BIM in Facilities Management and Its Benefits

Blog

BIM in Facilities Management and Its Benefits

BIM in Facilities Management and Its Benefits 1

Use of Modern Technology and 3D Modeling Has a Great Influence on the Way Facilities are Managed

Facilities management (FM) has come a long way, especially in the last decade. The amalgamation of newer practices and cutting-edge technologies have equipped facilities managers with improved approaches towards maintaining and managing buildings and related facilities. The recent times have seen an upsurge of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the area of FM. BIM leveraged 3D computing and modelling in order to create a coherent and comprehensive information centre for a building.

While BIM should be gaining traction within the facilities management arena, it is still being treated with somewhat of a skepticism and naivety by many. One of the primary reasons for this is that people often assume that the information in BIM is only useful if the people handling the system are well versed in CAD software and 3D modelling. However, this has never been the case. BIM is simply an all-inclusive, process-driven technology that can help facility managers in saving cost, time and efforts while maintaining the building.

What is BIM?

BIM is a technology that can map and tangibly quantify the ways of designing, constructing, managing and maintaining a building. By making use of modern technology, BIM offers an immersive experience to the users with the help of 3D modeling wherein individual stages of building construction and maintenance can be simulated for real-life feel. The core purpose of BIM is to digitally represent as many aspects of a building as possible in order to collect information and help facilities managers make insightful decisions. 

BIM is mandatory for high rise buildings and residential projects in the UK. One of the primary objectives of the UK government behind this move objective is to leverage BIM in order to align the structures with UN’s Sustainable Development goals.

How Does BIM Benefit Facility Managers?

BIM is a technologically advanced move towards building maintenance and thus it has the potential of serving a company’s facility maintenance initiatives in many beneficial ways. Since BIM is a holistic approach towards building design, construction and maintenance, it can be used as an end-to-end tool by design and FM consultants and the information from BIM can be useful in decision-making. Here’s a look at some of the prominent ways in which BIM can benefit facility maintenance solutions:

    1. BIM Saves on Cost, Efforts and Time: Like any other department, facility management too is concerned with cost-effectiveness, optimized time management and streamlining of the efforts. BIM can be effective on all three fronts. Instead of having to record and maintainBIM in Facilities Management and Its Benefits 2information in silos, BIM keeps all information of a building’s complete lifecycle in one location. This can help in reducing efforts and costs. It is also convenient for facility managers to refer to information in a single tool in order to take insightful decisions regarding building management, repairs and maintenance.

    2. BIM Facilitates Preventative Maintenance: Preventive or proactive maintenance is an integral part of facility management. By entering the information pertaining to building’s structures (wall, floor, ceiling etc.), facilities (electrical wiring, plumbing, equipment etc.) and periodic maintenance schedules, BIM can help facility managers in scheduling preventative maintenance. Based on the need for repair, expiry of warranty or replacement requirements (this information can be gathered from BIM), facility managers can take necessary actions in advance.

    3. BIM Reduces Safety Risks and Chances of Unfortunate Incidents: Building and asset maintenance comes with the possibility of safety incidents. It is one of the crucial jobs of facility managers to ensure safety of building and its occupants. With BIM, the risks of safety-related incidents can be greatly reduced as the BIM information will enable FM department to take proactive actions. Faulty equipment can be repaired beforehand, leakages can be fixed in advance, electrical fittings can be checked regularly, and all the assets can be maintained properly as upkeep is facilitated well in advance with BIM.

    4. Continuous Tracking of Energy Usage: Usage of energy creates environmental impact and these days, companies are looking at ways to reduce their building’s environmental footprint. With BIM, this goal of sustainability can be greatly supported as BIM helps in continuously tracking the energy usage, water consumption and use of non-renewable resources. This tracking will give facility managers an idea as to whether there is any wastage of resources taking place. Based on BIM data, leaders can also decide on replacing conventional resources with renewable energy resources for greater sustainability.

    5. BIM Data Can Be Integrated with FM Software: BIM data is highly reliable and visually enriched. The best part about BIM is that that information can be seamlessly integrated with an FM tool to ease record maintenance and analysis. This analysis will generate reports that are on-point and full of useful information regarding building management, maintenance and repairs. Since facility managers can have 3D view of the building structures, along with information regarding the cost, location, data of installment (in case of equipment), warranty, serial number, service history and specifications, they can make decisions in advance when it comes to maintenance and repairs. 

BIM in Facilities Management and Its Benefits 3

As innovation with the leverage of newer technologies is becoming a norm in facility maintenance solutions, BIM is becoming more and more popular amongst governments, asset managers,  developers, builders and facility managers. The use of BIM can bring integral shift in the ways with which FM departments function in any organization. The data and information in BIM is useful in planning, construction, operations development, repairs, maintenance and improvement of a building. 

To know more about various technological advancements in FM, visit https://www.evbex.com/. We are a leading facility management consultancy helping organizations in achieving facilities operational excellence through optimising infrastructure, space, building services, people, business processes, and technology.

Author: Richard Davies, MD Evbex
Date: Oct-22

Comments are closed.