Although it has been more than twenty years since the advent of Building Information Modeling or BIM, AEC companies are still discovering how best to use BIM tools. One of the primary areas currently in focus for such companies is how waste can be reduced in the process of implementing BIM.
“Inefficient virtual coordination meetings, cumbersome BIM files, and a ‘rush to model’ mentality are just some of the profit-eating miscues that are commonplace in the AEC industry,” says David Barista, Editor-in-Chief of Building Design + Construction, in his article on 7 Ways to Cut Waste in BIM Implementation, posted on Bdcnetwork.com.
In order to fully understand how we can make BIM effective as well as efficient, we will take a look at the ways to cut down on waste through a series of three articles. In this first part, we take a look at three ways that can benefit the concept phase.
- Using “Tribal Knowledge” to Your Advantage
When it comes to operating BIM projects, large AEC firms often follow the Henry Fordish model of workflow. This model works by assigning specific tasks to specialists, such as production experts, design specialists, and construction administration specialists. Each is expected to manage a specific task in the BIM project. Although theoretically efficient, the model leads to a lot of waste and additional costs because each person is working on only a part of the puzzle and move from project to project doing just that part. The problem arises when the project moves from the design phase to the documentation phase. With this transition, the team members change, which in turn leads to some amount of loss of “tribal knowledge,” or the larger picture of the project.
The way to prevent the larger picture being lost along the way is to have a consistent team through both the design and the documentation phase. Today, AEC firms are moving to using best-in-class OpenBIM software, such as ArchiCAD, Tekla, Scia, StruSoft, Solibri, and DDS. Effective utilization of the Open BIM concept enables an organization to achieve an open and transparent workflow, by creating a common language for commonly used processes. With its various features, it represents a revolutionary way of interdisciplinary collaboration for the AEC industry. This is another way that “tribal knowledge” can be persevered across the project.
- Making the Most of the BIM Coordination Meeting
While BIM/VDC tools can work wonders, the true benefits of BIM coordination cannot be fully realized by the Building Team until you have productive and efficient coordination meetings. The Open BIM concept and the IFC file format can come in handy for coordination meetings as well.
Coordination is not a one-time exchange of data, but a continuing two-way process. With the IFC Coordination view, the BIM model can be shared across various disciplines, such as design, structural engineering and building services. It goes a step further by achieving workflow compatibility via transparent protocols, along with data interpretation, to facilitate an open interface. With Solibri Optimizer, you can reduce the size of your files and share them much more efficiently.
- Avoid Double Modeling
It is not necessary to create complex 3D conceptual models using the company’s precious resources when working with clients on early design concepts. This is because the company might need to recreate the model in a BIM environment, which would result in a huge loss of resources.
“At some firms, people will spend 40 hours or more building three different project models in SketchUp,” says Thom Chuparkoff, AIA, LEED AP, Associate with Populous. “You don’t need three fully baked ideas, fully modeled, to present to the client. You need five or six good ideas, and not necessarily modeled,” he adds.
Chuparkoff suggests that organizations should avoid double modeling whenever possible. Instead of using high-tech design and sketching tools, they should use old-fashioned ways of designing at an early stage of the project. “We often bypass conceptual 3D modeling software by encouraging the use of other mediums, such as clay and digital sketch models, early on to develop and refine ideas to the point where they can be modeled in BIM for the client one time. Before you get into the hard-line modeling, try to vet as much as you can the good old-fashioned way,” suggests Chuparkoff.
You can further check it for any faults or flaws via Solibri Model Checker even before the construction starts. The BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) will help the team, in a collaborative environment, to get hold of the issues in the model, along with their statuses and the people responsible for resolving them. This will prevent wastage of resources and time for the design team.
AEC company leaders are responsible for initiating the gains that can be achieved through the efficient use of BIM. If you are one of the decision makers of your company, make sure that you encourage the use of OpenBIM software, such as ArchiCAD, Tekla, Scia, StruSoft, Solibri and DDS. You may face some objections, but remember that “nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”
If you have further questions or want to know how to join OpenBIM, contact us at http://www.bimhow.com/contact/. To know more about the ways to cut waste in BIM implementation, continue reading our next article in this series.