Integrating real-time information in BIMs for building sustainability in the operational stage

In order to enhance quality and performances of the built environment, great attention has to be focused not only on designing and managing buildings, but also on providing services to support the needs of occupants. Considering the main inefficiencies of traditional building processes, especially those related to the exchange and update of information along different stages of the building life, the paper presents possible workflows and draft tools based on information management for operating intelligent buildings, analysing the impacts of users on building sustainability. Focusing on building in-use stages, it is important to explore how BIM practices and technologies could improve a data-driven asset management, by enriching building information in operation. Particularly, advantages in tracking the behaviour of occupants and satisfying the needs of users could be derived through the availability of real-time information, i.e. collected by sensors. In this way, building processes could be based not only on performance oriented design, but also on validated building operations, by establishing a connection between as-designed virtual models (results of BIM - Building Information Modelling - processes) and as-delivered physical assets (monitored in real-time, i.e. through BMS - Building Management Systems). In order to enrich BIM databases with real-time information, two alternatives have been evaluated. The first one is based on the customisation of the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) exporter source code in order to correctly map built-in parameters (associated to elements through BIM authoring tools) and IFC properties related to sensors. By connecting systems for the acquisition of data to BIM databases through IFC, the building model will always be updated and thus be a dynamic repository of data along the building life. The second one relies on the association of external databases to BIM models through ad-hoc graphs created in visual programming environments. This scenario assures to update data in the BIM model, by automatically or manually changing data in management and analysis tools. Real-time information connected to BIM informative contents should allow visualising, analysing and controlling the behaviour of end-users. Therefore, the results should allow informing users about their behaviour and defining control strategies for the reduction of building impacts, assuring adequate comfort conditions.