BIM

            The information presented in the BIM Handbook was very informative.  I found the early information about the creation of BIM interesting.  Learning about the concept of BIM, being parametrically defined, allowing for automatic updates was helpful to know.  Based on previous experience from Revit, I knew that there were many benefits, but never really knew what they were.  The only experience I had in BIM was to create a simple house, which used some of the predefined rules however, never really showed how different components were linked.  I would have liked to see more information about the main BIM programs.  It seemed like the handbook would frequently say that some programs have certain features, then immediately would say others do not, without saying which programs they are.  I found the section about what features the programs have very informative.  Not only did it just mention the features or explain them, but went into detail about how they were used.  I liked reading the open questions section at the end of this week’s reading.  This was informative and did answer many of the questions I and the majority of BIM users have, such as why different programs aren’t interchangeable.

            The first article I read was entitled “BIM Streamlines, and Blurs Lines”.  The article contained the thoughts of a few people who work exclusively with BIM in their work place.  Everyone talked to said that BIM is the way of the future, being that it completely streamlines the process once the initial ideas are decided upon.  The article brings up one complaint, with a single model file being passed between different company’s who is responsible for what?  It was addressed in the "E202–2008 Building Information Modeling Protocol Exhibit," written by the AIA.  The document establishes protocols for many previously undefined issues.  Two more main issues that the switch to BIM is creating is the difficulty of implementation and the learning curve that is required with switching to a new technology, and the possible blurring of boundaries through sharing work on a model.  I agree that these are both valid concerns and do need to be addressed. The first concern is one that needs to be addressed while the future workforce is being educated.  If old style techniques are still taught in colleges, the students simply waste their time and money, as they will need to learn a completely new skill set once graduated.  The second concern of blurring boundaries is one I believe will happen.  However, I do not see this as a bad thing.  I think that this blurring will cause the formation of more multi-disciplinary firms in the world.  Firms will no longer be specialized but have specialized teams within.  This will increase the ease of communication, increase the speed of design, and allow for a person within the company to run the construction of the project.  Overall, regardless of the few concerns now, I see BIM becoming a major part of the design and construction aspects of new projects.

            “Is BIM the Next Construction Standard?” is the title of the second article that I read.  This article presents many statistics about how many people are currently using BIM and what their occupations are.  One thing that I found interesting was the number of firms that already have at least one license to a BIM program.  According to the article 83% of the largest US engineering, architecture and design firms have one license.  One point the article brought was how the economic trouble hurt the advancement of BIM into standard practice across all fields.  This point makes sense, as to acquire the software is expensive, along with the price to train professionals to use the software.  I feel that this is only a minor setback as many government authorities are starting to require the use of building integration modeling on medium to large projects.  Another point the article brings up is the ability to reduce the amount of material waste, along with optimizing energy consumption.  This is extremely helpful when seeing how a design qualifies for LEED certification, which many new projects are attempting to earn.  The point mentioned in the article is how many companies are reluctant to accept new technologies as they are weary if the payoff is valid.  I believe that the payoff is very apparent, and BIM should be widely accepted.  I believe that if companies did research on how their competitors used BIM successfully they would quickly make the switch.  While the initial design phase is more demanding, the remainder of the process is extremely smooth and generally faster than traditional methods.