CQ BIM for FM Thesis Final (1)

A Critical Review of BIM
for FM with an Emphasis
on Offices
Cormac Quinn
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
MSc In Real Estate DT124
Dublin Institute of Technology,
Boltan Street, Dublin 1
Submitted 19-01-2015

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Table of Contents
Declaration.................................................................................................................................4
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................5
List of Figures............................................................................................................................6
List of Tables .............................................................................................................................6
List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................7
Abstract......................................................................................................................................8
Chapter 1: Introduction............................................................................................................10
1.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................10
1.2 Aims ..........................................................................................................................10
1.3 Objectives..................................................................................................................10
1.4 Dissertation Structure................................................................................................10
1.4.1 Chapter One - Introduction................................................................................10
1.4.2 Chapter Two – Literature Review......................................................................10
1.4.3 Chapter Three – Methodology...........................................................................10
1.4.4 Chapter Four – Findings and Analysis...............................................................10
1.4.5 Chapter Five – Conclusions - Recommendations- Further Research ................11
2 Chapter Two: Literature Review ......................................................................................12
2.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................12
2.2 Theory .......................................................................................................................12
2.2.1 What is Facilities Management?........................................................................12
2.2.2 The Facilities Management Life Cycle.............................................................13
2.2.3 What are the challenges with current FM work procedures? ............................15
2.2.4 What is BIM?.....................................................................................................17
2.2.5 Drivers for BIM adoption ..................................................................................17
2.3 BIM for Facilities Management ................................................................................18
2.3.1 Introduction........................................................................................................18
2.3.2 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM process ............................................18
2.3.3 What are the benefits of BIM for FM? ..............................................................21
2.3.4 What are the challenges of BIM for FM............................................................23
2.3.5 COBIE................................................................................................................25
2.4 Conclusion & Issues arising......................................................................................28
2.4.1 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM process ............................................28

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2.4.2 What are the benefits of BIM for FM ................................................................29
2.4.3 What are the challenges of BIM for FM............................................................29
2.4.4 COBie ................................................................................................................29
2.5 Conclusions...............................................................................................................29
2.6 Issues Arising............................................................................................................30
3 Chapter Three: Methodology............................................................................................31
3.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................31
3.2 Research Methodology..............................................................................................31
3.2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................31
3.2.2 Research Methodology - Schools of Thought ...................................................31
3.2.3 Methodology Options – Qualitative...................................................................33
3.2.4 Qualitative Research - Interview Method..........................................................34
3.2.5 Approach used for this Research .......................................................................36
4 Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis ...............................................................................40
4.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................40
4.2 Findings.....................................................................................................................40
4.2.1 Background, Adoption and Engagement with BIM for FM..............................40
4.2.2 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM Process ............................................41
4.2.3 Current Challenges for Facility Management....................................................42
4.2.4 Challenges of BIM for FM ................................................................................43
4.2.5 Benefits of BIM for FM.....................................................................................44
4.2.6 Recommendations on BIM for FM at the Various BIM Project Stages............46
4.2.7 Conclusion .........................................................................................................48
4.3 Analysis.....................................................................................................................48
4.3.1 Introduction........................................................................................................48
4.3.2 Adoption and Engagement with BIM for FM....................................................48
4.3.3 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM Process ............................................50
4.3.4 Current Challenges for Facility Management....................................................50
4.3.5 Benefits of BIM for FM.....................................................................................52
4.3.6 Recommendations on BIM for FM at the Various BIM Project Stages............54
4.3.7 Overall Analysis.................................................................................................55
4.3.8 Conclusion .........................................................................................................57
5 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Recommendations............................................................58

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5.1 Overall Conclusions..................................................................................................58
5.1.1 The Current/Future engagement/adoption of BIM for FM................................58
5.1.2 The Early Introduction of Facility Managers into the BIM process..................58
5.1.3 The Challenges of BIM for FM .........................................................................58
5.1.4 The Benefits of BIM for FM..............................................................................59
5.1.5 Participant Recommendations on BIM for FM implementation at the Various
BIM Project Stages...........................................................................................................59
5.2 Recommendations.....................................................................................................59
5.3 Further Research .......................................................................................................59
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................60
6 Appendices .......................................................................................................................65
6.1 Appendix A – Research Questionnaire .....................................................................65
6.2 Appendix B – Questionnaire Summary ....................................................................68

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Declaration
I certify that this dissertation which I now submit for examination for the award of MSc Real
Estate, is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to
the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. This
dissertation was prepared according to the regulations for postgraduate study by research of
the Dublin Institute of Technology and has not been submitted in whole or in part for an
award in any other Institute or University. The work reported on in this dissertation conforms
to the principles and requirements of the Institute's guidelines for ethics in research. The
Institute has permission to keep, to lend or to copy this dissertation in whole or in part, on
condition that any such use of the material of the dissertation is duly acknowledged. In
addition, the student can request that particular restrictions be placed to protect the content of
the dissertation.

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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank everyone who helped me during my completion of this dissertation.
Firstly, I would like to thank my tutor Alan Hore who has given me great guidance and
support during the completion of this dissertation.
Secondly, I would like to thank Eimear Fallon and all the lecturers on the MSc Real Estate
course, you have all helped me gain extra knowledge and skillsets that I hope to use wisely.
Thirdly, I would like to thank all the participants of this research thesis.
Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank my family, especially my wife Caitriona,
daughter Caoimhe and sons, Olan and Daimhín Thomas for all their patience, support and
love during this journey.

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List of Figures
List of Tables
Table 3.1
Methodology - Schools of
thought
32
Table 3.2
Quantitative & Qualitative
Paradigm – Strengths &
Weaknesses
32
Table 3.3
Research interviewee profiles
38
Table 3.4
Perceived challenge research
results 44
Table 3.5
Perceived benefit research
results 46
Table 3.6
Perceived challenge research
results 53
Table 3.7
Perceived benefit research
results 56
Figure 2.1
Facility Management Activities
13
Figure 2.2 Facility Management Life-cycle 14
Figure 2.3
Picture of document storage at
handover by contractor 16
Figure 2.4
FM-based BIM Database
19
Figure 2.5
RIBA: Plan of work
21
Figure 2.6
Comparison of existing data
maintenance processes with the
BIM processes
23
Figure 2.7
BIM for FM across the full
asset life cycle 25
Figure 2.8
COBie flow diagram
26
Figure 2.9
Flow diagram for operations
data in to the BIM mode 28

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List of Acronyms
BIM Building Information Modelling Build
SCSI Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
CITA Construction I.T Alliance
FM
Facility Management
COBie
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange
BIFM
British institute of Facilities Management
IFMA
International Facilities Management Association
pBIM
Proprietary Building Information Modelling
3 D/4D
Three/Four Dimensional
CAFM
Computer Aided Facility Management
GSL
Government Soft Landings
RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology
LEED - EBOM
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design -
Existing Buildings, Operations & maintenance
BRE
Buildings Research Establishment
UK
United Kingdom
GSA
General Services Administration
CDM
Construction , Design and Management 2007
DIT
Dublin Institute Of Technology
O&M
Operations and Maintenance
CMMS
Computerised Maintenance Management System
IFC
Industry Foundation Classes
ICT
Information and Communication Technologies
CITA
Construction Information Technology Alliance

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Abstract
Building information modelling for facility management sounds like a tongue twister , but it
could be the start of a digital revolution that could help to transform the facility management
industry and the role of FM managers in AECFM industry. There is great fragmentation of
the architecture, engineering, construction and facility management industry. This
fragmentation could be attributed to gaps between the different phases of projects. True
information gaps and lack of efficient information management throughout the facility
lifecycle have often resulted in increased cost and time, reduced quality and maintainability,
and the inability to efficiently access and communicate information. BIM for FM could be
the system to cut these information gaps and increase the efficiency of information
management.
The purpose of this research was to review BIM for FM with an emphasis on Offices. The
research has an emphasis on owners and facility managers of office buildings. The selected
participants all had BIM for FM experience which enabled them to provide information and
views about early adoption of, the benefits and the challenges of the implementation of BIM
in FM. BIM for FM is still in the early stage of implementation for innovative industry
leaders, so this leaves very few practical cases and even a certain lack of knowledge in
academia. The designing, constructing and operating and maintaining of offices facilities
involves a large number of different parties and it is quite a complex process
This research firstly examines the existing literature on the various subject areas; facilities
management; problems with the current facility management process; BIM; BIM for FM and
COBie. Firstly, the theory relating to facilities management and the current problems are
examined. BIM and its adoption in the construction industry is looked at before BIM for FM
is examined under various headings including the early introduction of FM to the BIM
project process; the challenges of BIM for FM; the benefits of BIM for FM and COBie.
The findings of the research showed;
The main reason for current/future engagement with BIM for FM was the real prospect of
increasing efficiency and productivity of their FM operating and maintaining processes by
reducing time and cost. There is currently little or no current engagement/adoption BIM for
FM in Ireland, this appears to be due lack of client knowledge and demand in the general
facility management industry, which may be hindering the capabilities of the Irish
stakeholders to engage and leverage the BIM for FM.
The research highlighted the fact that all the participants see the benefit of the early
introduction of FMs into the BIM process. Again there is very little early FM input at present
in Ireland, this is due to the lack of client awareness of the benefits; this seems to be a
common theme in relation to the Irish participants. There seem to be a few main common
themes from the research findings and analysis. The first theme is that the UK participants are
a step ahead on the BIM for FM road. This could be due to the UK being a larger, more
innovative property market in terms of construction and facility management. It could be due
to the fact that the two UK participants are two of the largest property-related companies in

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the UK with great leverage and capabilities for new and innovative technologies. The
common theme from the Irish participants is a lack of owner and facility management
awareness, knowledge and demand for BIM for FM. This could be due to many reasons
including lack of available funds to implement new work processes, lack of innovative people
at the top of companies who see the cost and extra work involved and are unwilling to do it or
an ICT lag in the facility management industry.
Another theme is around effective collaboration, BIM for FM is all about collaboration from
the stakeholders. It can be very hard to get buy in from the various stakeholders of any
project to make sure that the BIM for FM is utilised to its fullest. This all goes back to having
a knowledgeable client/owner that knows what is needed to achieve a proper populated asset
model. It should be noted that BIM for FM really fits the design, construction and
operation/maintenance business model. This type of business model is well-suited to BIM for
FM because the company has all the data from the model and will be operating and
maintaining the office facility over a long duration.
BIM for FM can help with this collaboration of stakeholders and getting the true data which
owners and facility mangers desire, but there are some challenges which are hindering its
implementation including; Lack of awareness and knowledgeable owners/FM managers;
Lack of effective collaboration between stakeholders and lack of sufficient legal framework;
Unclear roles and responsibilities for loading data into the model or databases and
maintaining the model; Cultural mind-set in the industry were FM managers are used to
doing one way and do not want to change the process.
Overall, until there is greater implementation of BIM for FM, it will be hard to get real
tangible benefits. There is a clear lack of owner/FM manager knowledge and awareness
which needs to be rectified.
Recommendations were provided by the participants for each stage of the BIM project
process, which give clear and concise advice for any owner or FM manager who may wish to
implement BIM for FM

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Aims
The aim of this dissertation is to critically review the BIM for FM with an emphasis on office
facilities.
1.3 Objectives
1. To critically review the literature regarding the current work procedures for facilities
management and (a) the theory, and (b) the practice of using BIM as a facility
management tool for operations and maintenance.
2. To examine the current and future adoption/engagement of BIM for FM.
3. To examine the potential benefits of the early introduction of facilities manager to the
design and construction phase of the BIM process.
4. To evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of utilising BIM for FM.
5. To identify a key set of recommendations for BIM for FM implementation at the
various project phases.
1.4 Dissertation Structure
1.4.1 Chapter One - Introduction
This chapter introduces the background to the research dissertation and the outlines the aims
and objectives.
1.4.2 Chapter Two – Literature Review
This chapter reviews the existing literature on the various subject areas; facilities
management; problems with the current facility management process; BIM; BIM for FM and
COBie. Firstly, the theory relating to facilities management and the current problems are
examined. BIM and its adoption in the construction industry is looked at before BIM for FM
is examined under various headings including the early introduction of FM to the BIM
project process; the challenges of BIM for FM; the benefits of BIM for FM and COBie is
then examined. Finally, the conclusion and issues arising from this literature review are
summarised.
1.4.3 Chapter Three – Methodology
This chapter reviews the existing literature on the various methodologies. Firstly the various
schools of thought, qualitative methodology options and the qualitative research interview
method are examined. Finally the list of interviewees and the research approach used for this
thesis is examined.
1.4.4 Chapter Four – Findings and Analysis
This chapter reviews the findings and analysis from the interviews carried out with the
various stakeholders. Firstly the findings from the various questions are summarised. Then
the findings are analysed for each question posed. The overall findings are then summarised

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under each of the subject headings and conclusions are drawn. Key recommendations
provided by the participants for each stage of the BIM project process give clear and concise
advice for any owner or FM manager who may wish to implement BIM for FM.
1.4.5 Chapter Five – Conclusions - Recommendations- Further Research
This chapter gives a summary of all the conclusions from the research findings and analysis.
A number of themes that came to light during the research are discussed, including the lack
of awareness, knowledge and appetite for BIM for FM from owners and FM managers; the
need for Government to be at the forefront of BIM for FM implementation ; the need to
formalise the FM manager as part of the project team from the design stage; lack of effective
collaboration between stakeholders; cultural mind-set in the FM industry; BIM for FM is the
key to the FM managers “dream” through true visual data at hand over and for the operating
phase; and recommendations are given to help move these issues forward.

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2 Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
It is widely accepted that it costs up to five times more to operate and maintain a building
than to construct it (McAuley et al. 2013). This view is supported by Lee et al. (2012) who
suggest that the operational phase of a building is the main contributor to the building life-
cycle cost and estimates show that the lifecycle cost is five to seven times higher than the
initial investment cost.
There has been a tremendous economic and environmental need to manage both new and
existing facilities in an efficient way. The industry has seen this debate renewed with the
emergence of BIM, and the proposition that BIM data captured during the project life cycle
could improve the efficiencies of facility management (Kelly et al. 2013). Soon, all public
sector facilities managers will need to be up speed as the government requires fully
collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data in
electronic form) on all public projects by 2016 (BIFM,2012).
2.2 Theory
2.2.1 What is Facilities Management?
Amaratunga and Baldry (2001) traced the origins of facilities management back to the early
1990s as building infrastructure and content become more sophisticated. Tay and Ooi
(2001) conclude that its deﬁnition and scope remains a contentious issue and their valuation
of various deﬁnitions suggests that the focus is on the workplace.
Chotipanich (2004) defines facilities management; as a key function in managing facility
resources, support services and the working environment to support the core business of the
organisation in both the long and short-term.
The term “facility management” is defined differently by various international associations
but with small variations in modalities, which stem from different interests and ownership
relations. According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), facility
management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of
the built environment by integrating people, processes and space. The focus of facilities
management has always been the working environment. Atkin and Brooks (2000) define FM
as an integrated approach to operating, maintaining, improving and adapting the buildings
and infrastructure of an organisation in order to create an environment that strongly supports
the primary objectives of the organisation.
From a more general business perspective facilities management can be seen as a part of
business services and thus to be included into the service sector. The aim of facility
management should be not just to optimise the running costs of buildings, but to raise the
effectiveness of the management of pace and related assets for people and processes in order
that the mission and goals of the organisation may be achieved with the best combination of
efficiency and cost (Amartunga and Baldry, 2002b). The CEN defined FM as the integration

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of processes within an organization to maintain and develop the agreed services which
support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities (BIFM, 2010)
Figure 2.1: Facility Management Activities (IGB)
2.2.2 The Facilities Management Life Cycle
Cotts (1999) (cited in Waly and Helal, (2010) suggests that the facility management life-cycle
has four major phases. Each organisation needs to render these phases during the lifetime of
the facility. The only variables are scale and complexity. These phases are: (1) the planning
phase, (2) the acquisition phase, (3) the operations and management phase, and (4) the
disposition phase.
During each of these phases, various functions have to be performed by the FM team as
illustrated in figure 1.

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Figure 2.2: Facility Management Life-cycle (Cotts 1999)
The Planning Phase
During the planning phase of facility management, the FM team starts by with strategic
planning to determine the priorities and goals of the organization and to provide
infrastructure that permits future short-range plans to be made more easily.
The Acquisition Phase
During the acquisition phase, the decision of purchasing, leasing, or building must be taken.
Whether to purchase, or to lease depends on the company’s culture, investment strategy, and
desire for control. If the decision is made to build a new facility, then this phase will proceed
with the regular conceptual planning, design and construction phases.

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The Operations and Management Phase
This phase starts with the end users occupying the facility for its intended use. This phase
continues until the disposition phase and may include alteration of the facility to use beyond
its original purpose.
The operations and maintenance phase comprises several significant functions: Plant
Operations; Energy Management; Waste Management ; Recycling; Inventory Management;
Communications and Wire Management; Alterations Management; Relocation and Move
Management; Maintenance and Repair and Security.
The Disposition phase
This is the last phase in the Facility Management life-cycle. After the facility reached the end
of its operational and economic life, it shall be either disposed or decommissioned.
2.2.3 What are the challenges with current FM work procedures?
According to Smith (2011), the problem for many years, has been the hand-off between the
construction team and the owner/facility manager, which has been dismal. In the current
process the operator has to recollect much of the information, yet it is without the designers’
intent.
McAndrew et al. (2005) suggest this is due to the weaknesses of the manual and paper-based
procedures for facility management like an unnecessary amount of non-productive time spent
on paperwork and data re-entry, lower asset reliability due to maintenance backlogs and lack
of information at the point of performance, less than optimal decisions made due to lack of
complete, accurate, and timely information, a lack of definite accountability of critical
equipment and material, and difficulty to track compliance with government, environmental
and safety regulations.
Cardellino and Finch (2006) suggest, there are key challenges in current facilities
management practice such as building operational life-cycle management, some of which
revolves around information collection retrieval and sharing. The tough challenges in FM are
revealed when the information exchange challenges experienced during design/construction
are multiplied across the lifecycle of a facility (Jordani, 2010).

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Figure 2.3: Picture of document storage at handover by contractor (WBDG 2014)
When one considers the extensive documentation of information needed for effective
maintenance and operation of most facilities, it is clear that finding efficient ways to collect,
access and update this information is very important. Most existing buildings have this
information stored in paper documents for example: rolls of drawings from the architect and
engineers, folders of equipment information for each type of equipment, file folders of
equipment information for each type of equipment, file folders of maintenance records, etc.
This documentation is normally contractually requested by the owner and handed over after
the building is already in use, often months later, and stored in some basement office where it
is difficult to access (Teicholz ,2013).
In December 2004 NIST published a study titled Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability
in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry, which cited the cost impacts of the lack of
interoperability on architects, engineers, contractors, and owners was the first serious effort to
quantify these impacts on all stake holders and over the building life cycle.
A quote from this report states that:
“an inordinate amount of time is spent locating and verifying specific facility and
project information from previous activities as built drawings are not routinely
provided and the corresponding record drawings not updated. Similarly, information
on facility condition, repair parts status, or a project’s contract or financial situation
is difficult to locate and maintain.”
Also the cost and time associated with entering, verifying and updating the information to
computerised maintenance management systems and computer-aided facility management
systems contributes to the costs identified in this report (Teicholz, 2013).

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Facility Managers are continually faced with the challenge of improving and standardizing
the quality of the information they have at their disposal, both to meet day‐to‐day operational
needs as well as to provide organizational management and planning (Sabol, 2008).
2.2.4 What is BIM?
Gu et al, (2008) describe BIM as an IT-enabled tool, envisions efficient collaboration, data
integrity, intelligent documentation, distributed access and retrieval of building data and
improved project quality through performance analysis, multi –disciplinary planning and
coordination.
Teicholz, (2013) describes building information modelling as a software technology gaining
rapid acceptance throughout the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.
BIM provides a visually and dimensionally accurate three- dimensional digital representation
of a building. It also is a database, offering the capability to track data attributes for the
components that comprise the building model. Building information models describe the
three dimensional geometry, objects and attributes of a physical facility. The core of BIM is
building geometry, but BIM is also a structured information base of non-graphic data that
provides detailed information about the building components. The main objective of several
national BIM efforts and standards is to improve the information technology comprehension
and implementation in AEC/FM industry to transform industry supply chains through
interoperable information exchange (Shiva 2011).
The most advanced BIM products currently available have the capability to deliver
environmental, energy, cost, schedule and spatial analysis; and as such, can be used
collaboratively by project stakeholders to deliver real whole life value (WLV) to clients
(Azhar et al, 2011).
2.2.5 Drivers for BIM adoption
Eadie et al (2013) describes the shift in project emphasis; The Latham and Egan reports
slated the construction industry for its intrinsic inefficiencies and waste (Egan, 1998; Latham,
1994). A paradigm shift from capital cost to whole-life costing was proposed. The effect that
building design can have on construction and business-operating cost is significant, with
increases in operating productivity offering substantial savings for the client/end-user
(Barlish & Sullivan, 2012). The ratio of 1:5:200, equating to Build Cost : Maintenance and
Building Operation Costs : Business Operating Costs, highlights how quality in design can
produce benefits (Evans et al., 1998).
With this in mind the UK government, realized that the construction industry needed to
become more efficient. One of the issues in the efficiency drive is the minimum enforced
adoption of fully collaborative 3-D Building Information Modelling (BIM) by 2016, with all
project and asset information, documentation and data being BIM compliant. While many
benefits and drivers are mentioned in literature there is little by way of research to evaluate
their importance. (Efficiency and Reform Group, 2011).
The definition of the BIM levels in the UK by the BIM Industry Working Group (2011) is as
follows:

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Level 2 – Managed 3D environment held in separate discipline “BIM” tools with attached
data. Commercial data managed by an enterprise resource planner. Integration on the basis of
proprietary interfaces or bespoke middleware could be regarded as “pBIM” (proprietary). The
approach may utilise 4D programme data and 5D cost elements as well as feed operational
systems.
2.3 BIM for Facilities Management
2.3.1 Introduction
There is a need for optimising the building use from an FM point of view for effective and
efficient building life cycle management (Jordani, 2010).
Teicholz, (2013) suggests that it is all about the data. In this case, “data” refers to the massive
amounts of information needed by facility managers for their work and the systems that
provide the basis for effective and efficient facility management. The use of BIM to support
design and construction practice is spreading rapidly, and with it a growing emphasis on
more collaboration among the project team early in the development process and the
integration of BIM with FM through the operations and maintenance phase (Liu and Issa,
2014).
Kelly et al. (2013) suggest that tremendous research efforts have been devoted to address
various aspects relating to the implementation of BIM in planning, design and construction
processes. BIM for FM is an emerging area and there is still limited knowledge available on
the subject. There is also a lack of real world cases on BIM applications in FM (Bercerik-
Gerber et al.2012)
2.3.2 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM process
Historically, information produced by the design team has focused on construction activity
with the operation and maintenance (O&M) information passed over to the client, to assist
the maintenance of a facility, typically prepared by specialist subcontractors employed by the
contractor (BIFM, 2013, Eadie et al. 2013). However, it has often been the case that valuable
information regarding the optimal maintenance and operation of that facility is lost during
this transition (Evans et al., 1998). BIM facilitates a fundamental change to this process:
everyone in the project team can focus, from the outset of a project, on delivering high
quality data for incorporating into Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) systems
that enable the efficient and effective running of a building. This paradigm shift has a
fundamental impact on the briefing and design stages of a project and requires the creation of
a collaborative project team focused on the delivery of this information (BIFM, 2013).
Ying Wang et al. (2013) suggest that considering facilities management (FM) at the early
design stage could potentially reduce the efforts for maintenance during the operational phase
of facilities. Few efforts in the construction industry have involved facility managers into the
design phase. It was suggested that early adoption of facilities management will contribute to
reducing the needs for major repairs and alterations that will otherwise occur at the
operational phase. There should be an integrated data source providing information support
for the building lifecycle. It is envisaged that Building Information Modelling (BIM) would

19
fill the gap by acting as a visual model and database through-out the building life-cycle.
According to Becerik-Gerber et al. (2012) three types of FM data should be incorporated into
BIM:(1)equipment and systems, (2) attributes and data, (3) portfolios and documents.
Figure 2.4: FM-based BIM Database (Wang et al. 2003)
For earlier engagement to happen there will be particular implications – both financial and
practical – and for this reason, a facility manager, working at stage zero is crucial as it gives
the organisation a chance to do its collective thinking long before the pressures and costs of
engaging a design team. The idea is that, the organisation can take a more considered long-
term view, thinking about the end users and occupier from start to finish, and ask the FM
what information they need, and in what format, to feed back at the start of the process
(BIFM, 2013).
UK Government Soft Landings
The UK Government Construction Strategy of May 2011 identified the need to improve the
value offered by public sector construction and within this soft landings were identified as a
way to improve performance of buildings and to meet the requirements of those that use
them. Working under the remit of the Government Construction Board, these objectives have
been brought together to develop the Government Soft Landings (GSL) policy. The ongoing
maintenance and operational cost of a building during its lifecycle far outweighs the original
capital cost of construction, and GSL identifies the need for this to be recognised through
early engagement in the design process. As stated in the Government Construction Strategy,
May 2011, Soft Landing objective: Aligning the interests of those who design and construct
an asset with those who subsequently use it. The recommendation is that this policy should
apply to all new Central Government projects and major refurbishments and should be
implemented by central government departments during 2013 working towards a mandate in
alignment with BIM in 2016. (Cabinet Office, 2012)

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The Government Soft Landings policy, provides a process to ensure BIM is embedded and
adopted into future development in a way that supports facilities managers and will be
mandated in 2016 alongside the BIM level 2 (BIFM,2012) (19).
GSL Guiding Principles
 GSL will be a key element of the design and construction process maintaining the
‘golden thread’ of the building purpose through to delivery and operation
 Early engagement of the end user and inclusion of a GSL champion on the project
team during the design/construction process
 Commitment to aftercare post construction from the design and construction team
 Post occupancy evaluation and feedback to design/construction team and lessons
learnt captured for future projects
 BIM will provide a fully populated asset data set to feed into CAFM systems and
modelling will enable planning modifications, this data will need to be maintained
throughout the building life cycle
RIBA 2013 Plan of Work – 7 stages
BIM facilitates a fundamental change to this process: everyone in the project team can focus,
from the outset of a project, on delivering high quality data for incorporation into Computer
Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) systems that enable the efficient and effective running
of a building. This paradigm shift has a fundamental impact on the briefing and design stages
of a project and requires the creation of a collaborative project team focused on the delivery
of this information (BIFM,2013).
The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 facilitates this by introducing two new stages: stages 0 and 7.
Stage 7 recognises the building occupation and in use period, supports the soft landing
process and provides the opportunity for new post occupancy services that will help to ensure
that a building is running as anticipated. More importantly, feedback can be gleaned during
this stage for use on future projects. Stage 0 captures the feedback from previous projects and
allows the strategic nature of a proposed project to be defined and ratified before a detailed
brief is prepared during stage 1 (BIFM,2013).
The shift in emphasis from information prepared for construction to in use purposes requires
a fundamental reappraisal of the detailed briefing process at stage 1. Project outcomes and
information exchanges become crucial new subjects: the information passed to the client at
the end of each stage must demonstrate that it is incrementally progressing in line with the
client’s desired project outcomes. The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 creates new opportunities
for the FM industry to become more involved in the earlier stages of projects, contributing to
the operational and maintenance strategy as it is refined. New skills will be required to ensure
that a project brief properly considers FM requirements (BIFM,2013).

21
Figure 2.5: RIBA: Plan of work (RIBA 2013)
It’s not a matter of if, but when your firm will implement BIM. BIM enables smart working
by cutting waste through new processes. BIM for FM creates a virtual asset life cycle model
which can be used over the life of the building. A BIM implementation strategy needs to be
planned to ensure that the client gets full use of data (Philp, 2014)
2.3.3 What are the benefits of BIM for FM?
Su et al. (2011) state that tracking and managing facilities effectively is difficult owing to the
various facilities. Real time maintenance management may be necessary and helpful to
control and manage effectively, the maintenance working in the building facilities.
The effective maintenance and management of buildings could significantly reduce the $15.8
billion annual costs associated with inadequate interoperability, as reported by a NIST study
(Gallaher et al, 2004).
The complete FM package can come through BIM and FM integration. BIM allows for
progressive collection of building data and could play a key role in streamlining the data
collection process. BIM has the potential to be used as a platform to research and publish
information by engaging a variety of stakeholders due to its user-friendly 3D visualisation
(Hijazi & Aziz, 2013). BIM technologies offers Facility Managers and building owners a
powerful means to retrieve information from a visually accurate, virtual model of a physical
facility (Sabbol, 2013).

22
According to Bercerik-Gerber et al. (2012), the information collected through a BIM process
and stored in a BIM-compliant database could be beneficial for a variety of FM practices,
such as commissioning and closeout, quality control and assurance, energy management,
maintenance and repair and space management.
The first benefit comes from integrating a BIM model with a facility's maintenance
management system. If a preventive maintenance program isn't already automated, BIM can
do that. And if it is, BIM can connect to the existing software package to supplement the data
and information that already exists, ensuring an even more robust maintenance program.
Essentially, the BIM model becomes an electronic owner’s manual, and can also be a
valuable tool if facility managers undertake a re-commissioning process.
Secondly, BIM can improve space management. BIM can show quickly and visually where
space could be used more efficiently.
Third, BIM can help with building analysis, especially in regards to sustainability initiatives,
like LEED-EBOM. According to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) (2009), 15 per
cent of the UK CO2 emissions come from shops, offices and public sector buildings. There
is, therefore, a growing impetus to develop ways of mitigating the impact caused by
commercial property. The BIM model can be a continuously updatable repository for all the
data collected and programs developed in conjunction with green goals. That way, when it
comes time for LEED-EBOM recertification, the BIM model is a one-stop shop for
identifying which new credits to tackle or which credits should be improved upon.
Fourth, BIM can help streamline change management. Facility managers can use the BIM
model to scenario plan and configure space more efficiently. BIM can also help identify
conflicts when space requirements or purposes change.
Fifth, new software packages are being created and put out on the market that allow a BIM
model to connect with a facility's building automation system. This has numerous benefits in
terms of information management and system efficiency. After all, nothing is more expensive
than information you can't trust, as the common saying goes (Facilities, 2014).

23
Figure 2.6: Comparison of existing data maintenance processes with the BIM processes
(Kelly 2013)
The overall purpose of utilizing BIM for facility management is to leverage facility data
through the facility lifecycle to provide safe, healthy, effective and efficient work
environments (Jordani, 2010).
According to Volk et. Al, (2013) there have been many surveys on BIM implementation and
benefits but the surveys do not focus on post construction stakeholders, processes and related
issues yet. Less than 10% of the respondents are owners and facility managers, while the
majority originate from the disciplines of architecture, cost calculation, construction or
project management. Thus these surveys do not provide representative statements on usage,
hindrances, and major trends of BIM for FM/existing buildings.
2.3.4 What are the challenges of BIM for FM
Once BIM is implemented in FM, building information can be acquired, managed,
maintained and used in a more automated and efficient way throughout the building’s life
cycle. But one of the main challenges that is often discussed in workshops and reported in
literature is the lack of processes in place for updating the designed model with as built
information (Gu and London 2010). Bercerik-Gerber et al. (2012) suggest that some of the
technology and process-related challenges include the following:

24
 Unclear roles and responsibilities for loading data into the model or databases and
maintaining the model;
 Diversity in BIM and FM software tools, and interoperability issues;
 Lack of effective collaboration between project stakeholders for modelling and
model utilization;
 Necessity yet difficulty in software vendor’s involvement, including fragmentation
among different vendors, competition, and lack of common interests.
In addition to technology and process-related challenges, there are also organizational
challenges. Some of these challenges include:
 Cultural barriers toward adopting new technology
 Organization-wide resistance: need for investment in infrastructure, training, and new
software tools
 Undefined fee structures for additional scope
 Lack of sufficient legal framework for integrating owners’ view in design and
construction
 Lack of real-world cases and proof of positive return of investment.
Interoperability between BIM technologies and current FM technologies (e.g. CAFM –
Computer Aided Facility Management) is still an issue in the handover of information and
data to operation stage (Kelly et al. 2013). Interoperability is defined as the ability to manage
and communicate electronic product and project data between collaborating firms and within
individual companies design, construction, maintenance, and business process systems
(Gallaher et al 2004)
According to the British Institute of Facilities Management (2012) there is a need for open
systems and standardised data libraries that can be utilised by any CAFM or asset
management system. Without such non-proprietary format, facility owners and managers
must enforce proprietary information systems or re-key information into a CAFM System.
Addressing these challenges is the key to implement BIM in FM in a successful and
sustainable manner. Organizational-wide efforts are required, where collaboration between
owners, FM groups, architects, engineers, contractors, and vendors is well established, with
clear roles and responsibilities defined for each BIM-based process. Responsibilities of each
party should be defined and then modified as the project progresses.
According to Eadie et al (2013) “facilities management activities” was one of the three least
important drivers for those who had already implemented BIM. This may be due to the fact
that BIM had been implemented recently by the majority of the organisations involved
resulting in a lack of experience in preventative and corrective maintenance, respectively.
This indicates a lack of integration of BIM into the operational phase of the life cycle of
buildings to date. This could also be due to a lack of awareness as there is very little by way
of research to evaluate the challenges and benefits BIM for FM.
According to Volk et. Al, (2013) recent surveys on BIM suitability and implementation on
commercial offices projects, show positive results, but as less than 10% of respondents are
facility managers and owners these results do not necessarily reflect current use of BIM in
commercial offices among other building types.

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Figure 2.7: BIM for FM across the full asset life cycle (BAM 2013)
2.3.5 COBIE
Today’s buildings are increasingly sophisticated and the need for information to operate and
maintain them is vital (Jordani 2010). Each facility component or asset has a cost associated
with the installation, replacement and/or scheduled maintenance for the component. An
accurate equipment inventory is essential for budgeting repair/replacement and maintenance
costs (GSA 2011)
COBie stands for the construction operations building information exchange and provides a
structure for the delivery of information to facility managers (Teicholz ,2013). According to
Hore et al (2013), there are a number of existing schemas in circulation for extracting data
from the BIM model, with the Construction-Operation Building Information Exchange
(COBie) schema proving to be the most popular. Other efforts in this area include Industry
Foundations Classes and OmniClass™ which are data models, definition, rules, and/or
protocols intended to define data sets and information pertaining to capital facilities
throughout their lifecycles (GSA 2011). COBie provides an open framework for the
exchange and delivery of construction handover information. The COBie is being used by the
UK as the standard method to capture and record project handover data. COBie is a formal
schema that helps organise information about new and existing facilities. It is general enough
that it can be used to document both Buildings and Infrastructure assets. It is simple enough

26
that it can be transmitted using a spreadsheet. It is means of sharing structured information,
just like CDM and BIM (BIM Task Group, 2012).
Since the introduction of the international COBie standard, stakeholders are able to store
maintenance information in BIM in a structured way and thus in a valuable form of facility
documentation (Volk et. Al, 2013). COBie is organised to efficiently deliver that information
about managed assets during several stages during a facility life cycle. Starting with planning
of a new building and ending with the current operating condition of a facility, there are six
major milestones where COBie data can be captured; As Planned; As Designed; As
Constructed; As Occupied; As Built; As Maintained. However, according to Hore et al
(2013) if BIM and COBie are adopted as detailed by McCormack et al., we need to not only
streamline the flow of information between programmes, we need to address the interface for
facility services crews, so they too can leverage these new datasets.
Figure 2.8: COBie flow diagram
The BIM task group (2012) outlines the owners, designers, contractors and product
specifiers/suppliers view on implementation and utilisation of COBie.
The Owners View
An owner may require the delivery of COBie from the lead designer and/or lead contractor to
support the timely delivery of information to support the management of the facility. A
complete COBie should be expected at the time of handover, but earlier interim deliveries
can be used monitor the business case for the facility and to help plan for taking ownership.
The COBie information can be either be kept as delivered, or held in ordinary databases, or it
can be loaded into existing facility management and operations applications, either

27
automatically or using simple copy-and-pasting. The owner should be explicit about the
purposes for which the information is required and about the timing and content of any
interim deliveries.
The Designers and Contractors View
COBie allows the team to document their knowledge about a facility in both its spatial and
physical aspects. Spatially it can document the spaces and their grouping into floors/sectors
and into other zones. Physically it documents the components and their grouping into product
types and into other systems. Usually the information needed to complete the COBie
deliverable will be available already, either in your BIM models or in reports and schedules
and in other material prepared for handover. Some information may be offered to you in
unstructured formats (such paper and scanned documents), but you should arrange to obtain
COBie information on specific aspects from other team members and suppliers.
Product Specifiers and Suppliers
COBie can be used to document product data to support the specification, selection and
replacement process. If the client requirements include this, then the product types should be
given the specific attributes appropriate to that type. There are currently 700 templates
available in COBie, HTML, XHTML, IFC and IFCXML formats at “COBie Type
Templates”.
According to Kelly et al (2013) there is agreement that COBie is necessary for structuring
data, COBie does not provide details on what information is to be provided, when and by
whom and there is still limited knowledge in the identification of such requirements. This
challenge is best summarised by Teicholz (2013) who argues that:
“Building information models delivered at project completion are a rich information
source for FM, but not all of the information is valuable on a day to day basis within
the broad range of an FM practice, where data retrieval, change management, and
tracking costs and work activity are critical. Facility managers will need to detail and
prioritise their information requirements”.

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Figure 2.9: Flow diagram for operations data to be transferred in to the BIM mode
2.4 Conclusion & Issues arising
2.4.1 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM process
It is clear that the current system where FM is not a part of the design phase, can lead to loss
of valuable information regarding the optimal maintenance and operation of a facility. It is
also suggested that early adoption of facilities management will contribute to reducing the
needs for major repairs and alterations that will otherwise occur at the operational phase. The
GSL policy has the early introduction of FM to the design phase as a principle guideline for
the improvement of the buildings performance over its life cycle. The GSL policy states that
the early introduction of FM can be facilitated by BIM.
It is clear that the UK government sees BIM as a key element of its soft landings policy
which seeks to bring about a continuous cycle of improvement. BIM is seen as way to
improve buildings performance over its lifecycle through the early engagement of the
FM/end-user. The new RIBA plan of work 2013 is set up to facilitate the early introduction
of FM to the BIM process. The RIBA plan of work also introduces an end stage 7 which
completes the life cycle journey of a building.
What is clear from the research is that the early introduction of FM to the BIM process is
being championed by the UK government. This is all well and good but are the FM industry
and office owners up to speed with this or is it a pipe dream?

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2.4.2 What are the benefits of BIM for FM
From the research it can be garnered that there are many potential benefits of BIM for FM. In
fact it is stated that BIM for FM could be the complete FM package which allows the
progressive collection of data and could stream line the data collection process. Some of the
potential benefits of BIM for FM include; a user-friendly 3D visualisation model and owner’s
manual, space management, building analysis, especially in regards to sustainability
initiatives, streamline change management, a BIM model to connect with a facility's building
automation system.
The research gives rise to many potential benefits of utilising BIM for FM, but the research
also makes us aware that, there has been a considerable lack of owner and FM participation
within any studies carried out in the past. This may mean that there is a lack of awareness of
BIM for FM and its benefits or lack off; though real case studies do not give any hard facts
to back up these benefits.
2.4.3 What are the challenges of BIM for FM
There is fundamental agreement about the potential benefits and applications of BIM for FM,
evidenced by the UK government GSL policy and work by other pioneering FM
organisations. The research suggests that the main challenges are; the lack of processes for
loading and updating data into the model; process and technology related challenges,
organisational challenges and interoperability.
The research shows that there is a clear lack of real live case studies and research on the
challenges of BIM for FM generally.
2.4.4 COBie
The research shows that COBie provides a standard structure for the delivery of information
to facility managers on handover. It is an international standard that is being used by the UK
government as a part of its GSL 2016 mandate. Some authors suggested that, the COBie
standard is a good step in the right direction but it does not cover all the data and processes
that facility managers require for day to day work. COBie is lauded as the best standard for
handover to facility managers and owners, but more research is needed to see if this is the
case.
2.5 Conclusions
1. Tremendous research efforts have been devoted to address various aspects relating to
the implementation of BIM in planning, design and construction processes
2. There is general agreement about the potential benefits of BIM in FM
3. While many benefits and drivers are mentioned in the literature there is little by way
of research to evaluate their importance
4. BIM for FM is an emerging area and there is still limited knowledge available on the
subject.
5. There is also a lack of real world cases on BIM applications in FM.

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2.6 Issues Arising
It is apparent from the above that the following questions arise:
Background, Adoption and Engagement with BIM for FM
1. Has the UK Government GSL mandate been a main driver for the adoption of BIM
for FM?
2. What is the current and future engagement of stakeholders with BIM for FM?
3. What importance is being placed in respect of BIM for FM in its use for facilities
management?
4. What are your capabilities for leveraging BIM for FM now and in the future?
5. Are your facility managers currently utilising BIM for FM in daily work?
The Early introduction of FM to the BIM Process
6. Are the respective stakeholders seeing evidence of facility managers being involved
earlier in the design and construction phases?
7. What are the benefits of the early deployment of facility managers in the design and
construction phases of projects?
8. Is your company embracing BIM for FM?
Challenges of BIM for FM
9. What do you see as the principal challenges for facility managers in the management
of your portfolio of properties?
10. What are the main challenges for facility managers on the hand-over of projects?
11. Are you utilising COBie on any of your projects?
12. How do the stake holders rank the perceived challenges?
Benefits of BIM for FM
13. Are you seeing a return on investment by using BIM for FM?
14. How do you measure the R.O.I. for BIM for FM?
15. How do the stakeholders rank the perceived benefits?
Recommendations on BIM for FM at the Various BIM Project Stages
16. What recommendations would the stakeholders make towards guidelines of BIM for
FM during design stage; construction stage and operation and maintenance stage of
the BIM project process:
The issues identified and discussed in this section will form the basis for further research and
interviews to be conducted with selected individuals from the various stakeholders including
office facility owners, managers, software providers and a PHD student in BIM for FM. The
methodology for this will be covered in the next chapter.

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3 Chapter Three: Methodology
3.1 Introduction
The following chapter will look at the various methodologies available for use in this
research. It will also identify the most appropriate research strategy and method, for the
chosen research topic.
3.2 Research Methodology
3.2.1 Introduction
Research involves finding something new. ‘New’ may simply mean ‘new to everyone’, or it
may simply mean ‘new to you’. That’s a major distinction, and one which leads to a lot of
misunderstandings, particularly for people entering academia from industry. The first of these
meanings, ‘new to everyone’, is usually known as primary research. The second, ‘new to you
but not to everyone’, is usually known as secondary research (Rugg et al., 2007). While
research means different things to different people, there seems to be agreement that research
is a process of investigation and enquiry, systematic and methodological, and knowledge
enhancing. Built environment research consists of cognitive and affective as well as
behavioural components.
According to Yin (1994), research strategy should be chosen as a function of the research
situation. Each research strategy has its own specific approach to collect and analyse
empirical data, and therefore each strategy has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Although each strategy has its own characteristics, there are overlapping areas, which bring
complexity to the process of strategy selection. In order to avoid gross misfits between the
desired outcome and the chosen strategy, Yin (1994) stresses that the type of question posed;
the control over actual behavioural elements; and the degree of focus on historical or
contemporary events; are the conditions which should provide the grounds for strategy
choice.
Research may be categorised into two distinct types: quantitative and qualitative. The former
concentrates on words and observations to express reality and attempts to describe people in
natural situations. In contrast, the quantitative approach grows out of a strong academic
tradition that places considerable trust in numbers that represents opinions or concepts
(Amaratunga et al., 2002).
3.2.2 Research Methodology - Schools of Thought
Philosophers of science and methodologists have been engaged in a long-standing
epistemological debate about how best to conduct research. This debate has centred around
two fundamentally different and competing schools of thought or inquiry paradigms. Logical
positivism uses quantitative and experimental methods to test hypothetical deductive
generalisations. Among the major implications of this approach is the need for the
independence of the observer from the subject, and the need to formulate hypothesis for
subsequent verification. Positivism searches for casual explanations and fundamental laws,

32
and generally reduces the whole to the simplest possible elements in order to facilitate
analysis (Easterby et al,1991; Remenyi et al, 1998; Amaratunga et al., 2002)
Phenomenological (interpretive science) inquiry uses qualitative and naturalistic approaches
to inductively and holistically understand human experience in context specific settings. This
approach tries to understand and explain a phenomenon, rather than search for external
causes or fundamental laws (Easterby-Smith,1991; Remenyi et al, 1998; Amaratunga et al.,
2002). This table below sets out the picture (Silverman 1998)
Table 3.1: Methodology Schools of thought
The table below shows the strengths and weaknesses of positivist (quantitative paradigm) and
the phenomenological (qualitative paradigm) (Amaratunga et al., 2002).
Table 3.2: Quantitative & Qualitative Paradigm – Strengths & Weaknesses

33
We conduct qualitative research because we need a complex, detailed understanding of the
issue. This detail can only be established by talking directly with people, going to their homes
or places of work, and allowing them to tell the stories unencumbered by what we expect to
find or what we have read in the literature . We conduct qualitative research because we want
to understand the contexts or settings in which participants in a study address a problem or
issue. (Creswell, 2007).
3.2.3 Methodology Options – Qualitative
Narrative Research
Narrative research has many forms, uses a variety of analytic practices, and is rooted in
different social and humanities disciplines. "Narrative" might be the term assigned to any text
or discourse, or, it might be a text used within the context of a mode of inquiry in qualitative
research, with a specific focus on the stories told by individuals ((Polkinghorne, 1995; Daiute
and Lightfoot, 2004; Chase, 2005; Creswell, 2007)).
Phenomenological Research
Whereas a narrative study reports the life of a single individual, a phenomenological study
describes the meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a
phenomenon. Phenomenologists focus on describing what all participants have in common as
they experience a phenomenon. Participants in phenomenological research are chosen on the
basis of having lived the experience under study. Phenomenological research involves in-
depth interviewing of individuals, following set procedures that end with the essence of the
meaning of the data collected (Creswell, 2007).
Grounded Theory Research
Although a phenomenology emphasizes the meaning of an experience for a number of
individuals, the intent of a grounded theory study is to move beyond description and to
generate or discover a theory, an abstract analytical schema of a process (or action or
interaction). Participants in the study would all have experienced the process, and the
development of the theory might help explain practice or provide a framework for further
research (Strauss & Corbin, 1998; Creswell, 2007).
Ethnographic Research
Although a grounded theory researcher develops a theory from examining many individuals
who share in the same process, action, or interaction, the study participants are not likely to
be located in the same place or interact on so frequent a basis that they develop shared
patterns of behaviour, beliefs, and language. An ethnographer is interested in examining these
shared patterns, and the unit of analysis is larger than the 20 or so individuals involved in a
grounded theory study (Creswell, 2007).

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Case Study Research
The entire culture-sharing group in ethnography may be considered a case, but the intent in
ethnography is to determine how the culture works rather than to understand an issue or
problem using the case as a specific illustration. Thus, case study research involves the study
of an issue explored through one or more cases within a bounded system (i.e., a setting, a
context) (Creswell, 2007).
The five Approaches Compared
All five approaches have in common the general process of research that begins with a
research problem and proceeds to the questions, the data, the data analysis, and the research
report. They also employ similar data collection processes, including, in varying degrees,
interviews, observations, documents, and audio-visual materials. Also, a couple of potential
similarities among the designs should be noted. Narrative research, ethnography, and case
study research may seem similar when the unit of analysis is a single individual. True, one
may approach the study of a single individual from any of these three approaches; however,
the types of data one would collect and analyse would differ considerably. In narrative
research, the inquirer focuses on the stories told from the individual and arranges these stories
in chronological order. In ethnography, the focus is on setting the individuals' stories within
the context of their culture and culture-sharing group; in case study research, the single case
is typically selected to illustrate an issue, and the researcher compiles a detailed description
of the setting for the case (Creswell, 2007).
3.2.4 Qualitative Research - Interview Method
Introduction
It is a highly flexible method, it can be used almost anywhere and is capable of producing
data of great depth (King 1994). Kvale (1996) defines the qualitative research interview as
“an interview, whose purpose is to gather descriptions of the life-world with the interviewee
with respect to the interpretation of the described phenomena”. The goals of any qualitative
research interview are therefore to see the research topic from the perspective of the
interviewee and to understand how and why they have come to this particular perspective.
Sampling
The decision about whom or what should be sampled can benefit from the conceptualization
of Marshall and Rossman (2006), who provide an example of sampling four aspects: events,
settings, actors, and artefacts. Researchers can sample at the site level, at the event or process
level, and at the participant level. In a good plan for a qualitative study, one or more of these
levels might be present and they each need to be identified. On the question of what form the
sampling will take, we need to note that there are several qualitative sampling strategies
available. This approach consists of determining in advance some criteria that differentiate
the sites or participants, and then selecting sites or participants that are quite different on the
criteria. This approach is often selected because when a researcher maximizes differences at

35
the beginning of the study, it increases the likelihood that the findings will reflect differences
or different perspectives - an ideal in qualitative research (Creswell, 2007).
The size question is an equally important decision to sampling strategy in the data collection
process. Dukes (1984) recommends studying 3 to 10 subjects, and in one phenomenology,
Riemen (1986) studied 10 individuals. I have found, however, a much more narrow range of
sampling strategies for a phenomenological study. It is essential that all participants have
experience of the phenomenon being studied. Criterion sampling works well when all
individuals studied represent people who have experienced the phenomenon (Creswell,
2007).
Interview Methods
Structured interview
The structured interview is where the interviewer asks interviewees a series of pre-established
questions, allowing only a limited number of response categories. Organizing and quantifying
the findings is thus generally straight forward. Structured interviews are therefore rigid as the
interviewer reads from a script and deviates from it as little as possible. All interviewees are
asked the same questions in the same order to elicit brief answers or answers from a list.
Unstructured Interview
At the other end of the continuum of interview methods, we have the informal, unstructured
interview, which has its roots in the open-ended ethnographic interview. The unstructured
interview process shapes to the individual situation and context, intending to make the
interviewee feel relaxed and unassessed. The unstructured interview proceeds from the
assumption that the interviewers do not know in advance all the necessary questions.
Semi-Structured Interview
Between the continuum endpoints of structured and unstructured interviews lies a multitude
of research positions. The semi-structured interview involves prepared questioning guided by
identified themes in a consistent and systematic manner interposed with probes designed to
elicit more elaborate responses. Thus, the focus is on the interview guide incorporating a
series of broad themes to be covered during the interview to help direct the conversation
toward the topics and issues about which the interviewers want to learn.
For a phenomenological study, the process of collecting information involves primarily in-
depth interviews (see, e.g., the discussion about the long interview in McCracken, 1988) with
as many as 10 individuals. The important point is to describe the meaning of the phenomenon
for a small number of individuals who have experienced it.
Evaluation Criteria of the Interviews
Any review of research methods will be incomplete without considering the fundamental
issues relating to the evaluation of any research outcomes.

36
Validity – For a given problem, validity is one of the concepts used to determine how good
an answer is provided from the research, making it possibly the most important criterion of
research.
Reliability – This is concerned with the extent of whether the results of a study are
repeatable. The goal of reliability is to minimise the errors and biases in a study. The object is
to ensure that, if a later investigator followed exactly the same procedures, the same findings
and conclusions would result.
Research Limitations and Delimitations
Limitations are factors, usually beyond the researcher's control, that may affect the results of
the study or how the results are interpreted. Stating limitations of the study may be very
useful for readers because they provide a method to acknowledge possible errors or
difficulties in interpreting results of the study. Limitations that are not readily apparent at the
start of the research project may develop or become apparent as the study progresses.
Delimitations are factors that affect the study over which the research generally does have
some degree of control. Delimitations describe the scope of the study or establish parameters
or limits for the study. Frequently, setting limits on the sample size, extent of the geographic
region from which data are collected, response formats included in data-collecting
instruments, or the time frame for the study makes the study feasible for the researcher, and
such delimitations should be noted here (Baron, 2008).
3.2.5 Approach used for this Research
The phenomenological (qualitative paradigm) approach was deemed appropriate for the
conducting of this research. The participants of this type of research are chosen on the basis
of having lived the experience under study and in this regard people involved in the BIM for
FM and who are dealing with its implications on a practical day-to-day basis.
The major data collection method of this research was in-depth qualitative interviews. The
in-depth interviews follow a set of procedures that end with the essence of the meaning of the
data collected.
The purpose of the data collection was to understand the contexts or settings in which
participants (office owners & FM managers) in the study address the early adoption of BIM
for FM and to find the key benefits and challenges of BIM in FM implementation.

37
Participant Choice and Sample Size
The participant choice differentiates at site level; process level and participant level. The
participants are based in the Ireland and the UK respectively. The participants are office
owners (2), office FM managers (2), BIM for FM consultants/software providers(2) and a
BIM for FM lecturer/ PHD student. The participants are quite different on the criteria.
This research will have an emphasis on owners and facility managers of office buildings. The
selected participants all had BIM for FM experience which enabled them to provide
information and views about early adoption of, the benefits and the challenges of the
implementation of BIM in FM. It is hoped that the different types of participant in the
research will lead to findings reflecting different perspectives, which would be ideal. The
sample size of seven participants was in-line with the best practice for this type of research.

38
The participants are profiled in the table below;
Background Name Profile
Project Manager at Great
Portland Estates: A Leading
Office Owner in UK (2
Billion Portfolio)
Martin
Quinn
(P1)
Martin has overseen the BIM for design, construction
and for FM implementation and utilisation on a major
new office development at 240 Blackfriars Road,
London
Managing director at BAM
FM (Who own and operate
52 properties through their
PFI Portfolio)
Kath
Fontana
(P2)
Kath has extensive experience of managing the interface
between construction and FM having worked on many
high profile PFI projects. Kath is passionate about
innovation, integration and the whole life management
of buildings and has been instrumental in developing
BAM’s integrated construction/FM strategy for BIM
and Soft Landings.
Divisional Director of Asset
management for Accent
Property.
Eben
Adlem
(P3)
Eben is responsible for the combined management of
property and portfolio, as well as risk management. He
is also responsible for creating digital strategies and the
implementing of quality systems and business processes
within the areas of commercial property, as well as
facilities and asset management.
Facilities/Contracts
Manager at Topaz Energy
Ian Kelly
(P4)
Ian is responsible for the facilities management of
Topaz offices and their extensive petrol station network
though out Ireland. He also played a part of the recent
CITA collaboration challenge that looked at BIM for
FM
Managing Director – Arc
Dox BArch
Ralph
Montague,
MRIAI
(P5)
Ralph has a keen interest in technology, innovation and
efficient systems of managing construction projects.
Started ArcDox, a specialist BIM (Building Information
Modelling) practice in Ireland.
Director of Operations at
BIM FM Data Management
Ltd
David
Heavey
MRIAI
(P6)
Bringing BIM online for Facilty Management, David is
working with owners and facility managers to
implement building data management strategies centred
on Building Information Models, including providing
online SaaS tools for Asset and Energy management.
BIM for FM PHD student
and lecturer at DIT/CITA
Barry
McAuley
(P7)
Lecturer on the Understanding Data Set Management
&BIM Module for the MSc in Construction Informatics
at CITA / DIT
Table 3.3: Research interviewee profiles

39
Interviews and Questions
The interview questions were semi-structured and designed to elicit more elaborate
responses. The interview questions were informed by the literature review. The interviews
were conducted over a 4 week period during November and December 2014. The participants
were all sent the research questions before the interviews. Fifteen questions were asked about
BIM for FM ranging from engagement, early adoption to the benefits and challenges. The
participants were also asked to give their recommendations for the BIM for FM
implementation at the various stages from design to operating and maintaining of the facility.
The data was analysed by summarising the text of each interview and responses to each
question were analysed for significant phrases, meaning and themes, with similar responses
clustered together. Subsequent reflection on and scrutiny of these clusters informed the
ultimate findings.
The detailed interview question list is attached in Appendix A:
Limitations and Delimitations encountered during the Research
BIM for FM is still in the early stage of implementation for innovative industry leaders, so
this leaves very few practical cases and even a certain lack of knowledge in academia. The
designing, constructing and operating and maintaining of offices facilities involves a large
number of different parties and it is quite a complex process. The fact that BIM for FM is still
in its infancy stage has a factor in the participants’ knowledge and responses. The time factor
affected the size of the sample for the research, if there was more time the sample could have
been extended further. The participants all had experience of BIM for FM for offices, some
participants would be classed as the industry leaders for BIM for FM, while others would be
relative newcomers. The participants gave broad responses to some earlier questions which
covered others which followed, but it only affected a minimum of questions.

40
4 Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis
4.1 Introduction
The participants all have experience and knowledge but they differentiate on many levels. It
should be noted that Participants (1) and (2) are based in the UK, while participants (3), (4),
(5), (6) and (7) are based in Ireland. It should also be noted that Participants (1) and (4) are
office facility owners; participants (2) and (3) are office facility managers; participants (5)
and (6) are BIM/BIM for FM Consultants and participant (7) is a BIM for FM PHD
student/lecturer.
4.2 Findings
4.2.1 Background, Adoption and Engagement with BIM for FM
Question 1
According to the literature the UK Government Soft Landings mandate in the UK would be a
strong driver of BIM for FM. The following question was posed.
1. Has the UK Government GSL mandate been a main driver for the adoption of BIM
for FM?
The majority of participants felt that the UK Soft Landings mandate was not the main driver
behind BIM for FM adoption. One participant felt that it was, but they had been looking at
BIM before this mandate. All participants felt that it definitely lends a helping hand towards
adoption. Ireland while an independent country looks to the UK in terms of construction and
property innovations
According to the literature there is lack of engagement of the various stakeholders in BIM for
FM. The following question was posed.
2. What is the current and future engagement of stakeholders with BIM for FM?
The majority of Participants in Ireland have little current engagement, but they are starting to
research it with a view to approaching clients and commercialising it in the future. The
participants from the UK are split in terms of current engagement with one trialling it and the
other utilising it as a part of their strategic business plan, commercialising it and rolling it out
for their entire PFI property portfolio.
The literature implied that there may be a lack of importance on the utilisation of BIM for
3. What importance is being placed in respect of BIM for FM in its use for facilities
management?

41
The majority of Participants in Ireland feel that currently there is little importance being
placed in respect to BIM for FM in its use for facilities management here but they also
believe that there is a new eagerness in terms BIM for FM research and innovation, going
forward in the future. The participants from the UK feel that it is of strategic business
importance now as a new approach to operations and maintenance and at the handover of
project to O&M.
The literature implied that there is a lack of knowledge of and capabilities for leveraging BIM
for FM. The following question was posed.
4. What are your capabilities for leveraging BIM for FM now and in the future?
The majority of the participants in Ireland feel that currently there capabilities are limited due
to lack of client knowledge and demand. Three of the Irish participants are actively
researching and in process of designing a FM system which has BIM as its centre piece. They
are actively seeking clients to do pilot projects with. One Irish participant believes that there
would need to be an adoption push by the Irish Government to push more companies into
increasing their capabilities. One participant from the UK feels their capabilities are limited
and there is lack of FM involvement to increase capabilities. One UK participant feels they
are very well placed in terms of capabilities of creating a real end-to-end solution. They have
a strategic partnership with Autodesk which helps with leveraging the BIM for FM.
According to the literature there is not much analysis of facility managers actually using BIM
for FM in their daily work. The following question was posed.
5. Are your facility managers currently utilising BIM for FM in daily work?
All of the participants bar the two from the UK answered no to this question. One Irish
participant (P3) is looking at using BIM as the centre piece of new FM system which uses
existing CAFM etc. One UK participant (P2) has two fully functional live projects. One UK
participant (P1) has two trial projects which are underway and yet they still answered no.
4.2.2 The Early introduction of FM to the BIM Process
The literature gave accounts of how earlier involvement of facility managers is being
heralded as an improvement on the current system, but is there any evidence of it actually
happening? The following question was posed.
6. Are the respective stakeholders seeing evidence of facility managers being
involved earlier in the design and construction phases?
The majority of participants in Ireland are not currently seeing evidence of facility managers
being involved earlier in the design and construction phase. Participant (P5) strongly believes
that they should be, while participant (P7) states that if they are being used in Ireland, that it

42
is in the wrong way, he adds that the client currently just sees it as an extra cost, while the
Architects don’t see the benefit either. Both UK participants have seen evidence of this
happening on real live projects, with participant (P2) adding that clients are beginning to
understand the value in terms of operating cost versus capital cost.
According to the literature there are potential benefits of the early deployment of facility
managers in the design and construction phases. The following question was posed.
7. Do you see the benefits of the early deployment of facility managers in the design
and construction phases of projects?
All of the participants from Ireland and the UK see the benefits of earlier deployment of
facility managers. They all believe that FM’s can bring valuable input into the design and
construction phases which would have an effect on the operation and maintaining of the
building. Participant (P2) believes that FM’s should be a part of the project team with a
proper appointment that is formalised through contracts. Participant (P5) agrees and states
that FM’s should represent the client throughout the project life.
4.2.3 Current Challenges for Facility Management
The literature points to various challenges for facility managers currently, but what do the
participants feel are the main challenges? The following question was posed.
9. What do you see as the principal challenges for facility managers in the
management of your portfolio of properties?
The UK participants (P1) and (P2) listed; familiarisation of new projects; planned
maintenance regimes; data from different sources; manual data retrieval; updating to get
proper records; getting true data. The Irish participants listed: lack of collaboration between
stakeholders; consistency across facilities; paper based information and time spent on getting
up to date information; keeping the office working environment productive and healthy.
Participant (P5) believes the big challenge is for clients to learn how to ask for good
information (EIR’s employers information requirements), and then having the skills to
use/maintain that information.
According to the literature the handover of projects to the facility manager is a major
challenge and there is a lack real research. The following question was posed.
10. What are the main challenges for facility managers on the hand-over of projects?
The UK participants listed; getting an accurate asset register; getting all the O&M manuals
and drawings. The Irish participants listed: non-updated handover file with out of date info;
lack of collaboration between stakeholders; fragmented and dispersed data; paper-based
information sets; duplicate, irrelevant & inconsistent information (too much rubbish dumped

43
into O&M files just to satisfy information requests); No real information standard being
applied; Participant (P5) states that some clients report 6-12 months’ work required after
handover to sort through handover information and extract & re-input relevant information
into CMMS & CAFM systems. Participant (P7) believes that documentation control is
massive in terms of the amount of man hours spent wasted , if you use the BIM model for FM
you can see all that info on screen, for financial info, instructions for use etc., the possibilities
are unlimited.
The literature pointed to COBie as new system to standardise transfer of data from the BIM
system. The following question was posed.
11. Are you utilising COBie on any of your projects?
The UK participants both answered yes, Participant (P2) feels that COBie is just another
spreadsheet and is only good for the transfer of data into the CAFM system once. (P2) also
feels that COBie is a dumbed-down version of BIM, what they want is graphical data, and
they want all the data attached to the elements of the model so I’m actually using the model.
The Irish participants listed: non-updated handover file with out of date info; lack of
collaboration between stakeholders; fragmented and dispersed data; paper-based information
sets; duplicate, irrelevant and inconsistent information (too much rubbish dumped into O&M
files just to satisfy information requests); No real information standard being applied;
Participant (P5) states that some clients report 6-12 months’ work required after handover to
sort through handover information and extract and re-input relevant information into CMMS
and CAFM systems. Participant (P6) does not like COBie and feels it is just a matter of time
until IFC takes over, (P6) also adds that they use their own excel spreadsheet for sub-
contractors as they do not know what COBie is. Participant (P7) believes that documentation
control is massive in terms of the amount of man hours spent wasted , if you use the BIM
model for FM you can see all that info on screen, for financial info, instructions for use etc.,
the possibilities are unlimited.
4.2.4 Challenges of BIM for FM
The literature pointed to some perceived challenges of BIM for FM. The following question
was posed.
12. How do the stake holders rank the perceived challenges?
Please rank the following perceived challenges on a scale from 1-5?
SCALE: 1. Not a Challenge; 2. Very little Challenge; 3. Somewhat of a Challenge; 4. Quite a
Challenge. ; 5. A Great Challenge
Technology and process-related challenges include
1. Unclear roles and responsibilities for loading data into the model or databases and
maintaining the model ( )

44
2. Lack of effective collaboration between project stakeholders for modelling and model
utilization ( )
3. Necessity yet difficulty, in software vendor’s involvement, including fragmentation
among different vendors, competition, and lack of common interests. ( )
4. Interoperability between BIM technologies and current FM technologies (e.g. CAFM –
Computer Aided Facility Management) in the handover of information and data to
operation stage ( )
Organisational Challenges
5. Cultural barriers toward adopting new technology ( )
6. Organization-wide resistance: need for investment in infrastructure, training, and new
software tools ( )
7. Lack of sufficient legal framework for integrating owners’ view in design and
construction( )
The following table shows the questions raised in the interviews with each type of participant
and prioritises them in their level of challenge according to their viewpoint. The scale used
was 1 to 5, 1 being of little or no challenge and 5 being a great challenge.
Perceived
Challenges
(P1)
M.Q.
Owner
(P2)
K.F
FM
(P3)
E.A
FM
(P4)
I.K.
Owner
(P5)
R.M.
BIM
Cons.
(P6)
D.H.
BIM
Cons.
(P7)
B.McA
PHD
Student
Total
No.1 2 3 5 2 5 3 5 25
No.2 2 3 5 4 5 3 4 26
No.3 4 2 4 3 4 4 2 23
No.4 4 2 5 5 4 1 2 23
No.5 3 2 3 2 5 5 5 25
No.6 2 2 5 4 4 4 4 25
No.7 4 5 4 3 3 4 3 26
Totals 21 19 30 17 30 24 26
Table 3.4: Perceived challenge research results
4.2.5 Benefits of BIM for FM
According to the literature there is a return on investment by using BIM for FM, but are the
stakeholders seeing this at present? The following question was posed.

45
13. Are you seeing a return on investment by using BIM for FM?
The UK participants both answered yes, Participant (P2) suggests a 15% to 20%
improvement in the time to complete work and adds that reputation ally it has been fantastic.
(P2) also feel that COBie is a dumbed-down version of BIM, what they want is graphical
data, and they want all the data attached to the elements of the model so I’m actually using
the model. The Irish participants have not seen it but they all are agreed that they can see
how here would be a return on investment through reduced down time and maintenance
costs, more predictable down time and increased asset life.
According to the literature there is a lack of information on return on investment for BIM for
14. How do you measure the R.O.I. for BIM for FM?
All of the participants felt it was difficult to measure the ROI at present due the lack of real
projects using the system. Participant (P2) from the UK also added that you can not write a
business case for innovation, which would mean you would have historical data. (P2) stated:
“We thought it could improve our first fix rate and improve the efficiencies of the engineers
and improve our reputation as a business. We can easily measure against the first two,
because we capture that data anyway. The two sites were we have got a live database and a
live BIM, we have been able to say that on these sites, this is the improvement were we use
BIM. We have properly measured that, the reputation stuff is quite intangible but we have
had quotes from clients to say that the BIM for FM solution is a part of the construction sell”.
15. How do the stakeholders rank the perceived benefits?
Please rank the following perceived benefits on a scale from 1-5?
SCALE: 1. Not a Benefit; 2. Very little Benefit; 3. Somewhat of a Benefit; 4. Quite a Benefit;
5. A Great Benefit
1. As built 3D Visual BIM model becomes a valuable electronic owner’s manual ( )
2. Maintenance of warranty and service information. ( )
3. Space & Change Management Tool ( )
4. Building Analysis Tool for Energy Management & Sustainability ( )
5. Emergency Management ( )
6. BIM model which connects with the Buildings Automation System ( )
7. Retrofit planning ( )
8. Deconstruction planning ( )

46
The following table shows the questions raised in the interviews with each type of participant
and prioritises them in their level of challenge according to their viewpoint. The scale used
was 1 to 5, 1 being of little or no benefit and 5 being a great benefit.
Perceived
Challenges
(P1)
M.Q.
Owner
(P2)
K.F
FM
(P3)
E.A
FM
(P4)
I.K.
Owner
(P5)
R.M.
BIM
Cons.
(P6)
D.H.
BIM
Cons.
(P7)
B.McA
PHD
Student
Total
No.1 3 5 5 5 4 5 5 32
No.2 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 29
No.3 3 4 4 4 5 3 3 26
No.4 3 4 4 4 4 3 5 27
No.5 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 24
No.6 4 3 5 5 3 5 5 30
No.7 5 5 3 4 5 4 5 31
No.8 4 4 3 2 4 4 4 25
Total 30 33 31 32 32 31 35
Table 3.4: Perceived benefit research results
4.2.6 Recommendations on BIM for FM at the Various BIM Project Stages
There are new guidelines (PAS1192-2) and (PAS1192-3) for the specification for
information management, for the capital/delivery and operational phase of construction
projects, using Building Information Modelling. The new guidelines are quite a tough read
unless you are well-versed in BIM for FM, so the author wished to create some general
recommendations for the Irish market, which could be used, as an introductory aid to those
guidelines.
16. What recommendations would you make for the engagement of the FM Team with
designers via BIM to achieve a useful FM Model to be used during the operational
phase and over the life cycle of the project/office facility?
The UK participants (P1) and (P2) listed; Early engagement with the design team and
contractor; Ongoing liaison to ensure familiarity with the model; FM team be involved in
developing the information requirements, and they need to design/define how the BIM is
going to be integrated into the future asset information model.; need to be involved in the
value engineering process and modelling process, so that they can understand the impact of

47
those activities on the future operating costs and performance of that building. The Irish
participants listed; need to consider the access for fixed asset equipment, when it comes to
servicing and maintaining equipment also access to that asset information; sitting down and
involving the client FM team early in the design stage and asking them what are the ongoing
FM challenges during the operation stage; key thing is you need bring in the FM team earlier
and incentivise or make it a part of the contract for FM to be involved, The FM engage with
the design team to make sure the client requirements are there, make sure the data drops are
planned out, the brief is fine tuned.
17. What recommendations would you make for proper planning and organisation from
the outset, (i.e. relating to project objectives; project team; technology; project
requirements and process) if a BIM model is to be used for FM on a project/office
facility?
The UK participants listed recommendations as follows: Clear set of BIM "Employers
Requirements" so the key requirements of the model are understood, including FM. BIM
Execution Plan to set out what is required in the model, including software requirements.
Ongoing review of the model in workshop style meetings through the design and construction
phase; The client should specify that they expect 1192 part 2 and part 3 to be the standard
requirement for that project. I think if someone specifies that and asks the contractors in their
CPs to put forward how they would achieve it, they would probably get a really good
structured approach. The Irish participants recommended; The project objectives must be
driven from the client and there must be complete senior level buy in, the project team must
also understand and embrace those objectives; The clients FM representative is going to be
the longest there and if he is working to the client recommendations and specifications, that is
the bible which he needs to abide by.
18. What recommendations would you make for the implementation strategy (i.e.
submittals of FM data; detailed information such as make, model, design, size etc.;
commissioning information and as built verification process) of BIM for FM during
construction stage of a project/office facility?
The UK participants recommended: Be clear what asset information is required to be
"tagged" so that the model doesn't become too complicated or unusable. At present we are
experimenting with just the main M&E plant rather than going down to infinite detail such as
door handles and hinge types; Consider how it is to be linked to the O&M manuals - if web
based O&M link the two, and keep the technical detail in the O&M manual?; The Irish
participants listed recommendations include; The COBie standard could be used to keep all
the information to a set standard and format; Make sure you are getting information at all
stages (data drops).

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