Enhancing Construction with Building Information Modeling

Building information modelling gives architects, engineers, and contractors one digital building to work from. The model holds the 3D geometry, design and material data, and the analysis of systems and performance. Collaboration and decisions across the building lifecycle sit on that shared record.

Plans you can walk through

The same model produces the construction plans and a virtual walkthrough before anything is built. The design team explores the building and makes changes in the model. That is where the time and cost savings show up, and where the client sees the building they will get.

Performance of the building

Put materials, systems, and energy-efficiency data into the model and you can simulate scenarios. The read is how the building performs. Teams use that to develop designs that use less energy and hold up as a sustainable building.

Architectural, structural, and MEP

The trade uses different BIM systems for different jobs.

• Architectural BIM generates the detailed 3D model of the building.
• Structural BIM analyses and designs the structure.
• MEP BIM designs and analyses mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

Combined, they cover the building. Putting them on a project means planning the work, creating the models, entering the data, and coordinating the disciplines. The blockers that show up are thin knowledge and skill, resistance to the change, and no shared standard. Training and support, clear goals, and pulling every stakeholder into the work are how teams get past those.

Design, build, and after

In design and planning the model is the 3D drawing and the performance check. During construction it is how disciplines coordinate, and how you track changes to the design, the schedule, and cost. In operations and maintenance it is the record of the building you have. Cost-benefit reviews of projects that use BIM have shown significant cost savings and better project outcomes.

What is arriving next

Virtual and augmented reality, AI and machine learning, and cloud-based models. Walkthroughs become more interactive, performance analysis gets tighter, and people can work on the same model at the same time from any location.