Beyond BIM: Knowledge management for a smarter built environment

BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.

Beyond BIM: Knowledge management for a smarter built environment was written by Shaun Howell and Yacine Rezgui and published by BRE on 2 April 2018.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has fundamentally changed the way information is created, stored, exchanged and used across the built environment. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been a key aspect of this, and has emerged within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Facilities Management (AECFM) industry as a transformative step towards digitisation.

However, whilst the latest developments in BIM have reinvigorated the research and practitioner community, the current technologies underpinning BIM standards, models and tools have struggled to keep pace. New directions are required to drive BIM forward, and integrate it with technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

This 56-page book draws on research from more than 40 collaborative research projects over the last 25 years. Recommendations and practical advice are offered regarding the design and implementation of information models, intelligent components and surrounding system architectures, to enable the delivery of more intelligent built environments. Examples are given of successful innovations, from saving energy in public buildings to the optimisation of water networks.

The book describes a progression towards smart cities through the integration of data and intelligence across building and infrastructure systems. This leads to a roadmap for the evolution of urban knowledge management from the current focus on project-based knowledge creation, to a whole life-cycle, multi-disciplinary, value-driven approach.

The contents of the book are:

• Introduction.
• BIM in construction.
• BIM and the digital economy revolution.
• Towards a web-native environment.
• From smart construction to smart buildings.
• From smart buildings to smart infrastructure.
• From smart infrastructure to smart cities.
• The future of BIM in a knowledge-driven built environment.
• Conclusions.

--BRE Group

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