BIM and energy efficient retrofitting in school buildings

The aim of the research project presented in this paper is to experiment actions to improve the existing school building management and maintenance through a technological and process innovation based on the Building Information Modeling (BIM). In the field of refurbishment and reuse of existing buildings, some of the most sensible and specific sectors are investigated, particularly focusing on energy efficiency, structural improvement, up-to-date information on completed works and quality control. The project's goal is to take advantage of the information technologies, beginning from software interoperability, and defining a new working philosophy that should use the BIM also in the monitoring, managing and maintenance phases. This will result in an advanced drafting of the design standards for refurbishment/reuse of public buildings by a hierarchic data structure (Preliminary Requirements). The optimization of the process will lead to a complete building modeling (architecture, structure, facilities, deterioration) in order to describe both the residual building performance and the outgoings of the refurbishment design (Final BIM Requirements). The research has been validated by on-field application (school buildings).