Nicola Moretti

A BIM-Based Decision Support System for Building Maintenance

Available data about asset condition and performances can be conveyed into different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Many KPIs measuring technical, functional and economic/financial asset performances can be found in literature. Nevertheless, they are often strictly related to a specific scope, thus they provide an incomplete depiction of the whole assets performances. The objective of this research is to provide facility managers and asset owners with an easy instrument to prioritize maintenance. In order to reduce costs related to its use, the instrument, developed in the form of a Decision Support System (DSS), is based on existing and reliable performances metrics and leverages new technologies like Building Information Modelling (BIM). Accordingly, the Facility Condition Index (FCI) is combined with the D index, a KPI related to the age of building components, developed by the authors. The joint use of the FCI and the D index, allows facility managers to make more conscious decisions. The proposed DSS helps in the definition of the best maintenance plan, providing a ranking of building components which require more urgent maintenance interventions. Although the DSS should be tested measuring its ability to preserve buildings and their performances on a long term, the first results are positive, as confirmed by the application to a case study on an office building in Italy. Moreover, the usability of the instrument has been appreciated by the users in a medium size Italian company.

GIS Supporting Surveys for Urban Sustainability Assessment

Urban Facility Management (UFM) is an effective framework to support management of the complexity of the city environment, to optimise resources, enhance quality and guarantee citizenOs safety. Nevertheless, it can be observed a lack of standardised objective tools for urban quality assessment of existing neighbourhoods. In this paper, a procedure for urban sustainability assessment exploiting Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Database Management Systems (DBMS) and mobile devices is presented. A system called District Information Model (DIM) is employed for this purpose, in order to detect the anomalies and enable evaluation of urban componentsO average conservation status. The results of the survey supported the implementation of an UFM service in an Italian Neighbourhood, near Milan. UFM can be intended as a framework to pursuit urban sustainability objectives, in the wider context of Europe 2020 strategy. Thus, the process leading to urban sustainability reporting through the DIM has been investigated, through a case study research. In conclusion, the system can be seen as a risk prevention tool both for citizens and professionals working for management of built environment; and as a sustainability assessment tool compliant with most recognised Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment (NSA) protocols.