Journal Article

Abstract

The implementation of Facility Management (FM) best practice guidelines is crucial in minimizing the energy performance gap in buildings. However, many newly built and renovated facilities continue to consume more energy than initially calculated. To address this complex issue, the present research aims to develop a digital FM domain ontology in a computable form to support the codification and storage of FM knowledge. The research methodology used in this study follows the "Ontology Development 101" strategy, starting with a lightweight form and subsequently modeling it into a heavyweight form using the Protégé ontology editor. The resulting FM domain ontology serves as a classification system to systematically organize and store existing FM best practice guidelines related to buildings' energy performance. Therefore, the ontology provides a semi-legal and computable knowledge base, where FM guidelines are systematically categorized based on different FM-related aspects. The paper concludes by discussing the potential of the proposed FM domain ontology to support design experts and FM practitioners in implementing FM best practices, thus contributing to the reduction of the buildings' energy performance gap.