Building Information Modeling Adds New Dimensions to Construction Projects
Data-Rich and "clash-free" design and construction reduces cost, delays and risk
By William R. Zollinger III, P.E., President and CEO of Buric
Thanks to technological advances that equip employees in America to work better, smarter and faster, productivity in every non-agricultural industry has consistently ticked upward since the mid-1960s.
That is to say, all non-agricultural industries except construction, where worker productivity not only hasn’t improved, it’s actually getting worse. For the past 40 years, construction worker productivity has declined at an annual rate of -0.59 percent.
Technological advances in the construction industry simply have not produced the better, smarter and faster use of people and materials as they have in other industries. Is it any wonder then why nearly 40 percent of construction projects are completed behind schedule and over budget?
Now the construction industry is embracing the latest technological advance promising to decrease costs, decrease risks, increase quality and increase worker productivity: Building Information Modeling (BIM).
BIM is so different and new – and its potential is so vast – that industry experts are even arguing about how best to describe it. Is BIM a new software application? Or is BIM a new way of working?
The answer, in short, is both. Technically, BIM is the result of new software programs. But for the holistic advancement and long-term prosperity of the construction industry, BIM can – and should – shepherd in a new way of working.
Let’s examine these aspects of BIM.
Most people are familiar with the concept of computer-assisted design, which allows architects and engineers to virtually model projects in either two or three dimensions, as well as create drawings and specifications.
As with computer-assisted design, BIM also allows architects and engineers to virtually model projects, but at a much greater level of detail, even including bathroom sink fixtures. The result is a true digital representation of the structure’s physical and functional characteristics. This baseline functionality has been labeled “BIM” by the industry. If this model includes three-dimensional shape information, it’s called 3D BIM.
As sophisticated software programs, BIM can readily accommodate and integrate additional layers of data. For example, scheduling and time data can be folded into BIM, creating an advanced model for the successful sequencing of activities to keep a project on track or detail the repercussions of change orders. The industry calls the inclusion of scheduling 4D BIM.
BIM can also incorporate information about costs and forecast how important details, such as how changing individual components, might affect the entire job. This is referred to as 5D BIM.
As with all computer application, however, information produced by BIM software is only as intelligent and useful as the information it receives. In other words, the “garbage in, garbage out” rule still applies, leaving BIM perfectly capable of modeling bad data and bad decisions.
Which is exactly why the construction industry’s use of BIM needs to usher in a new process, an entirely new way of working. The industry will fully leverage the potential of BIM’s gee-whiz technology only when it fully incorporates communication and collaboration from all involved parties.
This “new and improved” model for taking a construction project from an idea to a grand opening must put owners back in charge. That’s because the construction industry’s current standard operating procedure of bidding out individual aspects of a project all but ensures miscommunication, delay, risk and conflict.
Driven by the owner’s vision and oversight, BIM can reduce risk and delay and maximize the efficient use of personnel and materials. For example, BIM identifies and resolves conflicts before they occur at the job site, and encourages the use of prefabricated materials. By using materials and people more efficiently and eliminating on-site conflicts and off-site litigation, owner-driven BIM could shave 20 percent off the cost of construction projects.
Fully involving owners and allowing them to regain control of the construction process is a step the industry needs to take. And it’s a step that owners – who have consistently delegated responsibilities and their accompanying risks – need to take as well.
Regardless of how BIM unfolds for the construction industry, the foundation for establishing a successful project remains the same:
1. The owner’s vision and needs must be clearly understood.
Change, whether it occurs on the computer or in the field, always produces additional labor and materials costs. Understanding the owner’s vision and needs from the start are critical to eliminating unnecessary expense.
2. Involved parties must embrace BIM.
BIM permits for granularity, which involves breaking up a large object – for example, the building’s concrete slabs – into smaller “grains” to allow segmenting by construction sequences. It’s important for contractors to collaborate to determine what aspects of the job require granularity and how best to prevent clashes.
3. All aspects of the job should be successfully completed virtually first.
This is especially true when pre-fabricated elements or off-site materials procurement are involved in projects. It’s far better to find out on the computer that a building’s mechanical piping is the will not fit in the overhead space than to have truckloads of improperly sized pipe arrive at the job site.
4. Run your decisions and data – and then monitor them.
BIM is only as good as the decisions and data that go into it. Successful projects must include regular updating for scope and productivity.
Established in 1968, Buric provides construction planning and critical path method scheduling; construction claims resolution, including forensic investigation, demonstrative graphics and expert witness capability; surety contract management; building diagnostics and rehabilitation; project management and control; and architectural and engineering design services.
Even more importantly, it is the manner in which Buric provides these services that sets the firm apart. Buric employees are knowledgeable and accomplished industry experts – the best in their fields – who take pride in providing accurate, thorough and responsive service while maintaining the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
Published in Today’s Facility Manager, August 2010