Are inexpensive surveys for maintenance management of small existing residential buildings at BIM level 2?”

BIM for maintenance management is still in its infancy, despite the advertised advantages it could bring. There are several barriers to overcome, mainly an understanding by those who will need to use it on a daily basis. Several issues have been identified that have prevented mainstream acceptance of the technology, especially when dealing with existing buildings.
New buildings have the advantage that a 3d virtual model exists, having been developed during the design and construction phases, but for existing buildings, surveys need to be carried out and a 3d model developed. Such techniques have seen exciting results where large corporations have had the finance to commission such a survey, but are proving too expensive for small exiting residential properties, especially those managed by local authorities and housing associations.
Some less expensive survey techniques have been tried and tested and compared to the traditional expensive techniques, such as laser scanning. Virtual 3D models of small houses and flats have been ‘built’ and examined to see their potential in the field of maintenance. Levels of details have also been discussed.
The requirement for 3d has been questioned, with floor plans being achieved using a 2d laser scanner (costing less than 1% of a 3d scanner), although the addition of the metadata still seems to be the major barrier in providing a useful model. Photogrammetric technics were tested but proved to still be difficult to use in confined spaces.
The conclusion is there is still a long way to go for the adoption of BIM on existing buildings. Changes to the Governments BIM standards are needed to move away from just ‘new build’ and quicker automatic metadata determination are required to enable BIM to be effectively used for maintenance of existing buildings.