Trends In BIM

The author describes how Building Lifecycle Management is changing the nature of the industry, by making possible cost effectiveness, quick construction time, and easy coordination.

Author: Martin Riese
Technologies and working methods that have helped to revolutionise the aerospace and automobile industries are now making significant changes to the industry of the built environment. Mature computer hardware and software platforms now have the capacity to effectively integrate and manage the information underlying all aspects of the built environment industry.

This new manifestation of technologies and working methods is pervasive through the entire lifecycle of building – from preliminary design, through coordination, procurement, construction, to facilities management. What initially began as “Building Information Modeling” (BIM) is now evolving into Building Lifecycle Management (BLM.) BIM contains 3D geometric information about the building including all of its associated 2D data, such as quantity, cost, and engineering information. BLM goes beyond that, to include the integration of all of the data relating to fabrication, construction process, and facilities management phases. BLM begins at the preliminary design stage, when the basic information about the project is integrated into one 3D database. This may include site geometry and existing services, cost information, zoning information, the structure of the project consultant team and, increasingly, specialised “captured project knowledge,” which passes from project to project. It is always beneficial to a project if an experienced construction advisor from a contracting firm is already part of the team at this preliminary stage.

As the project moves further into the design phase, all the information about the project continues to be added to the one BIM. Regulatory authorities throughout the world are moving in the direction of ultimately requiring internet-based 3D submissions for building permits. Submissions will be made via Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) compliant 3D data exchange, which will enable efficient and automated code compliance checking (and the issuance of building permits) over the internet. IFC is steadily evolving to standardise the way sophisticated 3D spatial relationships and building information is shared across the industry.

By the time the project is ready to tender, this process has provided enhanced coordination information, automated production of 2D construction documents, a detailed automated bill of quantities, and a preliminary construction schedule and methodology. Due to the reduced risk inherent to projects, which have been fully coordinated with BIM, tender prices are lower with less of a spread between them (they are often within one percent of each other).

The BIM model can form the contract document. During construction, the constructor uses the BIM as the central repository of all of the construction information. This includes 3D coordination, supply chain management, cost control, construction process modeling, and operating and maintenance manuals. Upon completion of the project, the BIM model passes back to the owner. This is the stage in which the BIM makes the transition into being a BLM, because it begins to form the basis of the management of the completed project for its service life.

At this point, the BIM is “hard wired” to the Building Management System (BMS) and the fire control systems. Using this total system integration, the actual building equipment (via analog to digital converters) can be monitored, controlled, optimised, and maintained, by the owner’s facilities management team - remotely over the internet. In this way, the same building information database is used from the start to the end of the life of the building.

Powerful geometric modelers, incorporating the latest application of mathematics have been combined with database and knowledge management platforms to create an environment in which engineering analysis and simulation, geometric exploration and optimisation of cost, time and process can be integrated with continuous real world feedback. The entire supply chain of the built environment is being connected into this process through a data management structure that is efficient, largely transparent and accessible to all members of the project team over the internet.

The resulting changes are quickly becoming evident. The beginnings of an order of magnitude improvement in safety and efficiency and a significant reduction of waste are emerging across the entire industry. Better quality buildings can be constructed in less time and for 30 percent lower cost, simply through the implementation of process improvements. These value improvements are consistent with those being achieved in other industries.

Inherent to the new technologies and working methods is the ability to “codify knowledge,” and thereby accelerate innovation and achieve designs that would otherwise be impossible. The fundamental collaborative power of internet-based building lifecycle management is bringing project teams closer together and enabling them to work much more as one. The emerging languages of architecture will visibly manifest this integrated knowledge-based process.

An example of the emerging transformed industry of the built environment is the One Island East Tower in Hong Kong. The owner, Swire Properties Limited, commissioned BLM consultant Gehry Technologies (GT) to implement Digital Project software and GT’s proven working methods to reduce waste in the construction of this new, 70 storey office tower in Hong Kong. The objective was to save at least 10 percent on the cost of the project and to complete the construction in 24 months – if not sooner.

The project consultants and the winning contractor, Gammon Construction Limited of Hong Kong, successfully met the challenge of integrating building information modeling into this huge project. All aspects of the building, including 3D virtual precoordination, real time cost control, and advanced construction process modeling and facilities management were integrated into one building information database. All 2D information used to construct the building was modeled and checked in the BIM model first. Thousands of clashes were eliminated prior to fabrication and construction.

3D virtual pre-coordination requires that all elements of the project - everything from sprinkler heads, lights, doors and paint finishes – be modeled in one 3D computer (virtual) environment that enables automated clash detection and management. The project information is developed collaboratively and iteratively by a large team working in a structured process over the internet. Traditional portals and email are replaced with purpose-made task management modules.

As the project data grows, quantity take off and the formatting of quantities and costs are done automatically by the BIM tools. This means that costs can be reviewed at any time – once an hour if required. As large teams collaborate to develop the design, all cost implications are known immediately because they are generated almost instantly from the BIM model by the software.

Advanced construction process modeling uses state of the art process visualisation tools from the aerospace and automobile industries to model every step of the construction in 4D (4D being the application of time and sequence to the 3D geometry of the project). In this way, the construction sequence can be optimised, because mistakes or inefficiencies are identified and improved prior to construction. Traditionally these problems would cause cost and time penalties during construction, which invariably led to expensive claims. These claims were often ultimately paid for by the owner, but can now be eliminated. To some extent this requires a culture change from some industry practitioners who have built a career on managing claims. The claims process can no longer be afforded by the industry as a whole.

Building Lifecycle Management is changing the nature of the industry because it is greatly enhancing the ability of project team members to collaborate effectively and is thereby reducing an order of magnitude of waste across the entire industry. The entire supply chain benefits from this improvement in efficiency because it is integrally connected into the process. Through the implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) the many thousands of elements of the project are tracked from the factory to the site and then through their service life in the building.

The result on a project like the One Island East Tower is a vastly improved building lifecycle process, which is typical of how projects will be procured and managed in the future.