B2

Building Information Modeling, BIM for short, is a growing trend in the construction industry. It is the digital modeling of a building that provides a variety of benefits. The chapter I read focused on how BIM can be vastly beneficial to contractors.

BIM is not just for modeling the final product. It is useful for determining how a building will be constructed, and can help identify constructability issues. Contractors that use BIM generally save time and money. Regardless of what phase of design the contractor gets in on, BIM will help them. However, the earlier the better.

I am not very familiar with BIM. I know REVIT is becoming more and more popular. I am also not very familiar with contracting. I am only just beginning to understand engineering and construction. I know part of the structural engineer’s job is to determine the quantities of hardware needed for a specific job. If the building is modeled in REVIT, the model will actually keep track of quantities and produce the schedule. This lowers the risk of ordering the incorrect number of supplies. Plus, this helps create a more accurate cost estimate.

BIM allows for massive amounts of collaboration up front, known as integrated design. Instead of the architect passing plans to the structural engineer, then the structural engineer passing the plans on for MEP design, the process is integrated from the start. This helps produce a higher quality building, and an efficient one. Contractors who are involved from the start provide valuable input, as ultimately, they’re the ones constructing the buildings. This helps increase coordination among the contractors and whoever they might need to subcontract.

All the information provided with traditional plans can be provided through a model. Sometimes details can be hard to read. A model will show the component connectivity, and can be easily shown from various perspectives. The model can show different layers, such as HVAC, structural, or MEP.

I frequently hear that REVIT is the new industry standard, and that AutoCAD is being phased out. However, I don’t know any firms that have done away with AutoCAD. That’s what I used on both my co-ops. Since I’m structural, maybe we don’t have as much of a use for REVIT like MEP firms do. Or, maybe people are hoping that by saying REVIT is the new standard, one day it will be true. Ultimately, I can see the merit in BIM, and I do hope that it becomes the new industry standard. It leaves a lot less room for error.

Reference: Eastman, Chuck, et al. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Designers, Engineers, Contractors, and Facility Managers, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/lib/drexel-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5447327.

Spencer,

Since I am unfamiliar with BIM, I didn't realize firm-wide object libraries were a thing. On my second co-op, the majority of my job was AutoCAD drafting. Having access to firm-wide standardized objects would've significantly decreased my drafting time, giving me more time for other things. We definitely had some shared objects, like span arrows, but those still had to be brought in from other drawings. A firm-wide library makes a lot of sense.

Mika,

It's interesting how we create more problems by solving older ones. BIM has progressed the industry, but created new problems, such as data loss. I've personally experienced a lot of issues with different model versions being opened on different software versions. My second co-op had a separate remote computer for people to use, instead of updating everyone's software. Our firm had a lot of technical issues, and people frequently lost data. We had our entire server backed up constantly so data could be restored. The large files frequently caused my AutoCAD to force quit. Hopefully technology keeps improving to solve these issues.

Amanda,

I didn't realize that 92% of operation cost is spend on the users of a building. It makes a lot of sense to use BIM to make a building more efficient. BIM is probably helpful in showing how a larger upfront cost lowers operational costs and produces a greener/more sustainable building. Integrated design is definitely the way to go, and BIM will help make it the industry standard.