BIM server requirements to support the energy efficient building lifecycle

Energy efficient building design, construction, and operations require the development and sharing of building information among different individuals, organizations, and computer applications. Building Information Modeling (BIM) servers are tools used to enable an effective exchange of data. This paper describes an investigation into the core BIM server requirements needed to effectively support information sharing related to energy efficient retrofit projects. The requirements have been developed through an analysis of existing functional capabilities combined with a case study analysis. The set of requirements identified includes fine-grained queries such as selective model queries, information queries (e.g. weather, building description), and operational information queries (by building parts, proximity, and context). A set of RESTful programming interfaces for building tools to access and exchange data, including security and data privacy issues, is being explored to provide a server-centric building information model exchange and interoperability to facilitate energy efficient retrofit.