Automation for structured cabling system in data centers using Building Information Modelling

Abstract

Abstract Building Information Modelling (BIM) involves management efforts, tools and applications for enhancing information flow and, therefore, productivity of projects; adoption of BIM and the increasing use of digital technologies (e.g. data centers) in construction and operation of buildings, as well as in maintenance can transform the way how the industry works. Telecommunication cabinets equipped with large number of components of different types are inevitable parts of data centers having a significant influence on the efficiency and the reliability of data centers. Since the layout of equipment inside telecommunication cabinets is crucial in data centers and the ideal location of equipment inside each cabinet can be unique, an algorithmic and automated process is necessary for the cabinet façade scheme design; manually created diagrams can lead to errors. Furthermore, precise and up-to-date pieces of information about the special layout of equipment in each cabinet are also important for the further operation and maintenance. As an answer to this challenge, a BIM-based approach and method are presented in this article that can result in significant cost savings. When designing data centers, special attention must be paid to the location of telecommunication cabinets, the design of cable routes, and the layout of equipment inside. The novel cabinet family for BIM technology-based method has been developed for the improvement of data center design. Cable trays plug-in can lead to higher quality and efficiency of construction and the facility management as well. The main goal of the case study: optimization of the design process of structured cabling systems (SCS) in data centers (DC) using new additional BIM capabilities. The novel dynamic cabinet family have several distinctive features: the ability to select in the properties which equipment will be inside the cabinet and which unit will occupy; possibility to change and add equipment inside the cabinet; creation of cabinet façade scheme based on equipment inside the cabinet; automatically created specification; Cable tray plug-in can improve and automate the design process in the following areas: place trays depending on the installation method (wall, floor, ceiling); place elements of the trays (hangers, consoles, racks) in a user-defined interval; place tray connectors based on selected connector type and tray type at user-selectable spacing; adding a tray cover and a partition in the tray properties; automatically created specification of all cable trays elements. The model created in BIM can be used for further operation and maintenance. To reach it, each of the elements or groups of elements contains a unique number that allows to bind its parameters and geometry for further export and use in the production model.