What makes a successful BIM?

BIM Goals

The trick to a successful BIM process is knowing what the goals of your organization should be to get the best results. 

If there is one thing that has been consistent in the various BIM discussions is that the desired results remain the same: shorter project schedules with fewer changes during construction, and digital files at closeout that are useful to the owner for facility management. 

Also, in highly renovation prone facilities, the standard results include a Record Model that can be reconciled with the existing facility model.

MacCleamy Curves

One of the initial concepts of BIM was the idea of frontloading. Patrick MacCleamy from HOK developed the MacCleamy Curves. Building Smart used his concepts to develop the graph in the attached image.

These curves show that decisions made earlier in the project cost less and are easier to enact.

Therefore, it's more efficient to make major decisions earlier in the process.

The idea is that using three-dimensional models allow this to happen due to the nature of models being a visual and clear avenue of communication between interested parties.

BIM is not Revit

Please note that at this point in the lecture Revit has hardly been mentioned at all. This is because Revit is not BIM. Revit is actually a proprietary tool produced by Autodesk that is used by many designers in the industry to make models.

Many times an organization will say they do BIM simply because they use Revit to create construction documents. In actuality, Revit is simply a tool while BIM is a process. Revit, and modeling programs like it, are considered disruptive technologies that have changed the construction process and made BIM possible.  

This is mentioned only because many times individuals confuse the program with the process. BIM can be performed with a multitude of platforms—not just Revit. Furthermore, just because you are using Revit, doesn’t mean you are doing BIM.

Multiple Platforms

As you wade into the BIM waters, what you will find is that BIM is not completed by one platform alone. For design teams, Revit is a typical tool in use, but it is not the only tool. During design individuals might also use +SketchUp, Rhino, Dynamo or other software's to support their work.

During construction, the contractor might rely heavily on Navisworks, or Autodesk Glue. The subcontractors also have tools that are dedicated to their trade. 

BIM is certainly not a one program process and it would be short sighted to treat it that way. BIM is about how digital tools are used to enhance communication. This concept is independent of the tool of choice. The most savvy of BIM teams use multiple tools to support the needs of the process. They do not allow the process to be stymied by ill fitting technology rather they seek out the right technology for the specific situation.

The Modeling effect

In the building industry, we have been drawing the same way for over 1000 years. Modeling has made it possible to continue to make drawings, but to also do so much more.

Today we can link different models together to visually review if every element has the space it needs to exist.

Today, we can add information into the model at the time of installation that allows facility managers to access more accurate information about the facility they are about to manage. 

Today, buildings are being built in the computer before they are being built on site. Robotic construction is gaining a strong footing, and modeling—paired with the rapid rise of the PDF (Portable Document Format) and the internet—has made the need for paper drawings almost negligible.

What makes a successful BIM?

A successful BIM is created when an organization uses the digital tools available to transcend the existing patterns of rework and lost work inherent in traditional systems to develop a more streamlined approach to communication with the stakeholders of a project.

Modeling allows for a level of visual communication not available in two dimensional drawing. If models are produced with intention a more, clear, more concise and more coordinated level of communication occurs between stakeholders.

The answer is that successful BIM rest in the hands of the people doing the work. Individuals must be willing to put in the time and energy to establish an organization's standards and learn how contemporary modeling and communication tools can work to make their projects more efficient.

Source: Global eTraining