By Lucas Cusack,

Strategic Lead | Asset Management, 

Glider Technology 

The need for buildings to perform as intended from the moment they are handed over is a reasonable expectation, yet a persistent disconnect remains between construction and operations. While frameworks like Government Soft Landings (GSL) have aimed to bridge the gap between design and operational performance, more can be done. The next step in the evolution of soft landings is the ‘Digital Soft Landing,’ a proactive approach ensuring the right data is captured during construction and seamlessly transitioned into operational use, providing value beyond just physical performance.

What is a Digital Soft Landing?

A traditional soft landing focuses on aligning a building’s physical performance with its design intent. A Digital Soft Landing extends this principle, ensuring asset data, building information models (BIM) and operational systems are integrated into the operational phase. This shift is crucial, as operational teams often receive overwhelming amounts of information at the end of a project – much of it incomplete, inconsistently structured or irrelevant to their needs. As a result, BIM data is underutilised, leading to inefficiencies in maintenance and missed opportunities for operational optimisation.

The benefits of a Digital Soft Landing

A well-executed Digital Soft Landing ensures that a plan is in place that ensures the right data is captured, structured, verified and ready for use when operational teams mobilise. This approach ensures key stakeholders are engaged at the right time to capture data that is required. At the operational phase, the data is then ‘soft landed’ into operational processes and technology. Asset owners can maximise the return on their digital construction investments, leading to enhanced building performance and reduced operational costs through data-driven decision-making.

For main contractors, the Digital Soft Landing creates clear expectations and guidelines for data delivery, helping streamline the handover process. By reducing disputes and minimising rework caused by data inconsistencies, contractors can complete projects more efficiently, avoid costly delays and improve client satisfaction.

Facilities management teams benefit similarly, with data being relevant, structured and usable from day one. With a well-executed Digital Soft Landing, operational data can be integrated into FM systems, IoT platforms and digital twins. This supports proactive maintenance planning, improved energy efficiency and better space utilisation, ultimately enhancing building performance.

Tackling the transition from construction to operations

Despite the widespread adoption of BIM, challenges remain in making construction data useful for operations. One significant issue is the disconnect between construction and operations teams, where facilities teams are not involved in defining the data deliverables and then go on to receive incomplete or poorly structured asset data. This creates inefficiencies in building management. Engaging stakeholders early in the process ensures that asset data is fit for operational purposes. Standardising data delivery enhances  interoperability between different systems and can further improve the usability of BIM data within FM and smart building platforms.

Facilities teams also often lack the expertise to effectively utilise BIM data, relying instead on outdated, manual processes. The rapid evolution of PropTech, such as AI, robotics and digital twins, demands structured, accurate asset data. A Digital Soft Landing strategy ensures that asset owners can fully leverage these emerging technologies to optimise building performance and maximise long-term value.

Implementing a Digital Soft Landing strategy

This requires a structured approach, beginning with involving facilities management teams early in the design and construction process. Establishing clear data requirements, defining standard naming conventions and ensuring consistency in data formats is crucial. Additionally, aligning asset information with FM software, IoT platforms and digital twins facilitates seamless integration and long-term usability.

Open data standards help prevent data silos, and providing facilities teams with training on BIM data interpretation ensures they can leverage the information available. Contract incentives should be designed to encourage a lifecycle-focused approach, emphasising long-term building performance. Appointing a Digital Soft Landings Manager can further oversee data quality and usability, ensuring readiness for operational use from day one.

What the future holds

Transitioning from construction to operations should not be an afterthought. A Digital Soft Landing ensures that digital construction efforts translate into long-term value for asset owners, contractors and facilities management teams. At Glider, we are committed to bridging the gap between BIM and smart building operations, ensuring digital information is not just handed over but actively used to drive performance, efficiency and sustainability.

The future of building management is data-driven, and a Digital Soft Landing is the key to unlocking its full potential.