Building-as-a-Service: Theoretical Foundations and Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The provision of data with information management are a significant challenge for the digital developing construction industry. The utilisation of data from a built asset’s planning, design, and construction phases to the operations phase core and to the facility management function of building and integration in supporting core business and support services is frequently limited due to technical obstacles in information management. The paper presents the second of three stages of design science research to propose a conceptual approach for the implementation of the “as-a-service” method for the construction industry, namely “Building-as-a-Service” (BaaS). BaaS involves a shift in the concept of services: users become recipients of services generated by the building, not only services provided in the building. The paper shows the interdependencies between these various concepts and suggests a possible framework for the inclusion of these “as-a-Service” approaches for enabling a Digital Twin based on Building Information Modelling, which is becoming mandatory in several European states. The study gathered the foundational theoretical constructs through a literature review and elucidated them to make the proposed framework feasible. The theoretical foundations comprise Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Digital Twin (DT), the interconnecting technology of smart applications and the practical application in projects. The approach of “Building-as-a-Service” in combination with smart applications can be an approach to making the use of buildings available in a resource-saving way to clients, building owners and users.