BIM as an information sharing resource for facilities management and operations.
Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) has created an information rich, digital model of its three campuses in Auckland and is using this live resource to support the planning, management and operation of its facilities for the whole of their life cycle. By integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) with Unitec’s facilities management system it’s possible to track who is using what facilities for which activities at any time. This provides for the most efficient and cost effective use of resources.
Prior to BIM adoption in 2008, facilities information at Unitec was managed using Aperture zone planning software, in conjunction with 2D drawings. The information was printed annually as an A3 sized “Plan Book”. Unitec first considered using BIM in 2007 as part of a decision to develop a dedicated facilities management software application in-house to integrate digital building information with all facilities management and operation (FM&O) workflows to enable more efficient information sharing. A key motivation was the lack of a suitable off-the-shelf product. Specifically, none of the available software products evaluated at the time allowed for integration with BIM.
The project consisted of three tasks:
1. Development of Unitec’s FM system – a web based, integrated, information and asset management system.
2. Construction of Autodesk Revit models of all campus buildings in two stages, i.e., firstly the building shell then the interior layout and space objects including properties, fixtures and fittings.
3. Integration of BIM with Unitec’s FM system. A total of 191 buildings were successfully modelled in Revit and fully integrated into Unitec’s FM system.
The information generated by Unitec’s BIM based, FM system is now being used by the Institute’s teaching staff, security and compliance team, campus planning team, facilities management and operations team and contractors. At the core of the Unitec’s FM system is a centralised database that maintains a live link to every building model in the BIM repository.
BIM has produced better quality information, boosted productivity, improved user satisfaction, increased FM&O workflow efficiency and driven opportunities for innovation.
To read the whole case study please download by clicking on the button here.
Project duration:
May 2007 to January 2012
BIM Uses:
Existing condition modelling
Record modelling
Asset management
Building (preventative) maintenance scheduling
Space management tracking
