Dee Dee Strohl - Blog 3

What are the current advantages of Revit/BIM?

BIM is the leading technology in not only in the field of architecture, but the engineering field as well. The software isn’t just for buildings; it’s for all disciplines. There is such a broad variety of programs and capabilities of the software. For building design, Revit is the most used and understood by the different disciplines.

Capturing reality

With BIM, a working model can be sketched in a matter of hours that easily conveys a design idea to other engineers or the client. You can show every view of the building including 3D views and interiors. Design elements can be changed quickly, as needed. You can see how all the design elements are interconnected. BIM allows you to simulate and visualize a variety of scenarios, like different sun angles with the change of the seasons. From that, you can also run energy performance simulations that give designers a way to quantify improvements.

Sharing of a model

The ability to share a model connects all disciplines and streamlines the design process. In my previous blog posts, I’ve discussed seeing this advantage firsthand at co-op. I was working in an MEP firm and we were working with external architects and structural engineers for a project. Whenever changes were made to the architecture model, those changes were shown in the structural and MEP models, and vice versa. This allowed design changes in all disciplines to be made quickly. It improved collaboration on the project. One other feature that was crucial to the design process was clash detection. With this technology, the system recognizes when an electrical receptor or ductwork or any other element is designed where they will run through each other. On-site clashes can be incredibly expensive and time consuming, so detecting them early is key. CBIM made it easier and cheaper to find clashes, thus improving the construction process as well.

There’s a huge economic benefit to using BIM for the reasons stated above. The software can be used at every step of the process, not just design. It can also be helpful for project managers and used throughout the construction process. In addition, it’s easy to create plans that can be sent to the client or city council to be approved. Overall, BIM, and Revit specifically, are making the design and build process of a building easier and faster than ever. As Kayleigh said, Revit might be at the forefront now, but there’s more to come.

Sources:

“Building Information Modeling for the Win: Top 10 Benefits of BIM.” Autodesk. https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/building-information-modeling-top-10-benefits-of-bim/

“Productivity Benefits of BIM.” New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, http://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/whats-happening/news/document-image-library/nz-bim-productivity-benefits.pdf

COMMENTS:

Lauren Kujawa:

I agree with what you said about AutoCAD. I’ve used both for projects, and though AutoCAD is great for creating line diagrams, it’s difficult to create an entire building in the software. I’ve used Revit for most projects and see both the advantages and disadvantages. We’ve been using it for our AE 391 project and it’s given us a lot of headaches. It’s an amazing software but also incredibly infuriating. I’ve never worked with MicroStation and wonder what sort of projects you have made in it for the transportation sector; I’m not very familiar with the discipline.

Allison Abad:

I agree that as time goes on BIM will continue to improve the collaboration between disciplines. I really hope that more projects will take on an integrated approach because of the continuing capabilities of BIM. I think with more integrated buildings, we would be on the way to creating more energy efficient and “greener” buildings. With the past and present ways of the building design process, the architect makes the design and everything is sequential from there, which isn’t efficient in design or construction—it can cause a lot of problems. I hope you’re right that BIM will continue to have advantages in the architecture and engineering fields.

Tyler Wicker:

I agree with what your friend Alex: Revit is great once you’ve been exposed to it and worked in it, but it’s not user friendly initially. Even after using it regularly, I still get frustrated with it. Sometimes you just can’t get the program to do what you want or you get an error that doesn’t make any sense. I like using AutoCAD for similar tasks because, though it is also made by Autodesk, it is easy to understand and manipulate. I agree that interoperability is important for the design process and project efficiency. Here’s to hoping developers see this need and work to fill it.