BIM Building Information Modeling 1 - (Page 3)

dimensional drawings are still the typical way in which design information is conveyed. Design professionals on a project are thinking in 3D but have to abstract their visions into separate sets, by discipline, of 2-D plans, elevations, sections, details and specifications. Each of the many individuals who need to understand that design intent have to re-imagine them in 3D in order to do their work. This leads to frequent misunderstandings, wasteful re-creation of design work in different formats and significant slowdowns on the site or even incorrect work being performed due to inconsistencies among the 2-D documents of the various design professionals. Cost and schedule overruns and resulting claims activity are, unfortunately, a common result. With all of these factors at work, it is no surprise that various studies have shown that the construction industry operates at as much as a 50% waste factor, meaning time and money expended which doesn't show up in the value of the completed asset. Other industries have greatly improved their productivity over the last four decades by standardizing processes and applying technology and automation. Construction lags this improvement because processes and tools have not fundamentally changed to keep pace with the rest of industry. But all of that has begun to change. Variety of project players and IT tools across the lifecycle phases of a project. The Emergence of BIM For decades, aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding companies have been designing and building their complex products with sophisticated modeling software that simulates both assembly and performance. This eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototyping, because the design is optimized in advance for cost, function and constructability. Not only do these companies virtually develop a complete design, but the models they produce can be read by the fabricator's equipment that cuts and mills the customized parts, and the Bill of Materials is an integrated output of the modeling process. This eliminates the traditional back-andforth drawing and re-drawing to demonstrate that the fabricator understands the design intent. In effect they are building the product twice, once virtually to ensure optimization and work out the bugs in advance, then physically in exact compliance with the model, at a high level of quality and production efficiency. This has contributed enormously to the productivity gains enjoyed by non-construction industries. (see Graph) This virtual approach to design and construction is now being adapted to the construction industry. It goes by many names but for the purposes of this article I will call it simply: BIM, the memorable and say-able abbreviation for Building Information Modeling. I use the term to refer to both the technology tools that produce the models and perform specialized analysis on them, and the inter-company processes that are being adopted to collaborate more efficiently, apply expertise at the most cost-effective time and produce better projects. Source: US Commerce Department BIM 3

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BIM Building Information Projects No 1

Cover How Building Information Modeling (BIM) is Dramatically Transforming the Design, Building and Operation of Projects An Interview with a Local AGC Chapter on Its Nationwide BIM Training and Validation Program Launch BIM - more than just a clash detection tool A Contractor Tells How They Made BIM Work for Their Firm BIM’S Sixth Dimension: RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY ALLOCATION Experiencing the Benefits of a New Tool AIA Member Perspectives on BIM Thoughts From a Digital Imaging Firm

BIM Building Information Projects No 1

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