Try Premium Free

Search for 1 Month

Home My Network Jobs Messaging Notifications Me Work

MRT station federated model for Asset Data Management

5 Steps to make BIM to FM Successful

Published on August 13, 2020

Ronan Collins
Follow To Learn about BIM | Project Information | Construction Tech | Data | 15 articles Following
Drones | VR/AR | Digital Twins | Keynote Speaker

The successful use of the information in BIM, produced during design and construction, for
facilities management or asset management is a substantial challenge. In my experience,
there are 5 requirements which must be met before BIM data can be used for FM.

One - The owner needs to define what they want

The owner is buying asset information. The client is responsible for defining what
information they require to manage their assets. The owner has to think of the information as
a valuable asset, that they have to pay for and that they have to maintain.

If they don't see it as a valuable asset they are never going to get what they want and they're
certainly not going to get what they need.

There is a huge responsibility with the client to specify precisely what FM data they want.

Two - Manage the asset data separately from the models

The asset information should be collected, stored and managed in databases, separate from
design or construction models.

I don't believe that the facility management information should be stored in Revit or other
BIM authoring tools. I believe that the information should be kept separate and I believe
there should be a unique key in the model to the data, such as an equipment ID, asset tag or
another unique identifier.

The idea of a Revit team updating models with asset information is counterproductive
because it requires an expensive resource of experienced, competent Revit staff. There is a
lack of modellers with the relevant knowledge. To rely on Revit to store FM data would also
mean retraining an entire industry of facility managers. The best approach is to collect the
data away from the models and link the data and models together.

Three – Classify the information

A critical item for any asset management strategy is You must have a classification system,
such as Uniclass or Omniclass to structure the information correctly.

It's not good enough to say we want the consultants to model the assets. There needs to be an
agreed way of classifying and labeling all the building components in BIM. The
classification system should be based on entities, spaces, systems and products.

For a metro railway project, each station is considered as an entity.

Inside a station are all the spaces. Facility Management is based on spaces. If somebody
reports a problem or an issue with a particular facility, the first thing they will identify is
what room they are in or which space or area they are in. For a client who already has a
space naming specification or convention, this can be used in the classification tables.

Systems are complete networks within an entity. This could be a fire sprinkler system, a
drainage pump system, an air supply system, a smoke extract system etc.

The individual components or elements within a space (room) are products. They could be
a fan, a light, a switch or any particular asset that needs to be repaired.

The classification system is the backbone to everything everything else that we have to do in
terms of collecting data for facilities management. Every asset in the building should be
identifiable by these four pieces of information. The classification data must be included in
BIM using metadata or parameters in the models.

Once the client has identified and specified the classification system, the classification codes
are input into the models by the design consultants. The designers, the architects and
engineers, are responsible for using the correct classification information in their respective
BIM systems. Tools such as Solibri can be used to check that all of the systems are classified
correctly by the designers.
Like Comment Share 446 · 42 Comments
Messaging
Search
Four – Use BIM to identify and review the design of the assets Try Premium Free
Home My Network Jobs Messaging Notifications Me Work for 1 Month

Architectural models contain the spaces (rooms) as well as components such as floor
finishes, doors (with fire rating information), ceilings, balustrades and other important
elements.

Structural models do not typically need to be included in an FM database. Concrete,

structural steel, foundations etc, are not regularly maintained. At least not as frequently as
the live systems.

The live systems are critical to facility management. Air pressurization fans, water pumps,
electrical devices, switches, valves, fire hose reels and many many more components need
to be maintained frequently. These should all be modelled by the MEP consultants during
the detailed design.

For metro railway systems, there are additional components such as speakers, train control
systems, platform screen doors, ticket gates and other systems which need to also be
included.

Federated BIM databases, such as a Navisworks model of a building or station can be used
to identify every building component or asset that needs to be included in an FM system
database. The information in the federated model is used primarily for design and for
construction.

Architects and engineers are not experienced in using data for FM. It is not part of their
standard services. They don’t necessarily know what information is needed to maintain the
assets. Their task is to ensure all the components are modelled, classified and identified
using a unique ID, such as an asset tag in their models.

More importantly the facility management team should regularly review the federated
models to check the plant room layouts, arrangements and designs of the building systems to
determine if the actual building can be maintained efficiently.

Five – Collect the asset data digitally on site

The construction team should be responsible for collecting the asset information that's
required to run the facility. Based on the clients specifications and requirements, the data
needed may include supplier information (manufacturer, description, model, serial number),
equipment details (spec sheets, installation manuals and O&M manuals in PDF),
maintenance requirements, replacement details, life expectancy, etc.

In addition, the contractor can collect data on the procurement process, quality checking,
installation dates, commissioning dates, testing completed and other useful data from the
installation.

Traditionally the FM information was collected as boxes filled with as-built record
drawings, printed O&M manuals and folders filled with signed forms. In some projects the
information filled rooms or containers!

All the data can now be collected digitally. Using the asset tag as a unique identifier, digital
forms can be used to structure and collect all the data required for asset information
management. The asset data can be updated throughout the process of procuring,
manufacturing, delivery, installing and testing every piece of equipment.

Using Fieldview as the site digital data collection platform, our engineers, sub-contractors
and suppliers can ensure that the asset data is collected, submitted, checked and approved in
an efficient and productive manner.

Different digital forms are available for purchasing, for factory based quality control checks,
for delivery to site and for signing off on installation. The forms include data fields for
recording progress monitoring, defects, testing and commissioning and handover to the
owner.

All the asset data is captured using the asset tag as the unique identifier. The asset tag can be
an attached plate on a piece of equipment or a QR code label for scanning and tracking.

We have digitized the system to collect the data on site. That's one reason why we keep the
data separate from the models. The construction data is recorded in a relational database and
the link between the models and the database is through the unique asset identification ID.

There are a number of challenges with collecting asset data;

Messaging
 Ronan Collins • 1st 2w
Try Premium Free
Search Follow To Learn about BIM | Project Information | Construction Tech | Data | Drones | VR/AR | Digital Twins | …
for 1 Month
Home My Network Jobs Messaging Notifications Me Work
Thanks, glad it is useful

Ryan H. • 2nd 2w (edited)

Independant Digital Engineering Consultant

Nicely conveyed - a knowledgeable FM manager/Client is the first key to success and to avoid the overload
and bloat of “all in one basket”, I am an avid believer of utilising active hooks/attributes to allow the entire
ecosystem to reference the necessary information - be what ever form that might take.

· 4 Likes · 2 Replies

Ronan Collins • 1st 2w

Follow To Learn about BIM | Project Information | Construction Tech | Data | Drones | VR/AR | Digital Twins | …

Reminds me of another tip I was once given! “Put the asset data on a diet”. Only consume the
minimum you need. Too much data is worse than too little!

· 2 Likes

Damien Cutcliffe • 2nd 2w

Digital Engineering Lead at WSP

Ronan Collins - Brilliantly put!

Load more comments

Ronan Collins
Follow To Learn about BIM | Project Information | Construction Tech | Data | Drones | VR/AR | Digital Twins | Keynote Speaker

Following

More from Ronan Collins

Tapping Into Neurodiversity Model Review - Free Online Course Drone Surveying & Reality Modeling Why design consultants struggle to
meet the challenge of BIM Level 2
Ronan Collins on LinkedIn Ronan Collins on LinkedIn Ronan Collins on LinkedIn
Ronan Collins on LinkedIn

See all 15 articles

Messaging
Search
how do you know if you have all the required data? Try Premium Free
Home My Network Jobs Messaging Notifications Me Work for 1 Month

how do you know what data is yet to be captured or what data is missing?

how do you check the quality of data you've collected?

To manage the data collection process, it is recommended to plan and schedule all of the
steps or tasks related to the purchasing phase, the delivery phase, the testing phase, the
commissioning phase etc. It is possible to use Primavera P6 or a similar scheduling software
to set up a schedule for all of the individual assets with activities for each task and planned
dates.

The schedule can be linked to the BIM asset models to create a 4D simulation of the MEP
installation for the project. This helps with planning the works but more importantly, the
scheduling information can be used to populate the digital forms in Fieldview and create
check lists for the tasks and activities that have to be completed on site. As the forms are
completed, the data is collected and the data can be used to monitor actual work compared to
the plan of work.

When we are using BIM, the 3D asset model, is the basis for doing the planning and then the
M&E team use their checklists, their procedures and their workflows, to map out all the
tasks required on site. Then we can use Fieldview to capture all the asset data on the site.
This is how we manage the capturing of the FM information during the construction phase.

All the structured information for each asset, can then be passed to the MRT for facilities
management use.

MicroCorp Webinar Presentation

The presentation video shows how the clients asset information requirements, databases of
facilities information, classification using Uniclass, BIM and field data collection using
Fieldview were integrated to collect FM data for the MRT SSP Line.

Owners are buying Asset Information - Do they know the value of the data?

Microcorp Sdn Bhd hosted 4 sessions of the webinar series titled

The “I” in Building Information Modeling: Catch Me If You Can!”

The 4-part webinar series, discussed the “I”, or the “Information” in Building Information
Modeling as it relates to facilities management. The goal is to build awareness around the
wide array of AEC practitioners on how BIM can leverage and be beneficial to the FM
practices.

The speakers for the first session were

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Tarmizi Haron from Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

Ronan Collins, Head of Project Information Management, Gamuda.

Dr. Che Wan Fadhil Che Wan Putra, Director Manager of Emost Services Sdn Bhd

Mr Ahmad Sharainon Md Shaarani the Managing Director of Microcorp Sdn Bhd.

Additional BIM to FM References

Championing technology Gamuda approach to building smarter

https://www.viewpoint.com/blog/championing-technology-gamuda-berhads-approach-to-
building-smarter

BIM for Facility Management Guide

https://it.ifma.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/BIM-FM-Consortium-BIM-Guide-v2_1.pdf

Report this

Published by

Ronan Collins 15 articles Following

Follow To Learn about BIM | Project Information | Construction Tech | Data |
Drones | VR/AR | Digital Twins | Keynote Speaker
Published • 2w

Following on from my BIM to FM presentation, I’ve used the information I shared to create an article to affirm the 5
items that are required to use BIM information for asset management.

Reactions

42 Comments
Most Relevant

Add a comment…

Michael Earley • 1st 2w

BIM Manager at daa

Ronan - very good advise. Michael

· 1 Like · 1 Reply Messaging