What are the challenges in BIM equipment operation and maintenance management? What do they mean? Currently, BIM has been partially applied during the maintenance and operation management phase, mainly focusing on facility management (FM). Traditionally, before BIM systems were introduced, facility management relied heavily on paper records to document asset inventories. This manual approach demanded substantial manpower to record and organize information, making it prone to data loss and transmission errors.
By integrating BIM into the maintenance and management of building equipment, information is presented through 3D models and stored digitally. This visual approach makes it easier to read and retrieve data, while digitalization simplifies information management and updates. BIM adoption in maintenance reduces labor and time costs, filling gaps in information management.
The maintenance and operation phase is emerging as a key area for BIM application within the building lifecycle. Currently, BIM in maintenance and operation primarily targets facility management, which focuses on asset management and the repair and upkeep of building equipment to maintain a stable operational level.
The use of BIM in facility management so far has been limited mostly to equipment inspection and maintenance tracking. It has not yet achieved full integration among buildings, information, the environment, and users. BIM implementation should actively encourage interaction between buildings and their surroundings. The following areas in facility management still need significant improvement:
(1) Passive management approach: Equipment maintenance still relies on regular inspections by personnel and lacks real-time facility status updates. Maintenance operates reactively rather than proactively. Although BIM helps reduce information loss and improves data accuracy through asset inventories and reporting, the overall management process remains similar to traditional methods. There is a one-sided flow of information between users without dynamic, proactive responses to environmental changes or evolving user needs.
(2) Disconnect between information and physical space: BIM data for facility management exists virtually on computers, presented through structured reports and visual models accessible only on digital platforms. During inspections, there is no true “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) experience in the actual building space. Managers cannot directly access relevant data linked to the objects they inspect, making the information less meaningful in the real spatial context. Even with virtual reality (VR) technology allowing exploration of building models, there remains a lack of connection between digital information and the physical building, limiting practical use during maintenance.
(3) Management disconnected from the field: Information services are not integrated with the physical locations needing management. Managers require specialized knowledge to identify which equipment requires maintenance. Current facility management models do not fully present BIM data at the exact locations within the building. While augmented reality (AR) and BIM integration is emerging in real and virtual building maintenance, managers still struggle to process and organize information on-site after inspections. Maintenance decisions often rely on intuition and experience rather than direct data access. Service delivery and management are performed remotely from the physical space, resulting in low correlation between information and the actual environment.
The strategy of applying BIM in maintenance and operation management is evolving beyond basic equipment inspection and repair. It represents a paradigm shift toward dynamic, environmentally friendly, and human-centered services enabled by BIM throughout the building lifecycle. BIM’s role is expanding from simply generating 3D information to functioning as a collaborative physical-virtual platform that carries digital data and connects seamlessly with the real world.
That concludes the discussion on the challenges in BIM equipment operation and maintenance management and what they mean. I hope this article provides helpful insights for everyone!
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