A BIM-based Interoperability Platform in Support of Building Operation and Energy Management Yunjie Xiong Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Environmental Design and Planning Georg Reichard, Chair Tanyel Bulbul Farrokh Karimi Nazila Roofigari-Esfahan Feb 21, 2020 Blacksburg, VA Keywords: Building Information Modelling (BIM), energy simulation, operational data Copyright © 2020 Yunjie Xiong A BIM-based Interoperability Platform in Support of Building Operation and Energy Management Yunjie Xiong ACADEMIC ABSTRACT Building energy efficiency is progressively becoming a crucial topic in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. Energy management tools have been developed to promise appropriate energy savings. Building energy simulation (BES) is a tool mainly used to analyze and compare the energy consumption of various design/operation scenarios, while building automation systems (BAS) works as another energy management tool to monitor, measure and collect operational data, all in an effort to optimize energy consumption. By integrating the energy simulated data and actual operational data, the accuracy of a building energy model can be increased while the calibrated energy model can be applied as a benchmark for guiding the operational strategies. This research predicted that building information modeling (BIM) would link BES and BAS by acting as a visual model and a database throughout the lifecycle of a building. The intent of the research was to use BIM to document energy-related information and to allow its exchange between BES and BAS. Thus, the energy-related data exchange process would be simplified, and the productive efficiency of facility management processes would increase. A systematic literature review has been conducted in investigating the most popular used data formats and data exchange methods for the integration of BIM/BES and BAS, the results showed the industry foundation classes (IFC) was the most common choice for BIM tools mainly and database is a key solution for managing huge actual operational datasets, which was a reference for the next step in research. Then a BIM-based framework was proposed to supporting the data exchange process among BIM/BES/BAS. 4 modules including BIM Module, Operational Data Module, Energy Simulation Module and Analysis & Visualization Module with an interface were designed in the framework to document energy-related information and to allow its exchange between BES and BAS. A prototype of the framework was developed as a platform and a case study of an entire office suite was conducted using the platform to validate this framework. The results showed that the proposed framework enables automated or semi-automated multiple-model development and data analytics processes. In addition, the research explored how BIM can enhance the application of energy modeling during building operation processes as a means to improve overall energy performance and facility management productivity. iii A BIM-based Interoperability Platform in Support of Building Operation and Energy Management Yunjie Xiong GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Building energy efficiency is progressively becoming a crucial topic in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector, promising appropriate energy savings can be achieved over the life cycle of buildings through proper design, construction, and operation. Energy management tools have been developed towards this end. Building energy simulation (BES) is a tool mainly used to analyze and compare the energy consumption of various design/operation scenarios. These instances include the selection of both new and retrofit designs and for building codes, building commissioning, and real-time optimal control, among others. The main challenge surrounding BES is the discrepancy between quantitative results and actual performance data. Building automation systems (BAS), or a part of BAS which is often referred to as building energy management systems (BEMS), works as another energy management tool to monitor, measure and collect operational data, all in an effort to optimize energy consumption. The key disadvantage to the more general tool of BAS in energy management is that the data sets collected by BAS are typically too large to be analyzed effectively. One potential solution to the lack of effective energy management analysis may lie in the integration of BES and BAS. Actual operational data can be compared with simulation results in assessing the accuracy of an energy model while the energy model can be applied as a benchmark for evaluating the actual energy consumption and optimizing control strategies. The presented research predicted that building information modeling (BIM) would link BES and BAS by acting as a visual model and a database throughout the lifecycle of a building. The intent of the research was to use BIM to document energy- related information and to allow its exchange between BES and BAS. Thus, the energy- related data exchange process would be simplified, and the productive efficiency of facility management processes would increase. iv More specifically, this research posits the framework of integrating BIM, BES, and BAS to produce a seamless and real-time energy-related information exchange system. The proposed framework enables automated or semi-automated multiple-model development and data analytics processes. In addition, the research explored how BIM can enhance the application of energy modeling during building operation processes as a means to improve overall energy performance and facility management productivity. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor and dissertation chair, Dr. Georg Reichard for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His continuous support helped me in all the time of research and writing of this dissertation. Without his persistent help, the goal of this project would not have been realized. My sincere thanks also go to Dr. Tanyel Bulbul for providing me extensive personal and professional guidance and taught me a great deal about both research and teaching in general. I would like to extend my thanks to the rest of my committee thesis committee: Dr. Farrokh Karimi and Dr. Nazila Roofigari-Esfahan, for their encouragement, insightful comments, and solid questions. I would like to recognize the invaluable assistance that they all provided during my research. I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work during this and other related research in the Virginia Tech Department of Building Construction. Special thanks to the Building Enclosure and Systems Technologies (BEST) Lab which provides me a chance to implement my experiment. I would especially like to show my gratitude to Dr. Ruben Avagyan who was in Virginia Tech Facilities for helping me collect the experiment data and providing important comments. Finally, I wish to thank my parents, Guosheng and Yi, my husband, Kanshu, and my son, Michael who provide support, encouragement and unending inspiration throughout my life. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Building Energy Simulation .................................................................. 1 1.1.2 Building Automation Systems ............................................................... 4 1.1.3 Building Information Modeling............................................................. 9 1.2 Statement of Problem ...................................................................................... 16 1.2.1 Challenge for Building Energy Simulation ......................................... 16 1.2.2 Building Automation System............................................................... 19 1.3 Challenges ....................................................................................................... 20 2 Literature Review....................................................................................................... 23 2.1 BIM Framework in Supporting Building Energy Performance ...................... 23 2.1.1 Interface and Model Developments for BIM ...................................... 24 2.2 BIM Interoperability with BES ....................................................................... 27 2.2.1 Application- Architectural Data Exchange .......................................... 28 2.2.2 MEP (Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) Data Exchange ............. 29 2.3 BIM Interoperability with BAS for Energy Management ............................... 30 2.4 BES Interoperability with BAS for Energy Management ............................... 33 2.5 Integration of BAS, BIM, and BES ................................................................. 36 2.6 Research Gap ................................................................................................... 38 2.6.1 Limitations of BIM and BAS Integration ............................................ 38 2.6.2 Limitations of BES in Operation ......................................................... 39 2.6.3 Limitations of BIM and BES Integration ............................................ 39 2.6.4 Lack of Total Integration of BIM/BAS/BES