Current Advantages of BIM
BIM programs, such as Revit, have a lot of positives aspects in today's world, and the pros it has follow it from early on in the design process all the way to post-construction assistance.
BIM programs, such as Revit, have a lot of positives aspects in today's world, and the pros it has follow it from early on in the design process all the way to post-construction assistance.
One of the earliest ways BIM can assist the design process is for estimation purposes. Even before the bid
is awarded by the owner, the architect and/or contractor (depending on the
contract language) can start to assemble a design that resembles the owner's
preliminary needs. From this model, the bidders can take off preliminary
quantities, massings, costs, and analyze construction concerns. Besides providing the bidder with accurate numbers, this process shows the owner that the bidder is serious about winning the project because they put so much effort into laying out the site in extreme detail.
Moving on through the design process, BIM models can help
the architect and contractor figure out where MEP and structural systems will
clash before they clash in the field. On one of my co-ops, I sat in meetings where
all of the different designers looked over one floor at a time in a BIM model. The designers
would look at all the clashes and figure out what system needed to be moved.
Sometimes the fire sprinklers would be moved, other times the air ducts would
be moved, and even sometimes (but rarely) the steel structure would be moved.
This process was eye opening because the design was only about 10 floors above
the construction. For example, while the basement was being built, floor 10 was being
finalized for the contractor, and so on. Running clash detection simulations
like this are a great way to save money, because finding the issues during
design are much cheaper than coming up with a fix afterwards. (This study talks about the benefits of group collaboration during clash detection meetings).
Akponeware, A.O.; Adamu,
Z.A. Clash Detection or Clash Avoidance? An Investigation into Coordination
Problems in 3D BIM. Buildings 2017, 7, 75.
Finally, BIM and Revit can help
building owners long after construction is complete. A building owner knows
that construction costs don't stop once a building is built. Upkeep and
renovations become a new big cost for the owner. These can range from cheaper individual room renovations, to major reno jobs that cost a significant portion of the
original construction costs. Having an extensive BIM model done can help save
the owner money later on. It can do this in a similar manner as mentioned
above. It'll prevent clashes, conflicts, and can shorten design and
construction time, as well as reduce the number of design errors made.
“Bentley - Sichuan Provincial Architecture and Design
Research Institute Case Study.”Bentley.com, 2016,
www.bentley.com/~/asset/14/12378.ashx.
1)
Sarah, you raise some good points and I also agreed with "The Future of BIM will not be BIM". To me, it seems like we are at some odd point in time where we have the technology to 3D scan every square inch of a building if we wanted too, but a lot of times the benefits don't outweigh the costs and effort to do so. And I'm not quite sure what the issue is that is holding BIM back. Is it the fact that construction is so far behind in regards to the technology used, where the best 3D model in the world couldn't beat a sheet of paper that tells an iron worker what beam to drop where? Is it fact that AI assisted design hasn't fully taken off yet? What is the missing stepping stone that will propel BIM to the next level?
2)
Kerry,
Relying too much on a computer to do the work for you is something that scares me as well, especially for the structural aspect of design. In the 1970s, some design firms were using computers to help design structures, specifically statically indeterminate ones that would be almost impossible to solve by hand. That is exactly what the designers of the Hartford Civic Center did for its innovative roof design. They pretty much chucked the space frame design into a computer, it spit out an "OK", and they built it. It turns out there were many issues and incorrect assumptions with the design that the computer couldn't have caught or wasn't designed to catch. The structure eventually failed under a large snow load.
https://failures.wikispaces.com/Hartford+Civic+Center+(Johnson)
I hope that in the future that the designers can stay experts at their crafts, even with the assistance of computers.
This 99% Invincible episode talks about the same fears, but regarding flight and the Airline Industry.
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/children-of-the-magenta-automation-paradox-pt-1/
1)
Sarah, you raise some good points and I also agreed with "The Future of BIM will not be BIM". To me, it seems like we are at some odd point in time where we have the technology to 3D scan every square inch of a building if we wanted too, but a lot of times the benefits don't outweigh the costs and effort to do so. And I'm not quite sure what the issue is that is holding BIM back. Is it the fact that construction is so far behind in regards to the technology used, where the best 3D model in the world couldn't beat a sheet of paper that tells an iron worker what beam to drop where? Is it fact that AI assisted design hasn't fully taken off yet? What is the missing stepping stone that will propel BIM to the next level?
2)
Kerry,
Relying too much on a computer to do the work for you is something that scares me as well, especially for the structural aspect of design. In the 1970s, some design firms were using computers to help design structures, specifically statically indeterminate ones that would be almost impossible to solve by hand. That is exactly what the designers of the Hartford Civic Center did for its innovative roof design. They pretty much chucked the space frame design into a computer, it spit out an "OK", and they built it. It turns out there were many issues and incorrect assumptions with the design that the computer couldn't have caught or wasn't designed to catch. The structure eventually failed under a large snow load.
https://failures.wikispaces.com/Hartford+Civic+Center+(Johnson)
I hope that in the future that the designers can stay experts at their crafts, even with the assistance of computers.
This 99% Invincible episode talks about the same fears, but regarding flight and the Airline Industry.
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/children-of-the-magenta-automation-paradox-pt-1/
Chris,
Your post has some good points, I just have some questions about IPD. In a lot of my classes, IPD is touted as the next big thing. You even mention that Revit enhances IPD greatly through collaboration and design factors. However, I just want to know why is Revit so popular but IPD is not? IPD is talked about all the time in class, but even large companies have little experience putting it into practice. What is that missing link and how can BIM improve the relationship?
Brad,
ReplyDeleteI think your experience working for General Contractors gives the advantage you talked more creditability. I think your ideas are very helpful in this instance because many of our classmates think of the design components that Revit offers but there are many tools in Revit that are designed with GCs in mind. I think Revit will definitely change contractor’s way of handling projects, because now they have a model that has the ability to eliminate the use of more applications.
Brad,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about BIM being a beneficial tool for designers or contractors to give quick, more accurate estimates during the bidding process. This will help with coordination later in the project and is something I did not consider when looking at the benefits of using BIM modeling. I also think your coop experience with clash detection can be a major benefit for you. With newer technologies, we can actually use virtual reality to "walk" around a BIM model and point out clashes to the parties. This can also help for owners getting a better feel for how the space will be laid out, which can also help cut down on costly owner changes later in the project.