In October 2021 Chimni and OpenBIM specialist xbim were awarded an InnovateUK grant for a ground breaking project to ‘re-imagine’ BIM use in the housebuilding industry. This blog post provides the background and overview to the project.

The 'Re-Imagining BIM' project was prompted by concerns about the low take up of Building Information Modelling (an advanced form of digital construction software) in housebuilding. BIM is one of the Government's priority 'Modern Method of Construction' (MMC) and is seen as a solution to poor design and construction in the residential construction industry. Chimni have long argued that Property Logbooks are a way to give homeowners access to the amazingly rich information that can be produced by using BIM to build homes. The project examines how to link the data and intelligence created within BIM during design and construction to the emerging generation of Property Logbooks. Most importantly it will examine ways to turn the construction data created during housebuilding into useful homeowner information and services that can be delivered through Chimni logbooks. 

The project challenges the presumption that there is no use for BIM data in housing after construction. Chimni’s MD Nigel Walley said “Our project makes the case that the homeowner should be viewed as a 'Facilities Manager' and could use the data if made available to them in consumer friendly ways”.

The project subverts the normal process of BIM model creation and start with consumer research into the homeowner. Nigel Walley said “We looked at activity around DIY, maintenance, operation and upkeep of a range of property types and examined where this can be supported with better data from construction or refit.”  The project createde a series of user cases with accompanying data models that can be incorporated into an Asset Information Model.

Later stages of the project looked at the apps and services being used by homeowners and test the project assumption that property 'logbooks' or 'passports' provide a way to deliver construction and product data to homeowners in a meaningful and usable format. Andy Ward of xbim commented:

“Creating a homeowner friendly way to expand the uses of BIM data has to benefit the whole of the new-build and retrofit housing industries. Linking BIM data to consumer friendly web apps like property logbooks means we can expand the potential of the OpenBIM approach and dramatically increase the ways in which BIM data can be shared amongst users.“

The project output was a series of case studies, with supporting data models and software examples, plus recommendations for data creation in new build and retrofit housing.

The project has already generated press coverage, mainly in the specialist construction press:

Construction Index - https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/bim-for-housing-research-gets-funding

BIM+  https://www.bimplus.co.uk/bim-in-housing-the-homeowner-is-the-facilities-manager/

BuildInDigital - https://buildindigital.com/chimni-and-xbim-win-innovate-uk-grant-to-re-imagine-bim-in-housing/

PBC Today –  https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/bim-news/bim-in-housebuilding/99121/