Organization of a Smart Building or digital building project including a BOS package

Principles: building and digital projects must be carried out simultaneously


The building project and the digital project

Creating a smart building requires above all the implementation of a quality process for data management, which is not done today in the building. The building is a complex asset made up of several subsystems or different data sources (BMS, Safety, SSI, A / V, IT, CMMS, BIM…). These different systems mainly operate in silos and are managed in silos by different entities / companies (architecture, configuration, day-to-day management, etc.).

The implementation of a digital batch or smart batch makes it possible to globally supervise the homogeneous and rationalized deployment of all these data sources in order to allow their use and their valuation during the operation of the building.

Such a digital project is set up and conducted by following an organized project management. From this point of view, the digital world has been structured in the same way as the building world for the management of complex digital projects (such as ERP or PLM platforms for example). The two diagrams below illustrate the steps and roles for setting up large projects :

  • Building on one side (blue)

  • Complex information system on the other (orange)

Building project

A building project follows stages implementing specific resources for specifications, physical and technical architecture, construction, installation, integration ... all this framed by project management and control of building work (BE, architect and developer)


Digital project

An information system project follows stages implementing specific resources for specifications, physical and technical architecture, installation, integration ... all this framed by project management and control of 'digital work (ESN and

DSI)

Coupling of the two projects within a digital building project

Both projects take time which is counted in years. For a building project, this is a known fact. It is less so for the conduct of a project to set up a complex information system. Therefore, to supply a digital building on delivery, it is essential to lead the two projects in parallel, or even to merge them.

The following diagram shows the ideal nesting for an integrated digital building project.

Integrated digital building project


The skills in blue are the “standard” building trades. The skills in orange are the "new jobs" of digital to add to the construction project to concretely achieve the ambition of an evolution towards the smart building or digital building:

  • IT architecture: information system architecture

  • BIM Data Management: participation in the BIM process for the adaptation of models in anticipation of their use in operation

  • Digital contracting authority: writing the smart program, specifications and conventions

  • Digital project management: verification and validation of compliance with conventions by all system integrators

  • IT equipment manufacturers, installers and IT network integrator: installation of cabling and active elements of the IP network in buildings, installation of servers and other terminals

  • BOS editors and applications and integrators of the global information system: implementation of the BOS, initialization of the digital twin, development of connectors and applications, acceptance, deployment and VSR for one year of the installed system.

Roles and skills during the project phase

The building is a complex asset (system of systems), made up of several subsystems or data sources (GTB, SSI, A / V, CMMS, BIM, etc.) which operate in silos and which are integrated in silos by different entities .

To really create a smart building, you must:

  • Propose a streamlined architecture of the information system taking into account cross-functional data management (BOS and BIS) -> Role of the digital architect

  • Propose a transverse and shared data model capable of contextualizing the building data (the building's unique repository and its digital twin) -> Role of the database architect or BIM data manager

  • Set up a cross-functional integration process allowing each business integrator to achieve its integration mission while respecting a coherent overall framework -> Role of integrators and digital project management

The following diagram describes in more detail the actors, their roles and their responsibilities. Following the same principle as in the previous diagrams, the skills in blue correspond to the building trades, the skills in orange correspond to the IT skills associated with the new digital batch.

Role and organization of responsibilities for the implementation of a digital building project


Typical project schedule

Typical schedule for an integrated project


As part of an integrated project, the BIM Management, BIS & BOS integration, and BMS teams can work together and be supervised by the same project manager. The IT project management supervises and imposes on all the technical batches providing data the respect of charters and strict conventions concerning the common identification of spaces and equipment between BIM, BMS, security ... and all the others information systems integrated into the digital building process.

  • You will find an example of a BIM specification to add to the charters on this page

  • You will find an example of a BMS specification to be added to the specifications on this page

Typical schedule of an integrated project

Standard schedule for two separate projects with data provision and exchange over time

As part of the management of two separate projects, the BIM Management and BMS teams work on the one hand under the responsibility of the building project management, the BIS & BOS integrator works on the other hand under the responsibility of IT project management for the lessee, for example. The IT project management oversees the provision of data (BIM model, BMS points, charters and naming conventions) on a contractual basis with the building owner who distributes them to the building project management than to the '' all the technical packages providing data: BIM, BMS, Safety, access control ... and more generally all the information systems integrated into the digital building process.

  • You will find an example of a BIM specification to add to the charters on this page

  • You will find an example of a BMS specification to be added to the specifications on this page

Standard schedule for two separate projects with releases and regular meetings

Operation of the building information system (BIS)

The operating system implemented by this approach makes it possible to manage, rationalize and enhance all the data from the building. It is a system that implements many subsystems, which manages heterogeneous and dynamic data that will be used and usable by numerous digital applications and people in the building. This system must be maintained. This maintenance process is called Maintain in Operational Condition (MCO). This maintenance is generally carried out for a digital building operator who has skills substantially equivalent to the synthesis integrator (BOS integrator).