Model Buildings

New Possibilities

Because it allows a designer to easily make changes and see the results of those adjustments, BIM is a good laboratory for testing different building systems. “If I have my facility modeled in a virtual environment, I can simulate how its various systems will perform,” Jordani says. Designers can test-drive design elements, noting their cost and environmental tradeoffs.

A client may find it too expensive to retrofit a building with a better heating system, but be happy to choose the most efficient system when the building is first constructed. BIM allows a designer to find that system and test it in the virtual world.

The software can even help facilities managers down the line. “The information gathered during design and construction can serve as an information repository,” Jordani says, telling a building manager when a water heater was last repaired or replaced, or letting emergency crews know where hazardous materials are stored. “It provides an institutional memory that doesn’t depend on any one person,” he says.

BIM’s clear project parameters and automatically generated equipment and materials lists give designers a more accurate sense of how much money it will cost to build a structure. “Our estimates have been much tighter with the BIM model,” Bates says.

An accurate materials and equipment list also helps team members anticipate what leftovers they’ll have when a project is complete, and plan to use them in another building. “We can recycle better, because we can do a better job of planning overall,” Bates says.

In some cases, BIM even lets designers plan for buildings with very few leftover supplies. “BIM makes it easier to work with industry modules of standard lengths and widths,” Crump says. “That can be worked out in two dimensions, but it’s much more difficult.”

BIM works best in an environment of close collaboration and full disclosure. Some adopters say they’re changing team member contracts to reflect the need for cooperation. “We want to make sure they understand how important attending coordination meetings is,” Bates says. “When your whole crew is sitting looking at a model to which they’ve all contributed, they’re more apt to cooperate when changes need to be made.”

The result, he says, is fewer turf wars and attempts to escape blame for necessary changes. “They’re being paid to cooperate rather than to fight,” Bates says. “And they’re so much more cooperative on the front end that we eliminate most of the problems before we ever turn the first shovel of dirt.”