Lidia Pinti

The AEC industry is facing a digital transformation that is improving the efficiency of services involved in designing, building, and operating assets and the users' well-being. Such a transformation towards sustainable smart cities is underpinned by two disruptive technologies: building information modelling (BIM) and internet of things (IoT). In this chapter, the authors present a review of studies that have focused on the identification of BIM and IoT technologies applicable to AEC industry processes, describing suitable strategies for data collection, storage and sharing, and fields of application. They also present data from two case studies that help us to understand how BIM can support better facilities management. From the literature, it was found that process improvements are a predominant research focus, reinforcing that successful BIM and IoT adoption goes beyond the acquisition of technology. The case studies revealed that a framework for prioritising areas is still needed for giving direction to researchers and practitioners concerning where to start the digital transition.

This paper illustrates a methodological approach to optimize the data management process and to reduce costs related to information loss, from the preliminary phases to the Facility Management (FM) one. The growing concern about sustainability issues has steadily increased attention to cultural heritage’s key role. Concurrently, Europe promotes the application of digital methods for managing interventions both for new and existing buildings. The data issue, especially in heritage projects, represents a crucial aspect; data-recovering activities or shortages of information contribute to relevant expenses and discourage stakeholders. The research focuses on how procedures involving digitalization, applied to heritage projects, can improve the information workflow, supporting the hand-over stage. Although the application of digital techniques has recognized advantages, enhancements for optimizing time and cost savings are required. The research result is a methodological framework to obtain complete heritage as-built deliverables for the management phase. The defined structure is applied through a case study approach to the restoration of a historical lyric theater. Thus, the as-built model represents a database for controlling costs and maintenance procedures. In the end, the work provides a tangible contribution to the Heritage BIM (HBIM) delivery and can be a starting point for future improvements.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been extensively studied and applied within the AEC sector, particularly in design and construction. In recent years, Facility Management (FM) processes are becoming more digitalised, thus requiring effective BIM-FM integration. BIM adoption in many countries, such as the UK, Italy and Brazil, has been publicly driven. Generally, adoption was targeted at design and construction implementation, with little effort in framing public action for FM implementation. The lack of an integrated approach for BIM-FM implementation resulted in numerous bespoken implementation approaches that mimic the private sector and hinder knowledge exchange. Therefore, there is a need for assessing and amalgamating knowledge about BIM-FM for public organisations. This research aims to leverage knowledge about BIM-FM in the public domain by analysing and classifying articles published between 2010–2021. The research was carried out through a systematic review and comparative thematic analysis investigating the use of BIM for different public buildings (e.g., schools and hospitals) and the implementation for FM purposes. Research results outline prevalent trends and areas of research from three perspectives: people, process and technology. Results show an increasing number of publications about BIM-FM. However, the divide between BIM-FM for public and private organisations is unequal. BIM-FM research for public organisations is still limited and lacks standardisation. This state-of-the-art review makes an incremental contribution to knowledge by identifying progress, gaps and new industry directions on the subject matter.

The AEC industry is facing a digital transformation that is improving the efficiency of services involved in designing, building, and operating assets and the users' well-being. Such a transformation towards sustainable smart cities is underpinned by two disruptive technologies: building information modelling (BIM) and internet of things (IoT). In this chapter, the authors present a review of studies that have focused on the identification of BIM and IoT technologies applicable to AEC industry processes, describing suitable strategies for data collection, storage and sharing, and fields of application. They also present data from two case studies that help us to understand how BIM can support better facilities management. From the literature, it was found that process improvements are a predominant research focus, reinforcing that successful BIM and IoT adoption goes beyond the acquisition of technology. The case studies revealed that a framework for prioritising areas is still needed for giving direction to researchers and practitioners concerning where to start the digital transition.

The paper underlines the importance to apply a methodology that integrates the Building Information Modeling (BIM), Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and the Laser Scanner tool in conservation and reuse projects. As it is known, the laser scanner technology provides a survey of the building object which is more accurate rather than that carried out using traditional methodologies. Today most existing buildings present their attributes in a dispersed way, stored and collected in paper documents, in sheets of equipment information, in file folders of maintenance records. In some cases, it is difficult to find updated technical documentation and the research of reliable data can be a cost and time-consuming process. Therefore, this new survey technology, embedded with BIM systems represents a valid tool to obtain a coherent picture of the building state. The following case consists in the conservation and reuse project of Milan Lyric Theatre, started in 2013 from the collaboration between the Milan Polytechnic and the Municipality. This project first attempts to integrate these new techniques which are already professional standards in many other countries such as the US, Norway, Finland, England and so on. Concerning the methodology, the choice has been to use BIM software for the structured analysis of the project, with the aim to define a single code of communication to develop a coherent documentation according to rules in a consistent manner and in tight schedules. This process provides the definition of an effective and efficient operating method that can be applied to other projects.