Building construction (residential buildings, public buildings, airports, hospitals, etc.)
Infrastructure (roads, railways)
Engineering facilities (bridges, tunnels, power plants, but also off-shore facilities or power grids)
Interior designers, producers of building materials and Facility Managers also use BIM technology. Each of these industries has its own specificity and challenges. It also often uses different software to design or manage a model. There are also at various levels of advancement in the implementation of BIM technology – generalising, cubic construction is the most advanced, further there are engineering structures, and the majority of the challenges are faced by the road engineering (which is largely due to the limitations of the IFC format). However, the basis and assumptions for project development in BIM technology are similar.
Information is the most important part in the abbreviation. Advantage of BIM technology lies there. In the possibility of its organisation, easiness of search and clarity of reading different pieces connected to the elements.
The bigger the investment, the more information is created during the project. The traditional model of collecting and exchanging information (e-mails, PDFs, drawings) leads to information chaos. The lack or duplication of incorrect information is a common occurrence. Often the situation on the construction site can be compared to playing the proverbial dead call. Let me illustrate the real situation from my own experience.
Subcontractor of electrical works needs additional information about the project. As a General Contractor, we call the Designer. A Designer torn out of his/her tasks sends us a document, replies by phone or e-mail. We have understood this in our own way (after all, we aren’t electrical designers) and we pass on the information back to the subcontractor, who understands it in his own way and so performs work on the construction site.
From the beginning of the investment process, the information is divided into three types. Their amount naturally increases with the progress of the project. This is referred to as the Project Information Model and includes all historical data created by designers, contractors and suppliers during the development of the project. After handover, the building transfer into operation phase, the information is transferred from the project as an Asset Information Model – final, verified, “as-built” information which is then applied to the management of the building during its lifetime.
With BIM data is collected digitally and shared between all members of the team when it is required, allow team members to access on and off site. Adopting BIM means establishing a continuous flow of information. Every phase of the building process from planning ,design, to construction, operations, maintenance and final recycling is captured, digitally. Special emphasis on optimising the design process, allows all teams to make their changes in conjunction with others. This results in a more productive set of plans prior to starting on site.
