Towards an Interoperable Approach for Modelling and Managing Smart Building Data: The Case of the CESI Smart Building Demonstrator

Buildings have a significant impact on energy consumption and carbon emissions. Smart
buildings are deemed to play a crucial role in improving the energy performance of buildings and
cities. Managing a smart building requires the modelling of data concerning smart systems and
components. While there is a significant amount of research on optimising building energy using the
smart building concept, there is a dearth of studies investigating the modelling and management of
smart systems’ data, which is the starting point for establishing the necessary digital environment for
representing a smart building. This study aimed to develop and test a solution for modelling and
managing smart building information using an industry foundation classes (IFCs)-based BIM process.
A conceptual model expressed in the SysML language was proposed to define a smart building. Five
BIM approaches were identified as potential ‘prototypes’ for representing and exchanging smart
building information. The fidelity of each approach is checked through a BIM-based validation
process using an open-source visualisation platform. The different prototypes were also assessed
using a multi-criteria comparison method to identify the preferred approach for modelling and
managing smart building information. The preferred approach was prototyped and tested in a
use case focused on building energy consumption monitoring to evaluate its ability to manage
and visualise the smart building data. The use case was applied in a real case study using a fullscale
demonstrator, namely, the ‘Nanterre 3’ (N3) smart building located at the CESI campus in
Paris-Nanterre. The findings demonstrated that an open BIM format in the form of IFCs could
achieve adequate modelling of smart building data without information loss. Future extensions of
the proposed approach were finally outlined.