Building Information Systems are a centrally important piece of the future of sustainable buildings. Not only do these systems allow us to monitor and “continually commission” buildings and building systems, but they also allow us to learn and to gather data to be integrated into future building designs.
After hearing Lari Anderson of BAE Systems speak about his work on “Smart Buildings” (using Building Information Management Systems) which I wrote about earler, I have been keeping a close eye out for news on the topic. Whether owners are “simply” seeking to save money by reducing resource waste or implementing an integrated high performance building strategy, building information management systems (often abbreviated as “BIM”) are quickly becoming an important part of any portfolio strategy . Building Information Systems enable management to access huge amounts of data on an ongoing basis. As Mr. Anderson put it, building information management systems can allow building managers to have access to the amount and level of information, at any point in time, that the building commissioning agent has during his/her assessment, thereby allowing for “continual commissioning”.
Lest you think that the buildings industry is not yet ready to embrace building information management systems, I would ask you to consider that information systems are now being integrated into infrastructure projects such as the new bridge in Minneapolis which opened this morning, just over a year after the tragic collapse. The new bridge has “smart bridge” technology that allow engineers to monitor the bridge and react preventatively should the data signal any warnings. The integration of information systems into infrastructure projects is enough to convince me that any new building or major retro-fit should include a solid building information management systems.
