Consistency in BIM

The BIM Handbook is a great reference guide for understanding BIM. The passage I read was a great history of the BIM and discussed how it has evolved over the years. Knowing the evolution of BIM helps understand the way it works today. It is a good source for understanding the many important aspects of BIM, such as families and how its parametric relationships work. Showing the distinctions and benefits of BIM vs typical CAD programs also helps understand modern BIM systems. For example, a seasoned construction worker with a non-programer background would be able to use BIM software and develop entire families with minimal computer skills, a feature not typical of AutoCAD programs.

The main article also discusses the main problem with exchanging BIM models between platforms. The main issues involved in the exchange is the different parametric relationships defined by separate and competing applications. It suggests that standardization of the data parameters is essential in the future, but it will only happen incrementally. For example, the first article, Toward a national BIM standard, discusses the current push by the American Concrete Institute to standardize cast-in-place concrete structures. The ACI is working with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and its buildingSMART alliance (http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org) to further development in the AEC industry that will minimize data exchange discrepancies between building management software applications. The benefits of consistent formatting are evident in simple tasks such as word processing. How frustrating can it be to format a powerpoint presentation just to send it through email between a Mac and a Windows? But in the AEC industry, time is exponentially more valuable (the interest on multi-million dollar loans, the high labor costs, late penalties) and any error from miscommunicated should be avoided at

The second article, From 2D to 3D: moving toward a (green?) national building information modeling standard, also discusses the need for standardization of BIM to create a National BIM (NBIM) and the role sustainability plays in creating an accurate BIM model. An accurate building model should represent the entire life-cycle of the structure, not just the design and construction phase. The environmental data used would help with fully model the impacts of all components of the building. Without accurate data, no model can become reliable.

The advantages of a NBIM would greatly increase the efficiency of building construction. From design to demolition, all phases of a building's life cycle will need be included to make buildings more functional and efficient.