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What is most important in BIM?

The quality of data and collaboration is 90% of what makes a BIM methodology work.

Data

Data is like cells in the human body – just as the body is made up of cells, the BIM model is made up of data.

And the data content is fundamentally determined by three factors:

  1. the BIM objectives set at the beginning of the project
  2. the information needed for each project phase
  3. classification of data.

What does it mean?

For example, a BIM objective might be to use the model to feed the FM software that will be connected later (7D BIM), to simulate the entire construction process (4D BIM), or to be able to query the entire project cost in real time based on the model data (5D BIM).

To achieve the desired BIM goals, we need to be able to collect the right data and incorporate it into the model at the right time.

Not too much, not too little.

On the one hand, data management requires a lot of design, management, and engineering man-hours, which is very expensive, so it is important to avoid including unused data in the project, only the needed data.

Of course, this also requires that the planner and the client, and in general the stakeholders, do not misunderstand each other at all – the importance of EIR, BEP and the Common Data Environment (CDE) is discussed in this article, while the importance of the model’s information content (LOIN) is discussed here.

This will provide the information needed to serve the project properly at every stage.

Information on a HVAC element in the model of the Sárospatak swimming pool (BuildEXT)

But we can only search, incorporate and use data properly if it is properly classified. It is useless to have a large amount of data, but with a non-uniform, incomplete or poorly managed dataset, our problems (data exchange, data maintenance, coordination, automation, communication, etc.) will only increase

So the data provides the framework for the project, but for it to work, the elements need to work well together.

Cooperation

Think of the body again: even if we have all the cells to perform the functions, they need to work together to make our bodies work well. And not just any way: it would cause a lot of problems if our neural pathways only knew part of what they were doing, or if our hands instead of our feet were activated by a misinterpreted command.

The quality of collaboration is so important that the market specifically classifies BIM projects into different quality levels.

BIM levels (Letsbuild)

BIM levels represent the collaboration between project stakeholders – this shows how “mature” the BIM workflow is.

As the cooperation between the different actors increases, the more efficiently and integrally the information content of the model is used.

The different BIM levels and their characteristics are summarised in this article.

BIM is only good if the project stakeholders are able to collaborate, and this requires

  • not only technology
  • but also human efforts.

The technology is there: we have excellent, constantly evolving software, hardware, AI and broadband internet to keep information flowing smoothly.

Spot, Boston Dynamics’ robotic dog, has already helped laser scan our office in 2022

But the human factor is a completely different problem. The construction industry is fraught with specific conflicts of interest that make it difficult to truly reap the benefits of BIM. Not exhaustive:

  • the contractor is not necessarily interested in increasing transparency, and has its own “tried and tested” tools and often does not want or dare to invest time, energy and resources in the new methodology
  • the investor will not invest so much money based on the promise of a better ROI from a workflow that is less familiar to him
  • the procurer is more interested in obtaining a low price and often does not opt for value for money in a significant proportion of cases
  • in tenders, projects are sold at extremely low prices by architects in difficulty, who then destroy confidence with “Hollywood BIM” projects
  • and operators are basically fine with their excel statements and are often not interested in faster and more efficient maintenance

However, the costs of BIM are optimally distributed and the benefits of the methodology are best exploited when it is applied by project participants throughout the digital lifecycle. Much of the metadata can be used in multiple phases – 3D sectional models can support not only design but also construction, and for many manufacturers the objects they contain are also provided with information on, for example, installation, maintenance and warranty.

It goes something like this:

BIM methodology was used for the Weinberg office extension

But the human factor can cause problems. Where the specialist in the field has reverted to the traditional methodology (e.g. printing out the plan to fix the problem instead of managing the changes in a closed data environment platform on his smartphone screen), the system gets a “defect” and becomes the weakest link in the process.

And at this point, everyone is screwed:

  • the contractor is faced with on-site repairs that are expected to generate new problems
  • in practice, the investor is forced to allocate resources to foreseeable slippages and cost overruns and to cope with problematic outcomes in both the short and long term
  • the procurer can often negotiate solutions for change with deteriorating conditions
  • architectural firms and discipline engineers can slip back into a world of endless negotiations and rolling error sequences
  • and operators may once again find that the finished building does not match the design.

This means that everything that digitalization has to offer the construction industry is lost.

Therefore, the quality of collaboration and an experienced company delivering true BIM and acting as an integrator is of utmost importance.

Csaba Melovics

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