Building Information Modelling (BIM): what is it and how can it help housing associations?

What is Building Information Modelling?

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process for creating and managing digital information throughout the lifetime of a building.

BIM provides a digitised record of information about every component of a building in one place, enabling everyone involved to view updated and accurate information at key stages of a project, including when a building is occupied.

BIM has been recommended by Dame Judith Hackitt as an effective way of incorporating building safety into the design and construction from the outset, as well as enabling an evidence base to support safety while a building is occupied. BIM can therefore support the construction, handover and management of safer, higher quality buildings, supporting housing associations to be compliant, intelligent and more efficient when developing and maintaining homes, potentially providing greater satisfaction for the residents living in them.

What is BIM for Housing Associations?

BIM for Housing Associations (BIM4HAs) is a joint project between housing associations and industry specialists, supported by the NHF. Established in 2018, BIM4HAs provides free resources to support housing associations to digitise their development and asset information.

BIM4HAs Toolkit

To help housing associations implement BIM, BIM4HAs has developed a free toolkit which takes the housing association sector through how to use BIM as a tool to deliver safe, high-quality and well-managed buildings.

The toolkit provides a suggested mechanism whereby housing associations can digitise their development and asset information, and manage vital information about their buildings, and has now been updated to include a new Asset Information Model.

For housing associations using the toolkit, BIM4HAs has also created a Linkedin group where housing associations can share their experiences, ask questions and provide feedback.

This BIM4HAs Toolkit is free for anyone to use. It includes:

• Scopes of Services
  • A matrix of tasks which helps you to define your strategy, and describes who needs to do what, and when.
  • Written and designed to be inserted into appointments and contracts.
• Asset Information Requirements (AIR)
  • Define at the outset what you’ll need to know in the future for safety, compliance, asset management and repairs.
  • Includes an example Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) sheet which provides asset information for building and components in a transferable format.
• Exchange Information Requirements (EIR)
  • Sets out how information needs to be delivered on a project.
  • Includes an example Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP) which sets out what level of information is needed, who provides it, and when.
• Organisation Information Requirements (OIR)
  • Describes the high-level information required by an organisation for asset management systems and other functions.
• Asset Information Model (NEW)
  • A data model of the information needed to support strategic and day-to-day asset management processes, and the relationships between that data.
• Housing Association Data Dictionary (NEW)
  • An introduction to the new Data Dictionary project that BIM4HAs are running to produce a set of agreed terms for the key data housing associations need about the components in their buildings.
• Guidance
  • Outlines how to use the items in the Toolkit.
• BIM for Existing Buildings
  • A report by asset managers on digitising existing asset information.

Download the toolkit, watch the launch webinar and join our community using the links at the bottom of this page.

How to get involved

The toolkit and its supporting documents are free to download and use. We recommend that you read the guidance and the disclaimers alongside the toolkit and its supporting documents.

Watch a recording of the launch webinar for the updated Toolkit on YouTube. 

Follow BIM4HAs on Linkedin to hear news, information and the latest updates. 

New BIM4HAs community group on Linkedin

BIM4HAs has set up a community group to support housing associations using the toolkit. The group supports housing associations looking to use BIM, providing opportunities to learn from fellow professionals in housing and BIM, share experiences, questions and feedback, and stay abreast of updates.

The group is hosted on Linkedin and is free for any interested parties to join.

BIM4HAs is working in partnership with the National Housing Federation and nima, the new name of the UK BIM Alliance. BIM4HAs has also participated in:

• The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's Golden Thread Initiative, a government initiative bringing together industry professionals who will collaborate to demonstrate that it is possible to provide a standardised digital Golden Thread of building safety information to the satisfaction of the Building Safety Regulator.
• The Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) Golden Thread Working Group which assisted with rewriting the Building Regulations Approved Document B.
• The Housing Association Charitable Trust (HACT) in its development of a Housing Asset Data Dictionary, part of the UK’s first Housing Data Standard.

BIM4HAs in the news