Blog #3 - Future Advantages of BIM

The possible advantages of BIM in the future can be evaluated by present trends. Reports suggest that BIM is growing in demand by project owners over the last half-decade. Due to the versatility of BIM implementation by various professionals in the project, building information modeling has proven to be a productive method. Owners find it attractive when accurate predictions are made in advance in order to reduce risk and financial liability. Architects find it attractive when modeling the project is seamless and less time-consuming. Engineers find it attractive similar to the architects because modeling is effortless and information is abundant. Contractors also find it attractive because the cost estimate and visualization are helpful for task execution. However, presently the only fraction of the AEC industry utilizes such a powerful tool. The smaller residential projects still do not implement BIM because of the scale and scope of work. BIM is only prevalent in bigger projects such as larger infrastructure because the scope of work tends to be much more complex. In the future, BIM is bound to cover the entire AEC industry no matter the scale and scope of work because of the utility it process. As more and more project turns toward BIM in the future, people will gain familiarity.

BIM is not only useful during the design process but it also comes handy during the accident investigation process. Presently when a problem arises, it often ends up in a circle of accusations because the mistake can not be pinpointed to one party. The lack of information leaves a hole in the investigation process and the owner ends up paying for the damage. BIM, in this case, can be used as a legal record to locate the exact source of the mistake. In the future, BIM will allow attorneys to navigate the landscape of project documents and files. Architects, engineers, and contractors will be very careful when executing project duties. In turn, it will make projects safer and more predictable. Furthermore, since BIM produces accurate information, policies and laws around construction are bound to change. Contracts between parties will become more complex. Overall, BIM slowly but surely will cover the entire AEC industry in my opinion. Demand towards cost-effectiveness and risk minimization is bound to bring people into the BIM ecosystem in the near future.

Referance: https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/future-of-bim/ 

Isabel

You bring up a good point regarding the resistance of change by experienced personal in the industry. People tend to resist change especially when it is related to work. However, I think the same change is bringing the cost down and making work safe and effective. There is a push and pull toward both sides of change. At the end, similar to what has happened in the past, people who do not adopt change, such as BIM will lag behind.

Andrew,

It would be interesting to see creative infrastructure as BIM is utilized more throughout the industry. Buildings tend to be a box with glass because it is easy to design and execute from an engineer's and contractor's point of view. As BIM makes it easier to navigate projects, complex infrastructure is bound to arise. Builds in the foreground of movies may one day become reality.

Mika,

Interoperability is absolutely a problem with BIM. The amount of data processing and exchange that occurs with the modeling project is massive. The present computing technology obviously lacks the power to execute the task. However, I think in the future, this problem will be resolved in the near future. As mentioned in the class, the topic of Moore's Law will allow computers to become more efficient. As of now, the problem is real and restricts true BIM potential.