Supporting building automation systems in BIM/IFC: reviewing the existing information gap
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 25 February 2020
Issue publication date: 22 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the continuous development of Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards, not all of its dimensions are supported to the same extent. This is the case of Building Automation Systems (BAS) in which the features that are limited mostly to physical setup of devices are supported. These are largely insufficient to support modeling automation scenarios. The purpose of this article is to clarify the gap in the state of the art and define the need for further developments.
Design/methodology/approach
This article explores the existing gap in the literature and discusses the hypothesis of extending BIM to a wider support of BA concepts. Based on an assessment of scientific and technical literature, this study elicits the information requirements of BA and performs a gap analysis with current BIM standards, such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC).
Findings
Our findings lead us to conclude that there is a lack of completeness regarding features from BAS automation and management levels. Furthermore, it is shown that IFC is the most adequate data model to cover BAS without losing its purpose, but there is still a considerable work that needs to be addressed in future research.
Originality/value
BIM standards such as IFC position themselves as natural candidates for modeling and exchanging information regarding BA. However, the extent to which BIM supports automation features has never been rigorously analyzed. This article explores the existing gap in the literature and discusses the hypothesis of extending BIM to a wider support of BA concepts. Based on an assessment of scientific and technical literature, this study elicits the information requirements of BA and performs a gap analysis with current BIM standards such as IFC.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work of INESC-ID researchers is supported by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under contract UIDB/50021/2020.
Citation
Vieira, R., Carreira, P., Domingues, P. and Costa, A.A. (2020), "Supporting building automation systems in BIM/IFC: reviewing the existing information gap", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 1357-1375. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-07-2018-0294
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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