Week 4 Blog Post - Edward Bruder

The topic I choose is:

• BIM makes the Engineer's Work Easier vs It makes the Engineer's work Harder

     I choose this topic mainly because I personally and strongly believe that BIM will make engineers work easier rather than harder. Not only is it easier, it is also, in my opinion, a lot more fun to work with. BIM is much more advanced then CAD or hand drafting thus leading it to improve building in the future as well.

     BIM can be used many different ways, such as; 2D, 3D, and even 4D. At its most sophisticated level, BIM combines all the documents, data, and software packages used during design, construction, and, ultimately, operation and management into a single electronic source. [1] This will ultimately replace all types of engineering into one system. This system is so powerful that I only know a percentage of what the program can do.

     The performance from BIM will ultimately make work easier for engineers. This is because BIM can do multiple operations to help create a final design. Not only can it help find errors it can also help fix them. This will save time and ultimately help engineers create more efficient and creative designs. BIM is a platform that can provide a comprehensive and interactive assembly of the components in a building to create a new type of energy model. As more information is added to BIM for each individual part of the building, BIM becomes increasingly closer to matching the real world building itself. [3]Designs that would never be possible if not for BIM are being created every day. It is truly amazing.

     BIM’s 3D modeling is also impeccable comparatively to some other programs. You can actually see what the project would look like before it is even built. This is a huge advantage to the industry in the sense that you can change the way the building looks and see what the cost difference will be. All of which makes an engineer’s job easier.

[2]

     As seen from the graph the BIM work flow only has an increase in cost and effort in the detailed design phase of a project. This is a huge advantage over the other phases in a project.

In conclusion I believe that BIM works seamlessly with engineers to create amazing projects. BIM will definitely make work for engineers easier and will further the human advancement with in building projects.

References:

[1] Fortner, Brian.  Special Report: Are You Ready For BIM.  Civil Engineering The Online                 Magazine.  May 2008.

[2] Strafaci, Adam. What Does BIM Mean for Civil Engineers. CE News. October 2008.                       http://www.cenews.com/magazine-article----                                                                                     what_does_bim_mean_for_civil_engineers_-6098.html

[3] Alcorn, Terence. "How BIM Can Improve Building Efficiency." Facilitiesnet. n. page. Print.               <http://www.facilitiesnet.com/green/article/How-BIM-Can-Improve-Building-Efficiency--14297

Comment on Other Blog Post:
To Matt Morimoto:

Matt: I liked how you talked about both the positive and negatives of the BIM system but I'm not sure which side you chose. I do understand the pitfalls of using a BIM program but when I looked at the question I thought of BIM in a personal use frame of mind. What I mean by that is I understand that moving from CAD to BIM is frustrating but I believe that once BIM takes over and it more widely taught in schools it will become like a second language. But very nice post, very well written and insightful.

Chapter 6 - BIM for Contractors

For this week’s blog posting, my group (group E) was assigned to read Chapter 6 - BIM for Contractors. In this chapter, the handbook gives a really detailed introduction about how BIM could help contractors during construction process. This chapter contains a lot of information about new software that could help contractor to save their time and effort. I will introduction few of them in my post.

This chapter made a discussion about the various types of application areas that BIM can provide the contractors benefits for their special needs. The one I found interesting was the reduction of design errors using clash detection. Clash-detection software provides much more advantages than traditional 2D coordination methods. The standard way detect a clash was to put all the drawings on a light table and let a person to check to see if there are any problems. This method sometimes led to a lot of human error which could only be seen doing the actual construction. The 3D clash detection relies on 3D geometry model to detect a large amount of clashes, this technology would reduce the human error to the minimum, which in the end, will save contractors a lot of time and money. And it is also much safer.

       Another section I found very interesting was the import of the 4D model into the modern construction process. Different than 3D model, 4D models would be really helpful during the community forums since it could show people clearly how a project would impact traffic, environment and their daily life. 4D models could also help project managers to compare schedules and track construction process, compare the actual construction field to the 4D models, project managers could easily check the project status to see if it is on track or behind schedule.

       BIM would give contractors so many new technologies to help them save money and time, could also move the constructions much quicker and more efficiency which can take the construction process into the next level. BIM models is not particularly perfect, but we would definitely see more and more companies and firms using BIM, and moving completely into BIM construction world is just around the corner.

Reference:

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

Comments On:

Dongyan Qi

I personally like to use Google SletchUp too, it is much more straight forward to me compare to other sketch software. The change from 2D model to virtual 3D building model is really a revolution, is changes the way that how people demonstrate a structure. The advantage of integrated project delivery is also good for all parties involved.

Stephen Bartal

Stephen, I really like the part that you put your own story about the Revit and AutoCAD, very interesting. I did not know about this function about Revit before, I used to spend hours making small changes through the project, definitely will try the parametric modeling function next time. 

Chapter 6 - BIM for Contractors - Planning Construction

Planning construction involves sequencing activities in space and time, like the procurement of materials, labor and other concerns. This was typically represented by bar charts, and the BIM handbook claims that such a method is “unable to show how or why certain activities were linked in a given sequence; nor could they calculate the longest (critical) path to complete a project.”

Image 1: A Sample Gantt Chart

Today, we now use software such as Microsoft Project, Primavera or P3 to create comprehensive schedules (or gantt charts) which display the steps of procurement and construction, linking every task and sorting by the most critical. A specialization program, such as Vico Control, is better suited to building construction by enabling schedulers to do location-based scheduling and allow multiple teams to do repetitive work in multiple locations. Even so, only a person with sufficient familiarity with the project and with scheduling can properly evaluate a gantt chart and determine if it is a feasible schedule.

The article points to a current dilemma in which the methods we use today still do not properly capture the spatial components of building construction. It seeks to solve the shortcomings of the modern way of planning project by suggesting two solutions. The first is 4D CAD, a 3D CAD software which incorporates a construction schedule and shows the day to day process of construction in a 3D model. Faults in the design and the scheduling can be observed in space and time, which helps designers and contractors identify the issues and allow them to devise solutions. The second approach is to combine analysis tools, BIM components, and construction method information to optimize activity sequencing. This conglomerate, as the handbook explains, incorporates spatial, resource utilization, and productivity information.

Image 2: A Sample 4D software

Of the two options described in the handbook, 4D simulations seem like the most sensible. The potential for collaboration and communication between owner, designer and contractors using 4D CAD is high. Contractors can review projects to determine the feasibility and can make accurate schedules based on the design. If a community or public project uses 4D CAD, the layman will be able to understand the project may impact his day to day life. Site logistics would benefit from the use of 4D CAD since they would be able to plan laydown areas, access points and location of large equipment. Last but not least, the 4D tool can compare different schedules and can easily determine if a project is early, on track, or behind schedule.

Reference

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

Group E - BIM for Contractors

For this blog post, my group (Group E) was to read chapter 6 of the BIM Handbook – BIM for Contractors. In this chapter the handbook reveals several different ways BIM can be useful to contractors and how it can be integrated with the construction process. This chapter was very informative and provided a lot of information about the different tools of BIM that I had no idea existed. It is a true insight of what BIM can truly do to help the construction process. In this blog post I will go over some of the BIM tools that I found to be the most interesting from my read.

                One of the more interesting uses of BIM, in my opinion, was clash-detection. Clash-detection is used to show differences in BIM models throughout the construction process. Say that there is an initial design and when it comes time to build it is over budget and cost cuts need to be made. So some changes are made to the design to cut cost, but some of these changes can produce errors when building. Clash-detection can be used to find those error before it’s too late. These can be either large differences in drawings of small ones, they can be system specific of detail specific, all of which can help speed up the construction process immensely and cut down on human error when looking for these clashes. BIM has clash-detection tools built in or you can obtain various types of plug-ins that can do more specific types of clash-detection.

                BIM can also be used for fine-tuned cost analysis. The more detailed the BIM model is the more finite the cost analysis can be. It is also possible to see how much the cost will change by changing small details within the model, such as a type of light bulb that could change the cost dramatically or slightly. BIM can do this analysis quickly and efficiently. One could also use a BIM model to count the amount of a particular item and export it to estimating software.

                BIM offers many different tools to help the construction process become more efficient and quicker, thus providing the world with better buildings quicker and cheaper. Moving completely to BIM in the construction world is truly the next big step in the field of engineering.

Reference:

Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks, Kathleen Liston; “Bim Hanbook, a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors” Second Edition, Chapter 6; Second Edition 2011

Comment:
To: Ryan Donahue

"Mr. Donahue, 
I liked how you stressed the weakness in structural design, and I agree completely.
I also liked how this will close the gap between engineers and architects. This post was highly detailed and was very well written. I am quite jealous of the Co-op experiences you had since mine were so different. Good post though."