Digital Information Technologies for life-cycle management from E-permit Requirements

Sonia Lupica Spagnolo (Principal Investigator)

The building permit process is traditionally document-based, error-prone, and often characterised by low transparency and efficiency within Municipalities. For this reason, the digitisation of building permit procedures—commonly referred to as e-permit or Digital Building Permit (DBP)—is currently being addressed at both European and international levels. The adoption of DBP contributes to the digital transition of both the private sector and Public Administration (PA), in line with the objectives of the Italian Recovery Plan (PNRR). In particular, the PNRR promotes the digitisation of administrative procedures with a strong focus on data interoperability, which can significantly improve the relationship between municipalities and citizens by reducing authorisation times and enabling more accurate control and management by PAs.

Within this context, digITER aims at providing an effective procedure to be adopted for digital managing the building permit process. The project focuses on defining requirements, rules and methods for the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) for the semi-automated check of data during the outline, control, review, and approval processes in case of new construction, retrofitting, refurbishment, and renovation, both for public and private works. Particular attention is given to optimising approval and procurement activities, as well as life-cycle management by Public Administrations.

Considering the specific characteristics of the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) sector, digITER analyses and integrates the following processes in terms of information flows: the building permit process, from submission to fees collection, to automate building code compliance checks, permit issuance, and design validation for public works; the e-procurement workflow, to support the storage,

verification, and retrieval of data required for tender and contract management; and the life-cycle management of facilities, with a specific focus on maintenance activities and environmental impacts.

The main objectives of digITER include: the schematisation of semi-automated validation procedures within a BIM-enabled ecosystem; the reengineering of workflows for tender management; the standardisation of the DBP use case in terms of rule-checking protocols and building model preparation; and the definition of a Common Data Environment (CDE) to support DBP, e-procurement, digital building logbooks, and environmental sustainability data management.

Contribution to SDGs: 9, 11