B2-BIM Handbook-Chapter 4-Tangari

Chapter 4: BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

The focus of this chapter is on how owners and facility managers can utilize BIM processes in order to reduce errors allowing for more efficient and reliable delivery processes which in the end can reduce construction time and costs.  The chapter takes note about how those who adapted to the digital modeling technologies earlier on reached higher manufacturing efficiencies and higher commercial success where as others who waited had a hard time and struggled to catch up to their competitors.  BY using BIM owners can manage project risks, improve project quality, and deliver value to their business, while facility managers can use BIM to better manage their facilities. It mentions that most BIM tools today are more targeted toward service providers, such as architects, engineers, contractors, and fabricators.

It is said that typically owners are not very involved in changes within the industry that they only focus on cost overturns, schedule delays, and quality issues because the construction is the smallest capital expenditure in comparison to the overall longevity of the building. But due to changes in the market owners have been forced to become more aware of delivery processes. BIM has applications which allow for competitive advantages allowing them to better respond to market demands and yield better returns with capital investments.  If owners have this higher knowledge and understanding of BIM they can more adequately assemble a team who will achieve overall better designs and construction.

The use of BIM or in this case BIMStorm, can be seen in the programmatic and feasibility phase. Owners can use this tool to conceptualize projects, by soliciting inputs from multiple sources and assess designs in real time with a focus on cost, time, and sustainability. Another perk of BIM is being able to generate rapid spatial analyses with BIM authoring tools, which shows how a building can communicate in real time spatially and in data form which allows it to be checked with requirements.  Color coding will generate automatically which can help designers and owners to see which rooms are exceeded or not making the requirements. Crowd behavior and emergency evacuation procedures can also be simulated through BIM in order to see how the building operates during these scenarios.  

With BIM a building’s infrastructure can be coordinated through all disciplines, where the owner can include representatives from its maintenance and operations to provide input into the model. This could allow for design flaws to be predetermined and avoided.

From the owners perspective BIM can help to reduce energy consumption. If invested in, an energy saving building system can reduce energy consumption by 10 percent. Energy payoff can also be determined though life cycle analysis.

From this chapter it can be concluded that having an owner or facilities manager who is well versed in the BIM technologies, they will be better equipped at completing a building that will not only be designed better but function better. In turn with this knowledge they will be able to foresee issues and problems which can in turn save money, time and frustration throughout the construction process. 

Source: Eastman C. BIM Handbook : A Guide To Building Information Modeling For Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers And Contractors [e-book]. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2011. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 23, 2018.


Comments:

Jordan Shuster:  HI Jordi! I really liked reading what you had to say and thought you brought up some valid points. I feel one of the biggest advantages of using BIM is it's ability to break down that language barrier which is a very real issue with all of the international work happening. I also agree with what you mentioned about the visuals versus the written reports. Although written reports are good for the nitty gritty details, the visuals BIM can provide are easier to analyze and present when explaining to a team. 

Allison Abad:
Allison, I found it very interesting how you mentioned how you coop dealt with disputes. Reading that section in the book I didn't fully understand how there was such a large market for this part of the BIM. That is why i found it very interesting to learn how you used it on a daily basis to dissolve issues between the two parties at hand by just being able to reference it through the BIM tools.

Sherry Liu:
Sherry, I agree with you on the drawbacks associated with using BIM. You are right if a project is already financed it wouldn't always make sense to implement BIM especially if the team is not well versed in its processes. I think using BIM from a financial stand point is a decision a boss should make before a project goes out. Have staff members be educated in it during low business times so that when the work picks up they are capable of completing the job efficiently with use of BIM, then they will also have the knowledge to use BIM for the long hold.