BIM in building renovation projects: what is the useful minimum information requirement?

This paper studies the potential useful minimum building
information models (BIM) that are required as inventory models for managing
renovation projects. The findings reported in this paper are based on three
renovation project case studies and 21 face-to-face interviews with key
personnel and experts associated with the cases and the case organisation. The
investigations reveal that the requirements for inventory models are case
dependent. A building frame model should be created in the conceptual design
phase. A space model including only the building spaces could be created in the
need evaluation phase. In general, inventory models should be created as early
as possible when the need for a model is established. Inventory models should
be created for the needs in the current phase and not for future phases. The
lifecycle conditions, especially varied lifespans of different building
sub-systems, emerged as critical factors determining the useful minimum BIM
for renovation projects.