Why do facilities managers want LOD 500?

The top line (Revenue/Sales) and bottom line (Net Profit) are important for every firm.

Every firm values the work of the facility manager or facility management department since it, directly and indirectly, affects both the top and bottom lines.

For instance, HVAC issues will reduce staff productivity (which has an indirect effect on the top line), and similarly, every dollar saved on building operations and maintenance costs will increase the bottom line (since it is part of an income statement).

Building Maintenance Operations typically cost between $1.40 and $1.85 per square foot of building area, according to Facility Partners Inc. Costs for supplies, labor, and subcontractors are all included.

Facilities managers are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of an organization’s buildings, ensuring that they comply with legal requirements and health and safety regulations.

This is a pretty clear explanation of the function.

Facility managers (FMs) are involved in both operational and strategic tasks.

30% of a building’s expense goes toward construction, while 70% goes toward operation and maintenance.

Let’s now consider how BIM (Facility Information Model) can be used by the Facility Manager (FM) to efficiently manage building operations and maintenance.

Level of development (LOD) is a set of guidelines that aligns the ability to express, record, and specify the BIM’s information in a clear and concise manner.

LOD has been further divided into AIA’s LOD 100, LOD 200, LOD 300, LOD 350, LOD 400, and LOD 500 categories.

• LOD 100 -No geometry; only symbols.
• LOD 200 – Approximate placeholders and general data.
• LOD 300 – The element’s quantity, size, form, placement, and orientation can all be determined.
• LOD 350 – Representation of connections and interactions with various building systems.
• LOD 400 – For fabrication and installation, elements are adjusted precisely and in detail.
• As-Built/Field confirmed data, LOD 500 – It also contains non-graphic details about the construction materials.

BIMPACT Designs create data-rich, parametric, generic 2D/3D AutoCAD & 3D Revit BIM Families with parameters like materials & finishes, dimensions, and identity data, as well as three levels of details.

Revit family/BIM objects allow equipment or products to be visualized and placed in-situ in a 3D environment to gauge sizing and positioning relative to other elements of the building (LOD 400-500).

LOA:

According to the Level of Accuracy (LOA) Specification Guide published by the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation, LOA is divided into five ten-point increments, starting with LOA10 and continuing through LOA50.

This two-digit “Ten” series is intended to distinguish itself from the LOD three-digit “one hundred” series of the BIM Forum in order to prevent confusion.

The system employs the same exact structure, with levels starting low at LOA10 and rising to high at LOA50.

Facility Management:

By combining location, process, people, and technology, facility management  is a unique profession that integrates several disciplines to guarantee the physical environment’s safety, comfort, functionality, and efficiency.

All LOD levels are valid for LOA.

The owner’s requirements for LOA can determine how it is incorporated into the BIM model. LOA are entirely dependent upon the needs of the owner.

Facility management is not compelled to use it. The results are of the highest precision and are suitable for facility managers to help them increase operational effectiveness and decrease hazards in an ideal situation with LOD 500 and LOA50.

Facility managers rely heavily on LOD 500 and COBie due to their precise, detailed, and 3D graphical representation, which enable them to obtain all the information they need to efficiently administer and manage facilities.

Our team of BIM experts at BIMPACT Designs can assist you in creating Revit Families/Revit Models from LOD 100 to LOD 500.

Learn more about our BIM services.