7. Benefits and Challenges Using BIM for Operation and Maintenance

Considering the remarkable shift that the digitalisation is nowadays bringing about in the building sector, the chapter presents how data and information collected and managed during design and construction stages improve building operation and maintenance. In particular, the chapter focuses on how the great amount of dynamic data collected around assets during the operational stage is changing the way buildings are experienced and managed. The integration and sharing of information supported by collaborative environments and recent information technologies enhance the management of the built asset. Within that context, the chapter outlines benefits and challenges in adopting BIM-based processes for the operation and maintenance of buildings. Particularly, the chapter presents how an ordered and structured information management allows delivering buildings as service providers, extracting knowledge from real-time data for tracking user behaviours and designing user interactions with buildings. The results allow: (1) implementing workflows for enriching building information in the operational stage and, consequently, operating buildings with an increased value originated by information. (2) Assessing how buildings work in the operational stage, especially taking into consideration the influence of users. (3) Defining strategies for engaging different actors in building operations and informing them about the behaviours of both buildings and users. (4) Providing control strategies when unexpected behaviours (e.g., energy-hungry behaviours, unusual comfort conditions and FM-related failures) are registered. Considering the concept of Industry 4.0, also the collection, storage and fruition of data collected in real-time is considered for an improved building operation and maintenance.