The complete set of documentation and data is used by the ActiveFacility team to begin the process of building a Unified Building Model which describes the building, its entities and the characteristics and behaviours of the entities.

This manual process involves identifying building objects in the document sets and constructing a complete set of data about that object and converting all the existing building information data to the IFC standard.

The model creation process includes:

• Identifying each entity represented in the supplied documents
• Identifying relevant information in each document for each entity
• Creating the entity in the IFC format
• Modelling the characteristics (attributes) and behaviour (relationships) for each entity
• Testing the validity of the model. The Unified Building Model is a three-dimensional model and testing involves ‘wandering’ around the model in virtual space to ensure the data is complete and valid
• Loading the data into the ActiveFacility servers.

Example: the typical process for a patch panel in a riser cupboard

1. Find the patch panel on a floor plan to determine the panel’s physical location within the building (on this floor of this building, in this place) and its relationship to the building fabric (floor, walls, spaces).
2. Find any references to the panel in the specifications which provides many of the attributes that fully describe the panel.
3. Find any references to the panel on detail drawings or schematics which provides information on how the panel is connected to the electrical services and the panel’s internal configuration.
4. Find any references to the panel in other systems, such as the accounting system (for depreciation of the panel), or the contracting system (the electrician currently responsible for panel repairs and maintenance).

Characteristics of the Unified Building Model

The developed Unified Building Model reflects compilation of the source data.

The ActiveFacility team does not create any data during the model building process. While the model reflects any inaccuracies, lack of currency or missing information, business processes implemented with the development of the model assist in improving the model over time.

All supplied source information (drawings, specifications, manuals, etc.) is stored in the model and referenced from the objects within the model. The documents are considered objects and have relationships to other objects within the model (the building, the building storeys, the building elements). As such, the ActiveFacility system is a rudimentary document management system.

If a building owner/manager already operates a document management system, the ActiveFacility system is developed to interface with it and the source documents are stored in the existing document management system.