Designing a Database Schema for Supporting Visual Management of Variable Parameters in BIM Models

Recently there has been growing recognition of the value of facility management (FM) in the construction field. Nowadays, FM data can be extracted from parameters of BIM (building information modeling) models. Thus, it is increasingly important to manage parameters of BIM model elements in the operation and maintenance (O&M) stage. Currently, parameters in a BIM model are mostly treated as static (i.e. fixed information of a model element). In order to make BIM model more valuable in the O&M stage, variable parameters (operating information of a model element) should be considered in a BIM model to address the data management need in actual environment of a building, such as status of a building element (e.g. movable wall's status), IoT (Internet of things) data, etc. This paper presents an effort in designing a database schema for integrating both static and variable parameters of a BIM model into the database. The design considers the compatibility with COBie (construction operations building information exchange) and supports visual management of BIM model parameters, especially variable parameters. In addition, applications of the database with the proposed design are demonstrated through API implementation in Autodesk Forge. © 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.