BIM4FM – Slim Twin = Essential Information Only

We’ve finally got it! Finally, what all participants in the building life cycle have been quietly dreaming about is becoming a reality. BIM4FM slim Twin – digital twins are created in parallel to the buildings around us and, most importantly, they live and develop together with them. Discover how BIM4FM Slim Twin enhances facility management with streamlined, essential data and efficient digital twin updates

However, it is not that simple – it is not enough to simply throw all the information into a BIM bag. It is worth looking at the purpose of creating an accurate model with a BIM database that shows the actual condition of the building. This data is to improve the property management process, especially in terms of technical service and the entire facility management. Therefore, it is necessary to precisely specify at the very beginning the scope of data that we want to provide to facility managers.

What are the key aspects of managing BIM for Facility Management?

To achieve this, it is necessary to look at the investment from their perspective and to transfer to the operation stage a BIM database that will contain the necessary data relevant from the FM point of view. Too much useless information significantly increases the cost of keeping the digital twin up to date, creates problems with access to the model via mobile devices and makes it difficult to access the necessary information.

During the operational phase, users make the most extensive use of data on building installations and devices. After the building is put into use, they are subject to continuous changes and updates. This data consists of information

• thermodynamic (including operating temperature and pressure ranges),
• electrical (voltage, power and permissible current)
• operational (carrying data about the guarantor, manufacturer, supplier, installer, warranty expiry date or start-up).

The BIM database will be used for building management, therefore information about the model should be made available in an open data exchange format – COBie.

Updating and Managing BIM Data at the Operational Stage. BIM4FM slim twin data management

Thanks to open standards, we transfer data to the operational stage. We can update and expand them and supplement them with appropriate documents. Such as commissioning, measurement or inspection reports. Thanks to this, BIM becomes a platform for documenting information about the building. This is done by means of a relational link between information created at the design and construction stage and that created at the operational stage.

Reducing BIM data and, consequently, the digital twin is not about including as little information as possible. It is about ensuring that all this information can be easily updated and used by FM. One of the tools that can be used for this purpose is using an external database mapped with the project topology. Thanks to this, subsequent users of the model will not be burdened with limitations in updating data related to the use of native formats and re-exporting the model with the database to the originally used software.

In this way, we keep the digital twin in line with reality without performing additional actions. Apart from those resulting from the exploitation process conducted by Facility Managers.

Are you interested in combining BIM and Facility Management? Write to us for detailed information about training.