Sector 14 / 18

BIM for residential and commercial buildings

New buildings and buildings to retrofit, homes and commercial spaces: models that hold design, costs and construction time together.

At a glance

B1P Group works in BIM on residential complexes, mixed-use buildings, shopping centres and stores: architecture, structure and building services modelled in Revit and coordinated, quantities and bills of quantities from the model, variations by apartment or store type, retrofit of apartment buildings starting from the survey, as-built for operation. We work for designers, contractors and clients, at company and partner premises.

The sector

What do we do on a residential or commercial building?

In these buildings the margin is won or lost on time and cost. We model architecture, structure and building services in Revit and coordinate them in the federated model: service shafts, floor slabs, false ceilings and plant rooms are resolved before construction, when a change costs a revision and not a demolition. Apartment and store types are modelled as repeatable units: they change once and update on every floor.

Quantities and bills of quantities by item, areas for sale or letting, and door, window and finish schedules come from the model. For contractors the model becomes the basis of the site, with phases and costs (4D and 5D); for clients it is the reference for variations and for the buyers' choices. The modelling rules are described on the modelling with Revit page.

Typical projects

New residential complexes, including social housing
Energy and seismic retrofit of apartment buildings
Mixed-use buildings with homes, shops and underground car parks
Shopping centres and malls
Supermarkets and chain stores
Student housing and residences for the elderly

Retrofit

How is BIM used to retrofit an apartment building?

It starts from the laser scanning survey of façades, roofs and common parts, carried out by the appointed surveyor: we support the client in BIM modelling from survey data, with structure, openings and accessible building services. On the model the designers study insulation, windows, building services and structural works; quantities are calculated and clashes with balconies, downpipes and existing networks are checked.

During construction the model records progress by façade and by apartment and collects the documents needed for the sworn technical statements and for closing the permit files. At the end of the works the building manager and the owners have the model of the building as it was actually built. The service is described on the BIM modelling from survey data page.

Rules and formats

Which rules apply to homes and commercial spaces?

They remain those of the design: the Technical Standards for Construction, the fire prevention rules for residential buildings (Ministerial Decree of 25 January 2019) and for commercial activities (vertical technical rule V.8 of the Fire Prevention Code), the minimum energy performance requirements, the accessibility regulations and the municipal building regulations. The model does not replace them: it makes them checkable, room by room.

In public works, such as social housing, Legislative Decree 36/2023 with Annex I.9 and the minimum environmental criteria for construction apply. Exchange is in IFC and in the native format; for chain stores, families and parameters follow the retailer's standard.

Typical deliverables

What do we deliver?

Deliverables vary with the stage and the information requirements; these are the most common.

Phase	Handover	Who it is for
Design	Coordinated architecture, structure and building services models, apartment and store types, areas and schedules from the model, IFC	Designers
Cost estimate	Quantities and bills of quantities by item from the model, comparison between construction solutions	Contractors and clients
Construction	Phases and costs from the model (4D and 5D), buyers' variations, progress by floor and by apartment	Contractors
Completion	As-built model with components, building services and documents for the maintenance and management of the apartment building or the shopping centre	Clients and asset operators

References

Why are there no project names here?

Projects in this sector belong to the clients: we do not publish names, locations or images of the assets. In our offers we list projects of the same type and, with the client's consent, someone who can confirm our work.

Why we do not publish our projects

Related services

Which services do we provide in this sector?

Frequently asked questions

The questions we are asked in this sector

Who does BIM modelling of residential and commercial buildings?

B1P Group models and coordinates residential complexes, mixed-use buildings, shopping centres and stores for designers, contractors and clients: architecture, structure and building services in Revit, federated model in Navisworks, quantities, bills of quantities and construction phases from the model, up to the as-built.

Is BIM worthwhile for a small residential building too?

It is worthwhile when the model serves a precise purpose: reliable quantities for the estimate, coordination of building services in tight spaces, variations requested by buyers. On a small building only what serves those uses is modelled, with an agreed level of detail.

Can the bill of quantities be derived from the model?

Quantities come from the model item by item, with the measurement rules of the specification or of the price list adopted; the bill of quantities is completed with the items the model does not contain, such as overheads and lump-sum works. Every change to the design updates the quantities.

Do you work for chains of shops and supermarkets?

For chain stores we prepare families and template models to the retailer's standard and adapt them to each site, starting from the survey when the store opens in an existing building. B1P Group delivers models and data in the format required by the retailer's technical department.

Is the model useful after the end of the works too?

It is useful to whoever manages the building: the as-built model records components, building services and documents and becomes the basis for maintenance, later works and the management of leased spaces. The data set is agreed before handover with the client or the operator.

Contact

Do you have a residential or commercial building at the design stage or to retrofit?

Tell us about the works, the stage and who will use the model: we will tell you how we would set it up and what we would deliver.

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