Connection Collaborations for all your Building Information

Creating a community platform for each building to manage building tasks using a modified BIM HEROES concept is possible and could be valuable.

How it Could Look:

Imagine a dedicated online space for each building, branded perhaps with the building’s name. This platform could integrate BIM data with community features, allowing residents, building managers, and potentially even automated systems to interact. Key features could include:

• Visual Interface Linked to BIM: Users can navigate a 3D model or 2D plan for their building (powered by BIM data). Clicking on elements (e.g., a thermostat, a lighting fixture, a ventilation unit) would bring up its status, control options, and related discussions.
• Task Management: Residents or managers could log issues related to building automation (e.g., “My apartment is too hot,” “The lobby lights are always on”). These could be linked to specific BIM elements for context.
• Automation Control: Depending on the level of integration, authorized users might be able to adjust specific building automation settings directly through the platform (e.g., temperature in common areas, lighting schedules).
• Information Hub: Access to building manuals, energy usage data, maintenance schedules, and FAQs related to the building’s automated systems.
• Community Forums: Spaces for residents to discuss building-related issues, share tips on using the building’s features, and build a sense of community.
• Notifications: Automated alerts for system malfunctions, maintenance updates, or community announcements.  
• User Roles and Permissions: Different access levels for residents, building management, and technical staff.

BIM HEROES Adaptation:

BIM HEROES, as a community for BIM professionals, provides a template for connection and information sharing within a specific domain. Adapting this for individual buildings would involve:  

• Scaling Down/Focusing: Instead of a broad AEC professional community, each platform would be focused on a single building and its occupants/managers.
• Integrating BAS Functionality: The core difference would be the direct link to building automation tasks and data, going beyond general BIM collaboration.
• Tailored User Base: The community would primarily consist of residents and building management, with potentially some external service providers.

Other Industries Doing Similar Things:

While not exactly the same, there are parallels in other industries:

• Smart Home Platforms: Systems like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit provide a centralized interface for homeowners to control various smart devices. A building-wide platform would be a larger-scale version of this.  
• Industrial IoT Platforms: In manufacturing and other industrial settings, platforms often combine digital twins (similar to BIM) with sensor data and control capabilities, allowing teams to monitor and manage complex systems collaboratively.
• Smart City Initiatives: Some smart city projects involve platforms that provide residents with information and some control over city infrastructure (e.g., reporting issues, viewing public transport schedules).  
• Online Communities for Specific Products/Services: Many companies create online communities around their products, where users can share tips, troubleshoot issues, and connect with each other. This building platform would extend that concept to a physical space and its systems.
• Ansible Collaborative: Red Hat’s Ansible Collaborative is a platform for users to learn and share automation content, which shows the value of a community around automation, although IT-focused.  

Is it Possible?

Yes, it is technically possible. The technologies exist to integrate BIM, building automation systems, and community platform software. The main challenges would likely be in:

• Integration Complexity: Connecting diverse BAS protocols and BIM data in a user-friendly way.
• Security and Privacy: Ensuring only authorized users have control over building systems and that data is handled responsibly.
• Scalability: Efficiently deploying and managing these platforms across multiple buildings.

In summary, a building-specific community platform leveraging BIM HEROES principles for building automation management is a compelling idea with potential benefits for residents and building managers. While unique in its specific focus, it draws inspiration from existing community platforms and IoT solutions in other industries.

What aspects of this concept would you like to explore further? For example, we could delve deeper into specific features, the technology stack, or potential challenges. Sources and related content

Explanation of the Diagram:

• Building Residents and building Managers are the primary human users of the platform. They can interact with it to manage tasks, access information, and communicate.
• Building Community Platform (BIM-Linked): This is the central software system. It’s the adapted “BIM HEROES” concept for a single building.
• BIM Data: The platform pulls information from the Building Information Model. This provides the visual context and asset-specific details.
• Central Platform Components: These are key features of the platform, allowing users to interact with the building and each other.
• Building Automation Systems (BAS): The platform connects to the underlying control systems of the building.
• Building Sensors & Actuators: These are the physical devices within the building that monitor conditions and execute commands from the BAS.

User Flow Example:

1. A building resident notices that the temperature in a common area is too low.
2. They access the Building Community Platform.
3. Using the Visual Interface (linked to BIM), they navigate to the common area and see the thermostat.
4. They can either:
   • Create a Task Management ticket (“Temperature too low in lobby”).
   • (If authorized) Directly adjust the temperature via Control Options.
5. The Building Manager receives a Notification about the task.
6. The Building Manager can investigate using the BIM data for context and potentially adjust the Building Automation Systems (BAS) through the platform.
7. The BAS signals the relevant Building Sensors & Actuators to adjust the heating.
8. Updates on the task or system status can be communicated back to the resident via the platform.

Sources

What is a Building Management System? – CIM.io

www.cim.io

BIM Heroes

www.bimhero.io