An introduction to BIM(Building Information Model)

This series is intended to assist software users within the construction industry who are interested in an introduction to Building Information Modeling (BIM). We hope to introduce users to the differences that can be found when BIM is used within a construction project.

As the AECO industries face the long road to economic recovery they begin to grapple with a number of challenges, among them productivity losses and a shifting labor market.  Alongside this change, there are a growing array of tools that are revolutionizing the way the built environment is constructed.

One of those tools is BIM, which is based on the concept of creating a 3D virtual model before any construction begins.BIM is being touted as the best new way to build.

This introduction to BIM presents the perspectives of four BIM experts, giving some of the major reasons why BIM is becoming increasingly popular. It details how a construction project can be altered when BIM is used. The following are the four experts we consulted for our introduction to BIM.

• Duane Gleason is an on-site project manager in the Washington D.C. area for Vico Software. Gleason helps companies become BIM proficient and supplies services such as virtual mock-up, retained modeling services, in-wall coordination for hospitals, and classes on BIM for executives.
• Erika Epstein owns Erika Epstein Architect in Los Angeles  and is one of the founding members of Food for Thot, a BIMstorm team. BIMstorms, the brainchild of Kimon Onuma, showcases the changes in architects' and stakeholders' projects. BIMstorms combine the interoperability of BIM software with the Onuma Planning System (OPS), with depth of information available on the Web and with new software that allows real-time communication and collaboration.
• Michael Smith is a BIM/Revit and MEP consultant at BIMWORKSINC in Lakewood, Wash., and is a member of the buildingSmart Alliance and the Interoperability Committee at the Seattle BIM Forum. Smith is currently set to take BIM training on the road to help contractors, engineers and architects understand the BIM requirements associated with US Army Corps of Engineers projects.
• Thor Wiggins is BIM/CAD manager at KSi Structural Engineers in Atlanta and has been involved in engineering for 28 years developing residential, educational, corporate, laboratories and industrial facility structural designs.

Part 1 of our introduction to BIM focuses on the use of BIM models during pre-construction. According to our experts, this practice improves collaboration in addition to the quality of a firm's cost estimate.

In part 2 of our introduction to BIM, readers will learn how BIM projects are different for subcontractors, who may find themselves with additional decision-making responsibilities as a result of using BIM but may also gain a larger say in how a construction project progresses.

Part 3, How the 3D virtual model affects AECO relationships, examines how BIM changes the way that architects, engineers, contractors and owners work together over the course of a construction project.

Part 4 of our introduction to BIM looks at how BIM data changes a contractor's job. Our experts point out that such data allows contractors to identify conflicts between architectural and structural components before they become expensive change orders.

Part 5 covers the ways that a BIM model affects building operations and maintenance. When problems arise, crews spend less time guessing where the problem may be -- and tearing up walls and floors in the process.

Finally, Part 6 of our introduction to BIM offers a complete summary of the pros and cons of using BIM for a construction project.