Improving building operation by tracking performance metrics throughout the building lifecycle (BLC)

An industry foundation class based building product model of University College Cork's "to be constructed" Environmental Research Institute will be developed. This paper discusses combining such a building product model with a building management system and other tools and technologies to create a framework for monitoring, analysing and controlling a building throughout, its building lifecycle based on a set of performance metrics. The framework will be known as the building energy monitoring, analysing and controlling (BEMAC) framework. Current building performance assessment practices lack standardisation/continuity throughout the building lifecycle. An environment such as the BEMAC framework described in this paper offers a means to achieving such standardisation/continuity by documenting and communicating performance metrics data such that these data can provide value across the complete lifecycle of a building project, from planning through design and construction into occupancy and operation. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.