Have you ever been late to a meeting? Hailed a cab and someone jumped in before you? Or missed a bus? The sands of time wait for nobody to catch up. Imagine trying to meet a deadline on a global scale.
According to the latest UN report, there will be 9.7 billion people living on our planet by 2050, and two-thirds of the population will be living in cities. You think cities are crowded now, wait until 2050. There will be repercussions if construction firms across the globe don’t build an average of 13,000 buildings every day; construct 700,000 miles of roads, and almost 90,000 bridges every year until 2050, which is when the alarm clock is predicted to go off!
Thankfully, there is a solution…
A viable solution is available now. We don’t have to wait for some time in the future. Before we go into its many applications, just what does the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the construction industry known as BIM (Building Imaging Modeling) do?
Thomas Coubau writing for Aproplan.com describes BIM as the “process spanning the generation and management of the physical and functional information of a project.” BIM also supports “decision making throughout the project cycle”. Covers everything from the beginning conception to demolition.
People often don’t understand and underestimate BIM; they view it as merely a 3D modeling, while this is part of it, there are many other aspects. BIM and similar technologies involve far more than “3D (width, height, and depth).” They also include the dimensions of “4D (time), 5D (cost)” advancing “…to 6D (as-built operation).”
Construction Tech Review says cooperation between multiple teams is critical for the success of any project. It is equally important for project teams to meet deadlines and maintain high-quality work with the lowest possible budget.
How does BIM achieve this?
- By integrating BIM, project managers are “able to streamline the interaction…” in multiple areas such as “mechanical, electrical, plumbing, data management, and material management.” It also improves communication between project management and contractors. The result is a project that runs with optimal efficiency.
- Numerous organizations have applied BIM to small and large-scale projects. Engineering and construction firms use it from the beginning drafting design all the way through to the final project.
- All personnel involved in the project can access the master model/design. Designers can continuously update the model with RFIs (Request for Information).
- BIM enables engineers and project management to “leverage Building Imaging Modeling Technology” to keep updated with a project’s progress and plans.
BIM’s use in tall buildings, roads, and highways
One of the advantages of constructing tall buildings is that all the floor designs are just about the same, except for the ground floor. Horizontal construction on the other hand, such as bridges, roads, and highways are more of a challenge. Geoff Zeiss writing for Geospatial’s blog says it is “because of the ground topography and existing infrastructure.”
In the past five years, there have been exciting developments in BIM, especially in the transportation sector.
According to a study in 2015 that focused on the business value of BIM for infrastructure, 27% of engineers and contractors used BIM “on 50% or more of their projects”. In 2015, engineers led the charge to increase the implementation of BIM. By 2017, over 53% of contractors had implemented BIM and 56% of engineers.
That same study showed that BIM use has also grown in the construction of bridges and tunnels. In 2015, only 26% of engineering companies were using BIM for the construction of bridges “on 50% or more of their projects,” in comparison to 42% of engineers working on tunnel projects. By 2017, the percentages of engineers using BIM on bridge and tunnel construction were almost even, “at 51% for bridges and 50% for tunnels.”
What is the reason for this upward trend?
According to Cory Dippold, VP and Head of Special Project Applications at Mott MacDonald, the growth of BIM in the transport sector is due to advances in using BIM tools. Today, Building Information Modeling tools have an improved capacity to manage “massive amounts of data generated by transportation projects.” Dippold says BIM still has room to grow. The current version of BIM supports the Design for Manufactured Assembly and Dippold believes that this will be a major driver for growth in its use in bridge and tunnel projects because it provides quicker construction methods and a higher level of quality control.
The Final Countdown: How BIM spells a brighter future
In 2050, just 30 years from now, the planet’s population will swell to 9.7 Billion. The consequences for the environmental health of societies across the globe are a current topic debated far beyond the engineering community. What is not often considered is what the report from the UN shows, that engineers and construction professionals will need to move fast to ensure cities and infrastructure can cope with this population explosion. Among the exciting and pragmatic solutions is BIM. First, on the practical level, BIM strengthens collaboration and cohesion between all the parts of a project from those that are drafting a design to those involved in its construction, and for client-facing project managers.
So why are we excited? Well, its applications and use are growing every minute. The latest growth is in the transportation engineering sector. Engineers, construction professionals, and contractors are growing proponents of BIM. In the last five years, its applications have been very exciting. For construction professionals and the rest of us, the next chapter of Building Information Modeling holds great promise and we cannot wait to see how it grows and develops.
