The digital transformation of the built environment continues to accelerate, yet a significant challenge persists: the gap between Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the burgeoning world of smart buildings. As a market engagement specialist, my focus lies in facilitating the essential dialogue that bridges these critical industry divides and illuminates pathways for seamless digital integration.

As part of Digital Construction Week, connected to the Digital Buildings Council’s partnership on the new Digital Operations Theatre, I had the privilege of facilitating a crucial podcast discussion. This conversation brought together two Master Systems Integration (MSI) experts, John Clarke from One Sightsolutions Ltd and Sam Norledge from LMG, to explore the vital relationship between BIM and smart buildings, particularly in the transition from digital construction to digital operations.

The Core Disconnect: From Design Data to Live Operations

Our discussion immediately highlighted the fundamental disconnect: BIM’s traditional focus is on delivering an asset information model at practical completion, while operational smart buildings demand dynamic, live data and defined relationships between systems for effective performance. Sam Norledge aptly articulated this, noting, “There is definitely a gap… a lot of this information doesn’t get used in the delivery stage where we’ve got a lot of asset information in these BIM models that we’re not pulling out.” John Clarke further emphasized the MSI’s need to understand and normalize data from various building systems and the complex relationships between assets—elements often lacking in traditional BIM models. This issue stems from “two silos not being joined up,” referring to the separate development and practices within the BIM and smart building communities.

The MSI: The Unsung Bridge

The conversation underscored the critical role of the Master Systems Integrator. Both John and Sam emphasized the MSI’s unique position in “making the smart systems talk to each other,” serving as the practical link between designed asset information and live operational data streams. Their expertise is vital in normalizing data, ensuring consistent naming, and aligning diverse stakeholder documentation—from design specifications to client Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR).

Driving Change: Initiatives and Client Imperatives

Efforts are underway to bridge this gap. Sam Norledge detailed a project with Building Smart UK and Ireland, focused on utilizing data structures within the BIM environment (IFC) to better enable smart buildings. Concurrently, John Clarke leads the Digital Buildings Council’s own “BIM to Smart” initiative, aiming to identify challenges and push for standardization and alignment between the BIM and smart worlds.

A key consensus emerged: bridging this gap effectively requires a top-down approach driven by end clients. Sam Norledge drew a parallel with the UK government’s 2011 mandate for BIM Level 2, arguing that a similar push is needed for smart buildings. Clients requesting smart building information in their EIRs have significantly more potential to drive adoption than any individual consultant. However, the panel noted that clients often lack the internal skills to manage and maintain BIM models post-completion, leading to models quickly becoming outdated and losing operational value. This underscores the need for BIM models to be seen as “live” assets from practical completion onward.

Future Outlook: AI and the Evolution of Standards

Looking ahead, the potential of emerging technologies is immense. John Clarke highlighted how AI and machine learning could automate the identification and modelling of relationships between building assets—a currently time-consuming manual process. Sam Norledge even suggested that in the near future, BIM models might be implemented as standard ontologies on buildings, given their structured data format is ideal for AI. Changes to standards like ISO 19650 could further incorporate smart building requirements, driving adoption through client mandates.

The “BIM to Smart” discussion is deeply interconnected with other critical industry themes, including the RIBA Smart Buildings Overlay, soft landings frameworks, and tackling the broader project-operations gap. It reinforces that effective digital transformation requires a fundamental shift in approach, driven by collaboration, education, and strategic implementation of technology.

You can listen to an abridged version on LinkedIn and find the full conversation on YouTube.