APPLICATION OF BIM IN TOWN COUNCILS

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an upcoming trend in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. The Singapore government’s support in encouraging organizations to implement BIM has introduced numerous grants and projects with the mandatory submission of BIM models. Despite the success of utilizing BIM at its planning and construction stage, BIM has not shown advancement into operations and maintenance stage of the building life cycle.

In Singapore, more than 80% of citizens live in government-built HDB flats, which encompass 17% of Singapore’s land use for housing developments. With amassed building assets to operate and maintain, the use of BIM can lessen the burdens of FM teams, which in turn improves productivity and increases service quality. The opportunities for BIM-FM implementation in HDB flats can be explored further with the existing as-built BIM models.

This research paper aims to investigate the current trends and technologies used in the FM industry and township management. Adoption of BIM-enabled FM and its benefits and perceptions in Singapore are discussed. This paper also seeks to examine and analyze six overseas case studies on BIM-FM implementation to identify potential areas of application for BIM-FM in township management. Interviews were conducted with industry FM practitioners and BIM professionals to understand the perceptions and expectation of owners and stakeholders in BIM-FM implementation. Discussions on areas of applications, challenges and solutions for BIM implementation for township management were verified with BIM professionals.

Lastly, recommendations are proposed to identify potential areas of applications, challenges and solutions in the adoption of BIM-FM to manage residential towns.