The integrated use of building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) is promising for the development of asset management systems (AMSs) for operation and maintenance (O&M) in smart university campuses. The combination of BIM-GIS with cognitive digital twins (CDTs) can further facilitate the management of complex systems such as university building stock. CDTs enable buildings to behave as autonomous entities, dynamically reacting to environmental changes. Timely decisions based on the actual conditions of buildings and surroundings can be provided, both in emergency scenarios or when optimized and adaptive performances are required. The research aims to develop a BIM-GIS-based AMS for improving user experience and enabling the optimal use of resources in the O&M phase of an Italian university. Campuses are complex assets, mainly diffused with buildings spread across the territory, managed with still document-based and fragmented databases handled by several subjects. This results in incomplete and asymmetrical information, often leading to ineffective and untimely decisions. The paper presents a methodology for the development of a BIM-GIS web-based platform (i.e., AMS-app) providing the real-time visualization of the asset in an interactive 3D map connected to analytical dashboards for management support. Two buildings of the University of Turin are adopted as demonstrators, illustrating the development of an easily accessible, centralized database by integrating spatial and functional data, useful also to develop future CDTs. As a first attempt to show the AMS app potential, crowd simulations have been conducted to understand the buildings’ actual level of safety in case of fire emergency and demonstrate how CDTs could improve it. The identification of data needed, also gathered through the future implementation of suitable sensors and Internet of Things networks, is the core issue together with the definition of effective asset visualization and monitoring methods. Future developments will explore the integration of artificial intelligence and immersive technologies to enable space use optimization and real-time wayfinding during evacuation, exploiting digital tools to alert and drive users or authorities for safety improvement. The ability to easily optimize the paths with respect to the actual occupancy and conditions of both the asset and surroundings will be enabled.
High fragmented and hardly accessible information often leads to struggling management of diffused assets. BIM and GIS integration is promising to develop effective digital Asset Management Systems (AMS) to facilitate information sharing and collaborative management. This paper presents a replicable methodological approach to develop a pilot BIM-GIS, web-based AMS for the University of Turin. The main aim is to overcome document-based and fragmented management, avoiding ineffective decisions during the operational and maintenance phase. The key step of integrating data from several heterogeneous sources in an accessible, centralized database is deep in described. Furthermore, two demonstrators are illustrated, discussing the first results and AMS potentials.
Educational buildings across Europe refer to a large amount of structures for which critical interventions are necessary. Particularly, for old buildings, comprehensive refurbishment efforts are essential, in order to enhance the indoor comfort conditions and establish the best possible settings for students and users. Evidently, the above issue is decisive to stimulate and support students with reference to the learning process and aims of the educational system (superior learning performance); this has also a positive effect on users’ interaction with the nearby environment, in terms of social adaptability and health for children and adults. In this context, the main goal is to transform entirely the design of educational building spaces with respect to the initial conditions. To this end, governments often set targets on upgrading and utilizing school infrastructure in the urban district (mostly, for school classes situated in the urban core of the social and local communities). As is well known, the improvement of a building from a building physics point of view is fundamentally related to the attainment of acceptable hygro-thermal, visual and acoustic comfort conditions. On the other hand, limiting the heat flux through the buildings’ envelope and restricting CO2 emissions, is of great importance, from an environmental point of view. However, the complexity and significance to assess educational facilities mostly relies on the use of heating in winter and the absence of cooling systems during summer. In addition, climate change, which results into growing values of the air temperature, makes it difficult to attain acceptable indoor comfort conditions with natural ventilation. To reduce this effect, especially in the southern part of Europe, shading devices, as well as ventilation and cooling systems offer rational approaches to scrutinize the indoor environment. The central points of the present investigation, with respect to the indoor comfort conditions of educational buildings in different climate zones, during the cooling season, are as follows: (a) the retrofit measures to improve the thermal performance during heat waves; (b) how to gain tolerable indoor comfort conditions with or without a cooling; (c) the implementation of adaptive thermal comfort models. A dynamic thermal simulation on three levels (envelope, classroom, school building) has been carried out in order to assess the school building stock and investigate possibilities of improvements . For three different locations several retrofit scenarios have been evaluated by considering adaptive comfort standards (for typical users, as well as for children). Furthermore, to stretch the impact of this investigation, the analysis has been extended for a real case study: the “Modulo Didattico” building in the Smart Campus of the University of Brescia. At last, the integrated workflow of the design process is presented, considering both BIM and BEM data, and demonstrating an interesting application of visualization techniques for assessment of the comfort conditions in the different thermal zones. The study is the outcome of a collaborative workplan between the University of Brescia (unibs, Italy) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th., Greece).
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