Automatically Updating Maintenance Information from a BIM Database

Abstract

With the development of building information modeling, knowledge sharing between facility management and design professionals has become possible. The use of building information modeling (BIM) technology in the design and construction phases of buildings is increasing. There is a need to expand the use of BIM beyond the two to three years design and construction phase into the facility management phase of buildings in order to facilitate tasks such as maintenance and to maximize its value to facility owners. However, the fact of current Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) industry practice is that the facility management phase seldom uses the BIM models even when they are required by the owner in design and construction phase. This fact results in BIM models being wasted where they have the most value, in the facility management phase. This study is a part of the ongoing research of BIM-assisted Facility Management which is aimed to bridge the communication gap between design and facility management professionals. This paper focuses on automatic bidirectional communications between Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and BIM models on a database level.