Chapter 4 - BIM for Owners and Facility Managers
BIM is an incredibly powerful tool for owners and facility managers for many reasons. The ability to quickly draft a building model leads to a more accurate design, less field changes during the project's construction, and the ability to estimate the cost of construction to a much more accurate degree. An important point brought up in the BIM handbook was that duplication of models that took place prior to BIM often led to a loss of accuracy. Having an electronic format completely rids the designers and owners of that risk and copies of the building's model can easily be distributed to the utmost accuracy.
Owners often ask for project changes without fully understanding the complexity and costs associated with them. With the rise of BIM, owners can make much more educated decisions when it comes to field changes as risk management and economic analysis are easily determined from the model. BIMStorm is one tool that allows owners to "conceptualize a project, solicit input from multiple sources, and assess in real time various design options from cost, time, and sustainability perspectives." With this program, owners can grasp a further understanding of what is going on in their project without the technical skills of an engineer or architect and visually see how the building's components work together as well as see any design flaws flagged by the program. Energy estimates and building costs are easily calculated through use of BIM and provide the owner and stakeholders with a reliable source regarding how much their project will cost (Eastman).
I personally had not thought people other than architects and engineers would use BIM, but after reading Chapter 4 of the BIM Handbook I was thoroughly convinced otherwise. As someone who is always skeptical of cost estimates given to me, this chapter really seemed like a powerful tool for an owner looking for a second source regarding project costs. The ability for an owner to easily see what the project will look like and if it will function according to it's design seems like an invaluable tool and in my opinion should be in the arsenal of any construction project owner.
Works Cited
Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.
Comments
Comments
Drew Hovey - Drew - I really enjoyed your CFD example. It provided a great explanation on how parametric modeling is used in a way that any AE 410/510 would understand. Parametric modeling is a brilliant tool for design as it allows the designer to change the parameters within the project on the fly and see how the environment reacts with the changes. These models provide the users with a lot more information than models with fixed values would and should be an indispensable tool for any modern architect or construction engineer!
Brandon Mengel - Interoperability is a key feature of any BIM software. My Chapter 4 reading brought up the idea that in the past a lot of accuracy was lost in the duplication of models, and with interoperability, this problem is completely eliminated. File share can now be done rapidly between project designers and changes can be made on the fly by anyone, anywhere. The design process should move much more quickly now thanks to this key feature and the efficiency of the project design should seem a substantial rise.
Maria Raggouis - Maria - Your comment about the omnipresence of AutoCAD, Revit, and ARCGis really resonated with me. A lot has really changed in the industry since this book was written, and if someone is proficient in these forms of software they can get a job at pretty much any company. Interoperability plays a key role in maintaining the effectiveness of the use of this software and ensures that the work that one person has done is compatible with what others are working on. Without interoperability a lot more time would be spent trying to link together many people's work, but with advances in technology everything can be instantly imported and overlaid.
I wanted to read your post so that I could learn more about Chapter 4 which comes right after what I was reading on compatibility of files between BIM software and methods. It brings up a great point about its accessibility and use as a tool for everyone, not just the designer. How can we expect other people to understand what they are paying for or spending on their energy or how structurally deficient something is without showing it to them - they can keep inventory on all things related to their buildings - no matter what kind of position, company, or personal scenario that gives way to using BIM tools.
ReplyDeletePeter, reading your post made me aware of a benefit of BIM that I had not thought about deeply before. I knew BIM was a powerful tool for designers, but your mention of BIM's ability to better inform owners of the state of their projects made me think more about how people other than designers could use BIM to their advantage. I am wondering if extensions or independent software exists that can calculate the cost of a change in design at certain stages in the construction process; that would be use useful tool for owners, contractors, and designers alike.
ReplyDeleteYour post made an excellent point about the powers of BIM software. Having the ability to get more information about your design while it is still in the design phase is so important to engineers of the world today. With the ability of BIM to give the designer information about risk management and economic analysis the use of BIM is almost necessary for all projects in my mind. To be abel to have the information and make better decisions about a design would save time and lives.
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