Building Information Modelling must evolve beyond design and construction into a whole-life asset management tool. Dr Hassam Chaudhry, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University explores how connecting BIM with operational data and digital twins can improve building performance, maintenance and sustainability.
October 28, 2026 | Dr Hassam Chaudhry | UAE | Construction | 3 Min Read
Image Courtesy: Heriot-Watt University Dubai
In much of the construction sector, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is still associated primarily with design coordination, clash detection, quantity take-offs, and construction planning. These applications have undoubtedly improved project delivery, but they represent only part of BIM’s potential. The real opportunity is to treat BIM as a whole-life information and performance platform, extending from early design and construction into commissioning, facilities management, operational optimisation, refurbishment and long-term asset management.
This matters because the longest and most resource-intensive phase of a building’s life begins after handover. If BIM information stops at practical completion, much of the value invested in creating the digital model is lost. A successful BIM strategy should therefore consider not only how efficiently we design and construct an asset, but how effectively we operate, maintain and improve it over decades.
For facilities managers, BIM's real value is not the 3D model itself, but the information connected to physical assets. HVAC equipment specifications, maintenance requirements, space data, commissioning information, operating parameters and replacement histories can collectively create a much richer understanding of the building.
This is also where BIM can provide the foundation for digital twins. BIM establishes structured asset information, while a digital twin connects that representation to operational data, simulation, and real building behaviour. The objective shifts from visualising an asset towards understanding and improving its performance.
This progression reflects my wider research in building physics, sustainable cooling, natural ventilation, heat recovery, computational fluid dynamics and thermal modelling. Across these areas, a consistent principle emerges: a building should not be treated as a static object, but as a dynamic energy and environmental system whose real performance can differ significantly from its original design assumptions.
Connecting BIM with operational information offers a powerful way to investigate this performance gap. Energy consumption should not simply appear as a monthly utility figure. It should be understood in relation to building fabric, HVAC systems, occupancy, controls, internal loads and environmental conditions.
Our work on the Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus Digital Twin demonstrates this transition. The project integrates architectural, mechanical and operational datasets within an IESVE-based digital environment, creating a calibrated virtual representation that can be used to examine building behaviour and evaluate potential operational and sustainability interventions.
This changes the questions facilities teams can ask. Rather than simply asking, “What equipment is installed in this building?”, they can increasingly ask, “How is this building performing, why is it performing this way, and what would happen if we changed its operation?” That is a fundamental shift from information management towards performance intelligence.
Buildings continually change. Equipment is replaced, spaces are repurposed, occupancy patterns evolve, control strategies are adjusted and new technologies are introduced. An operational BIM model cannot therefore remain a frozen record of what was constructed. To retain value, it must become a living information asset that evolves alongside the physical building.
Technology alone, however, will not achieve this. Effective lifecycle BIM requires appropriate information governance, clearly defined responsibilities, collaborative processes and contractual requirements. Asset owners should therefore define BIM requirements backwards from operational needs: what information will facilities teams require, which assets need monitoring, what performance indicators matter, and who will maintain the digital information following refurbishment or equipment replacement?
The next stage of BIM maturity is not necessarily more detailed modelling. It is better continuity of useful information.
A successful BIM strategy creates a digital thread connecting design assumptions, construction information, commissioning results and operational performance. In doing so, BIM becomes more than a project-delivery technology. It becomes an evidence base for predictive maintenance, energy management, retrofit planning, decarbonisation, resilience and future capital investment.
This perspective also aligns with my broader work on building energy modelling, demand-side optimisation and climate-responsive design. The central lesson is that sustainable performance cannot be secured at design stage alone. Buildings must be continuously understood, tested and improved throughout their operational lives.
The industry should therefore move beyond asking, “Are we using BIM on this project?” The more important question is: “Will the information we create today still help us operate, optimise and add value to this asset in 10, 20 or 30 years?” That is when BIM stops being simply a project technology and becomes a genuine lifecycle asset-management strategy.
The views and figures expressed in this column are solely of and by the author, and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of Real Estate Market Times.
