Hello BIMfans, As I wrote in the Prologue, the idea for There’s No BIM Like Home was born when my wife and I were buying our first house. During this purchase, I quickly realized that we were given an awful lot of paperwork to manage but no way to manage it. I’d have been in real trouble if this went missing, but no longer! As a Chartered Architectural Technologist who specializes in information management using Building Information Modelling (BIM), I set out to produce and manage an information model of Tŷ Crempog.  The aim was to collect enough information to sa ..read more

Hello BIMfans, By writing PLQ 3.4 – EPConclusion, I was able to complete the calculations for my Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Rating.  Having made this information readily available, I issued a challenge to see what thermal improvements you would suggest.  I’m glad to say I received a plethora of suggestions (thank you everyone!) and have included the most detailed suggestions below. NOTE:  To ensure that these suggestions were as realistic as possible, I have aimed to achieve the minimum requirements set out in the Welsh Approved Documents.  While I could ..read more

Hello BIMfans, Welcome to ‘Is It Smart?’, the blog series where I have a look at the smart technology installed within Tŷ Crempog to explore the power of BIM Level 2, PropTech, and the Internet of Things (IOT).  This week, I take a look at the Conexis L1. Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know that I have recently had Yale‘s Conexis L1, a keyless smart lock, installed.  I have always liked the idea of having a keyless home, so when I arranged for BWM Ltd to install my new back door, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to ..read more

Hello BIMfans, After previously considering my Overall Dimensions, Heating Requirements and Internal Gains, I am now able to complete my Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculations by looking at my final three categories:  9a_Energy Requirements, 10_Fuel Costs, and 11_SAP Rating. Go on Crempog, climb those ratings!Energy Requirements Space Heating (211).  To calculate the amount of energy needed to heat Tŷ Crempog, SAP requires the previously calculated monthly space heating requirements (98) as well as my boiler’s efficiency (206).  Using the SAP Produ ..read more

Hello BIMfans, As you are aware from my Previous Posts, I am currently working my way through BRE‘s Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) by importing structured information from Tŷ Crempog‘s information model.  As I covered ‘how’ during SAP Likes it Hot, I’ve opted to go for quantity and have completed the majority of my SAP calculations.  While there were some suspect values (at one point I had a negative utilization rate), I’m in no way confident that these issues have been resolved. Me for most of these calculations… For this post, I’ve managed to complete ..read more

Hello BIMfans, In my last post, I introduced BRE‘s Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and began my SAP Calculations by importing Tŷ Crempog‘s areas and dimensions from my Architectural COBie.  For this post, I’ve built on my initial calculations and have had a look at 2 Ventilation Rate and 3 Heat Loss. As a Chartered Architectural Technologist, I’ve always tried to understand the science behind the built environment.  When working in practice I did my own thermal calculations, and have previously designed to meet Passivhaus.  This exercise has enabled me to reki ..read more

Hello BIMfans, Now that I’ve produced Tŷ Crempog‘s information model, it’s time (finally) to put it to practical use in answering my next and final Plain Langauge Question: What are the most cost-effective thermal improvements that could be undertaken? By answering this Plain Langauge Question, I am beginning to realize the true potential of Tŷ Crempog‘s information model by answering real questions that will impact on how I undertake any retrofit works.  To answer this question, I have turned to Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). SAP is Building Research Establis ..read more

Hello BIMfans, With the recent release of PAS 1192-6, the newest core BIM Level 2 publication, there is now a specified process on how to share structured health and safety information.  So, let’s try it out and see if we can deliver this information! EIR Invocation: First things first (ironically), If an Employer wants the project’s health and safety information structured as specified with PAS 1192-6, then they will need to say so in their Employer’s Information Requirements.  So, as PAS 1192-6 is now specified in my EIR, I guess I’ll have to follow it. (open) BIM Us ..read more

Hello BIMfans, Now that my COBie has been validated during COBie Culmination, it is time to put that information to use.  When Configuring Costs, I mentioned Jonathan Hewitt of Hewitt Consult Limited had kindly offered to put my information into CostX to produce a preventative maintenance schedule. Not only has he produced my schedule, but by dealing with the interoperability issues, I have managed to get some useful insights into how my cost information should be managed.  Included below are the steps taken to produce my preventative maintenance schedule. Review of P ..read more

Hello BIMfans, Those of you who have been following this Blog will know that producing good COBie has been a persistent goal of mine.  This goal may sound simple, but it wasn’t.  Due to the current state of software, the delivery of well-structured information isn’t a one-click activity (one day we’ll have that magic COBie button…one day).  When producing information to manage my home, I have been careful to ensure that the properties and attributes I’ve used have been structured to suit the available British, European and International Standards which are: BS 1192-4 ..read more