In recent years, with the development and widespread adoption of BIM, many projects have integrated BIM technology throughout the design and construction phases. While the use of BIM during design and construction has become increasingly mature, its application in the operation and maintenance stages remains relatively rare.
1. From a building’s entire lifecycle perspective, the operation and maintenance phase often spans decades or even centuries, far longer than the design and construction phases. During this phase, the volume of data to be managed is enormous and complex. This data ranges from geological survey reports during planning, CAD drawings from various design disciplines, organizational plans for construction teams, to warranty forms from operation and maintenance departments. Without an effective operation and maintenance management platform to organize and handle these diverse data sets, critical information may be permanently lost. This loss makes timely, convenient, and efficient retrieval of information difficult, let alone performing data mining, analysis, and informed decision-making. Therefore, given that operation and maintenance is the longest phase in a building’s lifecycle, applying BIM technology here is crucial.
2. BIM technology can model and simulate various aspects of infrastructure such as underground pipe galleries, intermediate nodes, monitoring centers, as well as buildings and equipment pipelines. Pre-simulation in design helps avoid issues that are difficult to fix during construction. By importing project-related data into the BIM database, it is possible to create accurate building simulations and design workflows that minimize problems caused by data transfer and changes throughout the project stages. This approach enables decision-makers to access intuitive and clear information displays during both project implementation and operation. Additionally, cloud service platforms facilitate collaborative, cross-departmental operations. Furthermore, by integrating sensor data—such as humidity, temperature, and pressure—from IoT devices into BIM, operation and maintenance processes can be enhanced through real-time monitoring.
3. With the rapid advancement of IoT technology, the integration of BIM in operation and maintenance management has entered a new phase. Known as the third wave of the global information industry after computers and the internet, the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to boost economic efficiency and reduce costs while driving global economic recovery. Countries including the United States, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea are investing heavily in IoT research and development. China is also prioritizing IoT innovation, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology collaborating with relevant departments to develop policies and standards that support next-generation information technologies. We believe that combining IoT with BIM in the operation and maintenance phase of building lifecycles will generate significant economic benefits. However, the journey toward fully realizing BIM-enabled operation and maintenance remains long.
In summary, this article outlines key approaches for better utilizing BIM technology during the operation and maintenance phase. Perspectives may vary, but I hope these insights prove helpful to everyone!
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