B2 - BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

BIM, building informational Modeling, has been an indispensable process and tool for a project. It helps each department to be involved in every phase from design and construction. As a role of “building handbook”, BIM is a “living repository” that stores building data from multiple departments that involved in facility management. As to owners, BIM gives them a chance to be involved in the beginning of a project, which creates a lot of benefits. In Chapter 4, the BIM Handbook talks about the benefits that BIM will bring to owners and facility managers.
Owners can increase building value much more steadily than traditional facility management. According to Figure 4-1 in BIM Handbook, there is no loss for value of facility documentation due to handover, recreation of information with collaborative BIM-based delivery process in the design and construction phase. The owner is able to have a position in the planning phase that he can have a voice and control of types of equipment or right information and documents. This collaborative process reduces errors and field changes in future facility cycle and produce a more efficient delivery process.
On the other hand, BIM, as a living repository of rich building data, creates a benign delivery system that gives access to all involved departments with real-time and shared asset profiles. Therefore, the objects that are designed for the building is able to be analyzed with relational objects. Facility Manager is able to understand how these objects react to others in the building model, which avoids future field changes and extending the construction schedule. As to the owner, shorten project schedule is always a great benefit. Also, owners can reduce the charges for any field changes happened in the operation phase. BIM 3D models are able to show the location of all the assets in a building, such as HVAC equipment or wires behind the wall. It is more convenient and cheaper to make changes for the involved departments by seeing the 3D model instead of the 2D drawings.
One of another benefit for owners and facility managers will be to have a more accurate cost estimate. Since the owner gets a seat in planning table, he or she gets the chance to provide the feedback at the early phase of a project and therefore will get a more accurate cost estimate.

Source Cited:
Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol. 2nd ed, Wiley, 2011. EBSCOhost, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzM2NDIzOV9fQU41?sid=bc728db5-ac2a-463a-be02-b1d1edcfc78a@pdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_71&rid=0


Comments:
Jenny Fretta:
I totally agree that the conflict and collisions can be a problem between subcontractors in the field. In this respect, BIM helps the facility manager and owners to create a streamline working delivery process which will benefits the project.

Alec Silverstone:
You mentioned that BIM acts as the bridge that unites key contributors such as the designers, the architects, the engineers and contractors. It is also giving a position to the owners. It is true that BIM gives the facility management system a chance to collaborate in the design phase to eliminate the loss.

Julie Hansted Andersen:
I really like the examples you gave and the future you described for BIM parametric modelling. It is an indispensable tool in order to design an avant-garde building. As to owners, it is a great tool to estimate the energy efficiency and even accurate cost estimate. On the other hand, it is a tool that connect the architects, MEP engineers and other department in order to get the accurate measurements and a preliminary design and performance.