BIM Basics for Real Estate and Facility Managers

Abstract

This chapter presents the basic principles of a successful application of the BIM method from the perspective of facility management (FM). Starting from the development stages to the current understanding of BIM, the basics of CAFM systems are also introduced, as well as their scope of functions and typical challenges of CAFM projects in relation to the BIM method.

In order to answer the central question of the benefits of BIM for FM, important BIM application cases are considered along the individual operational phases, from commissioning, operation to renovation and end of life. This includes the consideration of economic, technical and above all organizational aspects. With the explanation of the principle of digital twins, the concepts of BIM, CAFM and IoT are linked to each other in order to use BIM models not only for the static description of buildings, but also in the context of dynamic building use for predictions of building behaviour and for the optimization of energy efficiency.

The implementation of the BIM method in FM and the understanding of BIM for facility managers in the planning and construction phase, is dealt with in the following section. For this purpose, basic definitions of the BIM method are presented, as well as different stages for the introduction of BIM using the BIM maturity model, and typical additional dimensions of BIM for the consideration of time, cost and operational view are presented.

In order to implement this practically, however, important basics of model-based data exchange must be taken into account. The different forms of using (open) or manufacturer-specific (closed) data formats for cooperation with BIM are explained and practical tips for the definition of asset information requirements (AIR) as a specification of requirements for BIM from the FM perspective are presented.