2.1 Introduction
Building information modeling (BIM)
is a life cycle analysis tool. Bim focuses on a digital representation of a
building physical and functional characteristics in order to calculate
information about the facility. Such information can be used to help make a
vital design and also operational building decisions. BIM make it easier to
estimate qualities of materials needed for a project which reduces waste and
save money.
According to Lorenz (2006), BIM is a
tool for more efficient facility management. In addition to Bim’s use for macro
process, such as understanding and maintaining HVAC systems, it has proven
useful for even fairly routine purposes. How many times does the square footage
get measured in the life a building? Asked Deke Smith of National Institute of Building
Sciences, “every time you renovate, every time you clean the carpet possibly”.
An accurate BIM model provides the information updated to reflect additions and
or modernization instantaneously.
2.2 Empirical
Review
A number of project teams and facility
manager have used BIM and shared their experiences with industry publications
following are some of the publication reviewed for this study.
(a) Richard Dallam and Ted Buchanan (2006) conducted
a study at Swedish hospital in Seattle on build a better building with 3D
models. The study was prompted by the need to reduce interdisciplinary coordination
errors and changes. Hundreds of hours
were saved during design using BIM. A collusion-detection programme was ran daily
and often. The team essentially “prebuild the project” allowing problems to be
resolved as they were found throughout the design.
Jim, Bedrick (2005) conducted a
study in Webcor on “Bim and process improvement” as publisher architecture,
engineering and construction (AEC) bytes, December 13th 2005. He
found out that BIM was a great advantage to a cost and a thermal performance
analysis of exterior skin options by Anselem + Allen Lawrence Berkeley national
laboratory (LBNL) and Webcor.
According to Bedrick tradition
energy analysis required 2D drawings and 14 days while also going through that
process, LBNL used BIM model and a simulation programme to produce the save
analysis in one day. After moving to another skin option, LDNL profound a fill
energy consumption analysis in two days. Hence BIM is akin to further
sustainability goals with a robust platform for analysis.
2.3 Theoretical
Review
Perhaps the best way to define BIM as opened by Ted
Sive (2007) is to go back in history, designers and builders (the second oldest
professional) have long worked in two main phases. First the designer imagines
the project and design the details, completing work with a drawing and written
road map (the contract documents and specification).
This process changed incrementally over
the century until over two decades ago when CAD (computer aided drafting)
generally entered the main stream. (CAD software has grown into a robust tool
for Achitecture engineering construction AEC firm with an impressive amount of
coordination, efficiency and work flow improvement, but CAD is still an
enhancement of what is been done for century: drawn lines to represent object
in buildings. The lines themselves doubt have further meaning.
BIM is much more of a change for the
industry than CAD. It reorganize the sequence, timing and duration of the
design process, ushers in a new model of constant, detailed, communication, put
a geometrically larger amount of information into one place. At its highest
level according to Ted Sive, a BIM model is an intelligent digital
representation of physical and fundamental characteristics about a capital
facility”.
To implement BIM, data is entered
into a model so that it can be analyzed and the facility can be modified as
necessary. BIM help building stakeholders make decision while taking into
account important life cycle cost determinations. The basic principle of
BIM is to create and enhance
interoperability since BIM is a flexible and adaptive system, changes to the
input model can be made so that project managers can asses the possible effect on the output.
BIM technology enable developer to
use 3D computers model of a facility to help with the deigns, construction,
maintenance and operation of a building, combing graphical information such as
plans and elevations and non graphical information, such as cost specification
schedules and maintenance requirements into a BIM model result in a single
source of information. A model should access all graphic and non graphic
information about a facility and help eliminate, re-gathering or reformatting
of facility information.
2.4 Theoretical
Framework
Most complex projects in the
architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries involve
multidisciplinary collaboration and the exchange of large building data set.
Traditionally, the collaboration effort across the discipline have been based
on the frequent exchange of 2D drawings and documents. However during the past
decade, the wide spread adoption of object- oriented computer –aided design CAD
tools have generated more interest in BIM. A number of BIM –compliant
applications such as analysis tools, model checkers and facility management
application have been developed.
2.6 BIM
in Practice
According to
Ted Sive (2007) strategic understanding and application of BIM requires
understanding the differing ways in which the technology is viewed, utilized, feared
and enjoyed. This is because the BIM model is shared and dependent upon by all
participants in the continuum of building planning, design, construction
management and so on.
This is unlike CAD in which
documents are intricately coordinated but data remain singularly owned.
The shared ownership of BIM data is
a core reason for the recent development of the first universal standard from
BIM. Version 1.0 of the National building information modeling standard (NBIMS)
was released on March 13th, 2007 by the National Institute of
building sciences (NIST). Ted Sive (2007).
Acknowledging the prove of BIM to
speak across the entire life cycle of a building from conception of project to
decade of use the NBIMS address the need to create standards so that technology
can be applied horizontally across the facility life cycle and not just separately
with vertically integrated business functions -BBIM standard.
2.7 BIM
in Construction Management
Participants in building process and
constantly challenged to deliver successful projects despite tight budget,
limited man power accelerated schedules, and limited or conflicting information
the BIM concept envisages virtual construction of a facility prior to its
actual physical construction in order to reduce uncertainly improve safety,
work out problems, and simulate and analyze potential impacts. Sub-contractors
from every trade can impute critical information into the model before
beginning construction, with opportunities to pre-fabricate or pre assemble
some systems off-site. Waste can be minimized on-site and product delivered an
a just in time basis rather than being stock flied on-site.
2.8 BIM
in Facility Management Delivery
BIM can bridge the information loss
associated with handing a project from design team to construction team and to
building owner/operator, allowing each group to add to and reference back to
all information they acquire during their period of contribution to the BIM
model. This can yield benefit to the facility owner or operator.
For example, a building owner may find
evidence of a leak in his building. Rather than exploring the physical l
building he may turn to the model and see that a water valve is located in the
suspect location. He could also have in
the model the specific valve size, manufacturer part number and any other
information ever researched in the past, pending adequate computing power. Such
problems were initially addressed by Leite et al (2009) when developing a
vulnerability representation of a facility constraint and threats for
supporting the identification of vulnerability in building emergencies.
2.9 Anticipated
Future Potential
BIM is a relatively new technology in an industry, typically
show to adopt change yet may early adopters are confident that BIM will grow to
play an even more crucial role in building documentations.
Proponents claim that BIM offers:-
1.
Improved
visualization
2.
Improved
productivity due to easy retrieval of information
3.
Increase
coordination of construction documents
4.
Embedding and
linking of vital information such as vendors for specific materials, location
of details and quantities required for estimation and tendering
5.
Increase speed of
delivery
6.
Reduced
costs
2.10 BIM Scope
BIM overall scope is board and can be described within
the relationship of three categorization of BIM viz:
1. BIM as product or intelligent digital representation of data about a capital facility BIM authorizing tools are used to create and aggregate information, which before BIM, had been developed as separate tasks with non machine interpretable information in a paper centre process.
2. BIM as a collaborative process which covers business drivers, automated process capabilities and open information standard used for information sustainability and fidelity.
3. BIM as a facility life cycle management tool a well understood information exchanges, workflows and procedures which team use as a repeatable, veritable, transparent and sustainable information based environment used throughout the building life cycle.
2. BIM as a collaborative process which covers business drivers, automated process capabilities and open information standard used for information sustainability and fidelity.
3. BIM as a facility life cycle management tool a well understood information exchanges, workflows and procedures which team use as a repeatable, veritable, transparent and sustainable information based environment used throughout the building life cycle.
Source
NBIM standard definition (product, process supporting collaboration nationals
institute of building sciences (2007) .
Note:
IFC = Industry foundation classes
IDM = information delivery
manual
MBIMS = North America part of
BIM standard
2.11 Benefit
of BIM
Ø Increase speed of project delivery improved
coordination decreased cost greater productivity higher quality work on-line
collaboration
Ø New Revenue and business opportunities in operations
and functions
Ø Rapid iteration of simulations of building performance
and construction sequencing
Ø Reduction of field problem and material waste during construction
Ø Reduction of on-site material staying, creating a less
crowded and safer site.
Facilitation
of off site fabrication for some building component and assemblies increasing their quality and longevity.
2.12 Costs
The cost implementing BIM for a project varies widely,
depending on the knowledge of the professional undertaking the BIM, the
complexity of the project being modeled and other design process.
According
to Stanford University Center for integrated facility engineering (2007) the
cost of BIM might be expected to be between three hundred of one percent to one
half of one percent of total project cost.
Cost are dependent on labour hours invested in BIM essentially what it
cost to hirer the building cost estimator, scheduler etc and carryout the modeling process.
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