Activity Lead: Dr. Ioannis Brilakis (UCAM)
Activity Type: Lecture
Topic: Geometric BIM model generation

Activity Outline and learning outcomes:
Vertical and horizontal infrastructure is comprised of large assets that need sizable budgets to design, construct and operate/maintain them. Cost reductions throughout their lifecycle can generate significant savings to all involved parties. Such reductions can be derived directly through productivity improvements or indirectly through safety and quality control improvements. Creating and maintaining an up-to-date electronic record of these assets in the form of rich Digital Twins can help generate such improvements. Research is being conducted at the University of Cambridge on inexpensive methods for generating object-oriented infrastructure geometry, detecting and mapping visible defects on the resulting Digital Twin, automatically extracting defect spatial measurements, and sensor and sensor data modelling. The results of these methods are further exploited through their application in design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), mixed-reality-enabled mobile inspection, and proactive asset protection from accidental damage. Virtualization methods can produce a reliable digital record of infrastructure and enable owners to reliably protect, monitor and maintain the condition of their asset.

Instructor Special Requirements: None.

Activity Lead: Dr. Matthias Weise (AEC3)
Activity Type: Lecture [pre-recorded session] Topic: Data transfer and export (MVDs, OpenBIM based data exchange with IFC)
Activity Outline and learning outcomes:
This session is focused on OpenBIM-based data exchange using the IFC format from buildingSMART (ISO 16739) and will cover data-exchange and MVD aspects. You will get familiar with the IDM/MVD methodology and will get a better understanding about the definition of Exchange Requirements. Those requirements will be further analysed and then mapped to the IFC standard. For this, we will differentiate between geometry and other alphanumeric data (LOG vs. LOI) and will finally try to formalize as a checkable specification using the mvdXML format.

Instructor Special Requirements: None.

Activity Lead: Mahendrini Ariyachandra, Maciej Trzeciak (UCAM)
Activity Type: Presentation and Practical Session
Topic: Geometric BIM model generation
Activity Outline:
This session involves the modelling of the Construction Information Technology (CIT) Laboratory in the Civil Engineering building at Cambridge and presenting the scan-to-BIM results following a problem-solving process. Students will be provided with 2 unregistered point cloud scans of the lab acquired using a static scanner ‘FARO FOCUS 3D’. Students are required to register/stitch the point cloud files together and to use them as a template to model the Lab in a BIM design tool. This is known as a Scan-to-BIM process.

Learning outcomes of this session are to:

• familiarise students with the emerging technologies in the scan-to-BIM practice
• introduce and familiarise students with basic software tools enabling the processing and stitching of point cloud data (PCD)
• introduce and familiarise students with BIM design tools for the 3D modelling

Instructor Special Requirements: Students are required to install and follow tutorials to prepare themselves for the session.

Activity Lead: Mahendrini Ariyachandra, Maciej Trzeciak (UCAM)
Activity Type: Presentation and Practical Session
Topic: Geometric BIM model generation
Activity Outline:
This session involves the modelling of the Construction Information Technology (CIT) Laboratory in the Civil Engineering building at Cambridge and presenting the scan-to-BIM results following a problem-solving process. Students will be provided with 2 unregistered point cloud scans of the lab acquired using a static scanner ‘FARO FOCUS 3D’. Students are required to register/stitch the point cloud files together and to use them as a template to model the Lab in a BIM design tool. This is known as a Scan-to-BIM process.

Learning outcomes of this session are to:

• familiarise students with the emerging technologies in the scan-to-BIM practice
• introduce and familiarise students with basic software tools enabling the processing and stitching of point cloud data (PCD)
• introduce and familiarise students with BIM design tools for the 3D modelling

Instructor Special Requirements: Students are required to install and follow tutorials to prepare themselves for the session.

Activity Lead: Dr. Matthias Weise (AEC3)
Activity Type: Q&A live session
Topic: Data transfer and export (MVDs, OpenBIM based data exchange with IFC)
Activity Outline and learning outcomes:
Following Dr. Matthias Weise previous day’s recorded session, this one is devoted to solve doubts and raise questions to him directly.
Instructor Special Requirements: None

Activity Lead: Dr Dimitrios Rovas (UCL)
Activity Type: Lecture
Topic: Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS)
Activity Outline:
In this session Dr Rovas will seek to explore, through the prism of value, the landscape of innovations for smarter buildings. In non-commercial buildings, the presence of Building Management Systems is ubiquitous. Yet these very often fail to meet design requirements and operational objectives. The presentation will take a critical look at the current state of practice.
Drawing upon examples from Dr Rovas’ research in the fields of energy management and fault-detection, we will discuss ways new digital technologies are changing the way we design and operate non-domestic buildings. We will also discuss lessons learned and argue that a “value and (organisational) values”-based approach can accelerate innovation in that space. These concepts form the basic premise for a new IEA-sponsored Annex on Data-driven smart buildings (Annex 81). The discussion will also touch upon residential applications and contrast the differences and opportunities in that space.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

• understand what a Building Energy Management System is and its role in building operation
• explain the role of BEMS for energy management and fault-detection applications
• understand the role that data platforms play in facilitating data collection, processing

Instructor Special Requirements: None

Activity Lead: Dr. Virginia Gori (UCL)
Activity Type: Lecture
Topic: Operational thermal and indoor environmental monitoring
Activity Outline:
In this session Dr Gori will introduce techniques for thermal and indoor environmental monitoring of buildings. The operational performance of the built environment is instrumental to inform data-driven design and retrofitting strategies, to reduce the performance gap, to inform policy making, and to enhance the thermal comfort, health and wellbeing of occupants, just to name a few. The presentation will introduce common sensing techniques to assess the main physical quantities affecting thermal and indoor environmental performance of buildings.
Drawing upon examples from Dr Gori’s research in the field, we will discuss the role of technical specifications of sensors and logging systems for the selection of appropriate sensing strategies and the quantification of the main associated uncertainties. Through practical activities we will also explore the basic principles of the design and deployment of robust monitoring strategies, also accounting for the complexity of the built environment in operation.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

• explain the main physical quantities of interest for the assessment of thermal and indoor environmental performance of buildings in operation and the most common sensing and processing techniques adopted
• understand the role of technical specifications of sensors and logging systems in the selection of appropriate sensing strategies and the evaluation of uncertainties
• understand basic principles of the design and deployment of robust monitoring strategies, also accounting for the interaction of furnishing and occupants with the sensing apparatus

Instructor Special Requirements: None

Activity Lead: Dr. Qiuchen Lu
Activity Type: Lecture
Topic: Assets management, operational data requirements
Activity Outline:
In this session Dr Lu will introduce the operational data requirements, processes, and systems of managing built assets, and further encourage digital innovation in the operation and maintenance (O&M) stage. Achieving a comfortable living environment and smart building management is a complex issue in the O&M phase, which costs around 80% of the whole life-cycle cost. Comprehensive information needs to be recorded and multiple stakeholders would be involved. The process of asset management in the O&M phase is required to maintain integrity, validity and interoperability. Consequently, managing built assets effectively and intelligently is needed to maintain dynamic information, support various activities and contribute to a comfortable built environment. The presentation will provide a comprehensive overview and inspire further thoughts.
Drawing upon examples from Dr Lu’s research in the field, we will introduce the operational data requirements, compare the traditional and digital-enabled (e.g., BIM) management processes and learn from digital-enabled asset management cases (i.e., office buildings). We will discuss how digital approaches are changing the way we operate and manage our buildings.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

• understand operational data requirements, existing systems, and traditional processes of built asset management in the O&M phases;
• compare the traditional and digital managing processes and explore the roles of digital innovation;
• understand basic principles of the deployment of digital-enabled built asset management strategies, also learn from one practical case: The ‘smart’ office building: managing daily activities and exploring the applicability of smart building applications in the post-pandemic period.

Instructor Special Requirements: None

Activity Lead: Mr. Jose Hernández (CARTIF)
Activity Type: Lecture
Topic: IoT and AI as supporting vectors for BEMS
Activity Outline: 
In this session, MEng Hernández will analyse the IoT and AI current practices under the Smart Building concept. The keys for connected buildings will be treated, including the existing / popular protocols for data collection in diverse building typologies (residential, industrial…). Benefits, constrains and opportunities will be discussed from a critical perspective.

Considering the availability of data, AI opportunities in the building sector will be investigated for the exploitation of the information. The scope will be the aim of improving the processes: from building construction process to the operation and maintenance, also including energy efficiency. How these digital technologies benefit the building sector will be treated, where contextual data (i.e. static data from building models) will be included as a vector in the data exploitation. Finally, current practices, linked to Building Energy Management Systems, and opportunities will be analysed.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

• How IoT/AI helps to achieve a Smart Building.
• IoT: Sensing and gathering data: Protocols, usages and platforms for data management.
• Linking the static and IoT worlds: Making use of dynamic and contextual data.
• Exploiting data for better building management: AI and analytics.

Instructor Special Requirements: None

Activity Lead: Roberto sanz, Sonia Álvarez, Susana Martín (CARTIF)
Activity Type: Presentation and Practical Session
Topic: Operational data collection and management
Activity Outline:
This session will present a hands-on exercise focused on the use of the IoT ThingsBoard framework (as a generic example of use) to collect operational data (temperature, humidity and CO2 measurements) from the CARTIF III building, and configure the data to be stored in accordance with the IFC4 standard. Students will be able to calculate simple analytics to obtain thermal comfort key indexes, including Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD). The visualization features of ThingsBoard will be also presented to support the generation of dashboards for decision making.

Learning outcomes of this session are to:

• familiarise students with IoT frameworks for data collection and management
• introduce and familiarise students with the possibilities of third parties’ tools to be compliant with IFC data representation (dynamic data link to static BIM data model)
• introduce students to the generation of dashboards for dynamic data representation
• present the basis for the calculation of human thermal comfort indexes as PMV and PPD

Instructor Special Requirements: Students will be required to install software (as ThingsBoard) and follow tutorials to prepare themselves for the session.

Activity Lead: Roberto sanz, Sonia Álvarez, Susana Martín (CARTIF)
Activity Type: Presentation and Practical Session
Topic: Operational data collection and management
Activity Outline:
This session will present a hands-on exercise focused on the use of the IoT ThingsBoard framework (as a generic example of use) to collect operational data (temperature, humidity and CO2 measurements) from the CARTIF III building, and configure the data to be stored in accordance with the IFC4 standard. Students will be able to calculate simple analytics to obtain thermal comfort key indexes, including Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD). The visualization features of ThingsBoard will be also presented to support the generation of dashboards for decision making.

Learning outcomes of this session are to:

• familiarise students with IoT frameworks for data collection and management
• introduce and familiarise students with the possibilities of third parties’ tools to be compliant with IFC data representation (dynamic data link to static BIM data model)
• introduce students to the generation of dashboards for dynamic data representation
• present the basis for the calculation of human thermal comfort indexes as PMV and PPD

Instructor Special Requirements: Students will be required to install software (as ThingsBoard) and follow tutorials to prepare themselves for the session.