The theory of BIM-based full lifecycle application involves utilizing BIM technology throughout every phase of construction projects—from planning and design to bidding, construction, and finally operation and maintenance management. This approach ensures that engineering information is transmitted, shared, and integrated seamlessly across the entire lifecycle without any loss. The key role of full lifecycle BIM technology is to enable all stakeholders involved in construction projects to interact with information directly within the model. This fundamentally transforms the traditional construction management practices that rely on texts, symbols, and other forms to represent blueprints, thereby profoundly impacting the sustainable and healthy development of the industry as a whole.
Full Lifecycle BIM Technology Application Framework
The lifecycle of a construction project involves multiple participants, including the owner, design teams, construction units, operation and management teams, and government agencies. The volume of information exchanged is vast and highly complex, yet its utilization rate remains extremely low, hindering the effective implementation of comprehensive lifecycle applications.
To address this, the concept of a full lifecycle application framework based on BIM technology aims to completely revolutionize traditional methods of information transmission and sharing. It leverages BIM’s unique advantages in highly integrated and collaborative information exchange. This framework effectively connects all stages and participants in construction projects to ensure sustainable application and efficient management throughout the entire lifecycle. The framework consists of three main components:
(1) Building Foundation – Data Layer
Engineering data takes many forms across different stages of a construction project’s lifecycle, and the data formats generated by various BIM software differ accordingly. To facilitate better collaboration and ensure continuous use of model information across stages, a BIM database must be established. This database enables seamless information exchange, interoperability, and extensibility within the model, serving as the foundation for implementing a full lifecycle BIM application framework.
(2) Building Carrier – Model Layer
All information related to a construction project’s entire lifecycle—from initial concept to operational management—is stored within the final BIM model. As the project progresses and data accumulates, stage-specific submodels are created to meet the distinct BIM application needs of each phase. These submodels contain the professional and categorical model information relevant to their respective stages, while also extracting, expanding, and integrating data from previous phases. This iterative process continuously refines and enriches the model, culminating in a comprehensive lifecycle model.
(3) Building Applications – Functional Layer
The primary aim of integrating, storing, and constructing parametric models within BIM databases is to unlock full lifecycle application management value through BIM data. The functional layer comprises various modules tailored to different BIM application goals, with specific focuses depending on the project stage. For instance, during construction, key BIM-based functional modules include schedule management and cost management, corresponding to their respective submodels.
Liu Linlin (Qingdao Institute of Technology)
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