Strata Practice in Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geospatial Perspective

Strata tittle is a document that proves ownership over a property; parcel on a land parcel or multi-story building. In Malaysia, there are a lot of buildings that are managed under strata management including, gated community residences, and condominiums. Surveyors’ task for strata plan preparation is to draw 2D drawings showing parcel dimensions and areas. 2D drawings have various drawbacks that could impair project quality and delivery. A completely interpreted drawing for each floor takes time. Due to various measuring units, translating dimension data from architects’ building plans to surveyors’ strata drawings is difficult. Planimetric features in 2D drawings lack semantic information. With the advantage of 3D digitalization nowadays, a geospatial mapping technique known as Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be used to improve current practice of strata documentation. BIM offers rich semantic information suitable for the requirement of strata practice in Malaysia. In fact, it could provide even more information such as volumetric properties and 3D visualization. Meanwhile, the information about measurement and area for strata details such as main parcels, accessory parcels and common properties can be developed into BIM model. Information and details required from strata plans can be improved through 3D documentation. Manual fillings and forms which need to record area and dimensional data from strata plans may be reduced. The fact that BIM is a-digital-represented geospatial model allows surveyors and the land authorities to interpret the strata information easily and improve decision-making. As conclusion, current practice for strata documentation can be improved using BIM approach. The major information of strata, dimension and area can be digitally developed into a BIM model. This helps data management and decision-making among surveyors and the land authorities.