SpaceWorx
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT BUILDING INFORMATION
SpaceWorx has developed the skills and expertise in managing digital assets for properties over many years, servicing various property portfolios. While there is a lot of talk about BIM in the market, this is admittedly exciting, but mainly used for ‘new build’ projects. Of all properties, however, 98% or so already exist with their old documentation carefully (or maybe not so) stored in a neglected state.
Most companies simply cannot afford to capture their information into BIM and there are good reasons for not doing so. Existing documentation, in whatever format, can be successfully made available to users at a reasonable cost. The key is not always in the collection of the information, but more importantly in the classification and accessibility when needed. This realises the stored value for the Building Owner or Manager when any drawing is available within three to four clicks of a mouse.
Our skill-set ranges from the scanning of legacy documentation, to curating of CAD files into intelligent representations of buildings to support management information. It can be described as a journey, with each step enhancing the value of the information, by adding more to the dataset while preparing the data for an easy transition to the next level in value.
Let me explain.
It often starts with a filing cabinet or a room full of drawings for the building. These need to get scanned and saved digitally in Pdf file format. This is just the start and the copies should be preserved, categorised and safely stored again. Key details of each drawing need to be captured to find the file in the future. This is mostly done in spreadsheets which can be saved with the drawings. Using this data, we have developed an easy-to-implement web-based front end, that makes any drawing accessible within three to four clicks.
Next, we have Legacy 2D CAD Files in Dwg format. Here we have developed a layering system that allows us to keep multi-disciplinary information within a single file. All CAD files have a ‘Model Space’ where the drawing elements and entities are drawn in association, to represent the actual floor plan.
Re-structuring the CAD file is mostly about getting stray elements and entities from the wrong layer into the correct ones. We can then bring in new information from other consultants so that services can be seen in relation to walls and ducts. Using the power of the layering system, we can then filter information into Sheets in ‘Paper Space’ for printing. For ease of understanding, we keep each floor in a separate CAD file. To make the information more accessible, we publish the CAD files to Pdf so that no special software is necessary to read or otherwise access them.
Property management is about knowing what is going on in a building and here we have developed a routine for storing business information about a building, its occupants and what space is used for in the CAD file and making this accessible to Facilities and Business Managers. This allows for accurate charge-out and the ability to track assets, should this be necessary.
Where we deal with complex buildings with many services, we have moved to combine the drawings into a single file with each floor at the correct UCS (User Coordinate System or Z-axis). It becomes complicated, but the power of the layers provides the opportunity to look at items in combinations, so that vertical services can be tracked through the building. The combination of 2D and 3D information saves time and resources and makes the best use of existing digital information.
Each step is incremental in collecting and creating information on a building. All information collected can be exported to, and reused, in a CAFM system when it is rolled out. This will reduce the onboarding time and make project integration much swifter.
Having all this information, but not making it easily accessible, is a waste of resources and value. With each of these steps in the journey, we make the information easily available through our web-based Digital Asset Repository, within three to four clicks.
You do not have to be in limbo while waiting for your CAFM system, ask for a demo!