Building Information Modelling

What is BIM? Building Information Modelling (BIM) uses software to create a model of a
building that reacts to change in the way that the real building would. It is designed to
make an integrated and collaborative approach to construction possible.

Some users use BIM systems as advanced Computer Aided Design

(CAD), others as a series of models for distinct elements of a
project. For those at the cutting edge, a single integrated model is
the goal. Its users hope that BIM can achieve cost savings and
ultimately include integrated cost modelling, construction
sequencing and facilities management capabilities.
Where CAD depicts construction elements with lines that define a
structure's geometry, BIM creates each element of the structure as
an intelligent object containing a broad array of information
(parametric data) in addition to its physical dimensions. Each
element in the BIM model knows how it relates to other objects
and to the design in general.
Within BIM walls are objects which can be stretched, joined and
moved, and which know that they have certain properties and
characteristics. For example, a wall in the BIM model knows that
it is supposed to extend from foundation to Level 1. If either of
those parameters changes, the height of the wall will
automatically adjust to match. Similarly, doors and windows
know their relationship to the walls in which they are placed and
behave accordingly.
Designers can use BIM to explore alternative concepts, conduct
value engineering and optimise their designs. Contractors can use
a BIM model to rehearse construction, coordinate drawings and
prepare shop and fabrication drawings. Owners can use the model
to optimise building maintenance, renovations and energy
efficiency, as well as to monitor life cycle costs. BIM enables
collaboration among designers, constructors and owners in ways
the construction industry has never known before.
BIM software
There are two kinds of BIM software: authoring software and
coordination software. As the technology matures single software
packages may be used that contain both elements.

Common authoring software platforms include: Autodesk Revit

Architecture; Bentley Systems; Coordination Software; Autodesk
Navisworks, and Bentley Projectwise.
BIM coordination software is potentially revolutionary for
construction management and contractors in particular. This
software takes the model made by the authoring software and
attaches cost, scheduling and other information to it thus creating
a tool for achieving improved project delivery.
Levels of BIM maturity
BIM is being used at the moment at a number of different levels of
sophistication:
Level 0
Unmanaged CAD, in 2D, with paper (or electronic
paper) data exchange.
Level 1
Managed CAD in 2D or 3D format with a
collaborative tool providing a common data environment with a
standardised approach to data structure and format. Commercial
data will be managed by standalone finance and cost management
packages with no integration.
Level 2
A managed 3D environment held in separate
discipline 'BIM' tools with data attached. Commercial data will be
managed by enterprise resource planning software and integrated
by proprietary interfaces or bespoke middleware. This level of
BIM may utilise 4D construction sequencing and/or 5D cost
information. The Governments BIM Strategy Paper calls for the
industry to achieve Level 2 BIM by 2016.
Level 3
A fully integrated and collaborative process enabled
by 'web services' and compliant with emerging Industry
Foundation Class (IFC) standards. This level of BIM will utilise
4D construction sequencing, 5D cost information and 6D project
lifecycle management information.
In the future it is hoped that all members of the professional and
construction team will have invested in compatible technology,
will have trained their staff, and will have fed design information,
costing and programming information and other material into the
single, centrally managed BIM model.
It is likely to be some time before BIM systems are so universally
used, and to such a high degree of sophistication. Whilst many
larger organisations are already making full use of BIM systems,

even they have some way to go to achieve the ultimate fullyintegrated BIM level.
It will be years before the majority of construction firms make
such full use of BIM systems. In the meantime professional team
members, contractors, and sub-contractors with design
responsibility will find themselves at different stages of BIM
preparedness. There will be a small gap between some and a huge
gulf between others. Different levels of BIM development will
require different approaches; there will be no one size fits all
during the transition to fully integrated BIM.

Benefits of BIM

In defining the different maturity levels of BIM, the concepts of

4D, 5D and 6D are used to indicate the elements and benefits of
increasingly complex BIM models.
There is a wide spectrum of possible uses of BIM on construction
projects. At one extreme architects and engineers can use BIM
simply to produce better quality design documents without
providing the digital model to any other party. Contractors,
likewise, can separately create models for estimating, fabricating
or simulating construction without sharing the models.
Used in such limited ways, BIM does not come close to realising
its full potential. At the other end of the spectrum, BIM can
provide a collaborative framework among all project parties,
allowing the free-flow of data about what is being designed and
how it will be constructed. Collaborative use of BIM takes full
advantage of BIM's capabilities.
3D Model
Model walkthroughs. These provide a great visualisation
tool enabling designers and contractors to work together to
identify and resolve problems with the help of the model before
walking on-site.
Clash detection. Traditionally design drawings must be
coordinated to assure that different building systems do not clash
and can actually be constructed in the allowed space. Accordingly,
most clashes are identified when the contractor receives the
design drawings and everyone is on-site and working. With
clashes being detected so late, delay is caused and decisions need
to be made very quickly in order to provide a solution. BIM

enables potential problems to be identified early in the design

phase and resolved before construction begins. Illustrating the
advantages of BIM, one project for the General Services
Administration in America saw BIM model reviewers find 257
constructability issues and 7,213 conflicts. On the same project,
traditional plan reviewers found six constructability issues and
one conflict.
Project visualisation. Simple schedule simulation can
show the owner what the building will look like as construction
progresses. This provides a very useful and successful marketing
tool for all those involved in a project. Contractors can also use
project visualisation to understand how the building will come
together.
Virtual mock-up models. Often on large projects the
owner will request physical mock-up models so they can visualise,
better understand and make decisions about the aesthetics and
the functionality of part of the project. BIM modelling enables
virtual mock-ups to be made and tested for a fraction of the cost.
Prefabrication. The level of construction information in a
BIM model means that prefabrication can be utilised with greater
assurance that prefabricated components will fit once on-site. As a
result, more construction work can be performed offsite, cost
efficiently, in controlled factory conditions and then efficiently
installed.
4D Time
Construction planning and management. BIM models
provide a means of verifying site logistics and yard operations by
including tools to visually depict the space utilisation of the job
site throughout a project's construction. The model can include
temporary components such as cranes, lorries and fencing. Traffic
access routes for lorries, cranes, lifts, and other large items can
also be incorporated into the model as part of the logistics plan.
Tools can further be used to enhance the planning and monitoring
of health and safety precautions needed on-site as the project
progresses.
Schedule visualisation. By watching the schedule
visualisation, project members will be able to make sound
decisions based upon multiple sources of accurate real-time
information. Within the BIM model a chart can be used to show

the critical path and visually show the dependency of some

sequences on others. As the design is changed, advanced BIM
models will be able to automatically identify those changes that
will affect the critical path and indicate what there corresponding
impact will be on the overall delivery of the project.
5D Cost
Quantity Takeoffs. To determine a project's construction
cost and requirements, contractors traditionally perform material
take-offs manually, a process fraught with the potential for error.
With BIM, the model includes information that allows a
contractor to accurately and rapidly generate an array of essential
estimating information, such as materials quantities and costs,
size and area estimates, and productivity projections. As changes
are made, estimating information automatically adjusts, allowing
greater contractor productivity.
Real Time cost estimating. In a BIM model cost data
can be added to each object enabling the model to automatically
calculate a rough estimate of material costs. This provides a
valuable tool for designers, enabling them to conduct value
engineering. However, it should be noted that overall project
pricing would still require the expertise of a cost estimator.
6D Facilities Management
Lifecycle management. Where a model is created by the
designer and updated throughout the construction phase, it will
have the capacity to become an as built model, which also can be
turned over to the owner. The model will be able to contain all of
the specifications, operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals
and warranty information, useful for future maintenance. This
eliminates the problems that can currently be experienced if the
O&M manual has been misplaced or is kept at a remote location.
Data Capture. Sensors can feed back and record data
relevant to the operation phase of a building, enabling BIM to be
used to model and evaluate energy efficiency, monitor a building's
life cycle costs and optimise its cost efficiency. It also enables the
owner to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of any proposed
upgrades.
Issues

BIM has the potential to exponentially improve the process of

designing, constructing and operating buildings. However, despite
BIMs vast potential it faces significant obstacles and gives rise to
numerous issues which deserve serious consideration.
Different BIM models Ideally, a construction project
would utilise a single BIM model used by designers, contractors,
subcontractors and fabricators for all purposes. Each party could
access the model at will, adding content that all others could
immediately utilise. The reality is that for many years there will
rarely be a single BIM model. The architect may have its design
model, each engineer may have an analysis model for its
discipline, the contractor may have a construction simulation
model and the fabricator its shop drawing or fabrication model.
Interoperability - the sharing of information between these
different models - is critical to the collaborative use of BIM, by
assuring that each model consistently represents the same
building. However, current technologies, and levels of BIM
adoption, do not yet allow seamless coordination between
different BIM models. The use of multiple models undermines the
collaborative use of BIM and prevents project parties from
reaping the full benefits of BIM's capabilities.
Duplication Some firms may not be able to afford BIM and
therefore traditional drawings will still have to be produced to
manage the downward supply chain. It is also likely that smaller
contractors will not have access to the digital BIM model on-site.
Further, most authorities require traditional drawings for
planning and building regulation approval. This causes
duplication and creates the potential for ambiguity. If, for
example, the contractual documents are in 2D but the project is
designed in a BIM model which will take precedence?
Ownership In most projects, ownership of the BIM model
is likely to be retained by the owner of the building. However,
ownership of the data contained within the BIM model itself is a
separate issue. Such data is likely to be wide-ranging, and
contributions will come from a variety of different participants.
For example, there is likely to be design data, cost data, design
processes, tables, databases and graphical information. Different
laws will govern each of these rights. Enhanced regard to
intellectual property provisions is especially important since the

BIM model will not only show the results of patented processes
and designs, the BIM will actually know the building codes,
algorithms and applicable engineering principles. It is this
information which the system applies to enable the model of the
building to be manipulated and updated. Therefore design
participants will be required to depart much more intellectual
property on a BIM project than they are traditionally used to. The
terms of any assignment or licensing of intellectual property
rights will therefore be of great concern to all design participants.
Increased integration and collaboration also means that there will
be complex layers of intellectual property, provided by different
design participants, which will be difficult to identify and reverse
engineer.
Designer's liability exposure In a collaborative BIM
model many parties contribute to the design. Crucial details
embedded in the design may be provided not by design
professionals, but by speciality subcontractors or consultants. In
addition, BIM software is designed to react to changes in the
model, by modifying elements of the design affected by a change.
These circumstances increase the potential liability exposure of
design professionals who use BIM collaboratively and risk
assuming overall model responsibly.
Professional terms of engagement Terms of
engagement for all of the project team will need to be considered
and drafted to reflect the collaborative nature of BIM and to
ensure that responsibilities, duties and services are aligned.
Communication and methods of working will need to be outlined
to enable those who are not in a direct contractual relationship to
work together in order to deliver the project in the integrated and
collaborative spirit required by BIM. Provisions on the input of
data, limitation of liability and defining the role of any BIM
model manager will also be crucial.
Risk profile. The risk profile for construction projects and
project participants will change with use of a BIM model and a
collaborative, integrated approach. Measures will need to be taken
to mitigate any increased areas of risk. This may require
insurance, indemnities, changes to contracts and/or changes to
policies and procedures. A balance will need to be struck between
the need for fluid collaborationbetween parties on the one hand

and the need to precisely define responsibility to manage the

changed risk profiles on the other.
Mindset and approach. BIM will completely change the
way that designers approach the design process. The level of
information contained within a BIM model requires collaboration
between different participants at an early stage to establish the
initial framework and incorporate the level of detail required.
More hours will be spent during the design and less in production.
Information technology. BIM places increased reliance
upon information technology. With this reliance comes the need
for specific precautions such as careful control of access rights and
recording of audit trails. Technical support facilities, firewall
limitations, bandwidth limits, corruption of data and
compatibility issues are amongst the other concerns that need to
be considered. The BIM model will be the core of the project and
just one error in itcan be very costly. Unlike the traditional
approach, with plans that can be checked against one another,
BIM plans are generated from the model and reflect the same
data. This may allow small miscalculations, which can later lead to
big problems that are difficult to spot.
Cost BIM models will require significant investment from
those across the industry. There will be the direct cost of the
software and hardware but also indirect costs such as training and
obtaining suitable bandwidth to handle BIM data exchange. Given
the level of investment necessary, the industry will take a cost
benefit analysis to decide on adoption.
Owner owners are likely to pay for the operation and
management of the BIM, for example, appointing an information
or BIM model manager. However, the owner stands to benefit
most financially from BIM usage with both construction and
operational savings.
Designers designers will have to spend significant amounts
on purchasing software, licences, hardware and training staff.
There will also be costs incurred from obtaining insurance (with
potentially high premiums given the collaborative nature of BIM
and increased risk of collective design). However, designers will
benefit from advanced design features, such as clash detention
and value engineering tools. BIM also has a proven track record as

a marketing tool, which provides a clear commercial advantage in

any bid process.

Contractors contractors will need to put funding in place to

enable BIM software and support to be available on-site through
tablet-PCs. However, only with such investment will they benefit
fully from the increased level of information in the design,
meaning that delay, extensions of time and variations will be less
common.

Level of detail Contractors are likely to want more detail

included within the model so that clashes, delays and extensions
of time will be avoided during construction. However, with more
detail added during the design phase, design costs will increase
and the model will become more difficult to manage and operate.
Determining the balance of detail, and how much reliance can be
place upon it, will therefore be a crucial issue to be negotiated
between all project participants.
Contractual implications Historically most contracts are
bipartite agreements. BIM has the potential to substantially alter
the relationships between parties and blend their roles and
responsibility. Risks will need to be allocated rationally; based on
the benefits a party will be receiving from BIM, the ability of the
party to control the risks, and the ability to absorb risks through
insurance or some other means. As partys journey along the path
to fully integrated BIM bilateral contracts, with BIM addendums
or protocols, may become unsuitable and collaborative multiparty
contracts could potentially become more appropriate. Payment
mechanisms may also need to be changed to reflect the fact that
BIM projects will become front loaded. Pain / gain mechanisms
for collaborating participants may also be favoured. The contract
will also have to define the status of the BIM model and deal with
post handover matters such as lifecycle management and data
capture.
Insurance / bond markets Few insurance companies
currently offer BIM related products. The rarity of BIM projects to
date means that uncertainties remain about its benefits and risks.
Insurers are likely to increasingly offer BIM insurance policies but
until it is clear what risks are involved premiums are likely to be

high. Uncertainly is also likely to impact upon the bond market

until BIM becomes more commonplace.