UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
AND ARCHITECTURE

CADD II
CADD FOR ARCHITECTURE 2
MTH 2:30PM-17:30PM

RSW-FN-01

“BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING”

DATE GIVEN: 10-14-2019

DATE DUE: 10-17-2019
DATE SUBMITTED: 10-17-2019

REFERENCES:
 Retrieved October 16, 2019 from:
https://www.pinp.org/wp content/uploads/2016/03/Cramer-Hunt-
presentation.pdf
 Retrieved October 16, 2019 from:
https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/11436/BIM-101-What-is-Building-
Information-Modeling.aspx

STUDENT: FERNANDEZ, MARY DARLENE, S.

INSTRUCTOR: ARCH. JERICO JORDAN BERNARDO
What is Building Information Modeling?

Brief History
BIM isn’t new. It first appeared as early as 1962, when Douglas Engelbart wrote
his paper “Augmenting Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework” and
described architect entering specifications and data into a building design and
watching a structure take shape—a concept very similar to modern parametric
modeling.
The term “BIM” was first used back in the ‘90s, but the recession put a damper
on its early stages. It picked back up after the recession and has really taken off
in recent years. Because it was a bit of a late bloomer, BIM might seem like a
brand-new and scary thing for dedicated CAD users—but the shift from CAD to
BIM has been a long time coming.

National BIM Standard Definition of BIM

- A Building Information Model (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and

functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge
resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions
during its life-cycle from inception onward.

- A basic premise of BIM is collaboration by different stakeholders at different

phases of the life cycle of a facility to insert, extract, update or modify
information in the BIM process to support and reflect the roles of that
stakeholder. The BIM is a shared digital representation founded on open
standards for interoperability.

– BIM is not about the B and the M it is about the I = Information is the key.
Key Concepts of BIM
• It is a Database – Not just 3D Drawings
• It is all about sharing info through a Model with all disciplines
• Refers to a “Model” but it is a “Process” not a Product
• Ultimate Communication Tool because it’s visual
• Connects formerly disconnected silos of info
• Collaboration to the Nth degree
• Process + Tools = Power of BIM

• Enabler for Lean Construction – can rely on Model to help facilitate

prefabrication
• VDC + Analysis +Facility Information = BIM
What Can You Do with BIM?

At its core, BIM is 3D design and modeling software with a twist.

For Gensler, an international architectural design firm with projects like the
Shanghai Tower under its belt, BIM is the way to go. That particular project met
with several tight restrictions during the design process, all of which necessitated
the ability to design and analyze different systems quickly and efficiently.

What was the answer? Well, for Gensler, the solution was building information
modeling.

“Gensler has made a concerted effort to integrate BIM technology and

processes in all practice areas across all offices,” said Michael Concannon,
regional digital design director at Gensler. “The rate of adoption varies, but no
practice area and no office is immune to the use of BIM technology.”
The firm promotes the use of BIM among its clientele, emphasizing that BIM is
useful for the entire built environment, but occasionally it meets with difficulty
when a client isn’t familiar with the concept.

The façade of the Shanghai Tower necessitated the use of BIM. (Image courtesy of Gensler.)

“I think there are a lot of misconceptions because BIM has changed a lot since
its inception,” said Joy Stark, senior industry marketing manager at Autodesk.
“It’s really a product of how technology has changed.”
“If we think about it in terms of model-based design and a work process, then
we start to see the possibilities,” Stark continued.
This sounds easy enough, but definitions of BIM aren’t always so straightforward.
Common BIM Misconceptions

Just about every source, including industry leaders, has its own definition of BIM,
which can leave users with a slew of misconceptions.
Let’s have a look at some of these misconceptions to unpack what BIM really is.

Misconception 1: BIM is just for architects.

“One misconception of BIM is that it’s just for architects,” said Stark.

This is one of the most common misconceptions when it comes to BIM and quite
frankly, it was something I struggled with at first. As with CAD, it’s easy to assume
that BIM is just used for the skyscrapers you see when you drive through the
city—but it could well have designed the road you’re driving on.
The fallacy that BIM is just for architects stems from the simple fact that the
construction and architecture industries were among the first to adopt the
process. However, it may have started somewhere else entirely.

Not just for architects: BIM can be used for all kinds of building projects, including the London
Underground renovation modeled here. (Image courtesy of Bentley Systems.)

“One could argue that structural [engineering] was using it for a long time as
well,” commented Concannon. “Even before architects were building 3D
buildings, structural engineers were building 3D buildings to perform analysis.”
“BIM is for everyone,” Concannon added.
It can be used for just about anything in the built environment, including:
 Architecture and building design
 Civil and structural engineering
 Energy and utilities
 Highway and road engineering
 Landscape and land surveying
 Offshore and marine architecture
 Rail and metro transportation engineering
 Tunneling and subway architecture
 Urban master-planning and smart city design

Misconception 2: BIM is just a design tool.

While the technical core of BIM is its 3D modeling and information management
software, it’s not just fancy CAD. The software is very similar, but it’s important to
make a distinction.

“I think many people thought of BIM initially as a new way of delivering a

project, so they were seeing it as a replacement for CAD products with some
additional enhancements,” said Concannon. “Really, that’s only the tip of the
iceberg. When you look at BIM, you have to look at it not just as the way we
deliver our projects but also as the way we interact and collaborate and use the
myriad of tools available to us.”

“For me, the most important part of BIM is the ‘I’—the information aspect,”
Concannon commented.

BIM is all about the information. It doesn’t just create a visually appealing 3D
model of your building—it creates numerous layers of metadata and renders
them within a collaborative workflow. It’s perfectly possible to create a 3D CAD
model with BIM software by leaving out the metadata and collaboration
practices, but you cannot create a proper BIM model without 3D CAD software.

So why do we equate BIM with software?

oftware is how BIM is promoted. After all, you can’t sell a workflow—it’s up to the
user to establish that. The BIM process requires the use of one coherent set of
computer-generated models and the easiest way to do this is with one type of
software that everyone uses to access the same project.
To create a proper BIM model, you must be able to federate or combine all of
these layers of information for various building systems into a single “master”
model. This is most easily achieved by standardizing the software used by team
members to consolidate all the relevant information, which is a key principle of
BIM.
Misconception 3: BIM comes in a box.

Maybe you thought you could stroll into a reseller and pick up a copy of BIM.
Easy as pie, right?

The trouble with this idea is that although BIM is technically software,that is by no
means all it is. BIM isn’t just a design tool; you can buy BIM software and start
using it to make drawings, but that alone does not make it BIM.

Restructuring workflows is an essential part of BIM. In order to implement it

properly, you’ll need the desire and the commitment to change how you and
your team members work. Adjusting to the new system won’t be easy at first, but
it will be worth it in the long run.

The Components of BIM

We’ve explored the industry’s views of BIM and the various approaches to this
collaborative platform. We’ve discussed common misconceptions and how
exactly they are incorrect. We’ve seen how BIM can help a company with a
project.
This leaves us with a fairly solid understanding of what BIM is and what it isn’t, so
we can come up with an essential definition. Let’s go over the components of
BIM to unpack its real meaning.

B is for Building.
The key point to remember here is that “building” doesn’t mean “a building.”
BIM can be used for so much more than designing a structure with four walls
and a roof. This preconceived notion of “building” comes from its roots—in an
etymological sense, it quite literally means “house.”
In order to get the true gist of BIM, however, it helps to think of the word
“building” in terms of the verb “to build.”
BIM is a process that involves the act of building something together, whether it
relates to architecture, infrastructure, civil engineering, landscaping or other
large-scale projects.

I is for Information.
And that information is embedded into every aspect of your project. This is what
makes BIM “smart.”
Every project comes with a staggering amount of information, from prices to
performance ratings and predicted lifetimes. It tells your project’s life story long
before the ground is ever broken and it will help track potential issues
throughout your project’s lifetime.
BIM is a way to bring all of these details into one place so it’s easy to keep track
of everything.
M is for Modeling.

In BIM, every project is built twice—once in a virtual environment to make sure

that everything is just right and once in a real environment to bring the project
to life.

This step is the overview of every other aspect of the building and its information.
It provides the measure or standard for the building project—an analogy or
smaller-scale representation of the final appearance and effect. It will continue
to model this representation throughout the building’s lifespan.

“We look at the full life-cycle of the building, not just as a design tool but in how
it can impact the construction process, how it can impact the management of
the building and how it can help inform an owner of the space beyond our
involvement in the design process,” said Concannon.

This model can become a tool for the building owner’s reference long after
construction is completed, helping to inform maintenance and other decisions.
It’s also the step that will help to sell a concept while condensing all of those
other layers of information that show the building’s every detail.

The Bottom Line: What is BIM?

BIM is both a best-practice process and 3D modeling software. By using it,

designers can create a shared buildingproject with integrated information in a
format that models both the structure and the entire timeline of the project from
inception to eventual demolition.

It enables architects and engineers alike to work on a single project from

anywhere in the world. It condenses a plethora of information about every
detail into a workable format. It facilitates testing and analysis during the design
phase to find the best answer to a problem.

It makes for easier design, simpler coordination between team members and
easier structure maintenance across the entire built environment—and this is just
the beginning.