Talking about the “ Benefits of BIM ” might sound like a broken record by now…not to mention that there’s a lot of information out there, software companies and service providers are lecturing about the use of BIM by offering a number of benefits…to such extent that even if you can’t sleep at night, BIM will do it for you!!
So, why not write down and emphasize on the benefits BIM is bringing to the table , those that actually have a tangible impact on construction projects today. I’m not saying everything else is all smoke and mirrors because as the lifecycle adoption of BIM evolves , some others may start to have a more significant impact in the near future.
1. Trades pre-construction coordination and avoiding re-work and change orders are still the low-hanging fruit. If the BIM coordination process is lead correctly, and the different disciplines buy in and follow, will result in a tangible saving.
2. Facilitating Prefabrication , while it may require a higher sophistication in the modeling team, paves the way to off-site assembling; which is probably today’s most impactful construction trend when it comes to labor cost.
3. Layout when BIM is combined with Robotic Total Station s. When BIM is taken to LOD 400, and RTS points are included in the model, the layout not only takes a fraction of the labor but gets more accurate.
4. Capture existing conditions in a fraction of the time . This is also about mixing virtual modeling with hardware technology. It allows Laser Scanning equipment to capture a complete replica of a certain space and all its elements, to the extent that you can design with a very high level of precision, pre-coordinate, and prefabricated without ever having to return to the site to double-check anything.
5. Efficient Handover and Facilities Management . This benefit is yet in its infancy, but on those projects where leveraged, it is within the highest cost savings uses of BIM. Here the clear beneficiary is the owner. It requires a strong BIM Management throughout the design and construction process to keep the data properly organized. These efforts will pay off in the end, giving the operator a comprehensive asset information from day one of operations.
Axel Kruger – President/Founder – ENG
Call us: (949) 340-6924
e-mail: axel.kruger@engbim.com