Building Information Modeling: Smarter Buildings Thanks to Data
- Monday, 09 January 2017
One of the things that has made 21st-century tech stand out is sensors. Sensors and trackers have collected data that have made things like self-driving cars possible. Data can also be leveraged to build smart buildings. And if you think this is only a fancy fad, think again. Here are a few ways collecting data from your buildings can help your firm improve design and get a bigger piece of the pie.
Data collection is the cornerstone of smarter decisions, smarter strategies, and smarter outcomes. Your construction firm can start collecting data from buildings in order to make improvements in existing and future edifications. In fact, there is a whole movement around this: Building Information Modeling or BIM for short. It is defined as: "A digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility". This is turn is a "reliable basis for decisions from [inception] to demolition".
Building Information Modeling in Action
If you really want to know the value of collecting building data, here's a real-life example: WeWork. This global co-working space company can be easily confused with similar firms such as Regus. However, WeWork is quite different. WeWork is worth $16 Billion according to a 2016 valuation. And although experts say that real-estate companies cannot grow as exponentially as an app can, WeWork has clearly proven them wrong, all thanks to data. In 2015, WeWork bought Case, a Building Information Modeling startup. They soon started collecting data from all of their buildings; they studied behavior and patterns. For example, they noticed that 99% of the time, meetings involved anyone between 1 to 4 people regardless of the meeting room size they were being held in. Information such as this has lead the co-working space giant into making smarter decisions, building better co-working spaces, and ultimately growing a lot faster than any other rival.
Building Information Modeling for the public sector
Think this only works for the private sector? Public sector benefits a great deal as well. Uber just launched "Uber Movement". This program has collected anonymous GPS data from Uber drivers from all over the world. In turn, Uber has been able to detect patterns, calculate traffic and commuting time, and ways urban infrastructure can be optimized.
Start collecting your own data
Collecting data is not a thing only "giant companies" can do. Start collecting your own data. Install sensors throughout your buildings (we discuss sensors in our previous article "How to protect your equipment from theft"). Don't be afrain to reach out to software firms to get this project started. Improve your buildings, improve designs, cut costs, and make your customers happier.