The Digital Building Council’s BIM to Smart initiative aims to bridge the gap between building information modelling and smart building technology. Project lead John Clarke discusses the project ahead of the DBC’s BIM to Smart panel at Digital Construction Week
The digital transformation of the built environment is undeniable, yet a significant chasm often separates the world of Building Information Modelling (BIM) from the burgeoning realm of smart buildings.
While both are critical for modern construction and operations, my experience working across multiple smart building projects has highlighted a common disconnect between the different teams overseeing these separate workstreams.
It was during some of these project struggles that I stepped up to help lead the Digital Buildings Council’s (DBC) BIM to Smart initiative. Our mission is clear: to actively explore and address the complex integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) with smart
building technologies.
The core of our investigation, and indeed the focus of an upcoming panel at Digital Construction Week (DCW), centres around overcoming challenges in data integration, communication breakdowns, digital twin lifecycles and crucial standardisation barriers.
This panel, a direct reflection of our project initiative, will bring together a slimmed-down range of expert perspectives from both the BIM and smart building sides, including leading main contractors.
We firmly believe that greater collaboration between these communities can foster a more unified approach to smart building development, driven by knowledge sharing and cross-industry education to enhance best practice. During initial discussions within our working group, most of the recurring questions and observations consistently fell into one of three critical categories:
- The disconnect between BIM and smart buildings.
- The importance of collaboration and education.
- The urgent need for standardisation and alignment.
The disconnect between BIM and smart buildings
While each of these areas warrants at least one article each, I’m going to focus here on what I see as the inherent disconnect between the two areas.
BIM has revolutionised design and construction, providing rich, data-centric models. However, its project delivery strengths and clash detection benefits often don’t transition to the operational lifecycle of a smart building. This isn’t typically the BIM team’s fault, but a broader lack of cohesion beyond immediate construction drivers.
BIM models, comprehensive for design and build, often lack the granular, asset-level data essential for smart building systems. This can stem from a “selfish BIM” approach, where models are created primarily for construction needs, neglecting operational data requirements of sensors, IoT and performance monitoring. The result: design data not easily translated into actionable intelligence for smart operations.
In my experience, this shortcoming often boils down to the sheer quantity and variable quality of documentation. Employer’s Requirements (ER), BIM Execution Plans (BEP), trade specifications and Smart Specifications frequently request data in multiple places.
Unfortunately, these documents often, at best, don’t align and, at worst, directly contradict each other. Furthermore, the distinct focuses of the BIM (design, construction) and smart building (operations, technology) communities lead to entrenched communication silos. Critical information isn’t exchanged effectively, causing data omissions and challenges in translating design intent into functional smart systems.
While BIM offers a robust foundation for building projects, its true value in the operational phase of a smart building often remains untapped. A critical aspect of bridging the BIM-to-smart disconnect is rethinking how BIM is developed and maintained with ongoing operational use firmly in mind.
It’s not uncommon for extensive time and effort to be invested in meticulously detailing every single asset, item or sensor within a BIM model, only for this rich data to be largely overlooked by the maintenance and facilities management teams once the building is handed over.
This often highlights a fundamental challenge: operational teams frequently lack the specialised skills and software to effectively manage and extract actionable insights from complex BIM systems. Expecting a maintenance operative to consult a highly detailed BIM model, or to require a skilled CAD engineer every time a minor change, like moving a light fitting, is needed is simply impractical. Such approaches create friction, inefficiency and ultimately lead to the abandonment of the BIM model as a living operational tool.
Therefore, a “less is more” approach in the integration of BIM into a smart and operational building is often a more logical and effective strategy. This means prioritising the capture of BIM data that is truly relevant and directly actionable for ongoing operations and smart system integration. The focus should shift from exhaustive detail to strategic utility, ensuring that the information within the BIM model is accessible, understandable and directly supports the operational workflows of the building management teams.
BIM to Smart panel at DCW
Our BIM to Smart panel at DCW on 4 June, along with ongoing DBC initiatives, aims
to illuminate this critical gap and champion collaboration, education, standardisation and alignment.
By openly discussing challenges and sharing best practices, we empower stakeholders across the construction and operations spectrum. This dialogue is crucial for standardised approaches, improved communication and, ultimately, ensuring valuable data from design and construction is fully leveraged throughout a building’s lifecycle.
As part of our DBC BIM to Smart working group, we seek feedback and input from diverse industry sources: CAD system providers, consultants, contractors, system trades and MSIs. Watch this space for further announcements.
The BIM to Smart panel at DCW promises a vital conversation for anyone in the built environment. By addressing the critical need for better integration and collaboration, the industry can achieve truly efficient, high-performing and intelligent buildings, improving ESG performance and overall building effectiveness for decades to come.
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