing sustainability life cycle tools, such as life cycle (LCC)demands. and life cycle assessment (LCA) are course have a huge bearing on project costs and performance. being increasingly applied in FM to address However, the economic and environmental aspects of the real benefits for users and society emerge when sustainability. life-cycle analysis tools are combined and integrated with BuildMaking Predictions with Whole Life ing Information Modelling (BIM) [5].

Cycle Tools Whole life cycleThe tools, such as life cycle costingcan (LCC) life economic performance beand measured with LCC, the tool for assessing “the total cost cycle assessment (LCA) are being in FM BIM, LCC and LCA Integration performance of anincreasingly asset overapplied time, including the acquisition, operating, maintenance and to address the economic and environmental aspects of sustainInnovative workflows are expanding the use of BIM into all prodisposal costs” (ISO 15686-5:2017). This is significant a​s the figure shows, as the lifecycle ability. ject stages and among all participatory personnel. As such,

costs carry an amplified influence during the early stages of design.

Scope for influencing LCC during design (CRB & IFMA, 2011)

Scope for influencing LCC during design [2

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while we are all familiar with the “nD BIM” term for defining the multi-dimensional BIM model [4] sustainability of course has its place, perhaps between 6D and 7D or even as a dimension entirely of its own.

Indeed BIM has become the ‘platform’ for sharing knowledge between different stakeholders at different stages. Accordingly, FM operational data stored in models can subsequently help to facilitate the LCC/ LCA analysis of different project alternatives during the early design phase.

These BIM based life cycle assessments assist stakeholders to make well-informed decisions regarding the potential financial benefits or the environmental impact of the design over the entire lifecycle. This makes it easier to compare different solutions early on before subsequently choosing the optimal solution with greater purpose and confidence. Since BIM can provide the means for sustainability assessments, the BIM-LCC-LCA integration can further support the subsequent design, construction and maintenance of increasingly sustainable buildings.

It is important that we consider the long-term implications of

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design of course, given that buildings and infrastructure use a significant amount of the total material and energy. However, research shows the environmental impact and lifecycle costs are often not seen as key factors in decision making about best value solutions, meanwhile they have such a profound influence over the entire life of an asset. It is important to speculate why this may be. Perhaps a couple of reasons are: • • • •

Traditional construction focuses on short-term capital budgets driven by value engineering rather than considering longer-term value. [9] There is an element of fragmentation in the industry.

There is a lack of good reliable and well-meaning data during the early design.

There are issues around software interoperability.

The BIM process can overcome these problems by empowering stakeholders to collect and exchange information critical to supporting lifecycle sustainability analysis [3]. Thus enabling economic and environmental trade-offs to be made whilst validating the calculations.

Developing collaborative workflows to overcome interoperability issues and improve data exchange between whole life-cycle digital tools and BIM is clearly essential when it comes to sustainability assessments.

“Only now do we have the tools and technologies to make fifty year environmental prediction possible” “Environmental impact and lifecycle costs are frequently not seen as key factors in decision making about best value solutions” What are the Benefits?

The BIM-LCC-LCA integration tool can assist with decision-making in the early phase of a project by assessing the real estate investment based on lifecycle costs and environmental impact. The value of BIM-LCC-LCA integration then comes from many new functionalities, such as: • • • • • • •

Real-time calculation of lifecycle costs and lifecycle assessment Quick access to operational data in the design phase, when BIM is a repository for all data BIM allows for combined lifecycle analysis for maximising the potential financial benefits while minimising the environmental impact of the design over the entire lifecycle [1] Considerably more design options can be assessed in the same amount of time when compared with traditional methods Near automatic calculation of LCA, LCC credit points for sustainability certification [6] The complexity of LCC and LCA analysis is reduced, and made more accessible to a broader range of practitioners [6] As BIM continues to mature and approach “Level 3”, the BIM-LCC-LCA integration will become even swifter.

When it comes to expertise, influence and cost saving potential clients, designers and FM teams are wise to consult sustainability practitioners as early as possible.

[1] Basbagill, J., Flager, F., Lepech, M., & Fischer, M. (2013). Application of life-cycle assessment to early stage building design for reduced embodied environmental impacts. Building and Environment, 60, 81-92.

[2] CRB and IFMA Switzerland. (2011). Life-Cycle Costing of Real Estate.

[3] Dawood, N., & Vukovic, V. (2015). Whole Lifecycle Information Flow Underpinned by BIM: Technology, Processes, Policy and People.

[4] Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., & Liston, K. (2011). BIM handbook a guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors [5] Druhmann, C. K., & Ashworth, S. (2016). Rating Systems in Conjunction with BIM Deliver Outstanding Possibilities for Sustainable Construction. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Research, 3(10), 1711-1717 [6] Druhmann, C. K., Ashworth, S., & Bernegger, H. J. (2016). Increase the Efficiency in Sustainable Construction Using BIM. [7] ISO 15686-5:2017, I. (2017). Buildings and constructed assets - Service life planning - Part 5: Life-cycle costing.

[8] ISO 14044:2006, Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Requirements and guidelines [9] Pitt, M., Tucker M., Riley, M., Longden J. (2009). Towards sustainable construction: promotion and best practices. Construction Innovation, Vol. 9 Issue: 2, pp.201-224