The unexpected reuse of a structural model of the Sydney Opera House for FM clearly demonstrates the reusability of the IFC. Based on this enriched IFC file, a showcase system has been developed with which the information from the Sydney Opera House can be visualized and restructured.
Objectives and Scope
Introduction
An analysis of the FM/AM systems at the Sydney Opera House resulted in the following sections. The research 'Digital Building Modeling Recommendations for the Sydney Opera House' resulted in a comprehensive building information specification specifically designed for the Sydney Opera House that can be used as an example for other buildings (Section 8: BIM Specifications for the Sydney Opera House ).
Facilities Management (FM) Systems at Sydney Opera House
- Existing FM Systems
- Assets
- Maintenance
- Statutory Compliance
- Building Presentation
- Strategic Plan
- External Services
Maintenance is complicated at the Sydney Opera House due to the nature of the building, a high level of building services and operational requirements which significantly limit access to operational areas. Ongoing scheduled maintenance services are undertaken by external contractors for each of the four technical elements, e.g.
Building Documentation Management
- History
- Nature of Sydney Opera House
- CAD Drawings
- Survey Markers Project
- Digital Models
- Facilities Plan Room
- Building Services
- Security
- Asset Strategy
- Current Services Status
Recently, key parts of the microfilm archive have been converted to pdf format and are available in a preview version on an intranet for all Sydney Opera House staff. A new security system has been installed that controls access and monitors the use of the Sydney Opera House facilities.
Building Information Models (BIM)
- A Definition of BIM
- Generic Attributes of BIM
- BIM Benefits
- Interoperability or Building Data Sharing
- IFC Protocol
- Data Sharing with BIM
- Initial Developments
- Building as a System
Faster and more effective processes – information is shared more easily, can add value and can be reused. Interoperability is defined as the seamless sharing of construction data between multiple applications (or disciplines) during any or all lifecycle phases of a construction development project.
Industry Take-up of Building Information Models
- Finland
- Singapore
- Norway
- USA
Particularly rich data could be used for AM / FM if the implemented state information in the model was updated during the construction process. Although it had a similar structure to the Singapore system, it required land and planning information that was not yet supported by the IFC standard. The General Services Administration (GSA) authorizes IFC to approve capital works. IAI's North American division is a founding partner and has played a dominant role in supporting IFC's efforts.
Statistics released by the US Department of Commerce show that over four decades, from 1964 to 2004, productivity in the construction industry actually declined, while productivity in all other non-agricultural industries increased by 30%. The real value of BIM, says contractor Jim Bedrick, director of systems integration at Webcor Builders, is the ability to collaborate between architect, client and major subcontractors, leading to better value for the owner. He sees that the BIM model has long-term consequences for the owner's ability to operate and maintain the facility after the handover of construction.
Hagan would like to see the AEC community create added value for the owner by specifically building a BIM model for operations and maintenance purposes only. Martin Fischer, director of Stanford University's Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE), confirmed with hard data that using 3D and 4D modeling at the right early stages of the design and construction process results in significant building efficiencies and cost savings. For example, in one project, he quoted, “Usable square footage increased by 20% for the same building footprint thanks to better models.”
Facility Management (FM) Support in IFC
Some Key Concepts of the IFC Model
IfcSharedFacilitiesElements
IfcFacilitiesMgmtDomain
IfcSharedMgmtElements
IfcProcessExtension
Strategic Asset Planning and Facilities Management (FM)
IFC Compliant Software for FM
Vizelia, FR
This product was written from scratch based on the IFC standard, initially for one of the largest French insurance companies, AXA, for local and international FM offices.
RYHTI, FI
All modules in the RYHTI software run on a common database, which creates the basis for effective information management. Due to the open structure of the database, the system can be easily adapted to the individual needs of different organizations. Access to the information in the system can be defined to suit each user's tasks and roles.
This application was developed in Denmark by one of the largest multidisciplinary engineering practices in the country, Rambøll. Data is entered into the system close to the source and those who need it get it directly from the system. This standard model stores, updates and provides easy access to a huge amount of information related to a building.
So how can a system be developed to help manage this data, provide access to the data and develop tools and processes to keep the data up to date. SABLE - Simple Access to Building Lifecycle Exchange - aims to replace file-based data exchange by accelerating the use of model servers in the construction industry. Hides the complexity of the IFC data model by providing direct access to the required data.
International FM Project – Ifc-mBomb
The benefit of this work is that the use of APIs in the FM sector will greatly assist Australian and other developers to develop faster IFC compliance and exploit the benefits of the BIM integrated data repository. The project clearly demonstrated that using IFC model exchanges provides more opportunities for end users to choose their preferred software application and still be able to exchange semantically rich data between systems. In many cases in the scenario, the choice of software used to create the building model was not important – as long as it was certified to support the IFC 2x specification.
The heating and cooling requirements from the energy analysis application were used by the duct detailing program to size duct components and equipment. Materials and thicknesses of building elements are reused directly from the architectural model of the building from the energy analysis application. Room requirements data sheet information was available in the FM system as it was first created in the design phase.
Manufacturers' product data and recommendations were obtained from electronic catalogs and added to the model as elements were upgraded from generic to specific products. Hazard and safety information was related to specific cases during design and included (in red) in the O&M documents. The Ifc-mBomb project provides reliable evidence of the technical feasibility and operational benefits that BIM-based FM can achieve.
Building Information Specifications for Sydney Opera House
- Introduction
- Sydney Opera House Master Model Data
- Sydney Opera House Sub-models
- Sydney Opera House IFC Model Setup
- The Site Model & GIS
- The Architectural Model
- Building Services
- Asset Maintenance & Presentation
- Model Auditing
- Sydney Opera House BIMSS Compliance
Terrain elements are a designated discipline and must comply with Section 8.3 Sydney Opera House Sub-models when exchanging data. Utilities are a designated discipline and must comply with Section 8.3 Sydney Opera House Sub-models when exchanging data. Where model entities are part of the Sydney Opera House Asset Register, the data will be.
Architectural elements are discipline specific and must correspond to Sydney Opera House submodels when exchanging data. Structural elements are discipline specific and must conform to Sydney Opera House submodels when exchanging data. Mechanical Services elements are discipline specific and must conform to the Sydney Opera House submodels for data exchange.
CAVS elements are discipline specific and must comply with the Sydney Opera House sub-models of section 8.3 when exchanging data. Security elements are discipline specific and must comply with the Sydney Opera House sub-models of section 8.3 when exchanging data. Hydraulics are discipline specific and must comply with Sydney Opera House section 8.3 submodels when exchanging data.
Transport elements are a designated discipline and will comply with Section 8.3 Sydney Opera House Sub-models when exchanging data. Equipment Elements is a designated discipline and will comply with Section 8.3 Sydney Opera House Sub-models when exchanging data.
SHOWCASE: IFC Building Information supporting AM/FM for Sydney Opera House
- Introduction
- An Overview of an Integrated FM System for Sydney Opera House
- Showcase
- Interoperability using the IFC
- Technical Recommendations
The integrated FM system must deal with specific information of the Sydney Opera House such as the breakdown of buildings in the Sydney Opera House and specific information such as BFI, BPI, etc. The following screenshot demonstrates the use of a Building Information Model which is part from the Sydney Opera includes Dissolution of the House. For example, results of queries such as retrieving all objects with a certain performance index can be visualized (Figure 10).
Where possible, this test model adopted the standards proposed in the draft BIM Standard Specification for the Sydney Opera House. Several elements are already available in the digital facility model, such as elements, doors, walls, etc. This specific Sydney Opera House data model can be linked to a standardized building information model, such as IFC.
This approach has been implemented resulting in a system that reuses IFC data enhanced with Sydney Opera House specific functionalities, such as BPI history data, etc. (figure 18). Leaving existing tools and infrastructure aside for the time being, an ideal situation would be to have an integrated data model containing all relevant information about the Sydney Opera House for different departments (Figure 19). In addition, a heterogeneous solution containing for example an SQL database and connection to the IFC model is also feasible.
Key Findings and Recommendations
Findings
The availability of BIM-based FM applications is still in its infancy, but targeted systems are already in use internationally and offer excellent prospects for implementation systems at the Sydney Opera House. Controlled whole life costs and environmental data – environmental performance, maintenance and investments are predictable, life cycle costs can be analyzed and understood; Better customer service – information can be accessed in multiple formats that suit every user, ie.
Common operational picture for current and strategic planning – as model data are interrelated, development scenarios and their impact (such as budgeting for major maintenance, assessment of security or understanding of disruption during construction activity) can be more easily understood leading to better decision making ;. Visual decision making – allows managers, management and lay users (in particular) to understand the nature and relationships of the facility, e.g. building services failures through graphical 3D or abstract views generated from the model, etc.; Total cost of ownership model – all aspects of the facility, including building use and operations, are in a single integrated repository.
Tests using partial BIM data – provided by several of Sydney Opera House's current consultants – show that creating a complete model of Sydney Opera House is realistic, but dependent on resolution of compliance and detailed functional support by participating software applications. The showcase successfully demonstrated that IFC-based interchange is possible with several common BIM-based applications through the creation of a new partial model of the building. A Benchmarking System can be derived from the BIM model that is already in use for, for example, a Building Presentation Index (BPI); Although there are different options in detail, an ideal situation would be to have an integrated data model that contains all relevant information for the Sydney Opera House for different departments.
Recommendations for Sydney Opera House
Liaise and regularly report on the BIM implementation with NSW Government and industry as a model for future information management, collaborative processes and potential for innovation. Working with external suppliers and contractors to develop procurement systems based on the Sydney Opera House BIM model.
Recommendations for the Facilities Management (FM) Industry
