5 Presidents Column 10 2013

BIM will fail...

I
promised I was going to talk about BIM this month, so
now that I have your attention, I shall begin. Building
information modelling is set to become the biggest
marketing opportunity for surveying professionals, both
geospatial engineers and commercial managers, that we shall
see in our lifetime. There can be very few who havent heard
of BIM or who are not aware that BIM level 2 has been
mandated by HM government for all public sector projects
from 2016 onwards.
So what is it? Put simply, it is better information
management enabling everybody who may be involved in
the planning, designing, constructing, fitting out, operating,
maintaining, refurbishing and eventually the demolition of
an asset to be able to work together efficiently and in
harmony. The B in BIM (building) is an unfortunate part of
the acronym that we have inherited from the USA where
there it reflects the origins of the system. However, BIM is
not just for buildings. BIM will be equally applied to
structures, roads, airports, railways, ports and, in fact,
anything that is constructed.
What is so different about BIM is that it is an environment
of information management that will live throughout the life
of the asset. BIM is the enabler of collaboration. BIM is a set
of protocols and procedures for data exchange by which all
information required to develop and manage a project will be
available to everyone at the appropriate stages in the lifecycle.
BIM will be used by the assets developers, planners,
architects, engineers, contractors, outfitters and operators. In
short, everyone will sing from the same hymn sheet and there
will be no conflicts, no misunderstandings, no duplicity of
effort and, most importantly, there will be no disputes and
therefore no need for dispute resolution (!?).
Thats the theory. Putting theory into practice will require
that every BIM will be different and will need to be tailored
around and focused on the needs of the target asset. The
foundation for every BIM is a 3D model that will feature every
component, fixture and fitting that will collectively make up
the asset. Behind the 3D model, and possibly accessed
through it by hyperlinking, will be a series of relational
databases that contain everything of relevance concerning the
asset, its fixtures and fittings. It follows, therefore, that to
remain relevant the BIM must be continually updated as the
project itself develops and matures from design to as built.
The role of surveyor is the only role, apart from the
owners, that will contribute to the BIM throughout the
lifecycle of the asset. The roles of planners, architects,
engineers, builders and asset managers will all feature at times
in the project lifecycle but they are all transient in comparison
to the role of the surveyor that is central to maintaining the
6 Presidents Column Civil Engineering Surveyor
BIM database. Clearly, geospatial engineers
have a huge part to play but dont make
the mistake of thinking it doesnt affect
commercial managers it does.
From the moment of design, the BIM
will start to be populated with programme
and phasing of the works right down to
the fitting out and the bills of quantities
of the components that comprise the asset.
Progress will be mapped against the
BIM and monthly measures will drop
out automatically.
Throughout the lifecycle of the BIM it is
the geospatial engineers and the
commercial managers who will be the ones
who will keep the model and
underpinning schedules up-to-date and
relevant. The BIM will be tested
continuously during the project lifecycle. It
will be tested in areas of accuracy,
completeness and currency, and if it is
found to be wanting at any time, it will
inevitably fall into disrepute and fail with
the possibility that the ultimate test will be
in court.
The UK government BIM Task Group
recognises the central role that surveyors
will play in keeping the BIM relevant and
has agreed the formation of a new group to
formalise the role of the surveyor in the
BIM environment. Survey4BIM has been
formed under the auspices of the BIM Task
Group and is being chaired by the senior
vice president of this institution, Ian Bush.
We are determined that the composition of
the Survey4BIM committee shall be
inclusive and fully representative of the
surveying community, the solutions that are
available now and react to those that will
become available in the future.
To support this initiative, a Survey4BIM
management committee has been
established with representatives from the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,
The Survey Association, Ordnance Survey,
Association for Geographic Information,
BIM Task Group and manufacturers and
clients joining ICES. We are determined
that the solutions that Survey4BIM will
propose shall best match the aspirations
of our clients and shall be the model for
best practice.
BIM will surely fail unless we, the
surveying community collectively, take
ownership of the surveying content of the
BIM model. As an institution, we will
continue to lead on this issue. The
success or failure of BIM and the standing
of the surveying community demands that
we succeed.
Alan Barrow FCInstCES, President
president@cices.org
BIM will surely fail unless we, the surveying community, take
ownership of the surveying content of the BIM model.