BIM for architects and engineers - Week 3 - Group D

The term Building Information Modeling (BIM) was first introduced in 1992, and has went from being a buzzword to a centerpiece of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) world. With its implementation in the industry, communication has become a lot easier, though it is still far from perfect.

Throughout building history, 2D drawings have been the dominant mode of representation, which has led to many mistakes and onsite corrections since most of these drawings are inadequate.

BIM replaces these drawings with 3D virtual building models wherefrom the 2D drawings can be extracted. It changes the way that a representation is constructed, fundamentally changing the 2D line-by-line layout. A lot of issues can be eliminated with virtual 3D modeling and in the future; maybe it is the virtual model that is actually being used.

The process of building design is a very complex and collaborative exercise. It requires the knowledge and expertise of professionals in a multitude of areas.

BIM has the ability to connect all the contributors of the building process, and make a more effective workflow. Implementing BIM requires a lot of work, time and money, but as an old African motto says: “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Some people might believe the shift isn’t worthwhile, but in the long run it is impossible not the adapt BIM into a standard practice as it will benefit all segments of the project. If all AEC contributors on a project work together, a lot of future problems can be prevented already in the design phase.

The design phase is the activity where a major part of the information about a project is initially defined. The traditional contract for architectural services suggests a payment schedule to be 15 % for schematic design, 30 % for design development, 55 % for construction documents and project supervision. The distribution reflects the weight usually required for the production of construction drawings. If BIM were implemented, then these numbers would be completely different.

Major BIM problems do definitely occur though, as computer programs and procedures are still in development. Even the truly pro-BIM authors of the BIM handbook says: “No program provides the broad spectrum of functionality needed for general concept design, and workflows are currently rough, requiring rigid modeling conventions to be followed or alternatively restructuring of the model. A smooth workflow using these tools is not quite a reality.”

The various ways of working and designing throughout the different phases of the building design requires a need for various design tools. A lot of 3D modeling programs is mentioned in chapter 5, but none of them works for the whole process. For example is a very initiative, free form geometry, and fast working sketching program, such as SketchUp or Rhino, needed for the conceptual design. If all you need to do is design and analyze, Revit would be way too heavy (like using a hammer to crack nuts). Revit is a great program, but you need to know what you want to create before starting, which makes it ideal for the integration of engineering services. The last two categories mentioned in chapter 5 are construction level modeling and design-construction integration, which Ryan has well covered in his post.

As almost everything else, building design is heading in a more sustainable direction than earlier. BIM is a great way to use analysis- and simulation tools to test a buildings performance, which gives the designer an opportunity to optimize the design considering sunlight, wind etc. and make the building more energy efficient.

I have been an intern at Henning Larsen Architects in their sustainability department (major Danish architectural company), and we used BIM to optimize the design of buildings simply by designing and situating correctly in relation to the surroundings and climate. The design itself reduced approximately 80 % of the original buildings energy consumption. The BIM model was always in center of focus when communicating with architects and engineers.

BIM is still fairly new technology, but it has a great future. I think one of the biggest challenges is making the transformation from one design phase to another, because the interfaces has to be so different and house so many different functions. Another challenge is having one big model, which everyone can work on and see how their work relates to others. Autodesk might be on their way to something big with their Vasari beta version. Hopefully it can be a big part of the concept design, and then the BIM workflow can easily continue in Revit.

Source:

Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks, Kathleen Liston; “BIM Handbook, a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors” Second Edition, foreword and Chapter 5; 2011

Comments: 
Ryan Donahue: I found your post very interesting as you take the view as a structural engineer instead of just writing a summary of the text. I am not sure I agree with you about firms being able to design entire buildings in Revit though. A great concept design needs to be made in a much more creative program than Revit, but else wise, I agree that it can be made entirely in Revit. 
It was great with the personal experiences about BIM implementing! Makes the post much more personal and easier to remember.