Investing in BIM: Guide for architects

WHITE PAPERS 01 BIM

03

BUILDING DESIGN WHITEPAPERS 2

INVESTING IN BIM: A GUIDE FOR ARCHITECTS

INDEX

00 01 FOREWORD BY PAUL MORRELL

00 1.1Learningtoembracechange00 1.2Theadvantagesofbeingsmall00 1.3Redefiningthearchitect’srole

00 02 CUTTING THROUGH THE BIM WASH

00 2.1.Clarifyingconfusion00 2.2.Whatisbim?00 2.3.Bridgingtheinformationgap00 1.4Gettingthesoftwareright00 1.5Appreciatingthebenefits

00 03 THE BUSINESS BENEFITS OF ADOPTING BIM

00 3.1Bimandthesmallerpractice00 3.2Whyadoptbim?00 3.3Makingarchitecturemoreenjoyable00 3.4Level1bim:greatereffectivenesswithinthepractice00 3.5Winningworkthroughbettervisualisations00 3.6Collaboratingwithotherpractices00 3.7Sustainability00 3.8Makingthecommitment

00 04 THE TAKE UP OF BIM: THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST BD BIM SURVEY

00 4.1Bimawarenesslevels00 4.2ComaprisionwithNBS2011report00 4.3Journeytowardsbim00 4.4Levelsofcollaboration00 4.5Perceivedbenefits00 4.6Hungerforguidance

00 05 WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS BACKING BIM

00 5.1Whatdoesthegovernmentwant?00 5.2Achangefrompastinitiatives00 5.3Howthegovernmentdefinesbimlevels00 5.4COBieanditsimplementation00 5.5Meetingthe2016deadline00 5.6Establishingbimhubs00 5.7Projectliabilityandinsurance

00 06 EXTENT OF THE ARCHITECT’S LIABILITY ON A BIM PROJECT

00 6.1Collaborationandrisk00 6.2Makingsureyouareprotected00 6.3Jointandseverableliability00 6.4Absenceofcaselaw00 6.5Intellectualproperty00 6.6Ownershipofthemodel


00 07 INSURANCE FOR WORKING WITH BIM

00 7.1Theinsurer’spointofview00 7.2Evolvinginsuranceproducts00 7.3Integratedprojectinsurance00 7.4Encouragingcollaboration

00 08 CHOOSING BIM SOFTWARE

00 8.1Workoutwhatisrightforyou00 8.2Smallpractices00 8.3Appraiseyourpresentposition00 8.4Toolsforsharing00 8.5Quizzingthevendor00 8.6Hardwareupgrades00 8.7Vendorsupport00 8.8Theimportanceoftraining00 8.9Customtraining

00 09 BIM STANDARDS AND REGULATION

00 9.1Increasingregulation00 9.2Extendingthestandards00 9.3TheRIBAplanofwork00 9.4Classificationsystems

00 10 BIM STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD

00 10.1Diverseapproaches00 10.2TheUnitedStates00 10.3Singapore00 10.4NorthernEurope

00 11 ARCHITECT CASE STUDIES

00 11.1Theearlyadopter–KSS00 11.2Thedownsizingpractice–NCArchitects00 11.3Thegreenarchitect–Architype00 11.4Thedisappointeduser–StAnn’sGate00 11.5Theaccidentaluser–DavidMillerArchitects00 11.6Thecollaborativearchitect–HLM00 11.7Thebiginvestor–CapitaSymonds00 11.8Thesmallpractice–AxisDesign00 11.9Thesolepractitioner–EmilyGreevesArchitects00 11.10Thearchitecturaltechnologist–WMDesign&Architecture

00 12 CLIENT CASE STUDIES

00 12.1ManchesterCityCouncil00 12.2GreatPortlandEstates

00 13 CONTRACTOR CASE STUDIES

00 13.1Kier00 13.2Skanska

APPENDIX

00 iRelatedarticlesfromBD00 i.iHowwillinvestinginbim affectyourtaxbill?00 i.iiHowtoavoidthe problemswithbim00 i.iiiBimaddsanextra dimension

00 iiRelatedarticlesfrom Building00 ii.iBimandlegalissues: Modelbehavious00 ii.iiTheriseofthebim consultant00 ii.iiiBimandtheQS:Better latethannever

00 iiiResources

INTRODUCTION BY PAUL MORRELL

01

CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ADVISOR

03


1.1LEARNINGTOEMBRACECHANGE

Notmanypeoplegetupinthemorningandsay“Ihopeeverythingchangestoday”.Itisthereforenosurprisethat,foralltheexcitementthattheadventofbimhascaused,thewelcomefromsomequartershasbeenmoremuted.

I think this is actually a good thing. The natural history of newtechnologiesshowsthateventhosethatsurvivetowidespreadadoptiongothroughacycleofhype,thendisillusionment,thenintoadownturnwhichforsomewillbecomethevalleyofdeath,beforeinterestpicksupagainfortheluckyones.

Thosewhohavehighhopesofbimwouldthereforedowelltohelpitthroughthis journey,smoothingout thehypeandaddressingearly thepotentialsourcesofdisillusionment.

Thesewillvary.Somewillhaveexcessivehopesofthetechnologyinthefirstplace,eitherintermsofthebenefitsitmightbringorthespeedatwhichtheymightarrive.Asonestill-committedmajorclientoftheindustrydescribedittomerecently,itislikeapermanentChristmasEve:Christmasmorningwithitsgiftsneverquitearrives.

Attheotherextremearethosewhostilldon’tquiteunderstandwhatbimis(“We’vebeendoingitforyears”);andthosewhounderstandverywellwhat it is,andare fearfulof thechange itmightbring.Someof this issimplymisdirected–likethesuggestionthatbimwillkillthecreativespark.Acreativesparkthatcansoeasilybeextinguishedmusthavebeenverydimindeed.

1.2THEADVANTAGESOFBEINGSMALL

Perhaps the most oft-expressed reservation about bim, however, is itspotential cost – particularly for SMEs. In response to that, it is worthrecordingoneofmyfavouritemomentsofthelastyearorso.AtaroundtableorganisedattheRIBA,theheadoftechnologyforoneofourmajorpracticeswaslistingthechallengesofadoptingbim,andwasmakingitsoundlikeveryheavyweather,whentherepresentativeofasmallpracticeinterjected:“Anythingyoucan’tcopewith,justsendittous.”

Thefactisthatwhattheymaylackindepthofresources,smallpracticescanmakeupinagility.Theydonothavedeeplyembeddedlegacysystemstouproot,norahostofpeopletoretrain.Theycansimplychoosetheircourseandbeoffonanewtackbeforeasupertankerpracticehasevenstarteditsturn..

1.3REDEFININGTHEARCHITECT’SROLE

Whatthisillustratesisthatthefutureofbimwillnotbedeterminedbyterritorialclaimsonthepartoftheprofessionsortheirinstitutions,basedonsomehistoricalunderstandingofhowtheworldshouldbeordered.

Instead,itwillbeaboutwhatindividualbusinesseschoosetobe.Forarchitectsthisbringstoaheadquestionsofidentityandpurposethathavepreoccupiedthemforyears.Simultaneously,however,bimprovidesthemwiththemeansofimplementingthosechoices,whatevertheymightbe.

So,masterbuilders?Ormastersofstyle?Orspace?Ortheuniverse?Allofthesechoicesandmanyinbetweenarepossible.Whattheevolutionofbimwilldemand,though,isthatthechoicebemade.

01

02

SEEING THROUGH THE BIMWASH

03


02

2.1CLARIFYINGCONFUSION

Everyone in the process of adopting bim is moving forward atdifferentspeeds.

Thisispartlybecausepracticesthatdecidetoengagewithbimmaybeconfusedbytheclaimsandcounterclaimsthatarebeingmade.

ItisinresponsetothisthatBD’swhitepaperonbimhasbeenproducedwiththeguidanceofaneditorialboard,comprisingfourofthemostexpertpractitionersusingbim:ShaunFarrell,headofbim at Zaha Hadid Architects; David Light, associate and bimmanager at HOK; Robert Jackson, associate at Bond BryanArchitects;andRobertKlaschka,founderofStudioKlaschka.IthasbeeneditedbyarchitecturejournalistandauthorRuthSlavidandBD’stechnologyeditorAnnaWinston.

Fromtheoutsetitwasagreedweneededtoexplainwhatwemeanwhenwetalkaboutbim.Eventhoseappointedtoeducateothersdon’talwaysunderstandthemselveswhatbimisabout.Theyarefalling into the trap of over-promising — creating the notion of“bimwash”,inmuchthesameway“greenwash”precededit.

2.2WHATISBIM?

Bimisnotaboxofsoftware.It’saprocess,underpinnedbynewtechnology and collaborative working. It’s about creating onelocationwherealldatapertainingtotheprojectlives.

Itincludesnotjustdesignandconstruction,butalsotheoperation,maintenanceandeventualdecommissioningoftheproject.Itcoversnotjustgeometrybutalsotheunderlyinginformationtiedtotheuseandexperienceofthatbuilding.

Bimrequireseverybodytocommittoaddingtothemodelprocesstoallowdatatobesharedformanypurposes.Informationhelpsthe design team make better informed decisions, de-risking &ensuringabetterqualityendproduct.

2.3BRIDGINGTHEINFORMATIONGAP

Inmanywaysit’sthe“i”inbimwhichisthemostimportantfactor.Certainly bim can bridge the information loss associated withhandingaprojectfromdesignteam,toconstructionteamandtobuilding owner/operator, by allowing each team to add to andreferencebacktoallinformationtheyacquireduringtheirperiodofcontributiontothebuildinginformationmodelprocess.

Bim is able to achieve such improvements by modellingrepresentationsoftheactualpartsandcomponentsbeingusedtodesignandconstructabuilding.

Forthistowork,everybodymustcommittoaddingtothemodelprocesstoallowdatatobesharedformanypurposes.Informationhelpsthedesignteammakebetterinformeddecisions,deriskingandensuringabetterqualityendproduct.


02

2.4GETTINGTHESOFTWARERIGHT

“Bimwash” doesn’t only come from consultants but also fromsoftwarecompanies.Architectsmustrealisethattheyhaveoptions.Therearemultiplesolutionsavailableandpracticesshouldalwaystrybeforetheybuy.

There’snodoubttimeandcommitmentareinvolvedinadoptingwhat’s fundamentally a different approach to how the industryapproaches design and construction. It’s not learning to use thesoftware that’s the hard bit but mastering and finding the mostefficientworkflowthattakesthetime.

2.5APPRECIATINGTHEBENEFITS

Architectswhomaketheseeffortsshouldfindthattheirpracticesare more effective, and that they enjoy better relationships withotherconsultantsandwithcontractors.

Thesebenefitsareinadditiontotheexternalreasonsforeitherdecidingtoadoptbimordecidingtoextendacurrentlyrestricteduse—thatincreasinglyintelligentclientsareaskingforit,andthatgovernmentismakingitmandatoryonitsbuildings.

Theprocessofbecomingbim-savvycanbedaunting,but it isworthit.Wehopethispublicationwillmakeitalittleeasier.


03

THE BUSINESS BENEFITS OF ADOPTING BIM

03


3.1BIMANDTHESMALLERPRACTICE

Itisdifficultnowtotalkaboutarchitectureandconstructionwithouttalkingaboutbim.Butthefactthatithasbecomeabuzzword,andthatenthusiastsareproselytisingforitoneverypossibleoccasion,doesn’tmakeitanylessdauntingforthosewhohavenotyetengagedwiththesubject.

Therearestillmanysmallerpracticesthatuntilrecentlyeitherbelievedthatbimwasnotforthem,oratleastthattheycouldcontinuetoignoreitforsometimebecauseithadnorelevancetotheirwork.

Formanythewake-upcallcamewhenthegovernmentannounced,inadocumentpublishedlastyear,thatdesignandconstructionofallgovernmentbuildingswouldhavetousebimby2016.Intermsofthebusinesscaseforusingbim,theonestrongargumentinitsfavouristhatadoptingitisnecessaryifapracticeisnottomissoutonworkingonbuildingsprocuredbythepublicsector.

Andsincethiswillaffectallbuildingswithinthesector,includingsmaller individual projects on new or existing buildings, bim isrelevanttopracticesofeverysize.

3.2WHYADOPTBIM?

Will small practices really benefit, however? Employing biminvolvesinvestmentinhardwareandtraining,anditisimportanttounderstandthatitwillbeworthwhile.Whilethemessagesmainlycomefromtheenthusiasts,theyareworthlisteningto.Anditisalsoworthlisteningtosomeoftheiradviceonhowtogetfrom“here”to“there”.

Ontheotherhand,thereisthefearthatsomepracticesmayhavebeenleftsofarbehindthattheywillnevercatchup.Thisisnottrue,asmanypracticesare“talkingup”theircommitmenttobimandthelevelatwhichtheyareusingit.

Itisnottoolatenow,andthecatch-upwillnotbeasfrighteningasmanybelieve—butiftheyignoretheissuenow,theninafewyearssomearchitectscouldfindthattheyreallyhavebeenleftbehind.

Inadditiontoensuringthatapracticeisstilleligibletodoworkongovernment-fundedbuildings,thereareotherstrongargumentsinfavourofbim.Itshouldenablebetter,moreimaginativeandmoreeffectivedesign.Constructionshouldbeasmootherprocessandunexpectedclashesandproblemsshouldbeeliminated,allowingthe building to be constructed as designed, without any uglyworkaroundsnecessitatedbyunexpectedclashesonsite.

RespondentstoBD’ssurvey(seesection4)wereaskedtolistthemainadvantagesofbim.Theirresponsesincluded:“Theopportunityforcollaborationinalessadversarialenvironment”;“Co-ordinationand natural thinking process”; “That it will enable us to deliverbetterbuildings—timesavedinmundanetaskscanbeinvestedinthedesign”.

Nearly half of all practices responding (49%) said that theirexperiencewithbimsofarhadbeenworththeinvestmenttheyhadputin.Only8.5%saidthatithadnot,withtherestsayingthatitwastooearlytotell.

03

TRADITIONAL FLOW OF INFORMATION (DOCUMENTS)

A SHARED INFORMATION MODEL

ARCHITECT

CONSULTINGENGINEER

PUBLICAUTHORITY

FACILITYMANAGEMENT

CONTRACTORTRADE

CRAFTS

PRODUCTMANUFACTURER

OWNER

ARCHITECT

CONSULTINGENGINEER

PUBLICAUTHORITY

FACILITYMANAGEMENT

CONTRACTORTRADE

CRAFTS

PRODUCTMANUFACTURER

OWNER

BIMSTANDARDS

Trying to keep all

parties in the loop

on a project has

become increasingly

complicated

Bim standards

simplify the process

with all parties

working from one

central ‘source of

truth’


03


3.3MAKINGARCHITECTUREMOREENJOYABLE

Intermsofthearchitect’soffice,itshouldbepossibletodomorewithfewerpeople,notbecausedesignwillbecomeamechanisedprocess,butbecausetherepetitiveelementswillbeeliminated.Inotherwords,therewouldnotonlybeabusinesscaseintermsofmaking more money and winning more work, but architectureshouldactuallybecomemoreenjoyable.

Thisargumentmaycomeasasurprisetosome,whoseebimastheimpositionofanothersetofprotocols,anothercomputersystemthat takes away the freedom and creativity of the architect. Theimportantthingtorememberisthatitisjustatool,andinfactitisatoolthatoperatesinthewayinwhichgoodarchitectsthink.

Therearemanydifferentwaysofdescribingbim,butoneofthesimplest is to say that it is three-dimensional design, withinformationattachedtoagreaterorlesserdegreetotheelementsofthedesign.

Bycreatinga3Dmodel,anarchitectismodellinginthewaythattheythink.Plansandsections,theoutputswithwhicheverybodyisfamiliar,aresimplyawayofcommunicatingthedesign.Theyarenotdesignitself.Inbimtalktheyare“deliverables”.

Itisunlikelythattheywilldisappearforalongtime,ifatall.Butifarchitectsstartthinkingoftheminthisway,thenthechangesinapproachandprotocols thatbimdoesdemandbecomefarmoreacceptable.Theyareawayof leadingdesigners towardsamorenaturalwayofdesigning.

Onceanarchitectcanstartattachinginformationtoamodel,lifebecomesmuchsimpler.If,forexample,adesignerdefinesadoor


03


electronicallytheycanusethatdoorseveraltimesinthebuilding,withouthavingtoentertheinformationagain.Theycanchangetheformofthebuildingbutkeepthedoorsthesame.Ortheycanchangeoneofthedoorsandalltheotherdoorswillchangeaswell.

3.4LEVEL1BIM:GREATEREFFECTIVENESS WITHINTHEPRACTICE

Thishastwoimportantimplications.Oneisthatthereismoreroomtoexperiment,andsoarchitectscanbemorecreative.Theotheristhatthetediousbutpreviouslyessentialelementsofprojects—suchasendlessdoorschedules—arenolongernecessary.Thismeansthatbimisgettingridofworkthatnobodyenjoysorwantstodo.Thepracticeisbecomingmoreeffective.

Thiscanhoweverhaveimplicationsforthewaythatapracticeisrun.RobertKlaschka,whoisoneofthepioneersofbimandrunshisownsmallpractice,StudioKlaschka,inwhichhesayshenowstruggles to findworksuitable forayear-outstudent, says: ”Bigpractices have the wrong staff demographics. They still haveprofessionals with a team of draughtspeople. Bim fills all thetraditionalgapsthatwerefilledwithtechnicians.”

RobJackson,whoisinchargeofbimatarchitectBondBryan,says:“Weareeliminatingmundanetasks.Iteliminatestheboringbits.Wehavebeendoingbimforsevenyears.Ifweaskedourstaffiftheywouldgobackto2Dtheywouldlaughatyou.“

Whenmakingchangestoadesign,bimshouldmeanthaterrorsarereduced.Jacksonadds:“Ibelieveourbuildingsarebetter,betterco-ordinated,betterdelivered.”

Jonathan Lock, who runs a bim operation within engineeringpracticeArup,says:“Ifyouputthisco-ordinationinplace,youwillreduceclashes,reducewastage,reduceCO2outputandimprovehealthandsafety.”

This is true even for the work that goes on within a practice,withoutanycollaborationwithothermembersofthedesignteam,orwiththecontractor.Thisapproachofworkingsolelywithinthepracticeis,roughlyspeaking,whatisdefinedasLevel1bim.

Ifnoneofthissoundsterriblynew,itisbecause3Ddesignpackageshavebeenaroundforanumberofyears,andithasbeenpossibletoappendinformationtothemforalmostaslong.Butpeoplehaveeithernotbeendoingit,orhavenotbeendoingitproperly.

Manypracticesmayfindtheyarewellontheroadtoemployingbimalready.Locksays: “A lotofarchitectsdo themodel togetthrough planning. But once they have created the drawings thedangerisiftheydecidednottokeepmodeluptodate.Theyexportitto2Dandcarryonfromthere.”

Anypracticethathasthesoftware,andhasatleastsomeideaofhowtouseit,isalreadyaheadofwhereitcouldhavebeen.Theteamwillprobablyneedmoretraining,andwillcertainlyneedachangeinattitude.

03

BUILDING DESIGN WHITEPAPERS 15 BUILDING DESIGN WHITEPAPERS 15

03

Inparticular,ontheprojectswherethepracticeisgoingtousebim,itwillneedtobeutterlydisciplinedinkeepingthe3Dmodeluptodate.Alltoooften,whathappensaftertheplanningstageisthateitherthe3Dmodelisabandonedaltogether,oralterationsarequicklymadeon2Ddrawingsandarenottransferredtothemodel,sothatitsintegrityislost.Havingthedisciplinenottodothatisessentialforthesuccessfuldeploymentofbim.

3.5WINNINGWORKTHROUGHBETTERVISUALISATIONS

Bimcanalsohelpinwinningwork.Thisisbecauseoftheeaseofproducingvisualisations,whichwillgiveclientsarealappreciationofwhatthearchitectisproposing.Thiscanbeaseasyaspluggingintovisualisationsoftwareandproducingarenderingthathasverylittlehardinformationbehinditbutgivesastrongimpressionofwhathasbeenproposed.Forexample,Klaschkahasvisualisationsonthewallofhisofficethathesaysrequiredremarkablylittleworktoproduce.

Even more exciting, information from building informationmodelscanbeusedtocreatevirtualenvironmentsbyfeedingitintotechnologyknownasCave.ACaveisaspaceinwhichprojectionscanbemadeontothewallsandthefloor.Visitors,equippedwith3Dglasses,canexperienceitasarealspace.

HOKhasusedtheCavefacilityatReadingUniversityforsomeofitshealthcarework,testingnotonlypatientroomsbutalsolinesofsightfromthenursingstation.Thisgivesclientsamuchbettersenseofwhatisproposedthanothervisualisationswoulddo.

Itispossibletoofferarangeofoptions,whereasafull-scalemock-upwouldofferonlyoneoption.Andalthoughitisnotcheap,itislesscostlythancreatingseveralphysicalmock-ups.DavidLightofHOKsays:“Itcouldmakethedifferencebetweenwinningandlosingthejob.”

3.6COLLABORATINGWITHOTHERPRACTICES

Onceanarchitectstartstocollaboratewithotherpractices,whichisroughlyspeakingwhatLevel2bimmeans,therewillbefurtheradvantages.Thisdoesnotmeanthateverybodywillbeworkingona“singlebuildingmodel”whichistheHolyGrailofLevel3bim,andonethatmanypeoplebelievewillnevercome.

Informationwillbeexportedtootherpackagesandbroughtbackin. Exchanging information when everybody is working withdifferentsoftwarewillhavesomeglitches,butwillbebynomeansimpossible.

Therewillneedtobesomebodytoco-ordinateallthiswork.Atpresentsomeambitiousprojectsareusingoutsidebimco-ordinators,buteventuallythispersonshoulddefinitelybewithinthearchitect’spractice.And,withtime,theroleofbimco-ordinatorwillprobablymeldwiththatofprojectarchitect.Takingonthisresponsibilitywillhelparchitectstostrengthentheirroleattheheartofthedesignprocess.

03

3.7SUSTAINABILITY

Anotherofthepotentialbigwinsisonsustainability.Thewaythatanydecision made about a building affects its sustainability is highlycomplex. For example, if one introduces higher ceilings to allowstratificationofairandnightpurging,thiswillmakethebuildingtaller,andsoincreasethevolumeofmaterialsusedandhencetheembodiedenergy.

Is thisagood ideaornot?Becauseof thecomplexityofdecision-making, feeding the correct algorithms in for use with a buildinginformationmodelisfarmorecomplexthan,forinstance,dealingwithchangesinstructuralterms.

Klaschka, for example, says: “The interesting things from thedesigners’ perspective come before the construction information.Everyonecanforexampleexporttoanenergymodel.”Butheisalsoscepticalaboutthesustainabilityinformationthatiscurrentlyavailable.“Outofboxdatasetsarenotthatgood.Uptonowwehavethrownthemawayandauthoredthemourselves.”

Butthereisalsotremendoushopeforthefuture.Speakingatarecentevent,GaryNewmanoftheAssociationofSustainableBuildingProductssaid: “With bim we can really engage with resource efficiency andresponsibleuseofmaterials.Wecanreallyunderstandtheinputswearemaking.”


03

BUILDING DESIGN WHITEPAPERS 17 BUILDING DESIGN WHITEPAPERS 17

PR

OD

UC

TD

ES

IGN

$1

PR

OD

UC

TA

SS

EM

BLY

$20

PR

OD

UC

TO

PE

RA

TIO

N $10

0

PR

OD

UC

TB

EN

EF

IT

BIM BAM BOOMTIME

INVESTMENT VERSUS RETURN

The value propostion of bim is often misunderstood

by clients - this diagram, based on a concept by Jacob

Mehus of Standards Norway originally presented at a

BuildingSmart event, graphically demonstrates where

the real returns are for clients.

03

3.8MAKINGTHECOMMITMENT

Evenwithalltheseadvantages,decidingtocommittobimmaystillbedaunting.Butitshouldn’tbe.Practicesmay,asdiscussedabove,alreadybepartwaythere.Andiftheyarenot,theconsensusisthatitisactuallyeasierforasmallerpracticetoadoptbim.

True,theyareunlikelytohavetheluxuryofadedicatedbimmanager.Butneitherwilltheyhavethenecessarilycumbersomepracticesandwaysofworkingofabigpractice.Bimrequireschange,andsmallpracticesaremoreagile.DavidLightofHOKsays:“Asmallerpracticewillbemorenimble. If a big practice makes a commitment it makes life easier foreverybody.Butitislikemovingacruiseliner.”

Advantagesstarttoaccrueearlyinthebimprocess,soastep-by-stepapproachispractical.Itisbesttostartwithasingleproject,andprobablynotthemostcomplexordemanding.

Somebodyneedstochampiontheideaofbimwithinthepractice,andthe practice needs to be prepared to set up new systems and importinformation.Butitwillhavetheconsolationofknowingthatitisnotanearlyadopter.Numeroususergroupsarebeingsetuparoundthecountry,some of them around specific software packages, others entirelyindependent. They will deal with everything from arcane questions tobeginners’nerves.

Noteverythingworksperfectlyyet,butitisintheinterestofsoftwaredeveloperstomakeimprovements.Nowisagoodtimetotaketheplunge.


03


04

THE TAKE-UP OF BIM: SURVEY AND ANALYSIS

04


4.1BIMAWARENESSLEVELS

Thereisstillalotoflearningtobedoneaboutbim,accordingtoasurveyofreadersofBuildingDesign.

Halfoftheprofessiondoesnotknowwhatthethreelevelsofbimare.AskediftheyunderstoodwhatwasmeantbyLevel1bim,Level2bimandLevel3bimasdefinedbygovernment,184outof369respondents (49.9%) replied “None of the above”. A further 118respondentsskippedthequestion,suggestingthatthereweremanyamongthemwhodidnotknowhowtoanswer(Table1).And54.6%ofrespondentsdonotknowwhatCOBieis,theformatinwhichthegovernmentwantsallpracticestosupplyinformationby2016(Table2).

Ontheotherhand,thesolepractitionerwhoadmitted“Ihadn’theardofbimuntiltoday”wasinaminority.Only14%ofthosewhorepliedtothesurveywerenotengagingwithbimatall.Another20%wereinvestigatingthebusinesscase,andwiththeexceptionof a few who were not currently working within an architect’spractice,everybodyelsewasontheroutetousingbim,eveniftheyhadnotactuallycarriedoutanyprojectsyet(Table3).

Onerespondentfromalargepractice(morethan50architects)summarisedageneralfeelingbywriting:“Practicesthatchoosenotto adopt are burying their heads in the sand and will find theircompetitivenessiserodedbycompetitorswhocandeliverleaner,morecosteffectiveservices.”

Solepractitionersnotsurprisinglywerelessengagedwithbim,with28.8%notusingitatall,andafurther27.1%“investigatingthebusinesscase”.Onlyahandfulusebiminanymeaningfulway.Theresultswerebroadlysimilarforpracticeswithfewerthansixarchitects,wherehalfofrespondentswereeithernotusingbimatallorinvestigatingthebusinesscase.

Asthepracticesgrowsodoestheengagementwithbim.Therewerenopracticesbetween25and40architectsthathadnotengagedwithbimatall,andonlythreeofthelargestpractices.Amongthoselargestpractices,morethanhalfusedabimworkflowtoexchangeinformationwithotherconsultantsandcontractors,eitherintheformofabuildinginformationmodelorbysharinginformationfromthemodel.

TABLE 1

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE GOVERNMENT’S DEFINITION OF:

Level 1 bim 42.7%

Level 2 bim 44.1%

Level 3 bim 38.2%

None of the above 50%

TABLE 2

HAVE YOU USED COBIE ON ANY OF YOUR PROJECTS?

YES 6.9%

NO 38.5%

I DON’T KNOW WHAT COBIE IS 54.7%

04


04


4.2COMPARISONWITHNBS2011REPORT

This makes an interesting contrast with the NBS report on bimcarriedoutinOctoberandNovember2011,lessthansixmonthsago.Some31%ofrespondentstothatsaidtheywere“awareandcurrentlyusingbim”(around47%oftheBDrespondentscouldbesaidtobecurrentlyusingbim,andmostoftheotherrespondentswouldbeclassedas “aware”).Another48%said theywere “justawareofbim”,while21%wereneitherawarenorusingbim.ThesefiguresthemselvesshowedanincreaseinawarenesscomparedtoasimilarstudythatNBScarriedoutayearpreviously,butBD’ssurveyshowsanotherstepforwardinawarenessandwillingnesstoengage.

OnemustbeawarethatwhileBD’srespondentsarepredominantlyarchitects,thosereplyingtotheNBSsurveywere,inprinciple,drawnfrom across the construction industry. But in fact, architecturedominates,with37%oftheNBSrespondentsbeingarchitects,andafurther21%beingarchitecturaltechnologists.

TABLE 3

WHAT MOVE TOWARDS BIM ADOPTION HAVE BEEN MADE IN YOUR PRACTICE?

NONE – 14%

WE ARE INVESTIGATING THE BUSINESS CASE – 20%

WE HAVE INVESTED IN SOFTWARE AND STAFF

TRAINING BUT HAVEN’T TRIED TO USE A BIM WORKFLOW

ON A PROJECT YET – 11.9%

WE HAVE TRIED BIM ON AT LEAST ONE PROJECT BUT

HAVE NOT SHARED THE MODEL OR DATA WITH ENGINEERS

OR CONTRACTORS – 12.1 %

WE USE A BIM WORKFLOW ON MOST OF OUR PROJECTS

BUT DO NOT SHARE THE MODELS OR DATA WITH ENGINEERS

OR CONTRACTORS – 4.8%

WE HAVE USED A BIM WORKFLOW TO SHARE MODELS

OR DATA WITH ENGINEERS OR CONTRACTORS AND

OTHER CONSULTANTS – 16.2%

WE REGULARLY USE A BIM WORKFLOW TO EXCHANGE

MODELS WITH ENGINEERS AND CONTRACTORS – 15.7%

OTHER – 5.3%

“WE DON’T WORK WITH MANY PEOPLE WHO USE BIM. EVERYONE SEEMS TO STILL PREFER 2D. ESPECIALLY CONTRACTORS!”


04

4.3JOURNEYTOWARDSBIM

BD’ssurveylooksinfarmoredetailataspectsofusingbim,andtheresponsesareencouragingforthosewhoarestillatanearlystageonthejourney.Nearlyhalfofrespondentsusingbimfoundthattheexperiencesofarhasbeenworthwhile(Table4),withanother42.6%saying that it was too early to tell. And 85% of respondents areplanningtoinvestfurtherinbiminthenexttwotofiveyears(Table5).

Practicesarestillverymuchinastateoftransitiontobimand3Ddesign.Nearlyhalfofrespondentsarestilldoingover60%oftheirworkin2D(Table6).Inresponsetoaquestionaskingall thosedoingover20%oftheirworkin2Dwhythiswas,somerespondentsfeltthatitwasdowntolackofinvestment:“Acombinationofnotenoughstafftrainingandinvestmentinsoftwarelicences”(fromanarchitectinapracticewithfewerthan25architects).

Others were still in the process of rolling out bim across thepractice,andstillothersfeltthatitwasnotapplicabletothesortofworkthattheyweredoing:‘Weareasmallpractice,mainlycarryingoutrefurbishmentworkandwedonotfeelbimwouldbegoodvalueformoneyforourtypeofwork.”

Somesimplycouldnotseethepointandweredespondent,likethearchitectfromapracticewithfewerthan15architectswhosaid:“Lackofreliablesoftware,Lackoftraining,2Dmorethanadequatefor most purposes. Economics of changing to bim (softwareacquisition,training,familiarisationperiodwouldbeextensive)”.

Butothersweregraspingthepossibilities.Anarchitect fromapracticewithfewerthan40architectswrote:“Wearejuststartingthe implementation of Revit and making the translation fromAutoCAD drawings to Revit models. We are beginning tounderstandthepossibilitiesofthesoftware.”

TABLE 4

HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH BIM THUS

FAR BEEN WORTH THE INVESTMENT

YOU’VE PUT INTO IT?

YES – 49%

NO – 8.4%

IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL – 42.5%

TABLE 5

ARE YOU PLANNING ON MAKING ANY

FURTHER INVESTMENT IN BIM IN THE

NEXT TWO TO FIVE YEARS?

YES – SOME – 48.6%

YES – SIGNIFICANT – 36.3%

NO – 15.1%


04


TABLE 6

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR WORK IS

STILL DONE IN 2D?

LESS THAN 5% - 10.4%

5-10% - 8%

10-20% - 10.2%

20-40% - 9.9%

40-60% - 12.9%

MORE THAN 60% - 48.6%

TABLE 7

DO YOU COLLABORATE BY EXCHANGING

DATA PRODUCED FROM A BIM WORKFLOW

WITH:

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS – 40.1%

SERVICES ENGINEERS – 33.2%

CONTRACTORS – 25.5%

OTHER CONSULTANTS – 23.4%

NONE OF THE ABOVE – 52.5%

4.4LEVELSOFCOLLABORATION

Of thepracticesusingbim, the levelof collaborationwith otherdisciplinesishigh(Table11).Some18.4%areonlyusingbimatLevel1,whichmeansthattheyareusingitwithoutanycollaboration,butmostareintheprocessofadoptingLevel2bim,collaboratingwithothers.Itisinterestingtosee,sincemostexpertsbelievethatLevel 3 bim, with full integration, is not available yet, that 18respondents claim to be using it. A degree of wishful thinking,perhaps?

Themostcommoncollaborations intermsofexchangingbimmodelsarewithstructuralengineers(42.7%),followedbyservicesengineersandthencontractors(Table9),andthefiguresarebroadlysimilarwhenitcomestoexchangingdata(Table7).

“THE MODEL HAS BECOME THE CENTRE OF ALL ACTIVITIES, BINDING THE TEAM TOGETHER TO WORK TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL”


04

TABLE 8

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE THE MAIN

BENEFITS OF BIM?

REDUCES COSTS FOR US

Not a benefit 28.1%

Some benefit 22.3%

Enough to be worthwhile 23.8%

a significant benefit 17.6%

the main benefit 8.2%

REDUCES COSTS FOR OUR CLIENTS

Not a benefit 24.8%

Some benefit 24.4%




REDUCES WASTE

Not a benefit 21%

Some benefit 18.3%

Enough to be worthwhile 25%



ENABLES BETTER COLLABORATION

Not a benefit 12.2%

Some benefit 9.4%




MAKES CONCEPTS EASIER TO REALISE

Not a benefit 16.9%

Some benefit 16.5%




MAKES ONGOING ANALYSIS OF PROJECTS EASIER

Not a benefit 11.8%

Some benefi 13.4%




4.5PERCEIVEDBENEFITS

Sowhataretheadvantages?Themostsignificantisthatitenablesbettercollaboration,with26.2%ofrespondentsseeingitasthemainbenefit,andafurther36.1%consideringitsignificant(Table8).Making analysis of projects easier, and makingconceptseasiertorealise,werenextinpopularity,followedbyreductionofwaste,wheremorethanhalfofrespondentsthoughtitwasatleastsignificantenoughtobeworthwhile.

Reducingcostsweretheleastimportantbenefits,and28.5%ofrespondentsthoughtthat“reducingcostsforus”wasdefinitelynotabenefit.Thismayreflect the investment in software and training,coupledwiththefactthat,whilestilllearningtousebim,efficiencyislikelytogodownnotup.

When asked to suggest other benefits, thesecentred on either improving the service that thearchitectcouldoffer,suchas“Speedofinformationavailability”and“Quickertoassesssustainabilityobjectives and energy (including embodiedenergy)”, or on advancing relationships andcollaborationbothwithinandbeyondthepractice.

Theseresponsesincluded:“Reallybringsteamstogether,movesdesigninputleftintheRIBAdesignstages, forces resolution to problems earlier andbettercommunication,helpsreduceblameculture”,and“excellentcommunicationwithclientsandkeystakeholders. You can show the building andcontextratherthancodifiedlinedrawings.”

The most exciting results are those wherearchitectsaregraspingopportunities.Justovertwo-fifthsofthoseusingbim(41.5%)havebeenaskedtoprovidebimco-ordinationonaproject(Table9), and four-fifths believe that this is a role thatarchitectsshouldfulfil(Table12).Typicalresponsesinclude“Becausetheyhavetherightmindsettotaketheoverallviewoftheprojectanditsdata”.

Thosewhodonotwanttotakeontheroleseemtoseeitjustasextrawork,suchasthisrespondent:“Architects already have too much on their plate—Ithinkanoutsiderappointedprojectmanagershouldwearthehat.”


04


TABLE 9

HAS YOUR PRACTICE BEEN ASKED TO

PROVIDE BIM CO-ORDINATION ON A

PROJECT?

YES – 41.8%

NO – 58.2%

4.6HUNGERFORGUIDANCE

Mostrespondents,though,arelookingforopportunitiesratherthanproblems.Some73.2%want toselladditionalbimservices,and78.7%thinkthatbimwillprovideanopportunityforarchitectstobecomemoreinvolvedinfacilitiesandassetmanagement.

Askedaboutsellingadditionalbimservices,responsesinvolvedplayingastrongerrolewithclientsandcontractors,suchas thisfromanarchitectinalargepractice:“Clientsandcontractorsareeagertolearnaboutbimbutdon’tknowhowtostartaccessingit— architectural practices are well placed to offer this additionaltrainingservice.“

Thereisdefinitelyahungerformoreguidance.OnlyaquarterofrespondentsthoughtthattheRIBAwasprovidingenoughguidance(Table10)andlessthanathirdthoughtthegovernmentwasdoingenough(Table13).

Richard Brindley, executive director for membership andprofessional support at the RIBA, says that in fact the RIBA isrunning CPD seminars aimed at a variety of levels, as well asprovidingwritteninformationthroughRIBAEnterprisesandNBS.But,headds:“Iamnotsurprisedbythisresponse.ForsomepeopleRIBAcanneverdoenough.Butwealsohaveacommunicationsproblemwithmembers,whichmeansthattheymaynotknowwhatwearedoing.Wearedoingabigcommunicationsreviewat themoment.”

“I FEEL THAT ARCHITECTS ARE BEST PLACED AS LEAD DESIGNERS WHO ALREADY COORDINATE PROJECT INFORMATION. ARCHITECTS UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CO-ORDINATION AND CLASH-DETECTION.”


04

TABLE 11

HAS YOU PRACTICE IMPLEMENTED:

LEVEL 1 BIM – 18.3%

LEVEL 2 BIM BEGINNER (JUST STARTING) – 21.8%

LEVEL 2 BIM INTERMEDIATE

(HAVE BEEN SUING SOME ELEMENTS FOR A WHILE) – 26.6%

LEVEL 2 ADVANCED (FULLY IMPLEMENTED) – 11%

LEVEL 3 – 4.8%

NONE OF THE ABOVE – 43.5%

TABLE 10

IS THERE ENOUGH GUIDANCE AVAILABLE

FOR ARCHITECTS LOOKING AT BIM

ADOPTION FROM THE RIBA?

YES – 25.7%

NO – 74.3%

Askedwhereelsetheywentforhelp,architectsareobviouslyeagerforadvice.Informalsourcesincludedpeergroups,onlineforums,andtwitter.BothNBSandtheAmericanInstituteofArchitectswerementionedseveraltimes.

Both software houses and resellers were mentioned, althoughwithwarningsthattheycouldbeverypartisan.Seminars,webinars,thepressandmagazines(withseveralmentionsofBD)werepopular,aswereregionalusergroups.

Someof thesewillbemorereliable thanothers,and thewiderangeofresponsesisanindicationthatthereisnosinglereliablesource.Architectsare, ingeneral, ready toengagewithbiminamoreintenseway.Buttheywouldreallylikesomehelp.

This piece discusses the results of a survey carried out by Building Design in April 2012. There were a total of 500 responses.


04

TABLE 12

DO YOU AGREE THAT ARCHITECTS SHOULD

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR BIM CO-ORDINATION

ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS?

YES – 80.1%

NO – 19.9%

TABLE 13

IS THERE ENOUGH GUIDANCE AVAILABLE

FOR ARCHITECTS LOOKING AT BIM

ADOPTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT?

YES – 30.5%

NO – 69.5%

‘”I’VE HAD THE HOPE THAT BIM CAN PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF ARCHITECTS — NOT ONLY AS DESIGNERS BUT TO GET THEIR HAND BACK INTO MANAGEMENT.”


05

WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS BACKING BIM


05

5.1WHATDOESTHEGOVERNMENTWANT?

The first important thing to understand about the government’sapproachtobimisthatthebenefitsthatitisseekingarenotthesameasthosethatanindividualarchitect’spracticewouldlookfor.

Thisisnottosaythattheyareaimsthatarehostiletoarchitects’wellbeing,butthatthegovernmentislookingfordifferentoutcomes.Itislookingforimprovementstothebuiltenvironmentintermsofthecostandtheenvironmentalperformanceofbuildings.Ifthesemakelifeeasierforarchitectsorimprovetheircompetitiveness,allwellandgood—butthiswillbeanincidentalbenefit,notacoreaim.

Thegovernment’sambitionisabigone.UndertheauspicesofPaulMorrell,itschiefconstructionadviser,itwantstotransformtheUKconstructionindustry,tomakeitmoreefficientandtomakeitgreener.ThecluewasinthetitleofthedocumentthattheUKgovernment’sbimgroup,chairedbyMarkBew,producedlastyear:BimManagementforValue,CostandCarbonImprovement.

Put crudely, government sees bim as a way of ensuringcollaboration,oneofthebugbearsoftheconstructionindustry,andofbuildingabodyofreproducibleknowledge.Furthermore,itseestheinformationthatbimgenerateshavingausethroughoutthelifeof the building, as it should help building owners and facilitymanagerstobetterunderstandandmanagetheirbuildingsandthesubsequentchangesanddevelopmenttothosebuildings.

5.2ACHANGEFROMPASTINITIATIVES

Therehavebeenpreviousattempts,intheformofbigreports,toimprovetheoperationoftheconstructionindustry—forexample,SirMichaelLatham’sConstructingtheTeamreportin1994.Theseproposedradicalreorganisationstotheconstructionindustry.Apartfrom seeming more interested in process than in outcomes (ifbuildingsweredeliveredefficientlyitdidn’tmuchmatterwhattheylookedlike),theyalsoraisedthequestionofhowwegotfromthe“here” of current practice to the “there” of the supposedly idealsolution.

This timeround thegovernment isnotasking the industry toorganiseitselfinaspecificdifferentway.Itisjustaskingittoprovidecertain types of information — a model in Level 2 bim, specificinformationinaformcalledCOBieandfurtherinformationintheformof2DdrawingsasPDFs.Howtheindustrydoesthisisnotgovernment’s concern. It is simply specifying outcomes, andallowingtheindustrytosortouthowitwantstogetthere.

And this is not really intended as a way to make governmentbuildingsbetter,althoughthatwillbeadesirablesideeffect.Itis


05

simplythatthisistheareaoverwhichthegovernmenthascontrol.Itsaimistoseethisapproachappliedtoallbuildings—thatonce

allmembersoftheconstructionindustryhavelearnttoworkandcollaborateinthisway,theywillcontinuetodoso.Andthatonceclientshaveseentheadvantages,theywillexpectthisasstandard.It also believes that it is important for the British constructionindustrytodothisifitistoremaincompetitiveontheworldstage.

Inalltheyearsthattheconstructionindustryhasbeenbreast-beating about its inefficiencies, it has constantly been asked tocompareitselftothecarindustryandtheaeronauticsindustry,wherequalityhasbeenraisedbycontrolsthateliminatederrors.Theideaisthat,withbim,thebuildingcanbemodelledinallitsdetailbeforeit is constructed and that feedback from the project can go intomakingthenextprojectbetter.

In the past there has been a lot of talk about the fact that allbuildingsaredifferentfromeachotherwhereasallcars,forexample,arethesame.Butthereisagrowingunderstandingthatbuildingsarenotnecessarilyasdifferentaswehavethought,whilemanufactureisincreasinglyabletoproducedvariantsandone-offs,unlikethestandardisedproductionlinesofthepast.

Soconstructionandotherindustrieshavecomeclosertogether,andthereisfarlessofanexcuseforconstructiontobranditselfasspecial, and believe it can ignore the improvements that otherindustriesaremaking.

5.3HOWTHEGOVERNMENTDEFINESBIMLEVELS

GovernmenthascreatedadefinitionofLevel2bim,andtheintentionisthat,by2016,allprojectsshouldbedeliveredinLevel2,andweshouldbestartingtoprogresstoLevel3.

Thesearethelevelsasthegovernmentdefinesthem:n Level0–Unmanagedcad,probably2D,withpaper(orelectronicpaper),asthemainexchangemechanism.n Level1–Managedcadin2or3Dformat,usingBS1192:2007withacollaborationtoolprovidingacommondataenvironment,possiblysome standard data structures and formats. Commercial datamanaged by standalone finance and cost management packageswithnointegration.n Level2–Managed3Denvironmentheld inseparatediscipline“bim”toolswithattacheddata.CommercialdatamanagedbyanERP.Integrationonthebasisofproprietaryinterfacesorbespoke


05


middlewarecouldberegardedas“pbim”(proprietary).Theapproachmayutilise4Dprogrammedataand5Dcostelementsaswellasfeedoperationalsystems.n Level3–Fullyopenprocessanddataintegrationenabledby“webservices”compliantwiththeemergingIFC/IFDstandards,managedbyacollaborativemodelserver.Couldberegardedasibimorintegratedbimpotentiallyemployingconcurrentengineeringprocesses.

5.4COBIEANDITSIMPLEMENTATION

COBieisattheheartofthegovernment’sapproachtobim,andhasbeenthesubjectofagreatdealofangst.StandingforConstructionOperationsBuildingInformationExchange,itisasystemforhandingoverdatathatwasoriginallydevelopedbyNASAandtheWhiteHouseOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyin2006.

Thegovernmentdefinesitasthe“formalschemathathelpsorganiseinformationaboutnewandexisting facilities. It isgeneralenoughthat it can be used to document both buildings and infrastructureassets.Itissimpleenoughthatitcanbetransmittedusingaspreadsheet.Itismeansofsharingstructuredinformation,justlikeCDMandbim.”

It is, quite simply an Excel spreadsheet that contains all theinformationthatisstipulatedtobewantedateachstageoftheproject.

OneofthestrengthsofCOBieisthatitdoesnotrequireeverybodytobeusingbiminordertosupplytheinformation.Soalthoughtheprojecthastobeproducedinbim,certainparties—suchasforexampleasmallsupplierofmaterials—cancontributetheirinformationbymanuallyaddingit.

There is some concern about the difficulty of actually exportinginformationtoCOBiefrombuildinginformationmodels.OnemightexpecttosimplypressabuttonandoutputtoCOBie,butitisfarmorecomplicatedthanthis,althoughthesoftwarecompaniesareworkingto make this better. The information that COBie requires is wideranging,andnoonepartycansupplyitall.Indeed,thatmaybeoneofitshiddenstrengths—tofillinthespreadsheetrequirescollaboration,theverythingthegovernmentislookingfor.

MarkStodgell,whorunsthebimoperationatarchitectPozzoni,says:“Thisisagoodexampleoflight-touchgovernment.Itsayswewantthisasadeliverable,butwewilllettheindustryuseitsownwaytogetthere.Idon’tseeCOBieasaproblemasadeliverable,butwhoisgoingtoputtheinformationin?Itmeanswewillhavetotakedownalotofbarriersbetweenorganisations.Everybodyshouldtakethosewallsdown.

5.5MEETINGTHE2016DEADLINE

GovernmenthasnowproduceditsCOBie2012standard,sothedetailofwhatisrequiredisavailable.Thisisneededbecausethefirstpilotprojectsinbimaregoingahead.Indeed,whileanyonewithanysensewouldhaverealisedthatthedateof2016,bywhichthegovernmentwantsallitsprojectstobeinbim,isnotfaraway,therealityisevenscarierfortheunprepared.


05

Eachgovernmentdepartmentismovingatitsownpacetowardsthisenddate.TheMinistryofJusticeisthefurthestahead,andplanstodeliverallitsnewworkusingbimby2013—yes,nextyear!Otherdepartmentsareatdifferentlevelsofreadiness,soonecanexpectthemtocomeonstreamin2014or2015.

TheprojectsthattheMinistryofJusticeisundertakingincludeoneonaretainedbuilding.Sinceexistingbuildingswillprovidethemajorityofbuildingworkinthenexttwodecades,anewmethodofapproachingconstructionwouldbeprettyvaluelessifitignoredthissector.Withsophisticatedlasersurveyingnowavailable,itisrelativelystraightforwardtogatherthespatialinformationthatoneneedstofeedintoamodel.

5.6ESTABLISHINGBIMHUBS

Forgovernmenttheintroductionofbimisavastlyambitiousproject,anditrecognisesthefactthatitwillbedifficultfortheindustrytokeepup.Inordertohelpitissettingupaseriesofbimhubsaroundthecountry,whichshouldbeinplacebytheendoftheyear.

Therewillbeatleastnineoftheseandtheywillbephysicalplaces,ratherthanmerelyvirtual.TheeasiestwaytothinkofthemislikeCitizens Advice Bureaus for the bim user or potential bim user,althoughunliketheCABstheywillnotbesourcesofexpertiseinthemselves but will largely point visitors in the direction ofinformationandtraining.

5.7PROJECTLIABILITYANDINSURANCE

Therecouldnotbeagovernmentinitiativewithoutadvisersandsubgroups and sub-committees beavering away, and the movetowardsbimisnoexception.Thereisworktobuildunderstandingandknowledgeinawiderangeofareas.Oneoftheseisthevexedquestionofprojectliabilityandprojectinsurance.

WithLevel2bim,therewillnotbeasingleseamlessmodel,andsoitshouldbepossibletoapportionblameandresponsibilityinthesamewayasundertraditionalwaysofworking.Butthisofcoursegoesagainstthespiritofcollaborationofbim.Thefirstprojectbeingundertakenisbeingdonewithsingleprojectinsurance,againanidea that has been around for a long time, although not oftenimplemented.

Thereistheparadoxthatpeopleareconcernedtoknowwhatwillhappenwhenaprojectgoeswrong,whereaswithbimthewholeethosisthatitshouldpreventthingsgoingwrong.Onlythegreatestoptimistwouldbelievethattherewillbenohiccupsalongtheway,butgovernmentseemstobedeterminedtomakethisworkifitcan.Byconsultingwidelywiththeindustryitispositioningitselfaswellasitcan.Andbyprofferingabigopportunity,itisalsoencouragingthesoftwarehousestodevelopinawaythatcanhelpthishappen.

Itwouldbeabold(orfoolhardy)architectindeedwhowouldsay:“Bah,bim,itwillnevertakeoff.Governmentwilltalkaboutitbutitwillneverhappen.”

03


06

EXTENT OF THE ARCHITECT’S LIABILITY ON A BIM PROJECT

BY PATRICK PERRY AND LAURA COATES


06

6.1COLLABORATIONANDRISK

The use of bim on a construction project raises issues for everyprofessionalengagedtoworkonthatproject,includingarchitects.Ithasbeensuggestedthattheuseofbimcouldresultinfewerrisksfor architects on the basis that they become aware of potentialconstructionproblemsatanearlierstageofthedesignandbuildprocess.

However,thekindofcollaborationenvisagedwithinabimsystemspreadsthedecision-makingfordesignelementsbeyondthescopeofarchitects.Architectsshouldbeawarethattheliabilityfordesignerrorsandomissionsmaybeheightenedbyamoveawayfromthetraditionalseparationofprojectfunctionstoamorecollaborativeprocess.

Architects should also consider that over-reliance on bimtechnologycouldcreatetheriskofheightenedliabilityifinformationthathasbeeninputintoabimsystemisincorrectorifthesoftwareprocesses it incorrectly. There exists the risk that bim softwarecontainsflawsthatwillresultindesigndefectsbeyondthecontrolofthearchitect.Liabilitymayalsoariseinconnectionwiththirdpartiessuchassub-contractorsonabimproject.

Theconcernhasalsobeenraisedthatcontributingtoorinputtingintoanotherprofessional’smodelcouldimposesignificantdesignresponsibility.InCo-operativeInsuranceSocietyLtdvHenryBoot(Scotland)Limited(2003)itwassaidthat“someonewhoundertakes,ontermssuchasthoseofthecontract…anobligationtocompletea design begun by someone else agrees that the result, howevermuchofthedesignworkwasdonebeforetheprocessofconstructioncommenced,wouldbepreparedwithreasonablecareandskill”.

Therearefourlevelsofbimmaturity,rangingfrom0to3.Level0comprises two-dimensionaldrawings, typicallyshared inhardcopyformat.AtLevel1,computer-aideddesign(CAD)isusedtocreate 2D or 3D drawings. The data may be accessible to theconstructionteam,butcommercialdataremainsseparate.ByLevel2, the bim database could include information about costs andprogramming,butthereisnotonesingledatabaseandcommercialdataisstillheldseparately.AtLevel3,alldatawouldbecontainedinanintegratedweb-basedsystemthatisaccessibletoallmembersoftheprojectteam.

6.2MAKINGSUREYOUAREPROTECTED

Astheuseofbimdevelops,architectshavetheopportunitytoexplorewaystoprotectthemselvesfromincreasedliabilitywhenworkingonbimprojects.Theywillwanttoensurethatthescopeofprotectionprovidedbytheirprofessionalliabilityinsurancepoliciesissufficientto cover their professional appointments. While current policiesmaynotexpresslyprovidecoverageforclaimsarisingoutoftheuseof bim, it is important that at a minimum such claims are notexcluded.

Designprofessionalsshouldalsoseektoensurethatcontractualprotectionisaffordedtothem,throughclearprovisionssettingoutownershiprightsandresponsibilities.Clausescouldbeinsertedto


06


expresslystatethatitisnotintendedthatthestandardofcareappliedtothearchitect’sservicesisalteredbytheuseofbimtechnology.Architectscouldalsorequestthattheyareabsolvedfromanyliabilitywheretheirworkcanbealteredinthefuturebyotherparties.

Toprovideprotectionfromfailureofbimsystemsorerrorsinbimdataforwhichtheyarenotresponsible,architectscouldinsertintotheircontractsawaiverofdirectorconsequentiallossarisingfromsuchfailuresorerrors.Theuseofabimprotocolcouldalsolimittheliabilityofthearchitecttoanextentconsistentwithhisfeesandavailableinsurance.

6.3JOINTANDSEVERALLIABILITY

UnderEnglishlaw,therecanoftenbeonerousoutcomesresultingfromtheprincipleof“jointandseveralliability”.Whatthismeansisthatwhereaclaimanthassufferedalossresultingfromtheactionsofanumberofprofessionals,hecanchoosetopursueonlyoneofthemforthefullextentofhislosses,andleaveittothatdefendanttoseektoclaimbackanylossesfromothers.

Thiscanpresentseriousproblemswhenoneormorepartiestoadisputebecomesinsolvent,orhasinadequateinsurancecover.Inthatsituation,thearchitectcouldbeleftbearing100%ofthelosses,even though he was realistically only, say, 20% to blame. Thecollaborativenatureofbimdoesexposearchitectstothisrisk.

Thetwobestriskmanagementtoolsare,firstly,toensure(ifthisis possible) that you are comfortable with the co-professionalsinvolved; and secondly, to seek Net Contribution Clauses in theAppointment (as exist in RIBA Standard Forms). Such clausesexpresslylimitthearchitect’sliabilitytotheportionofthelosswhichreflectshisactualculpability.

Asthesophisticationofbimincreases,thecomplexityofaLevel3buildinginformationmodelcouldmakeithardertoidentifytheparty responsible for an error and to allocate liability to themaccordingly. Where lines of responsibility are blurred in thecollaborativeprocess,theprofessionalliabilityrisksassociatedwiththe design of a project may spread further than is traditionallyexperienced.

Theuseofbimprotocolscouldaddressthemanagementofrisk/liability at more integrated stages of the bim process. Also, forprojectsusingmoreadvancedbimlevels,theavailabilityofintegratedprojectinsurancecouldmakeliabilitylessofanissueasthefocus


06

shiftsawayfromimposingliabilityonanindividualcontributor.Collective single project insurance could support a more

collaborative construction process and reinforce the “teamapproach”thatthegovernment’sconstructionstrategyisworkingtowards.Whilesingleprojectinsurancehasinthepastbeenviewedasanexpensiveoption,itwouldbewellsuitedtoaprojectwheretherisksarereducedduetotheuseofbimprocesses.

6.4ABSENCEOFCASELAW

Asyettherearenoreporteddecisionsrelatingtobim.BimisstillrelativelynewintheUKandthereisnocaselawguidanceastotheallocationofriskandliabilityonabimproject.ThefirstUSdisputeto arise from the use of bim was settled outside court, with thecontractor,architectandconsultantontheprojecteachcontributingtothesettlement.

Wehavebeeninvolvedinacasewhichperhapshighlightstherisksofincreasingdependenceontechnology.Caddrawingswereunfortunately“stretched”onthesystem, theresultofwhichwasthatvarioushousingblockswere,quitesimply,builtinthewrongplace.Asthiswasincontraventionofplanning,astopnoticewasissuedandthewholeprojectgroundtoahalt,andvariousoftheblocksfaceddemolition.

Fortunately, in the event, it was possible to achieve a revisedplanningpermission,butthearchitectwasleftwiththeverydifficultexercise of seeking to explain how the “error” arose. Thetechnologicalcostsofunpickingsuchproblems,wheremorethanonepartyisinvolved,couldbeconsiderable.

6.5INTELLECTUALPROPERTY

Lookingattheincreasinglevelsofbimmaturity,questionsariseasto the intellectual property rights relating to the informationcontainedinthedatabase,andownershipofthemodelateachstage.

Instandardconstructionprojects,theownerofacopyrightwilltypically retain ownership of it, but will grant a licence to theemployertousethecopyrightforlimitedpurposesconnectedtotheproject.Suchlicencescouldbeadaptedforuseonabimprojectsothattheypermittedextendeduseofthecopyrightedmaterialbytheintegratedprojectteam,andallowedforsubsequentuseofworkdevelopedatanearlierstage.

Theuseofabimprotocolcouldaddressthesecopyrightissues.Theprotocolcouldensurethatallcontributorstothemodelwarrantthattheyholdtheintellectualpropertyrightsoverthecontributionsthattheyhavemade,andprovideanindemnitytootherpartieswhomayusetheircontributions,intheeventofathird-partyintellectualpropertydispute.

For bim projects, the wording of copyright licences could beexpandedtogobeyondthetypicaluseforconstruction,useandsaleofabuilding,andpermitthebimcontributiontobeusedforpurposessuchasadaptionandrefurbishment.


06

IntermsofprotectingthemselvesfromIPissues,participantsinabimprojectshouldensurethatappointmentdocumentsandbimprotocolsprovideclarityastotheextentofcopyrightlicencesandownership of contributions. There should also be mechanismsallowingcommerciallysensitiveinformationtobestoredseparatelyfromthesharedmodel.

6.6OWNERSHIPOFTHEMODEL

Ownershipofthemodelisanotherquestiontobeaddressedastheuseofbimincreases.Theemployerisgenerallyviewedasbeingthemostappropriateowner,orrather thepartymostappropriate tobeartheresidualrisksconnectedwiththebimprocess.

However,thismayvarydependingontheprocurementprocessusedforeachproject,andithasbeensuggestedthatonadesignand build contract the main contractor might be the moreappropriateownerofthemodel.

Theissueofownershipbecomesmoreunclearasthelevelofbimmaturity increases. There is uncertainty as to where ownershipresidesatLevel3,butthemajorityofbimprojectsatpresentarenotgoingbeyondLevel2andjointownershipisunlikelytobeaproblembeforeLevel3.

Ifonepartymakesacontributiontothemodeltheywillownthecopyrightinthatwork.Apartywhothenamendsthatworkwillownthecopyrightintheirdistinctamendments,butnottheoriginalwork.

Whilethebimdatabasecontainsinterrelatedmodels,eachpartycan be responsible for their own model. However, Level 3 biminvolvesmorecollaborationbetweenprojectparties,andwillmakeitmoredifficult to identify individualcontributionsandallocateownershipaccordingly.

Thereareadvantagesanddisadvantagesrelatedtoownershipofthemodel.Whileownersmaybeliablefornon-technology-relatederrors, such liability may be reduced by the liability of eachparticipantforthecontributionstheymaketothebimprocess.

Ithasbeensuggested thatcostand time issues fallwithin theparametersofownershipofthebimprocess.Thepartywhoownsthemodelcoulddeterminethecriteriaforextensionoftimewhereerrorshaveoccurred,andtheprocessforawardingextrapayment.Onthisbasis,andasdiscussedabove,itwouldseemmostappropriatefortheemployertobetheownerofthemodelasawhole.

Patrick Perry is a partner and Laura Coates is a trainee solicitor at Clyde & Co

07

INSURANCE FOR WORKING WITH BIM

BY PAUL NOLAN


07

7.1THEINSURER’SPOINTOFVIEW

Architectsandothermembersoftheconstructionteamarealwayslookingforthebest,mosteffectiveandmostreliableinsurance.Inordertounderstandwhatinsurancemaybeavailableinchangingcircumstances,itisessentialtounderstandthewaythatinsurersseethesecircumstances.

Whilethereiswillingnesswithintheinsuranceindustrytoadapttochangingcontractualrelationships,clarityiskeyforprofessionalindemnity insurance. An insurer seeks to assess the risks of aparticularinsuredparty,takingintoaccountitsrisk-managementpractices,claimshistoryandhopefullytheknowledgeofitsbusinessthathasdevelopedthroughalong-lasting,mutual,relationship.

In these terms, bim presents both risks and opportunities forinsurers.Thechallengeliesinthefactthatbimcanexposetheinsuredto claims arising from the actions and defaults of other partiescollaboratingonthemodel,inrespectofwhominsurersmayhavelittleknowledge.

IfthoseotherpartiesfailtoobtainadequatePIinsurancetocovertheirownpotentialexposures, itcanleadtoonepartyhavingtobearmorethanitsfairshareofthelosses.Theopportunitycomesfrombim’spotentialtoprovidethebenefitsofearlyconflictdetectionandresolutionthroughthree-dimensionalmodelling.

ForthelevelofcollaborationthatexistsatLevel2bim,existinginsurance provisions should be adequate. Proper analysis of theunderlyingcontractualappointmentsremainsimportant,asinsuredpartieswillwishtoensure,aspartofarisk-managementprocess,that they avoid onerous contractual terms that commit them toachievingaparticularoutcome,orperformancespecification.

7.2EVOLVINGINSURANCEPRODUCTS

Astheuseofbimbecomesmorewidespread,insuranceproductswill need to continue to evolve and respond to the increasingintegrationofdesign,constructionandoperationalinformation.

Single-projectinsuranceisbecomingmorepopular.ThisgivesinsuredpartiestheflexibilityofpurchasingPIcoverforanyclaimsarisingfromaparticularproject,asopposedtoobtainingsuchcoveronanannualbasis.

Theadvantageofasingle-projectpolicyisthatpayingaone-offpremiumwillensurethatcoverisavailableforboththedurationof


07

theprojectandforanextendedclaimsperiodthereafter.Asmostprofessional-indemnitypoliciesarewrittenona“claimsmade”basis,itremovestheriskoftheinsuredpartyfindingthatithasinsufficientlevelsofcoverinplacewhenaclaimiseventuallymade,whichmaybemanyyearsafteraprojectisfinished.

7.3INTEGRATEDPROJECTINSURANCE

Integrated project insurance (IPI) goes one step beyond single-project insurance. IPI, which the government has promoted inrelationto itsbimprojects, is joint-names insurancecoveringawholeprojectteamthatinsuresagainstfinancialeffects.

UnderIPI,theindividualpartieswouldgiveuptherighttomakeclaimsagainsteachother,andwouldtogetherpayaprojectexcessinreturnforno-faultcover.Ifpartoftheprojectwentwrong,theinsurerwould bear thecostabove theexcess.Underwriting thewholeteamisawaytoaccommodatetheintegrated,collaborativeworkingpracticesthatbimprocessesenvisage.

IthasbeensuggestedthatIPIcouldbeacheaperwayofprovidingcoverthanexistingpoliciesbecauseitreducestheamountoftimeandmoneywastedwhencompaniespassonriskwithinaproject.

7.2ENCOURAGINGCOLLABORATION

ThebenefitofanIPIpolicywouldbethat,ifanythingwentwrongontheproject,itwouldbewithinallparties’intereststosolvetheproblem as efficiently as possible. Parties would work together,ratherthanresortingtoadversarialcontracts.

Otheradvantagescouldincludepositiveriskmanagementandthealignmentofcommercialobjectives.IPIpoliciesmightalsohelpsmallandmediumenterprises(SMEs),whichcanstruggletoobtainprojectinsurance,astheywouldbecoveredundertheprojectpolicy.

Wecurrentlyofferannualconstructionprofessional-indemnitypolicies, and single-project insurance for architects and otherconstruction professionals, and we are currently exploring thepotentialforIPI.

Close collaboration between the construction and insurancesectorsiscriticalinensuringthatarchitects—andotherconstructionprofessionals—canobtainprotectionagainstpotentiallossesthatmayresultfromincreasinglysophisticateddesignandconstructiontechniques.

Paul Nolan is a financial lines underwriter at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

08

CHOOSING BIM SOFTWARE

BY MARC THOMAS


08


8.1WORKOUTWHATISRIGHTFORYOU

Onceapracticedecidestostartusingbim,thenithastobuysomesoftware.Thisisdaunting,asitisnotonlyaconsiderableexpenditurebutisalsolikelytolockthepracticeintothesystemforquitesomeyears.Inordertomaketherightdecision,itisvitaltounderstandwhatyouwanttodowiththesoftware,toasktherightquestionsandtoinvestintraining—andmakesureitistherighttraining.

Thefirstthingyoumustdoisaskyourselfwhatisdrivingyoutowards bim. It is vitally important to have clearly understoodreasons for adopting bim as these reasons should drive the bimsolution that you choose. They can be responses to internal orexternalneeds.

Typicalinternaldrivershaveforsometimeincludedefficiencyofvarious kinds, whether better internal processes or designimprovements.Forinstance,WhitbyBird(nowRambøllUK)wasclaimingseveralyearsagothatbimtoolswereallowingittoachievereductionsofmorethan10%intheweightofsteelframes,beforethetermbimevenbecamecommonplace.

Externaldriversareusuallylargerprojectsorclientorganisationsthatmandatespecificprocessesandapplications.Thesecanextendbeyondthecadproductionapplications.BAArequiredAutoCADArchitectureandveryspecificdocumentcontrolprocessesfortheHeathrow Terminal 2 redevelopment. Both CrossRail andThameslinkrequireBentleybimdesignandProjectWisedocumentmanagementapplications.

Increasinglygovernmentrequirementswilldrivetheadoptionofbim.ScandinaviangovernmentshavebeenpromotingrequirementsforIFCdataasadeliverablesince2007,andthishashadasignificantimpactontheScandinaviansoftwaremarket.SeveralUSstatesaretakingasimilarpath.IntheUK,wherewearenowembarkingonthesecondyearofafive-yearplanforbim(seesection4),yourbimsolutionwillneedtoproducethegovernment’srequireddeliverablesifyouwanttoworkonpublicprojects.

8.2SMALLPRACTICES

Whataboutsmallpractices?Smallpracticesoftenaskwhat’sinbimforthem.Surelyitisonlyneededforlargeandcomplexprojects?Wheredoesitfitinforrefurbishmentprojects?

Theanswerliesindoingmorewithless,andsettingupwithbimneed not be daunting.Smallpracticescan be more nimble.Thetrainingandsetupoverheadsformovingalargepracticetobimareconsiderable and it takes a long time to widen bim literacy. Incontrast,asmallpracticecouldquicklybecomeentirelyequippedwithbimandliterate.Eachindividualwouldthenbeabletoreapthebenefitsof“largeproject”tools.

Intermsofrefurbishmentprojects,thereisnoneedtomodeltheexistingbuildings.ApracticecanjustcommissionaPointCloudsurveyandusethatasabackgroundforproposalsmodelledbybim.

Youshouldaskyourselfwhatyouareexpectingtogetbackfromyour investment inbim.Unlessyour investment isdrivenbyanimmediateprojectorclientrequirementthegoalshouldbetoobtaina return on the software, setup and training costs by improvinginternalprocesses.


08

Putsimply, thismeansdoingthingsquicker.Bimapplicationsdrawwalls,notlinesarrangedtolooklikewalls.Whiledoingsotheystoremetadataaboutthosewalls,andsocanproduceschedules.Movingthingsaround,sayadoorinawall,isnolongerthedigitalequivalentofscratchingoutontracingpaper,butsimplytheupdateofacomponent’sposition.Theseprocessessavetimeoncetheinitialtransitionperiodispassed.

Iftherequirementforbimisexternallydriven,thentheprimaryreturnwillsimplybebeingabletosatisfythoserequirementsandactuallygetthework.

8.3APPRAISEYOURPRESENTPOSITION

When choosing your bim system you should ask yourself whatsoftware,dataandskillsyouhavenow.Doesyourexistingsoftwarehavearelatedbimapplicationthatmaybeanaturalprogressionorareyoujumpingtoanewplatform?Thisisanimportantdecision.

Howwillthenewbimapplicationworkalongsideyourexistingapplications?Willitbenecessary—andifsowillitbeeasy?—tosharedatabetweenthenewandtheold?

Willyourexistingapplicationscontinuetobeusedalongsidethebimapplication?Ifso,canthedataproducedbeusedeasilybythebimapplication?Willitbenecessarytoimportthedatatoadifferentformat (probably!)? Doing concept design in a separate 3Dapplication and the embellishment in 2D cad of the drawingsextractedfrombimiscommonplace.

Doyouhaveanexistingdataarchive?Ifso,howwillthisdatabeaccessedifyoumovetoacompletelynewbimplatform?

Doyouhaveanexistingstaffskillsbasethatcanbeextendedtothebimapplicationorwilltheyhavetoretrainfromscratch?Onedriver for choosing a particular application is the availability ofpeople with existing knowledge of that application. Jobs arefrequently advertised specifying knowledge of particularapplications.Iseriouslyquestionthisapproach.Ifyouhaveorhiregoodpeopletheyshouldbeabletoadapttoworkwithyourchoiceofsoftware.

8.4TOOLSFORSHARING

What do you need to share with others? Bim applications havevaryingapproachestodataformats.Revitstoresallofitsdatainlargedatabasefiles.Mostotherapplicationsusesetsofseparatefilesinthemannerthatwearefamiliarwith.

Autodesk file formats change frequently, the AutoCAD DWGformateverythreeyearsandrecentlytheRevitformathaschangedeveryyear,sodataconversionisrequiredtoreadsayRevit2013datainanearlierversion.WhilethestructureofBentley’sbimmetadatachanges,itsDGNformathasalonglife,about15years,reducingcompatibilityissues.

However,weneedtolookbeyondjustthearchitect’sdata.Whatotherfileformatsmightyouneedtoaccessfromtheengineering


08


disciplines? Can the bim application view these files or is thereanotherimport/exportprocess?

Willyourcurrentprocessesneedtobere-evaluatedtooperateinthebimworld?Thisneedstobeassessedbeforeor,atthelatest,inparallelwithyourevaluationofbimtools.Yourprocessshouldnotbedrivenbythebimtools

Finally:budget.Mostpeopleworryaboutthecostofbimsoftwarelicences.However,thiscanbethelesserandmostcontrollablecost.Youwillnotgetagoodresultfromyourbimimplementationwithoutspendingtimeandmoneyontrainingandprocessdevelopment.Thesecanexceedtheinitialsoftwarecostandwillbeongoingcosts.

8.5QUIZZINGTHEVENDOR

Itisimportanttochoosethesoftwarethatisrightforyourpractice,andinordertogaintheinformationtodothis,youmustaskyourvendortherightquestions.

Thefirstquestionsfollowingthevendor’ssoftwaredemonstrationshouldbealongthelinesof“Thatwasveryimpressive,nowcanyoushowussomereal-worldexamples?”and“Canwetalktosomeexistinguserstofindouthowthesoftwareisbehavinginpractice?”

Clearlythecostofthesoftwareitselfwillcomeupatthestartofanydiscussion,andthecostoffutureupgradesshouldbedirectlyconnected to this. Are upgrades discrete purchases or are theycoveredbyasubscriptionscheme?Howfrequentareupgradesandhowsignificantarethechangesofferedbyupgrades?

AutodeskandBentleyhavebothofferedsubscriptionschemesformanyyears,andsincetheirapplicationsareupdatedannuallythesubscriptionmodeloffersagooddealcomparedtoperiodicsoftwareupgradepurchases.

Subscriptions can also have other benefits. Both Bentley andAutodeskofferHomeUselicencestosubscribers.InBentley’scasethisistriviallyeasytomanageandgivesyourstaffnon-commercialaccesstoahugerangeofapplications.Therecanalsobeaccesstotraining resources and early access to new product versions tofacilitateforwardplanningforupgrades.

Howflexible is licensing?Hardwaredonglesare lesscommonthesedaysbutarestillusedoccasionally.Generallylicencesarenow


08

eitherprovidedfromapoolbyaserver,frequentlyhostedviatheinternet,orsoftwareislockedtoindividualmachines.

Machine-lockedlicencesareamanagerialnightmarelimitingusetothosemachinesonly.Pooledlicencesallowsoftwaretobewidelyinstalledbut limit themaximumnumberof licences thatcanbeusedconcurrently.Thisisafarmoreflexibleoptionthatallowsyoutogetthemaximumusefromyourlicenceswithoutforcingpeopletohot-desk.

Bentley offers a variation of pool licensing with a remarkablyliberallicensingsystem,calledtrustlicensing,thatallowslicencesusagetoexceedthenumberownedsubjecttoannualreviewandsubsequentpurchasesifappropriate.

8.6HARDWAREUPGRADES

Youshouldalsoaskwhetherthenewbimsoftwarewillrequireneworupgradedhardware.Willoperatingsystemsneedtobeupdated?Revit iswellknownforrequiringwell-specifiedworkstations, inparticular largequantitiesofRAMtoaccommodateRevit’s largedatabasefilesthatmustbecopiedtotheworkstationwheninuse.AnymachinesstillusingWindowsXPshouldanywaybeupgradedtoWindows7assoonaspossible,asitisamorestableplatform.

IfyouareaMacOSuser,thenthefundamentalquestioniswhichbimapplicationsareavailableforMacOS.AtpresentArchiCADistheonlyseriousoffering.RunningPCbimapplicationsinParallelsorBootCamponMachardwareisnotideal.

HostingbimdataonaMacserverisalsounwise.Windowsservershavebecomethedefactostandard.SothechoiceofbimsoftwaremayalsorequireashifttoaPCenvironment.Iffacedwiththisissue,pleasebearinmindthatthecomputeranditsoperatingsystemareonly there in a supporting role to enable your staff to use theappropriateapplications.

Canexistinglaptopsrunyourbimsoftware,andifsotowhatlevelofperformance?Mightinvestmentinworkstationgradelaptopsbeneededforsiteworkorpresentationpurposes?Alternativesolutionscould involve the use of appropriate viewing software forpresentationsorremoteaccesstoanofficeworkstationforsitework.

WhatimpactwillbimsoftwarehaveonyourITinfrastructure?Theremaybeaneedforadditionalstorageandincreasedserverpowertosupportit.Networkspeedcanbecritical.Anetworkthatwashappywithquitesmall2Dcadfilesmaygrindtoahaltwhentrying to serve a number of users accessing larger bim datasets.Solvingthiskindofproblemmaysimplyrequireafasternetworkswitch,butitmightrequireathoroughnetworkaudittoidentifybottlenecks.

8.7VENDORSUPPORT


08


Returning to the applications, you must ask the vendor aboutsupportoptions.Ifthereisasubscription,whatisprovidedaspartofthescheme?Isthislikelytobesufficientorwilladditionalsupportbeavailablefromthevendor,andifsoonwhatbasis?

Isanytrainingincludedaspartofeithersubscriptionorvendor-supportofferings?Ison-demandonlinetrainingofferedaspartofthese?Istheon-linetraininglocalisedorsufficientlyspecifictoyourneeds?

DoesthevendorneedtobeinvolvedinsoftwareinstallationorcanthisbedonebyyourexistingITsupportteam?DoesitinstalloutoftheboxtoUKstandards?Onceinstalled,howmuchneedstobedonetogetthesystemrunningtoyourownofficestandards.Ifyouhaveexistingstandardshoweasilycanthesebeportedtothenewapplication?Textstyles,layersanddrawingbordersforinstance.

All bim software relies upon component libraries. HowcomprehensiveandUK-friendlyarethedeliveredbimcomponents?Isiteasytobuildyourowncomponentlibraries?Canadditionalcomponentsbeobtainedinuseableformats?CancomponentsfromtherecentlylaunchednationalBimLibrarybeusedeasily?

8.8THEIMPORTANCEOFTRAINING

Anycomputer-literatearchitectcanquicklypickuptherudimentsof 2D cad and appear to be producing drawings efficiently. Theassociated management processes are relatively simple, largelyechoingpreviouspaper-basedprocesses,andconsequentlyshouldbewellunderstoodbystaffatalllevelsregardlessoftheirITliteracy.

Butcloserinspectionofworkproducedatthisleveloftenrevealsa range of flaws or bad practices that will cause problems later,especiallywhentheinformationneedstobeshared.Rectifyingfaultsinpoorlycreatedandstructured2Dcaddatacanbetimeconsumingenough.Thecostsofrectifyingfaultsinabimprojectcanbecomeconsiderable.

Bimisamorecomplexenvironmentaltogether.Gettingtogripswiththechosensoftwareisonlyonepartofthetask;thewiderbimprocessescanalsobecomplex.Youcannotsimplyassumethatbrightcomputer-literatepeoplewillsuccessfullyworkouthowtouseabimapplicationinthewaythattheywouldwith2Dcador3Dconceptmodelling.Theywillonlygetsofar.Astructuredapproachisrequiredfromtheoutset.

Trainingwillneedtocovernotonlythecorebuildinginformationmodellingapplications,butalsotheassociatedprocessesandotherapplications. There may be bim viewing software and there willprobably be document control or management applications,extranet tools such as Autodesk’s Buzzsaw or full documentmanagement systems such as Bentley’s ProjectWise or UnionSquare’sWorkspace.Theremayberelatedworkflows for textorgraphicdocumentsthatalsogeneratetrainingrequirements.

Typicallytrainingforthecorebimapplicationshouldincludethefollowing broad areas: drawing in bim, structuring the model,extractingdrawingsandschedulesfromthemodel,creatingandmodifyingcomponentsandotherresources.


08

Thelastitemisveryimportant;youneedtohavesufficientin-houseskillstobeabletoproperlymodifybimcomponentsasrequiredby projects while maintaining the integrity of your componentlibraries.Componentlibrarieswillbecomecriticalassetsandaregoingtorequiremanagedcareandmaintenance.Responsibilityforthisshouldbeshared.Youdonotwanttofindtheonlypersonwhoknowshowyourcomponentlibraryworkswalkingoutofthedooroneday.

Onekeyaspectisgettingtherightlevelofdetail.Trainingmusthammerhomethisconcept.Thereisalwaysthetemptationwithcad to over-detail. Drop a few dozen 1:1 detailed models offurnishingsandfittingsintoyourbuildinginformationmodel,copyafewtimesandwatchperformancedegrade.Itisgenerallyagreedthatmodelsshouldoperateatsomethinglikea1:50levelofdetail.Peoplemustbetrainedtounderstandthisandtobeconsistent.

Theyalsoneedtounderstandthepowerofmetadata.Takedoorsasanexample.Theplacementofdoorsinthemodelcouldusequitesimple graphics, the object being to produce representative 1:50plans and internal elevations. This basic graphic generates acomponentintheprojectdatasetcarryingarangeofmetadatathatcanbeextensive.Byaddingtoandvaryingthemetadata,thatsimplegraphiccanresultinacomprehensivelydetailedandeasytorevisedoorschedule.

8.9CUSTOMTRAINING

Custom training is worth considering. Although it appearsexpensive,itwillhavetheadvantageofusingyourownenvironmentandstandards,thusbeingclearertoyourstaffandavoidingpotentialconfusioncausedbygeneric,possiblyUS-generatedmaterial.Thereistheadditionalbenefitofreinforcingyourownofficestandards.

TakeadvantageofanyHomeUselicensingofferstoallowstafftoself-trainathome.

Whatbimskillsareavailableinyourexistingteamorthepoolofpotentialrecruits?Evenifcandidatesclaimingtherelevantskillsandexperienceareavailable,canyoubesurethattheirskillswillactuallymatchuptotherequirementsofaproperlystructuredbimproject? It may be worth using an evaluation tool such asKnowledgeSmarttogaugepeople’sabilities.

Seniorstaffareunlikelytousebimdirectly,soitisessentialthattheygainagoodunderstandingofwhatbimisintendedtodo,whatitcannotdoandexactlywhattoolsareavailabletotheiroffice.

Forexample,themajorityofofficeswillnotwishorbeabletosupportmultiplebimplatforms.Largerprojectsmaymandateaspecificapplicationthatisnotalreadybeingusedbyapractice.Itis crucial to the financial viability of such projects that theimplications of this are understood by the senior staff who areactuallynegotiatingaproject’stermsofappointment.

Afinelybalancedfeeproposalcouldlosemoneyfromthestartifthetrainingandprocesscostsofworkingwithanewbimapplicationarenotfactoredinoranalternativeprocessusingavailablesoftwarecannotbeagreed.

Marc Thomas is an IT consultant at Isisst Project Technology and

03


09

BIM STANDARDS AND REGULATION

09

a chartered architect with more than 20 years’ experience http://isisst.co.uk/about.asp

9.1INCREASINGREGULATION

Many architects may feel as if they are already drowning inregulations,andtheknowledgethattheBritishStandardthatappliesdirectlytobimisbeingextended,thattheRIBAstagesofworkarebeingchangedtoreflecttherealityofbim,andthatevenUniclass,theclassificationsystemthatunderliesspecifications,ischangingmayjustelicitafrustratedgroan.

Butinfactallthesethingsarebeingdonewiththeintentionofmaking life easier, not more difficult. BS1192, the standard thatunderliesbim,istogettwonewparts,oneofwhichisnearlyreadyandtheotherisintheearlyconceptualstage.

ThefirstpartofBS1192,whichwaspublishedin2007,grewoutofworkdoneoveryearsbycontractorLaing(nowLaingO’Rourke),inparticularatTerminal5,Heathrow.Theaimwastocutthe20to25%ofwastethatwascreatedthroughwronginformationintheconstructionindustry.TheteamatTerminal5createdaprotocolandsucceededincuttingthewastebyaroundhalf.EventuallythisprotocolbecameBS1192.

MervynRichards,whowasoneoftheLaingteamatT5andwhoeventuallywroteBS1192(heisnowanindependentconsultant),explainsthatalthoughthestandardwasnotspecificallyaimedatbim,thewideradoptionofbimmadeitevenmoreimportant.“Withbim,ifthebaseinformationisnotcorrect,everythingthatcomesfromitisalsoincorrect,”hesays.

GovernmentrequiresBS1192tobeusedonitsprojects,andsomeclientsarenowaskingforitaswell.BimenthusiastslikeRobertKlaschkaarekeenonit,becauseitcreatesprotocolsforworkingwithoutthepracticehavingtocreatethemitself.

YetintheBDsurveyofpractices(seesection3),only4.4%ofrespondents said that they had used all the procedures listed inBS1192,andonlya further30.7%hadusedsomeof them.Evenamongthe66respondentswhosaidthattheyregularlyusedabimworkflowtoexchangemodelswithengineersandcontractors(thatis,among themostcommittedandadvancedofbimusers)only12.3%hadusedalltheproceduresinthestandard,withafurther61.5%havingusedsomeofthem.

9.2EXTENDINGTHESTANDARDS

Not only has BS1192 become more important with the wideradoption of bim; there is also a need for more of it. What willeventually become BS1192-2 has just been issued for publiccomment,andshouldbepublishedinfinalforminJuneorJuly.

This deals with production information and in particular theproblemthatanychanges thataremadeonsite (forexample tofoundations)mustbefedbackintothemodel.Ifthisisnotdone,there can be costly repercussions — or, put crudely, parts of thebuildingwillnotbecorrectlyaligned.

Theothernewelement,whichwillbecomeBS1192-3,willdealwith the operation of buildings. Government is consulting withfacilitiesmanagersonthis,andintendstoissueadraft laterthis



09


year.ForRichards,thewholepointofBS1192istoensurethatbim

becomes“aprocessofclashavoidanceratherthanclashdetection”.Itswidespreadadoptionshould,hebelieves,halttheproliferationofexternalbimco-ordinatorswhoarepaidtorebuildthebimmodelsthathavealreadybeenbuilt,andcheckthattheyworkproperly.

Thistypeofdoubleworkingisexactlythesortofwastefulworkingbimisintendedtoeliminate—andit’sadrivetoeliminatewastethat led to the government embracing bim. External bim co-ordinatorsshouldnotbeconfusedwiththepersonwithinapracticewhoco-ordinatesapractice’sbimwork—arolethatisnecessary,andforwhichBS1192willbeanenormoushelp.

BS1192isalsodesignedtoavoidthetypeofoverworkingthatcanbetempting.Itisveryeasywithbimtoproducesomethingataveryearlystagethatlooksasif it ishighlyfinished.Architectscanbeseducedintoputtingintoomuchworkataconceptualstage,orclientscanaskfortoomuch.

“ThewholethingaboutBS1192,”saysRichards,“istostopthathappening. All we are looking for is the minimum appropriateinformationatallstages.”

9.3THERIBAPLANOFWORK

Butbimdoeschangetosomedegreetheorderinwhichworkisdone,andthisisbeingrecognisedbychangesintheRIBAPlanofWork.Thisishappeningintwobites.A“bimoverlay”totheexistingplanofworkisoutindraftformnow.Likethegreenoverlaythatwasproducedpreviously,thisisbynecessityapatching,designedtorecognisethedifferentwaythatjobsworkunderbim.

“It’s a different way of doing things,” says Richard Brindley,executivedirectorformembershipandprofessionalsupportattheRIBA.“Theactualprocessesarestillthere,buthowtheyfittogetherisverydifferent.”

Amoreradicalrewritingoftheorderofworkwillbepublishednextyear,takingintoaccountnotonlythetwooverlays,butalsochangesinprocurement.Itwillbepublishedonthe50thanniversaryofthecurrentplanofworkand,tomarkthefactthatitisradically

09

different,willidentifythestagesofworkbynumbersratherthanthecurrentletters.Thereshouldthereforebenoconfusionbetweentheoldandnewstagesofwork.

9.4CLASSIFICATIONSYSTEMS

Another system that is changing is Uniclass, the classificationsystem that is used to identify all the elements in a building’sspecification.Uniclassisbeingreclassifiedtomakeitsitbetterwithbim,andtomakeitworkeffectivelywithCOBie,thesystemwithinwhich the government wants information to be delivered on itsprojects. “Uniclass is being updated to allow us to co-ordinatethroughclassificationthespecificationprocesswiththebimmodel,”saysRichards.

TheRIBAisalsotakingpartinaresearchprojectthroughtheTechnologyStrategyBoardthatislookingatproducingmetadatathatallowsprojectstobetaggedinsuchawaythatinformationcanautomatically translate into and out of different classificationsystems.

Thisisaimedparticularlyatinternationalprojects,wherethoseworkingontheprojectsmaybebasedindifferentcountries.Putatitssimplest,itwouldautomaticallytranslatebetweenmetricandimperialmeasures,aswellasdealingwithanumberofmorecomplexissues.

Thereisasubsetofarchitectsandmembersofotherconstructionprofessionswholovegrapplingwiththeseissues.Most,however,findthemdeadlyandwouldrathergetonwithdesigning.Luckilytherearepeopledealingwiththem.

Forthepractisingarchitect,therearetwolessonstodrawfromall this.Ifalldesignworkrequiresconsistency,checkingandanappropriatemethodology,thenbimrequiresanevenmoreconsistentapproach. And there are people busy working at standards, atclassificationandphasing, theresultsofwhoseeffortswillbe tomakeachievingthesegoalswithbimsimplerandnotmoredifficult.

10.1DIVERSEAPPROACHES


03


10

BIM STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD

10

TheUKgovernmenthasdonemuchtoadvancetheconversationaroundbimadoptionintheUK,butarchitectsworkingabroadhaveencounteredarangeofdifferentapproachesandwidelydifferingexpectationsofbimdeliverables.

In a small handful of countries, governments and publicinstitutionsalreadyhavetheirownbimstandardswhichtheyexpectallcontractorstocomplyto.

The United States, Singapore and Finland offer very differentexamplesoftheapproachesbeingtakentowardsimplementingbimstandardsandallareseenasworldleadersintermsofbim.

10.2THEUNITEDSTATES

IntheUS,centralgovernmenthastakenarelatively“handsoff ”approach,assumingthattheindustrywillworkeverythingoutforitself,resultinginalargeamountofunregulatedexperimentation.This has led to the development of many industry-leading bimproductsandprocesses.Softwaredevelopershavespentmillionsonmarketingthebenefitsofbimtoarchitects,contractorsandclientsandawarenessofbimisfarhigheramongclientsthanintheUKandmostofEurope.

Butdespitethepublicationin2007ofaNationalBimStandarddocument by the US buildingSMART alliance and the NationalInstitute of Building Sciences, the lack of central leadership hascreatedapatchy—andoftenconfusing—landscapeforarchitectstodealwith.SpecificationofapreferredsoftwarepackageisfairlystandardintheUS,butvariesfromclienttoclient.

Each government department uses its models in a slightlydifferentwayandasksforslightlydifferentdeliverables,andthereisalsovarietyinthestandardsimplementsbythemajorcollegeanduniversitycampuses.

The General Services Administration, an independentgovernmentagencywhichmanageslargeswathesofgovernment-ownedproperty,beganaskingforbimdeliverableswithaviewtoimprovingitsspatialprogrammevalidationbuthassincedevelopedmorespecificusesforitsmodelfocusedaroundenergyassessment,safetyandsecurity.

Penn State University has some of the most respected bimimplementationstrategiesandstandards.Ithasbeendevelopingitsbimprojectexecutionplanningguideasaresearchprojectsince2007.InApril2012itpublishedabimplanningguideforfacilityowners, which could prove an invaluable document in clienteducation.

Indiana University has made its bim standards and projectdelivery requirements document available online. Originallypublishedin2009andupdatedinJanuaryofthisyear,itisagoodexampleoftheapproachtakenbymanyuniversitieslookingatthe



10


managementoflargecampuses.ItasksforthedeliveryofDWGfilesviaAutoCADandaRevitmodelaswellasCOBiedatasets.

10.3SINGAPORE

InSingapore,theaimistohaveallprojectsdeliveredusingbimby2015 and the government is providing financial incentives forcompaniestousebim.Partiesinvolvedinabimconstructionproject—beitpublicorprivatesector—willsoonbe legallyobligedtoincorporateadocumentknownastheBimParticularConditionsintheircontractdocumentation.Thiscanbeadaptedforspecificuse where it does not cover all the issues that might occur on aproject.

Singapore’sBuilding&ConstructionAuthorityisalsoissuingabimguide,outliningprojectstages,bimdeliverablesandguidanceon ownership and responsibility for models. IFC data sets aregenerallypreferredtoCOBie.Draftsofbothdocumentsarecurrentlyavailabletoviewonline(seefurtherreading)andthefinalversionsaredueforpublicationonMay142012.

10.4NORTHERNEUROPE

InnorthernEurope,IFCdatasetsaremorecommonlyrequestedthanCOBie,andclientsveermoretowardsa“besttoolforthejob”approachratherthanspecifyingspecificsoftwarepackages.

Finland’sapproachtobimfocusesfirmlyonthedesignphaseofconstruction,lookingatcollaborationandqualityassurance.Ithelpsthatthecountryhasahistoryofopenstandards.

State-ownedSenatePropertieshasbeenimplementingbiminitsprojects since 2001 and was one of the first public Europeancompaniestopublishitsownbimrequirementsin2007.Theseareavailable in English on the company’s website. The FinnishgovernmenthasrecentlypublishedanationalbimguidelinethatwillbeavailableinEnglishthissummer.

DenmarknowhasalegalrequirementforallpublicprojectstodeliverIFCdatasets,butthegovernmentremainsunwillingtoplaceanyfurtherdefinitionsondeliverymethodsorworkprocesses.

In Norway, bim is a requirement on public projects, and thecountryisoneoftheleadingsupportersoftheopenBIMinitiative.Led by collaborative construction organisation buildingSMART,this aims to create a common bim language and internationalstandardsthatdonotrelyonthespecificationofparticularsoftwarepackages. Nineteen countries – including the UK and most ofnorthernEuropeaswellasChina,KoreaandTurkey–havealreadysignedup.

11.1THEEARLYADOPTER

11

ARCHITECT CASE STUDIES


11

Itwasentirelyselfish.Wetook itonboardbecauseExitech,our

softwareprovider,soldittousonthebasisthatitwouldmakethingsquicker, easier and more efficient. All the things people take forgrantedinitnow.That’swhatsoldittous.

Wetookonfourorfivelicencestobeginwithbutafterafewmonthswedecideditwasworthdivingin.We’dbeenwaitingforsomethingthatcoulddowhatRevitcoulddoatthattime.Itwasfriendlyenoughforourstafftouse.Sowejustwentbothfeetfirstreally.

WehadoneofthelargestordersofRevitatthetime—awhole24licences.Backthenthatwasquiteabigchunk.

Ithinkit’sputusinagoodpositionnow.Wedidourfirstprojectin2005usingRevitinabimmanner,butitwaspurelyinternalatthatpoint.Noonewasreallytalkingaboutbim—clientsweren’tawareofitandmostofourconsultantsweren’tawareofit.NowallofourofficeareusingRevitonadailybasisandwe’remakingsomeheadwaywithbeingoneoftheleadersofbim,actuallydoingitonaday-to-daybasis.

Becausewewereearlyadoptersweknewtherewereflawswithitatthatpoint,sowedidn’twanttoshoutaboutittoomuchasweknew people would find the weaknesses. But now we have theexperienceandthebackcataloguetoshowtopeople.

Thetechnologyisnotquitewherewewantittobeyet.WeaimtobeatLevel3bimandthatdoesn’tworkyetunlessyouco-locate

Name of practice: KSS Group

Number of architects: 36

Number of staff: 73

Practice location: Westminster, London

First use of bim: 2004

Software currently used: Autodesk Building

Design Suite, SketchUp

Level of investment in bim: Estimated

£500,000 since 2004

Number of live bim projects: 34

Biggest project carried out using bim to date:

£250 million sports stadium

Interviewee: Casey Rutland, associate director


11

allofyourdesignteaminoneofficeratherthanhavingeveryoneworkingindifferentofficesononemodel.

That’soneoftheweaknesseswithit.It’snottheorganic,everyone-loading-into-a-single-model, in-the-cloud environment — we’rehopingitwillbethereinthenextfewyearsandthat’swherewe’dliketobe.

CHANGINGATTITUDES

Thebiggestchallengewaschangingthewaypeoplework.Wheneveryou introducenew technologypeoplewill tryand force the waythey’vedonethingsinthepastontothenewprocesses.Bimneedstobedonequickly—it’sarollingday-to-day,week-by-weekprocess.Youcan’tkeepwaitingforthingstobeapproved.

Everyonehascomearoundnow.Wedealtwithresistancethroughexposure.Wesatourolderstaffnexttoyoungermemberssotheycouldseetheiterationsofprojectsappearingovernight.Wedostillhavepeoplewhoworkinacertainmannerbutwe’vefoundwaysofworkingtheirprocessesintoourprocesses.

Contracts are tricky. Currently we’re only working on threeschemeswheretheclientsorcontractorshaverequestedthatweworkinbim.Thisiswherewecomeacrossdifficultnegotiationswithourconsultants—ifthey’renotbeingaskedtodoittheyseeno reason to. So we’re looking for people who are willing. Ourcontractsarethesameastheywereunlessourclientsaskforbimdeliverables.

WedousetheRIBAstages.Asapracticewetendtoover-deliveranyway.We’realwaysafewworkstagesaheadinordertogivetheclientthebestresults.Whenwegettodatadropswe’realwaysslightlyconcernedthatwe’regivingthemmoredatathanthey’veaskedforandgivingtoomuchaway.TheRIBAisalongwayalongthelineofrealigningitsworkstageswiththebimprocessandwe’relookingtofeedintothataswell.

It’strickytosayifwe’vehadreturnoninvestment.We’vespentnearlyhalfamillionsince2004andit’sdifficulttodeterminewhatis for bim and what we would have spent anyway on our otherprocesses.Therecessionthrewabitofaspannerintheworks.Ourteamnumbershavereduced—we’rechurningoutmoreworkandfasterbutwearebeingpaidlessforourprojects.

DOINGTHEWORKOFFOURPEOPLE

ThefirstthingI’ddoifIleftandsetuponmyownwouldbetobuyabimsoftwareplatformbecauseIknowthatifIwasusingbim,Ipersonallycoulddotheworkoffourpeopleina2Denvironment.

Wewouldliketheopportunitytoworkwithmorepeople.Theyjustneedtogetonwithit.We’reinasituationnowwhereifwe’reinaworkflowthat’sbim-basedandwe’reaskedtoworkwithanM&Eengineerwhois2Dbasedit’smorecostandeffortforustoworkwiththem.Themorebimpeoplewehavetoworkwith,thebetter.

11.2THEDOWNSIZINGPRACTICE


11


Name of practice: NC ArchitectsIn2000weboughtthreelicencesofArchiCAD.Wewereusingit

mainlyfor3Dvisualisationatthetime.Oneofthearchitectsthatwe’demployedwasanArchiCADuserandwantedtocontinuetouseit.Weneededthefacilitytodo3D,sowesaidOK.

In 2001 a venture-capital company came to see me anddemonstratedRevit4.1andwethought,well,that’sabigstepup.I’dneverseenaparametricmodelbefore.I’dalwaysenvisagedaproper3Dmodellerwherebyyoumodelledin3DandtookallyourinformationbyslicingthemodelandthiswasthefirstprogramI’dseenwhereyoucouldeffectivelydothat.

Youcouldonlyleaseitonamonthlybasis,butwekeptacloseeyeonit.ItwasabigsurprisewhenAutodeskboughtitandwethought,wellthisisgoingtogoplacesnow.Then,in2004,Revit8cameoutandwethoughtwe’dhavealookatthat,trialledit,thenboughtthesoftwareinFeb2005.Wehadthreelicences.Wehad15staffatthetime.

WestartedtodoalotofvisualisationandalotoftheresidentialplanningworkwithRevit.Wecouldgivetheplannersagood3Drepresentationofwhatwas in theplanningapplicationandthatgaveusadistinctadvantage.

Name of practice: NC Architects


Number of staff: 7

Practice location: Swindon


Software used: Revit, Revit Structures

Level of investment in bim: £60,000



£7 million Ferrari garage for Dick Lovett Group

Interviewee: Derek Marshall, director


11

Thentherecessionhitandin2008wecutourworkforcebyhalf.ButwethendecidedthatwewoulddoallnewworkinRevit.Itwasanopportunity.ThedownturnmeantwecouldlookatRevitandtrainpeopleupinamuchmorethoroughwaywiththetimetodoit.Italsoallowedustorefocusourclientbase.

CORPORATEONLY

Wedecidedwewouldonlyhavecorporateclientsandwecutourclientlistdowntoaboutsixmajorclients.Therecessionwashardbutthoseclientskeptustickingover.HavingRevitmeantwecouldproduceinformationefficientlyandquickly.

Therewasadifferentprocesstobelearntthroughtheoffice.Oneofthemajorthingswasthatassoonasyouenterthedesignstagetheaccuracyofdesignisofparamountimportance.Someofthearchitectsfoundthatdifficultbecausetheywerenotusedtoworkinginsuchdetailandtosuchstrictparameterssoearlyintheproject.

Thatisoneofthefundamentaldifferencesintheworkflow.Oneofthethingsthatwehavelearntisthatthedatafromdesigninabimworkflowhastogofurthersothatinformationhastobeaccurateandcorrectfromdayone.

Thatdidcauseafractiousperiodintheoffice.Buthavingthisaccuracy of information and data input has always been thephilosophyof theoffice.It justneededarefocusof thoughtandtraining.

Usuallywhenyoudesignsomething,initiallyyou’reonlydealingwith spaces and ideas and concepts. So the need to actuallyunderstandthenutsandboltsofthedesignisnon-essential.Butmoving to a bim workflow, it becomes very important for theworkflowintheofficeifyouarenotgoingtohavetoredrawthings.

Obviouslywithasmallerofficeyoucangetthroughthat.Withacoupleofhundredemployeesitmustbeanightmare.

Allourbimprojectsarenewbuild.Becausewe’reoneofthefewsmallpracticesintheareawhounderstandthebimprocess,andwe’re moving into Level 2 bim where we have to work morecollaborativelywithotherparties,we’re findingthatsomeof thelocalbuildersareaskingwhichpracticesare familiarwithabimworkflowprocess.Thishasbeenbroughtaboutbythegovernmentinitiative.AnumberoflocalcontractorsintheareaaredoinglocalauthorityandNHSworkandarebeginningtoaskvariousquestionsaboutwhotogotoforbim.

HOUSE-BUILDERS

The big problem is the national house-builders. They are verytraditionalinthewaytheyprocureworkandhaveaLudditeattitude.Thebimworkflowprocesswouldcostthemnothing,it’sjustthattheyhavetomakeanefforttomakethedecisionsearlieronintheprocess.

IhavetalkedtovariouscontactsandpeoplethatIworkwithbutyoujustseetheshutterscomedown.Idon’tknowwhetherthisis


11


arefusaltounderstanditoriftheythinkit’sgoingtocostthemmoremoney.Notunderstandingtheprocess,theydon’tseethattheycouldsaveatremendousamount.Idon’tthinkanybodyhasdoneastudyofthecoststhatnationalhouse-buildersincurwiththewaythattheydotheirwork.

The only way they’ll change is if they see a cost benefit or ifgovernmentlegislationcomesintoforcethemdownthisroute.

GETTINGTHEINDUSTRYONBOARD

TheFerrarigarage,a£7millionproject,wasvirtuallyrunbyonearchitectbecauseofthebimworkflow.Wewouldhaveputatleastfourpeopleonitinthepast.Ourincomenowisthesameaswhenwehad14people,andwehavejustsevenstaff.It’sverygratifying.

Yes,wecansitherewithallthetechnologyandI’mveryfortunatethatIunderstanditandthatmyboardofdirectorsunderstandthetechnology.We’dliketoseebimprocessesandworkflowsrolledouttoeveryaspectofthebuildingindustry.

Weareabitfrustratedaboutthat.Wearebuildingvirtuallyandobviouslytheaimistoironoutalltheproblemswithdesignandconstruction in the computer and then building what’s in thecomputerwhenwegooutonsite.That’swherethebigsavingswillcome.Wearereadyforthatbutwe’restrugglingtofindotherlike-mindedconsultants,buildersandsub-contractorswhounderstandtheprocess.

Clientswillhaveabigsayingettingbimintotheirconstructionprojects.Thegovernmenthasalreadydoneit.Nowwe’vegottoget

11

alltheotherepoplethatdeveloptounderstandtheprocess.

11.3THEGREENARCHITECT

IfirstusedRevitinversion6someyearsbeforeIjoinedArchitypein2006.WhenIcametoArchitypetheyweredoingsome3Dstuffbutnotanythingthatwouldreallybetermedbim.Thekeythingformewasobservinganumberofpeoplesittingsidebyside,whereonepersonwasdraftingasection,anotherpersondraftinga2Dplanandthensomebodyelseworkingoutthedesignin3D.Whenonepersonresolvedsomethingtheothertwowouldhavetoredrawit.Yougotalotofduplicationofworkandpotentialco-ordinationissues.

Imadeacaseintheofficeforinvestinginbimconceptsothatwecouldgetthedirectgainsandavoidsomeoftheissuesofduplicateworking.Therewerea lotofobstacles.Foronething,ArchitypeworksinaMacenvironmentandIwasproposingRevit,whichwasWindows-based.Therewasgeneralreluctancebyalotofpeopletolearningnewsoftwareandquestionsaboutwhetheritwouldreally

Name of practice: Architype


Number of staff: 36

Practice location: Hereford


Software currently used: Autodesk Revit 2012,

Vectorworks, Ecotect, SketchUp, PHPP (Passivhaus

planning package)

Level of investment in bim:

£70,000 over five years

Number of live bim projects: Six


The Willows, a £17 million secondary and primary

campus for special needs education in

Wolverhampton

Interviewee: Elrond Burrell, associate



11


liveuptothepromises.We’dalreadyhadafewdebatesintheofficeaboutcadstandards

and methods of working, and this sparked off that whole debateagain.Thereisasegmentoftheofficethatsayswhyarewetalkingaboutcad,let’sjustgetonandmakearchitecture.Infactsomuchofthecadstandardaspectofproducingdrawingsistakencareofforyou–thatwasmyexperiencewithRevitandothersoftwareissimilar.

ThenextstepbeyonddebatewasthatbycoincidenceweneededsomenewhardwareandthenewerMacswerecapableofrunningWindowsonvirtualisationsoftware–Parallelsinthiscase,butitcouldhavebeensomethingelse.

GETTINGSTARTED

IinstalledatrialversionofRevitonthenewmachinesand,withapartIstudent,modelledthebasicsoftheprojectwewereworkingoninacoupleofweekstodemonstratehowquicklywecouldproduceusefuldocumentationand3Dvisualisation.ThepartIstudentdidn’thaveanypreviousexperienceofit.

Thatwoneveryoneover.That’swhenwemadetheinitialfinancialinvestmentinhardware,softwareandtraining.Evenifwehadn’tdonethiswewouldhavehadtoupgradeourhardwareanywaysoit’snotallpureinvestmentforthepurposesofbim.

Wejustproceededonthatoneproject,whichisstillthelargestprojectwe’vedonetodate.Wewentinatthedeependandsaidwe’regoingtodoitbecausethebenefitsaresogreatonthisjob,ratherthantestingthewatersonsomethingeasy.WehadanotionalplanBifweneededtobecausewecouldexportthedrawingsoutinDWGformatandworkontheminVectorworks.Butweneverhadtodothat.

Wehadateamofsixpeopleworkinginbimatitsbusiest.Wethenwentdowntojusttwopeopleworkingwithit.Peoplewhohadworkedinbimthenwentontoother jobsandsaid“CanweuseRevit,please?”Itwasledbypeople’sskillsandtheirinterestinusingitratherthanatop-downdiktatsayingeveryoneisgoingtobeusingitfromnowon.

Duringthelastyearwe’vehaddiscussionsbetweentheLondonofficeandtheHerefordofficeaboutwhetherwe’regoingtodoitacrosstheboardorselectively.We’renowintheprocessofmovingtohavingthecapabilitytodoitoneveryprojectinbothofficesbutwe’llstillmakeanassessmentbecausetherearealwaysgoingtobesomecaseswherethearchitectsdon’twanttogoforit.

CONTRACTORDEMAND

Where we get clients asking for it we can say “Yes, we have thecapabilities”. We’ve had a number of jobs now where it’s beenrequested.OnonejobwewereworkingwithalocalauthoritythatusedRevitandwantedtotakethemodelandcarryonwithitwhenwefinishedStageD.

Onadesignandbuildjob,thecontractorspecifiedthattobeon


11

itsteamweneededtobeusingRevit.Itwasseenasbeinghelpfulintermsofwinningthebid–addingvaluefortheclient.

Wehadanotherjobwhereweweretheclient’sarchitectsandalsobeingnovated–butthecontractorsideofitisbeingsoldonthebimprocess.There’sonlyoneprojectwherewe’vehadtheend-userclientspecifythatitwantedbim,becauseitwasalocalauthority.Allthedemandhasbeenfromtheconstructionteamsidereally.

Usingbimbothisandisn’taboutefficiency.Becauseitoffersyoualotmoreyouendupdoingalotmoreforyourownbenefit.It’sabitlikeanytool,whenitmakesyoumoreefficientyoudon’tdothejobquicker,youjustendupdoingmorethings.Someofthemoremundanetasksaremanagedmoreefficiently.

Peoplearethinkingmoreintermsofhowthey’reconstructingabuilding rather than just drawing lines on a piece of paper or ascreen. They are thinking about the buildability, about theconstructionofwhatthey’redesigning.It’shardtoquantify.Itdoesreducetheduplicationofwork—ontheotherhandit’seasyforpeopletogetsuckedintothemodellingmorethantheyneedto.

PASSIVHAUS

Weseebimasaparticularlyusefultool intermsofdesigningtoPassivhausstandard.There’ssomuchemphasisongettingthefabrictoperformwellandeliminatingthethermalbridging,closingthegap between design and reality. You can cut a section throughanywhereandmakesurethatthedesigniswhatyouthinkitisandprovidethatinformationtothecontractorsotheycanactuallybuildwhatyou’vedesigned.Theproductionsideofthingsisgreat,butwewanttoseeitreallysupportingustodesignbuildingsthatreallyperformaswepromise.

Idon’tthinkbiminitselfmakescollaborationeasier,butitdoessupportthecollaborationprocess.Youcansitdowntogetherasateamandseewhat’shappeninganywhere.Therearealotoftimeswhenthecontractorssuddenlyunderstandwhatthedesignisabout,whereaswithadrawingthewholesituationisn’talwaysobvious.Itdefinitelyformsausefulandgraphicpartofthatprocess.

Itisbrilliantwhenwesendourmodelofftotheengineersandtheysendtheirsbackandwecanliterallyseewheretheirbeamsareinourbuilding.But itdoesn’treplacesittingdowntogetherandlookingatittogether.

Intermsofclientconsultation,a3Dmodelmeansthattheycanunderstandwhattheirroomlookslike.Westillusecardmodels,butbeingabletodoitforanyroomanywherewhenyouneedto.

TRAINING

Wedidamixtureofformaltrainingandpeoplelearningonthejob.Mostpeoplehadtwoorthreedays’formaltrainingfromanexternalcompany.Wehadatrainercomeinagainandsitwithpeopleattheirdeskwhiletheyweredoingaprojecttasktoseeiftheyknewwhattheyweredoingorneededhelp,whichwasgreat.

We’vealsohadothermorebespoketrainingsessions,andwedo


11


alotofin-housead-hoctrainingonthejob.We’reintheprocessofsettingupamoreformalin-houseknowledgesharingaswell,butwe’reusuallysobusydoingthejobthatit’shardtofindtime.

ADVANTAGES

Wecanhavefewerpeopleproducethesamenumberofdrawings.Forspaceschedules,weusedtospenddaysgoingthroughExcelspreadsheetscheckingthebriefingareasagainstwhatourcurrentareaswere.Inamodelwecanmakechangesaswegoalongandchecktheschedulesstraightaway.That’samassivetimesaver.Onceyou’vegotabuildingmodelledyoucantakesectionsanywhere.

Ithinkthatwe’relargelyconverted.Ididapresentationtotherestofthemanagementteamlaterlastyearandeveryonetherewascompletelywonover.Peoplewhohaven’tuseditmightstillbeslightlysceptical,butit’sonlyamatteroftime.

11.4THEDISAPPOINTEDUSER


11

Iknewthatultimatelywewantedtouseit.Iwasgettingfrustrated.

I’vebeenusingSketchUpforabout10yearsnowandreallyloveitbutitislimitedbythefactthatonceyou’vemadethemodelit’shardtoextractmorethanjustthemodelfromit.Thewaybimissoldisthatyoubuildthemodelandthenatapressofabuttonyougetallyour informationfromit,so itseemedasensiblestep forall thereasonsthattheysay.

Welookedatvariousoptions.WestartedlookingattheAutodesksuite,atArchitecturalDesktopwhichwasabout£6-7,000foroneseat.Thatwasalotofmoneyatthetime.Revithadonlyjuststartedbecomingmorepopularandwasn’tasbigasitisnow.Graphisoftofferedwhatseemedtobethebestvalueformoneybecauseoneseatwasabout£600.

Soitwasadecisionbasedonthefactthattheredidn’tappeartobeverymuchtodistinguishbetweenthedifferentpackages,andwithGraphisoftitisinterchangeablewithDWGandyoucanjustpullthingsinandout,anditisalsothebestvalueformoney.

Weboughtthreelicencesandwestillonlyhavethreebecauseoftheproblemswe’vehadwithit.Wewentforsometrainingin-housetostartwith,andwealsohadsometrainingwheretheycametovisit us in our office. We had already started modelling up this

Name of practice: St Ann’s Gate

Number of architects: Six

Number of staff: 10

Practice location: Salisbury


Software currently used: ArchiCAD, AutoCAD,

SketchUp, Photoshop, InDesign

Level of investment in bim: £4000



£1.6 million church extension

Interviewee: Melanie Latham, partner


11


buildingwhichwasfairlycomplicatedbutshouldhavebeenfeasible.Theinitialtrainingmisledusslightlyintermsofhowbesttouse

thesoftware,butmybugbearreallyisthattheymadeitsoundasifonceyou’vebuiltyourmodelthere’snothingelsetodo.

AndIthinkthat’sthebigproblemwithbim–we’remadetobelievethatit’seffortless.HadourexpectationsnotbeenraisedsohighattheoutsetIthinkourlearningcurvewouldnothavebeensofrustrating.

HISTORICBUILDINGS

Ourpractice,andthesortofworkwedo,isabigfactor.Ifwewereapracticethatjustdidnewhousesfromscratchitwouldbeamucheasierpackagetousebutwe’retryingtotacklealotofexistingoldbuildings, which are not easy to model. You can do it but it’scomplicatedandtime-consuming.

Wedealwithecclesiasticalworkaswell,andwedealwithalotof listed properties. We have long-standing clients with 2D cadrecordsthatgobackalongwayandchangingthatisn’treallyfeasible.So we have to keep the two prongs going. Moving between onepackageandanotherconstantlydoesn’thelp—Ithinkyouneedtoimmerseyourselfinbimfullytoreallygetthebenefitsfromitandwedidn’thavetheluxury.

Wegottoacertainstagewiththemodelonourfirstattemptandtheprogrammeforthebuildingworkwaslooming.Becauseofthetraining having been inadequate, we basically had to exporteverythingandfinishitincad.Wechalkedituptoexperienceandacceptedthatitwaspartofthelearningcurve.

Wedidperseverewithitandgotthetrainertocomeandhavealookatourmodelandgiveussomefeedbackonwhatwe’ddoneanditslowlystartedtotranspirethatwedohavetodoquitealotmoredrawingin2Dinbimthanwehadbeentold.I’mprettysurethatmostofthemworkonthesamebasis.

POORQUALITYDRAWINGS

Whenyoupullthe2Ddrawingsoffthemodelthereisstillquiteabitofworktobedonetotidyupthosedrawingsandyou’renevertoldthat,whichisabitofaconreally.Hadwebeentoldthatattheoutsetwewouldhavebeenabletoknowwhentodrawthelineonthemodelanditwouldhavesavedustime.

Ifyou’reawareofwhatthesoftwarecandobestyoucanmakethemostof it,otherwise it’s incredibly frustrating.We’vegotahighstandardofoutputofdrawingsandwewantedtoensurethatthatqualitywasmaintained.Thedrawingsthatwereoutputfromthemodelwereprettycrap.

It’salmostasifthemanufacturersdon’twanttoadmitthatthesoftwarehaslimitationsandotherusersseemtobeevangelicalorstrugglewithitbutdon’twanttoadmittheystrugglewithit.Youdon’tknowwhethertospeakoutorifyoudon’tjustgetit.You’reimmediatelyshouteddownasabitofaLuddite.

LIMITATIONS


11

Fouroutofthesixarchitectshavetrieditandwe’veallhadthesameexperiencewithit.We’reallfairlycomputerliterateandappreciatethere’salearningcurve.Wecan’tjustswitchoverandjustuseitfromnowonadinfinitum.

It’snotanintuitiveprogramme,youhavetolearnhowtouseitandyoudoneedpracticeandevenifyou’regoodatit,itdoeshavelimitations.

IthinkpeopleliketheRIBAshouldbelookingintothistoassesswhether these limitations are a serious issue. It’s not actually astime-savingonsomejobsasit’smadeouttobe.

There is also the issue of being seen by your peers as lessersomehowfornotachievingit.Idon’tknowwhetherornotthathasanimpactonworkloadforpeople.Thesoftwareshouldbeaboutmakingmylifeeasier,andifitisn’tandit’snotmorecost-effectiveformyclients,thenIwouldn’trecommendit.I’mnotgoingtobeembarrassedbysayingthisisn’ttherightprojectforit.

Themorepeopletellyouthesethingsthemoreyoustartpanickingaboutit.Wewillperseverebutitwilltakeparticularprojects.We’vehaditintheofficeforthebestpartoffouryearsnowandwehaven’tseenanyjobsthatwe’vedoneonitmakeaprofit.It’snotasquickandaseasyaspeoplemakeout.

It’snotaone-size-fits-allsolution.Smallerpracticesarebeingmadetothinkthatifthey’renotinitthey’regoingtobeouttheloopforever.ButIdon’tthinkitisforeverybody.

Mostof thecontractors Iknowstillwantpaper2Ddrawings.Therearesomepeopleouttherewhoworkonthecloudconstantlyandmake therestofus feel likeLuddites,but they’renot in themarket for the sort of work that we’re doing. There’s amisunderstanding that what they’re doing applies to smallerpracticesintheprovinces.

11.5THEACCIDENTALUSER


11


Wedidn’trealisewewereusingbim.WeinitiallyboughtRevit[by

Autodesk]becausewecouldseeproductivityadvantagesinstayingin a single environment all the way through the process — theadvantagesthatareinherentinthesoftwareratherthanbydoingbim. It was only really later that we started to understand whatintegratedprojectdeliverywas.

Whatweweredoingpreviouslywasmodellingourprojectsin3DbutinRhinoandthenreverseengineeringtheminto2Ddrawings.Thatprocesshada lotofwaste in itbecausewewereeffectivelydoingthingstwice.

We looked at all of the big software players but the decisionprobably came down to the enthusiasm of the reseller we weretalkingto,becausetheycouldallprettywelldothesamething.

Straight away we felt that we were getting productivityadvantages,justdoing3Dmodellingusingthesoftware.Forsmallpractices,thatispossiblebecausethesortsofprojectsthatyoustartonaretheoneswhereyoucanavoidbeingoverwhelmedbythenewsoftware.

Ourfirstprojectwasa£1millionresidentialschemethatwasverystraightforward.Wecompletedtheinitialtraining—threedayswiththethreetechnicalstaffwehadatthetime—andjumpedstraight

Name of practice: David Miller Architects

Number of architects: Six

Number of staff: 10

Practice location: Central London


Software currently used: Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino

Level of investment in bim: £30,000 a year for

the past four years

Number of live bim projects: At least 12


Oaklands School, a £10 million school secondary

school in Tower Hamlets, east London.

Biggest job taken to planning: a £22.5 million

hotel in Aldgate

Interviewee: David Miller, director and principal

architect


11

intotheproject,butifwehadgotintoapicklewewerealwaysinasituationwherewecouldreverseoutinto2D.Idon’tthinkabiggerpracticewithbiggerprojectscouldhavehadthatsameluxury.

BIMCHAMPION

Justovertwoyearsagowecommittedtousingthesoftwareonallofourprojectsandatthatpointwehiredabimchampion—anarchitectcalledLetiziaSimoni—tocarryoutallofourin-housetraining. She also had a post-graduate degree in buildinginformationmodelling.

Sheeffectivelydevelopeda trainingprogrammespecific tous,whichbrokedownaboutsixdays’worthoftraininginto40-minutebite-sizedpieces.Peopleweren’thavingtotakebigchunksoftimeoutofprojects.Itmadeitquiteentertaining.Allnewstartersdid“bimbootcamp”forthefirstweekthattheywereintheoffice,justdoingtrainingbeforetheyhadanyprojectdistractions.

When you are developing your bim capability, I think youdefinitelyneedabimchampion.Butnowwehaveblownthatroleapart.Wenowhavelotsofbimchampionsfordifferentpartsoftheprocess.Whattheydoisdeveloptheirskillsandthen—becausewearesmall—theysharethemwitheveryoneelse,sothere’snolongeraneedforsomeonewhoiseffectivelyasuper-user.

COLLABORATION

InitiallyIdon’tthinkclientswereawarethatwewereusingbimbecauseourdeliverablesareusuallystill2Ddrawings.Butmorerecentlyclientshavebecomemoreinterestedandveryinquisitiveaboutit.

We knew that we were getting productivity advantages fromworkinginoursilo,inourlonelybimenvironment,butthenwebegantocollaboratewithengineers.

Ithinkthere’ssomethingaboutthelogicoftheprocessthat’sveryattractivetostructuralengineers.M&Eengineershavebeenmoredifficult to find, but that’s more to do with the procurementstructure.WehavethoughtaboutgettingmoreinvolvedwithM&E.

We’re conscious that bim is almost an opportunity for multi-disciplinarypracticestobecomefashionableagain—orcertainlycollaborative teams. If we were bigger we’d like to be multi-disciplinary. But as a smaller practice we need to find otherconsultants we can form teams with to offer an integratedpropositiontoclients.

Being a smaller practice helps — we’ve not had change-managementissues.Ithinkforabiggerpracticethere’squitealottodealwithapartfromjustbuyingthesoftware.Wedon’thavetoconvince middle management. We were able to just make thedecisionandimplementit.Thebarrierofentryisreallycostforasmallpractice.

We’veactuallytrackedwhatwethinktheimplicationhasbeen.Ifyoulookatthecostoftheinvestmentnexttoyourothercostsand


11

yourtechnicalstaffcostsitisn’tthatlarge.Ifyou’vegotgoodstaffandyou’reabletogivethemtoolsthatmakethemmoreproductiveyou’re going to get payback in the long term. We believe we’rebeginningtoseethatnow.Itdoestakealittlewhile.Onceyougettoalevelofexperienceyouareabletodomorewithless,tobemoreefficient.

WehavequiteabigprojectatthemomentonLissonGroveforWestminsterCouncilandthebimtoolshaveallowedustodevelopthatprojectveryquicklyindeed,whichwasoneoftherequirementsofthebrief.

We’vedoneatrialCOBiedatadrop.Itworkedbutreallywe’restilltryingtounderstandexactlyhowtoimplementit,andwhetheritwillchangethetraditionalworkflow.IftheCOBiedatadropineffectcreatesgatewaysintheproject,thenthosemaywellbecomethemilestonespeopleareworkingtoratherthantheRIBAstages.

STAGESOFWORK

Becausethewayyou’reproducinginformationinabimenvironmentisstructureddifferentlytotheRIBAstagesofworkitdoesmakeitnecessarytodevelopanewRIBAPlanofWork.

Atthemomentwe’vedevelopedourownversion.We’vetakentheRIBAPlanofWorkandwrittenourownbimplanofwork,tohelpusunderstandwhatourworkflowwouldbewiththetoolswe’vegotatthemoment.

Becausewe’re smallandweweregrowing,we’vebeenable tostructurethewaythatwerunthebusinessaroundthebimworkflow.Because it’s very process-driven, that’s led into ISO9001 andISO14001.Becausethebimprocessisverystructured,youcanbuildyour design smanagement process around what’s becomingavailable.

11.6THECOLLABORATIVEARCHITECT


11


Werecognisethattechnologyisnotjustasupportfunction.It’sabusiness driver. By using the right technology you can gain acompetitiveadvantageandmakelifeawholeloteasier,butyoudohavetomatchthattechnologyquitecloselytothebusinessprocess.

Wewouldapplythat toanytechnology,be itwordprocessingsoftwareorabimprocess.Weverymuchfocusontheprocessfirstandthenmatchthetechnologytothat.Bimisnotsomethingyoucanjustgoandbuy.Youhavetogettheprotocolcorrectoritwillfail.

Wewereusingacollaborativecadsystem15yearsago,butina2Denvironment.Youcouldsaythatwasabimenvironmentbecauseitwascollaborativeacrossouroffices.

Theprinciplesofcollaborativeworkingwerequitefamiliartous.WewereusingproductslikeCodeBookforhealthcareplanningandsoon—ittakesbriefinginformationandpresentsthatasdrawninformationonthecaddrawingtoenableyoutoschedulerooms,accommodationschedules,equipmentschedules,automaticallyfor2Dcad.Bimisn’tnecessarilyabout3D.

PILOTPROJECT

Name of practice: HLM


Number of staff: 130

Practice locations: Sheffield, Belfast, Cardiff,

Glasgow, London, Plymouth, Johannesburg,

Pretoria, Abu Dhabi

First use of bim: 1990s

Software currently used: ArchiCAD, Artlantis,

Cinema 4D, SketchUp, 3D Studio Max, Piranesi

Level of investment in bim: £200,000 over last

two years



£41 million education building

Interviewee: Marcus Earnshaw,

associate director IT


11


Wecollaboratedina2Denvironmentforquitesometimeuntilwegot to a place where we could experiment with 3D exchange ofinformation,whichwedidinthefirstwaveoftheSheffieldBSFprogramme around six years ago, exchanging information withengineers.

Wefoundthatstructuralengineershadbeendesigningina3Dworld perhaps a little longer than we had, so they were keen toembracethat,totakeourinformationandgiveustheirs.Wewereinvolvedwithaboutnineschoolsonthatteam,butweonlycompletedoneasa3Dbimproject.Itwasverymucha3Dbimpilotfortheteaminvolved.

Wecarriedonpredominantlyina2Denvironment.Althoughthatinitialexperimentworkedforus,itwasabitoflearningcurveandwasalittlebitslower.Butwethoughtwewoulddoitagainwiththerightprojectandtherighttime,ratherthanjustsayingwe’regoingto do it on all of them. The projects that came along just lentthemselvesmoretothe2Dformat.

NEWSOFTWARE

TwoyearsagowemadethedecisiontomovefromMicroGDStoArchiCAD.We’reinvesting£300,000overathree-yearperiod.Wewere lookingattheprocesswewantedtofollowanditwasverymuchtoenhancethebimprocesswefeltwewerealreadyfollowing.Werecognisedthatthesoftwarewewereusingwasn’tasgoodasalternativesoutthere.Oursoftwarewasn’tperhapsuptowhatwewantedtodo.

WetestedRevitandArchiCADtodecidewherewecouldgonextandwhat softwarewould fitaroundourprocess.We found thatArchiCADwasabetterproductforus.OurdesignerspreferredthelookandfeelofArchiCAD,andthefactthatitgaveyoumorefreedom.Italsosupportsanopenbimenvironment,whichwefeltwaskey.

Openbimisacampaignthat’sbeenledbyGraphisofttopromotenon-proprietaryfileexchanges.Everybodyuseswhateversoftwaretheywanttousebutmakingsuretheycanalltalktoeachotherinanopenway.

Wehadtodecideonastrategyonhowweweregoingtomakethechange.Wedecidedweweren’tgoingtoinstantlyconvertallourcurrentprojectsandbuynewsoftwareforthewholecompany.Thatwouldhavebeentoocostly.Sowedecidedthatallnewprojectswould be done with the new software and we looked at puttingtogethertrainingandnewprocessesforthenewsoftware.

Itwasreallywelcomedbyourstaff.Theywerereallyenthusiastic.We’re finding thatpeopleare reallyembracing the technology

benefitstheyarebeinggiven.Theycanseetheefficienciesofonlyhavingtodothedrawingonce.Obviouslythere’strainingrequired,buteverybodyseemstohavecometogripswithitprettyquickly.Itseemsalotmoreintuitiveinthewaypeoplecreatetheirinformation.

In terms of whether it’s worth the money, it’s very difficult toquantify.You’dbepayingsoftwaresupportwhateversystemyou


11

were going to use, and using bim software does mean you areworkingmoreefficiently.

TIMEFORTRAINING

Itwasimportantfortrainingtohappenattherighttime.Wetrainedprojectbyprojectsothattheguyscouldleavethetrainingroomandstartlearninginaliveenvironmentratherthanwaitingthreeorfourmonthsandforgettingwhatthey’dlearnt.

We’vetriedtodevelopin-houseexpertssothatsomeonefromthefirstprojectwouldbemovedontothesecondproject,sotheycouldsharetheirexpertise.

Our next step is to enhance the way we work with otherconsultants,clientsandcontractors.We’veworkedverysuccessfullywith some consultants and undertaken a lot of research anddevelopmentwithothers.Weexchangeprotocolsandlookatourbimstrategiesjointly.WeexchangeIFCmodelstolookathowwecanbringinformationinandoutbeforeweevenstartworkingonaproject.We’vefoundthatit’sverymuchaboutcommunication.

Someclientsareawareofbimbutit’sveryearlydaysforalotofpeople.Wearemeetingwithasmanypeopleaswecanwhoshareourknowledgethatwe’vegatheredthis farandaskingpeople tocomeonthatjourneywithus.

Atthemomentthey’reaskingforthebimmodelbutnotalwaysknowingwhatthey’regoingtodowithit.Someareveryswitchedonandwilluseitinthewayitisintendedtomanagetheirfacilityforthefulllifecycle.ThereisextravalueintheoutputcertainlybutIdon’tknowwhetherwe’dchargeextraforthat.

Idon’tthinkithaschangedthingstoomuch.Theeffortcurveisbroughtalotearlierintheproject.Thereisstillapointwherewehandeverythingover.Someofthebimprojectswe’vebeeninvolvedwithhaven’tnecessarilybeentakenuponbythecontractorsortheclient,buthavebeencollaborationswiththeconsultants.Inalotofcaseswe’restillbeingaskedforatraditional2Doutput.

It’snotasifwedecidedwewantedtogointobimandneededtospendhalfamillionpoundstodoit.Wehadaveryforward-thinkingtechnologystrategyalready.

11.7THEBIGINVESTOR


11

WeusesoftwareboughtbyCapitaGroupandwejustpayausefee,whichisanadvantage.Wehaveanumberofpeoplewhohavedonetrainingcoursesandtheybecomekeypeopleontheprojects.WeareinvestingmoreonprojectsbecausemostoftheworkisdoneupfrontasopposedtothenormalRIBAfeescalesoweinvestmostofourtimeandrevenueonthat.

Theadvantagesinbimarereallyforclientsandcontractors,soweareinvestingintheriskthey’reundertakingbyresourcingupfrontwhileresourcingfordesign.We’vegotmorefreedomtodothatbecausewe’rebankrolledbytheCapitaGroup,That’sthemajoradvantagethatalotofsmallerpracticeswon’thave.

Withclientslookingformoreaccuratetenderpricesinthismarket,having a co-ordinated scheme up front gives a more accurateoutcomeattheendoftheproject.Marketpressurestopulldowncostsandriskonprojectshavebeenthemaindriverforouradoption.AllnewprojectsfromJulythisyearwillbeinbim.

Infactwehaveusedtheprinciplesofbiminitsessenceforalotlonger.Butwhenwebecameinvolvedincontractor-ledprojectsontheprisonside—takingontheco-ordinationofalltheworkupfront,providingthecontractorswithaco-ordinatedbuildingscheme

Name of practice: Capita Symonds


Number of staff: 436 (in the architectural division)

Practice location: Eight studios, centred on

London, Birmingham and Cardiff


Software currently used: Revit, AutoCAD,

MicroStation 3D, SketchUp


Number of live bim projects: Eight


Belmarsh Prison — £100 million

Andrew Pryke, design director


11

veryearlyon—weimmediatelysawtheadvantages.With clients looking for more accurate tender prices in this

market,havingaco-ordinatedschemeupfrontgivesamoreaccurateoutcomeattheendoftheproject.Marketpressurestopulldowncostsandriskonprojectshavebeenthemaindriversforouradoptionofbim.

Thefirstfullbimprojectwe’vedonewasBelmarshPrison,whichcompletedaboutsixmonthsago.We’venowgotanotherprojectonsitenearingcompletion.PartofBelmarshgotBreeamoutstandingandtherestgotexcellent.

ItwasdonebytheLondonstudio,whichisfairlyadvancedwithitscadskillsandindelivery.Gettingtherightpeoplewhoarepositiveandhavetakenonboardtheadvantagesfortheteamofhavingthisresourcemeansthattheprocessnaturallyevolves.

Whatitdoesmeanisthatpeopleupfrontneedtoknowhowtobuild a building, which can’t be a bad thing. Every line meanssomethingandhasavalue.

BUILDINGMAINTENANCE

Wehaveareal-estateandamanagementdivision,andthebimmodelisusefulforthemtoco-ordinatebuildingsandmaintenanceinthefuture.It’sanidealtooltodothat.

Wearedevelopingafeasibilitymodelthatcanbetakenatveryearlystages—abuildinginformationmodelthatyoucosttogiveyourentalvaluesandenergycostsfor,say,anofficeblock.Andwe’relookingtopluginplanningdatatogiveyouanideaofthelikelihoodof winning planning. We are working on the research anddevelopmentofthatwithAutodesk.

Onceyouhavemadeyourtargetsclearfromtheoutsetandyou’redesigningupfront,theenvironmentalsidecanbemonitoredandvaluedfromtheoutset.Youcanrevieweverythingandseeexactlywhatit’sachieving.Onceyou’vegotyourheadaroundwhatit’sdoing—andwhyit’sdoingit—itbecomesverylogicalandyouthink:“Whywasn’tthisdonebefore?”

TheQSrolechangesbecauseyoucancostfromthemodel.Sowhatdoesthatrolebecome?Alotofcostconsultantsarelookingatwhethertheyshouldbecomebimmanagers.It’sdesigndriven,somynaturalinclinationisthatitshouldbeadesignerleadingthebimmanagementside.Itneedsanall-roundertodrivethatrole.

RECRUITMENT

WhenwerecruitedpeoplefromKingstonUniversityandtheMacinthepastitwasmainlybecausethey’ddevelopedbuildabilityskills—theyknewhowtodesignandbuild.

We’relookingatwhatskillspeoplecomeoutofuniversitywith,butifsomeoneisbrightenough—andmostarchitectsshouldbe—theyshouldbeabletoadapttonewprocessandthinking.Butwedonowaskifsomeonehas“bimed”before.Itisusefulifsomeonehasthoseskillswhentheywalkinthedoor.

Asarchitectsweareoftenleadingthebimsideofprojects.We’rebecomingbimmanagersnow—thoseskillsarebecomingmoreand


11

moreimportantsoifsomeonehasthemitwouldbearealadvantage.ButIalwayslookforagooddesigner.Ifthey’rebrighttheycouldpickthesethingsup.

Wesendpeopleofffortrainingandtheypassitaround.Wehavehadabimco-ordinationgroupforawhileandwepassinformationaroundthewholegroup—CapitaSymondsemploysabout4,000people.

Therearequiteafewwhotreattheircadskillsasahobby—there’salwayssomebodywhowantstoshowpeoplewhattheycandoandpassiton.Themajorityofourarchitectsarenowbim-skilledtoanextent,eveniftheyhaven’trunthroughaprojectyet.

Alotofclientsareaskingforbimdeliverablesbecausealotofthem are doing government work. We’re doing two large officebuildingsinNigeriaonthebasisthattheUK-basedclienthasseentheadvantagesofthemodelandtheywanttoreducetherisk.

It’sanessentialpartof therequirement todothework.We’rewinningworkbecausewehavetheskills.Contractorsarecomingtousbecauseofitandit’sakeypartofwinningworkatthemoment.

Weworkinallsectors.Microstationisessentiallyrequiredbytherail sector, by Network Rail. AutoCAD has been the standardsoftwarepackageforthewholecompanybutRevitisnowtakingover.Ithinkit’smoreversatile.

TheprojectsinNigeriaareessentiallybeingdoneinRevitbutourNigerianpartnersaren’tquiteuptospeedsothatwillbemovedoverintoAutoCADpost-planning.

Theidealistostartinonesoftwarepackageandcarryonthrough.ThatiswhatwewillbedoingforallUKprojectsfromJuly.Itjustdoesn’tmakesensetodohalfandhalf.

11.8THESMALLPRACTICE


11

In terms of full adoption, all the bim projects we’re working on

currentlyarethroughtoplanningstagebutareatvariousstagesofconstruction.We’venotcompletedaprojectwithfullbimyet.

Itcameintothepracticebecauseofme.Ibegantousebiminthemid-1990sasastudentatBirminghamSchoolofArchitecture.I’vebeenusingArchiCADsincearound1995.

IuseditthroughoutmyarchitecturaleducationandthenwhenIjoinedAxisasayear-outstudentIstartedtointroduceitintothepractice.Inaround2003wecommittedtothepurchaseofonelicenceofArchiCADanduseditsparinglyontheoccasionalproject.

It tookme from2003 to2011 to finallymuster thecourage toswitchtheentireofficeovertobim.Itshouldhavebeenearlierandthat’ssomethingIdeeplyregret.

Thechallengeforasmallpracticelikeoursisthecapitalcost.Itwasabouthavingconfidenceinthebodyofworkwewereabouttoenterintoatthatpointintheyear.Butalsoitwasaboutchoosingapointatwhichourstafflevelsweresuitedtoaswitchandtotraining.In2011wehadareductioninstaffandwechosetoinvestinbimtohelpusthroughthatreductioninmanpower.Ithashelpedverymuch.

IMPROVEDDRAWINGQUALITY

Name of practice: Axis Design

Number of architects: Two

Number of staff: Six

Practice location: Birmingham


Software used: Graphisoft ArchiCAD, SketchUp




£3.5 million housing scheme

Interviewee: Rob Annable, director


11

Ourproductionlevelshaveimprovedandourdrawingqualityhasimproved.WearereadyforfullcollaborationwithbimLevel2withothermembersoftheconstructionsector.We’rejustabouttoembarkonsomeprojectsexperimentingwiththat.Wehavearelativelysmalldomesticproject—awholehouseretrofit—andwe’recollaboratingwith 3D laser-scanning service providers. We are just about toembarkonthedrawingsforahousingschemeinBirminghamandwearehopingtointroducebimcollaborationopportunitiestotheothercontractorsandteammembers.

We’vemadeextensiveuseofbimtoimproveourresearchanddesignworkinthePassivhausfield.That’soneofmanyaspectstoit. It’s demonstrated its benefits in terms of speed of drawingapplicationunderpressurefortightdeadlinesandit’salsoallowedustoextendthequalityofourenergyperformanceassessment.

Forusoneofthebiggestchallengeshasbeenusingthesoftwareonhousinglayoutsites.Youmightarguethatbimishistoricallyaimed at individual building design. It becomes a slightly morecomplicatedprocesssometimeswhenyou’reworkingacrossasitewithanumberofdifferentbuildings.Managingthatwithinamodelisquitechallenging.

Thereisaveryimportantaspectfordebatebytheprofession.Weareproducing informationthatcontainsmoredetail in theearlystagesthanwewouldtraditionallyhavecommittedto.Thechallengeislearninghowtoshareandprovideorissuethatinformationattheappropriatetimefortheclient.

WhatIwouldsayabouthowitchangesthewayyoudesignisthatitisencouragingmystafftoconsiderthephysicalconstructionofbuildingelementsinamoreintegratedwayandatanearlierstage.

PAIDFORITSELF

Ithaspaidforitself.WemadethefullswitchinSeptemberlastyear.I’ve not done any work to measure that, but the production ofinformationhasimprovedandwehavehadmoreopportunitiestowinwork,sobimhaspaidforitselfalreadyinthataspect.

Westartedwithdedicatedtrainingfortherestofthestaffsuppliedbyourvendoroverafour-dayperiodsplitintotwodifferentevents.That’sbeenallthatwasnecessary.Beyondthatit’sin-house,withsupportfromme,andtutorialsandhow-toinformationfromblogsandwebsites.Wewillneedtoconsideradedicatedperiodoftrainingforanyonenewthatcomesintotheofficenow,whichisn’tsomethingwewouldhavedonebefore.

Wehaven’tneededtomakeanychangestoourhardware.That’soneof the reasonswhyIchoseArchiCAD.Thecapitalcostsaremuchlesspainfulwiththesoftwarechoicewemadebecausethetrainingcostsareprettyminimalandthehardwarecostswerenon-existent.Wewillconsiderahardwareinvestmenttodealwithlargerschemes,butwe’venotbeenforcedtochangeourhardwarechoicesatall.

11.9THESOLEPRACTITIONER


11

Isetupmypracticein2010doingamixtureofdesignprojectsand

researchprojects.Thedesignprojectsincludeafeasibilitystudyfornew-buildresidentialinLondon,anartgalleryandapartmentinHampsteadandanofficerefurbishment.

The practice’s research projects come from my background inhousingdesignconsultancy.IworkfortheGLAonhousingresearchandpolicyprojectsandIalsodospecialresearchintothehistoryofhousingdesign.

Iwasintroducedtobimbyaformercolleaguein2010whenIstartedmyownpractice.WecollaboratedonasmallprojectandIsawitinactionforthefirsttime.SoonafterthatIboughtacopyofArchiCAD.

I originally bought ArchiCAD SE 2010 and I upgraded just amonthago—Ispentabout£1,400ontheoriginalprogrammeanda further £800 upgrading. It was a choice between that andVectorworks,butVectorworksdoesn’thavethesamecapabilitiesandatthetimeArchiCADwasalsofractionallycheaper.

TheoptionIuseisArchiCAD15Solo—andbasicallythereweretworeasonswhyIwasattractedtoit.You’reabletohaveverygood

Name of practice: Emily Greeves Architects

Number of architects: One

Number of staff: Two

Practice location: Westbourne Park, London


Software currently used: ArchiCAD 15 Solo


Number of live bim projects: Four


£1.5 million housing development of nine units

Interviewee: Emily Greeves, founder and director


11

controloflineweights,textlayoutsandfonts,andyou’reabletoproduce quite good presentation drawings quickly. The bimcapabilities seemed very good as well, and it came highlyrecommendedfrommyfriend.I’vestillgotonelicenceandIshareitwithmyassistant.

Iuseitinthreedifferentwaysdependingontheproject.Oneisusingthesoftwarethewayitwasdesignedtobeused:youbuildamodel using these customisable objects — smart objects. It’s anapproximationoftheactualdesigncreatedusingtheoptionsyou’regiven.Thenyoupreciselydefineeachelementasadetaileddrawing.Workinginthatwayyoucanveryeasilyroughoutamodelofarealproposalwhichisveryusefulforcompetitionsandthingslikethat.

Thesecondwayofusingitistoactuallymodeleverything—tomakeamodelofalltheinternaljoineryusingthespecificsizesofelementsyou’reproposing—andI’vedonethatforarefurbishmentprojectandfoundthattobeveryuseful.

Andthenthethirdwayistocommunicatequicklywithastructuralengineerabouttrickycornersinaproject–I’vedonearoughmodelandemailedimagesofthatovertohimandwewereabletohaveamoredetailedconversationmorequicklyaboutadesignthathe’slessfamiliarwith.

Thebeautyofitisbeingabletocollaboratewithyourdesignteam.NotalltheconsultantsIworkwithregularlyhavethecapabilitytocollaborateonthemodelorevenviewthemodelsoit’snotreallyacollaborativetoolyet.

AllofmyclientshavebeenprivateclientssoIwouldn’texpectthemtoknowaboutthis.AndIdon’tthinkit’ssomethingthatI’vetoldthemaboutactually.

Allofmyknowledgeofbimisself-taught.ButIdon’tthinkIuseallofitscapabilities.

ArchiCADisquiteintuitive.Ittookmealittlewhiletoworkoutthemoreadvancedfeaturesbutwhenmyemployeestarteditonlytookhimaboutthreeweekstogetquiteproficient.

Itbringsefficienciesintermsofthemanagingofdrawingsetsand updating drawings as designs change. That’s not to beunderestimated—it’squitegoodnewsforsmallpractitioners.

Thegovernmentistryingtodefinebimasacollaborativeprocessratherthanaworkflowsystemwhereassomearchitectsseeitasadrawingtool.Ihavenochanceofgettingany£5millionprojectssoIhaven’tbeenfollowingthatdebate.

11.10THEARCHITECTURALTECHNOLOGIST


11

Bothmyco-directorandIwerehealth-servicearchitectsandwe’dbeen using AutoCAD AEC for a number of years. It was a 3Dprogrammeheadinginthedirectionofinteroperability.Wewerefindingitabitrestrictive.Somanypeoplewanted3Delementsoutofitandwefounditwasn’tsuitablesowemovedovertoArchiCAD.

WelookedatRevitandwelookedatArchiCADasthetwomainoptions and at the time we thought that ArchiCAD was moreadvancedandrelativelyeasytolearn—althoughoneoftheguysintheofficeisnowshakinghishead.

LiterallyoneweekwedecidedthatwasitandstartedusingitonallofournewprojectsstraightawayandwounddownAutodeskonourotherprojects.Weboughttwolicencesinitially—we’vegotfourintotalnow.

SMOOTHTRANSITION

Itwasasmoothtransition.Alotofpeopleworryaboutthatjump,butyou’vegottoimmerseyourselfinit.Itmadetheworkflowalittlebitmoreefficientinsomeareasandtherewerebenefitsintermsofgeneratingvisual3Delementsfromit.

Name of practice: WM Design & Architecture

Number of staff: Five — two chartered

technologists, two associate technologists, one

profile candidate (technician) CIAT, no Arb

registered architects

Practice location: Menai Bridge, Anglesey


Software used: ArchiCAD, SketchUp, DraftSight

(SolidWorks)

Level of investment in bim: £10-12,000

Number of live bim projects: Two


£2 million extension to hospital for renal centre

Interviewee: Adrian Williamson, director (CIAT

practice)


11

Before,wemighthavedonesomething inAutoCADand thenmighttakeitintoSketchUp,oreventheotherwayround.Youweremakingmultiplestepswhichcanalwaysdragindesignissuesanddiscrepancies.

Ithinksomeofourclientsnoticedadifference.Assoonastheyknowyouaregoingtogivethema3Doutputtheywantmoreofit.Theywantthevisuals,walkthroughsorwhatever.

Withdomesticprojects,ifwegiveourmodeltoanengineerhe’snotgoingtomakeuseofitforsimplestructuralstuff.Butwithlargerprojects,theyneedthemodelorcomponentstorunanalysis,torunthermalcalculationsandyou’vegottobeabletoprovidethat.

On one of our projects, a health centre where we’re going forBreeamhealthcareexcellent,inordertodothedaylightcalculationsand thermal modelling they need a model to work on and anycomponentdatathatgoeswithit—thethermalvaluesforthevariouselements.Itisfarhardertodothosecalculationsinamoredumbed-downformat.

Unfortunately,therearealotofpeopleouttherewhoseebimasjust3D.It’squitealotmorethanthat.Alotofstructuralengineersdon’twanta3Dformat.It’sgoingtotakethemawhiletoadoptitfully.

TRANSLATIONPROBLEMS

There’salwaysan issueabout interoperabilityand translationofinformation. What you need on the other side is for the M&Eengineerorstructuralengineertobeabletoreceivethemodeldataanduseit.

Peoplearestilltakingthatdataanddumbingitdownandyoulosesomeoftheinformation.Itreallydependsonallpartiesinvolvedhavingsomeformofbimsoftware.Forsmalltomediumpracticesthelikelihoodofthemhavingadesignteamlikethatisveryslight.

Iwouldcertainlysayit’ssavedustimewithcertainthings.Ittakesabitoftimetoadopt,buttheoutputiscertainlyimproved.You’reabletonoticeerrorseitherinelevationsorplanswhenyoumakeotherchanges.

Ithinkithaspaidforitself.TherearesomeprojectsthatIdon’tthinkwe’dhavebeenabletodoifwe’ddoneittheold-fashionedway.Certainlyabitofterrainmodellingisquitehandy.Oneofourhealthcentresisonaslopingsiteandit’sallowedustomodelthebuildingontothesitewhichwecouldn’thavedoneeasilywith2D.

Thebiggestbenefit,Ithink,istheadditionaloutputthatyoucanget from it — generating schedules directly from bim software,renderedimages,thattypeofthing.Youdon’thavetobuycompanionsoftwaretodoallofthat,it’swithintheprogramme.Andthat’sthesamewithallofthebimsoftwarethat’soutthere.

LEARNINGPROCESS

Idon’tthinkit’shardtolearn.WehaveGCSEstudentsthatcomeinforaweekoverthesummerandtheycanlearnitinaweek.

We don’t talk directly to Graphisoft. Because we haven’t had

11

massiveprojects,Isupposewe’reonlyjustscratchingthesurfaceofit.IfwehadalargerprojectIdothinkGraphisoftwouldbetheretoassist.

Wedidalittlebitofself-learning.Outoftheboxyoucangetsofar. But then we did a two-day course with a company calledApplecoreandthatwasenoughtogetyougoingonascheme.

WefirststartedusingbimonWindowsXPbutrecentlywechangedtoiMacsthroughouttheoffice.Wedidn’tupgradethecomputersbecauseofit–wewantedtogodowntheMacrouteanyway.We’verecentlyupgradedserversandthingslikethat.It’scommonsensetofuture-proofyourselfalittlebitandbuythelargestyoucanget,butwehaven’tbeenforcedto–itwasourdecision.

Youcan’tsitstill.Youhavetokeepmovingwiththetimes.Ithinkifyoujustsatandusedthesameoldsoftwareyou’dbeleftbehind.Withtherecessionyou’vegottokeeppushingyourselves.

Therearehiddenbenefits inbimthatsomepracticesmaynotappreciate fully. I think people respect you if you produce areasonablydecentandtidyoutput.Ifyou’reprovidingaminimalservice,peoplemaynotcomebacktoyou.Ifyoucanprovidealittlebit more as an added benefit then clients and contractors willappreciatethat.

03


12

CLIENT CASE STUDIES


12

12.1MANCHESTERCITYCOUNCIL

Interviewee: John Lorimer, capital programme director

We’vebeeninterestedintheconceptofbimsince2005.It’sreallystartedtogetoffthegroundinthelastfewyearsanditisnowreallyimportanttous.We’vegotfourprojectsthatareusingbimindifferentformsnow.

Theprojectwe’reputtingthemostresourcesintoistheManchesterTownHallextensionandtheCentralLibrary[designedbyRyderArchitecture and Ian Simpson Architects]. It’s a £100 millionrefurbishmentjob.

Wedidn’taskforbimtobepartoftheofferfromthearchitects,butonceRyderhadwonthejobtheyaskedifitwouldbeOKiftheyusedbim.Andwesaid“bloodyright”.

Ian Simpson Architects weren’t using bim but they saw veryquicklywhatitwasdoingfortheRyderpeoplesotheystartedtouseit.

UNIVERSITYRESEARCH

WedidsomeresearchwithSalfordUniversitytoseehowweweredoingoncewe’dgotthecontractoronboard—we’reverymuchatthe beginning of this and we’re discovering that there are someproblems,likegettingthedifferentmodelstotalktoeachother.Insomeinstancesthemodelsactuallyhaven’ttalkedtoeachother.

We’reputtingthemosteffortintoworkingoutwhatwecangetout of the model at the end of the project from a facilitiesmanagementviewwhenitcompletesin2013.That’sachallengethewhole industry faces: to have something useful beyond thecompletionofthejob.

Onanotherofourprojects—alocal-authoritynewbuildof173units—we talkeda lotaboutwhetherweshouldusebim.It’saprojectthat’ssharedbytwocontractorsandweputin£100,000topaya third-partyprovider togetbimas faraswecould intotheproject. Very quickly we grossed £250,000 back through moreefficientdesignandaquickerprogramme.Wecoveredthe£100,000investmentprettywellstraightaway,whichisasimplebenefit.

Nowwe’relookingtouseitonaverysmallprojectintheoldtownhall,oflessthan£50,000—justtoseewhathappens.

Bimistheonlywayforwardandwe’reverykeentobepartofgettingitusedinameaningfulway.

BIMBOOZLING

There’salotofbimwash,orbimboozling,andIthinkthat’squiteabig issue forclients.Thepublicandprivatesectorsareallbeingurgedtoadoptbimortoldthatitwillbepartofthedeliveryoftheirprojectsandthere’ssomereallearningtobesharedaboutwhatitreallymeans.

We’reinthattoughstagewhereawarenessistherebutweareallasking“whatdoesitreallymeanandwhatdowehavetodo?”Idon’tthinkanyonehastheanswertothat.

03


12

Forusitmeansthatmoreofourpeoplehavetobetrainedintheuseofthesoftwaretobeabletouseitatthefacilities-managementstage.

But 90% of the challenge is cultural and nothing to do withsoftware.It’sabouthowweintegratethesupplychainintoitandhowthedifferentprofessionssettledownintotheirnewroles—andIamconvincedtheywillbenewroles.InthespaceofsixmonthsI’veseensomeQSsgetholdofthisandstarttotalkaboutwheretheycanaddsomevaluetotheprocess.

12.2GREATPORTLANDESTATES

Interviewee: James Pellatt, head of projects

We’reusingbimonanumberofprojects.Therearethreeprincipalreasons:quality,programmecertaintyandfacilitiesmanagementandtheongoingbenefitsofthat.

Wereallycareaboutthequalityofourbuildingsandwewilldoanythingwecantoimprovethephysicalappearanceandoperationofabuilding.We’vealwaystriedtobeattheforefrontofthinkingin terms of construction. In the current economic environment,there’salotofsinglestagecontractinggoingonwhichisverygoodfordeliveringpricecertaintybutnotnecessarilyquality.

240BLACKFRIARSROAD

InUBM’snewofficesonBlackfriarsRoad[240BlackfriarsRoad,due for completion in 2015] we’ve gone along a two-stageconstructiontenderroutebecausewewanttoimprovethequalityofthedesignchain.Butthenthequestionishowtoavoidbeingtakenadvantageofintermsofcostsandthepackagesthatcomebacktous.Thewaytodothat is toco-ordinatethe informationbeforeweagreeacontractprice.

ThearchitectisAHMMandwe’vegotHilsonMoranasengineersandAdamsKaraTaylor.Whenwedecidedwewantedtodelivertheprojectusingbim,thedesignwasalreadyatstageD/Eanditwasin2D.

It was difficult to go back and implement bim — because thebuildinghadn’tbeendesignedin3Dthearchitectsweren’tkeentogobackandreinvent theirwork.Sowhatwedecided todowasengage with an independent bim facilitator to take the 2Dinformationfromthearchitectandthe3Dmodelfromtheengineersandco-ordinateitintoasinglemodel.

The benefit is that we’ve been able to look at the designindependently and point back to the design team when we findthings haven’t been properly co-ordinated. It takes a lot of theemotionoutofit.Whenit’sthereinblackandwhiteittakesthedebateoutofitanditjustbecomesaboutwhattodotoremedytheissue.

Thegeometryofthatbuildingisverycomplicatedandinorderforittolookascrispasitpossiblycanbythetimewecometobuilditthequalityofthedetailingshouldreallyshinethrough.

AHMMcanreallyseethebenefitofitthemselvesnow.


12

The other key point is that the financial savings that bim willhopefully generate mean that we are able to invest in quality offinisheselsewhereinthebuildingwhichissomethingthedesignteamcanrespondto.That’sbeenreallypositive.

Wearetryingtomakesurethatallofthecontractorscannowbuyintobim.We’reissuing2Dinformationbutit’salwaysbasedon3Dinformationandthecontractorseesthebenefitofit.We’veaskedthatwegetthemodelbackattheendofthecontracttouseitinthemanagementofthebuilding.Theoccupantwillbeabletouseitfortheirownfit-out.We’lluseitforoperationandmaintenanceofthebuilding.Theongoingoperationisimportanttous.Asmuchaswewantyoutooccupyabeautifulbuildingwealsodon’twantittohaveproblemswhenyou’reinit.It’souraimtomakeitoperateefficiently.

DESIGNTAKESPRIORITY

Wedon’tthinkthatbimisjustaco-ordinationandconstructiontool.WeindependentlyownthatmodelratherthanrelyingonthecontractorordesignteamanditwillhelpusdealwiththenaggingproblemswehavewithPI.

Weemploypeoplefortheirdesignabilityfirst.OnourRathbonePlaceprojectwehaveappointedMakeArchitectsafteracompetition.Weaskedthemaboutbimduringtheprocess,butitwasadesign-leddecision.Weenjoyworkingwithgooddesigners.Wewouldwantthemtodevelopbimskillsbecausewesharethesameobjectivesforthequalityofthebuilding,butwefindthatourdesignersarebuyingintothatanywaysotheyaregettingtoit.

Theoverridingthingaboutbimisthatit’snotapanacea.It’snottheanswertoeverything.You’rejusthighlightingproblemsearlier.Youstillneedtoinvestheavilyinyourdesignteam.Wewouldinvestingooddesignfirstandthenbringtheteamalongwiththebimprogrammeafterwards.

Forthenextfewyearswewillrelyonindependentvalidation.Astheindustrygetsusedtobimitwillbelessimportant,butIdon’tthinkarchitectshavetheblanketskillsin-houseyettobeabletofullyachieveit.

I still think there’s an issue with architects taking engineers’modelsandthengivingthembacktous—legallyandwithinsurance—andIcan’tseethatbeingsettledquickly.Sowestillneedthatindependentassessment.

03


13

CONTRACTOR CASE STUDIES


13

13.1KIER

Interviewee: Graeme Forbes, managing director process and engineering

Thestartingpointforuswithbimwasprobablywhenwebecameinvolvedinmulti-disciplinarydesignandbuildabout12yearsago.

Wequicklyrealisedthattheproblemsinthedeliveryofdesignlargelycomedowntotwoissues.Oneisbeingabletoproperlyseeandunderstandwhatitisyouaresupposedtobedelivering,andthesecondisaroundtheflowofdatathattakesinformationfromdesignintoschedulesandprocurementandrightthewaythroughtofinalhandovertotheclient.

ItistraditionallyaveryfragmentedmanualprocessthatisheavilyreliantontoolslikeExcel.Sowesetabouttryingtosolvebothofthoseproblems.

Our attention was focused on trying to take make use of theunderratedintelligenceinthecadenvironmentandusingittohelpestablishanautomatedflowofinformationthroughtheproject.Wenevercalleditbim,butitwasoneofthoseeurekamomentswhereyousitwiththepeopleatthesharpendandseewhattheydoandthenconnectthedotstogetherandrealisethatthere’saflowofdataavailabletousthatwecouldcapitaliseon.

Wequicklystartedtorealisesomeofthebenefits—andtosomeextentsomeoftheintangiblegains—thatcomefromhavingcontrolofdataasasinglesourcealongsideasinglevisualenvironment.Wethen created the process flow and used it to help drive morecollaborativeworking.

CENTRALAFRICA

ThefirstbigprojectwetrieditonwasajobweweredoingincentralAfrica,whichwasalmosttheriskiesttypeofprojectwecouldpick,butthedrivetherewastomakesurethatwhateverweweregoingtoshipintocountrycouldberightfirsttimeandthatwe’dbeabletocommunicateproperlywitheveryoneinvolved.

Fundamentallyitwastherightapproach–ourtoolsetsallowedustocommunicateinavisualwaywitheveryoneinvolvedinthejob.Thelimitationthenwasmorethetechnologythanthebehaviour.These days it’s more the behaviour and whether people want tochangethanthetechnology.

Intheenvironmentwe’re inat themoment therearesomanyobstaclestochangingthewayweworkforthebetterthatunlesssomebodylikethegovernmentsays“youmustdothis”thenpeopleendupwithtoomuchchoice.

INTEGRATEDPLATFORM

We now have a sophisticated integrated platform that allowsmultiuser secure access to truly collaborative working around asinglesourceoftruthandasinglemodel.Althoughweprobablysitclosetothatfinelinebetweenanopenandclosedbimsystem,ourenvironmentisasmuchaportaltotheotherbimsoftwarethatotherpeoplemightwanttouse.


13

Although we might be perceived to have a closed system as aplatform,ourtoolsetsinterfacewithmanyoftheotherpiecesofbimsoftware—so,ifanything,we’vemadesomethingthat’seasierforSMEstouseandinterfacewithus.

Wearedoinga lotof in-houseR&Dandtryingto foresee theendgame of a truly beneficial bim-driven environment with ascalable business solution. A lot of solutions at the moment arereallyverydependentonskilleduse–knowinghowtousethetoolsproperly.We’retryingtogettoasituationwherethelevelofentryislowerbutthevaluethatcomesoutisconsiderablyhigher.

DEMANDINGCONSISTENCY

Likemanyothers,ourapproachisdrivingustobemoreprescriptiveaboutusingbimandhowwewantittowork,althoughwearequiteflexibleaboutthewaythemodelissetup—providingitissetupconsistently.

Theworstthingaboutbimiswhenpeopleworkinconsistently.Lotsofarchitects,forexample,usebimasameansofproducingbetterdrawingsratherthanenablingadata-managementprocess.YouonlyneedtolookattheCOBiedropsthatarerequiredaspartofthegovernmentinitiativetoknowthatyou’vegottotreatbimasthestartofadata-managementprocessandnotasadrawingaid.

Thereareboundtobelevelsoffrustrationaswetrytomoveintoanewdimension.Butwe’retryingtomakeamoreeffectiveprocessforeverybodyand,withthebestwillintheworld,thatislikelytomakeusmorealignedwithcertainorganisationsiftheyworkwellwithwhatwe’redoing.

Ifothersseethebenefitofworkingthewaywe’reworking,itwillofcoursebeofbenefitforustoworkwiththem.

13.2SKANSKA

Interviewee: David Throssell, BIM technical manager

In2008ourCEOmandatedBIM.SoInSkanskawehadourownBIMmandateineffectfrom2009.

IwasaskedtobecomepartofaBIMimplementationteamwithinSkanskatomeetthischallengeAnditwasarealchallenge,becausewewereasking,whatisBIM?

OurdefinitionofBIMisnotnecessarilyallabout3DCAD.Weliketosayit’saboutdeliveringtherightinformationtotherightpeopleattherighttime.

The3DCADmodelthenbecomesaroutemapthroughthevariousdatabasesanddatasetsontheproject.Wewantourdesignerstobuildintelligent3dmodelsandkeepthemfairlylightweightintermsofwhattheyadd.

Somepeoplegetveryexcitedandcarriedawaywiththepotentialof3D,butitispossibletoputtoomuchdetailintoamodel.Wetryand encourage our architects to use generic objects as much aspossible.Wegivethemnomorethanfourorfiveattributestoaddtotheirobjects.Allweneedarethoseattributesthathelpusfindinformation.


13

Wetalkaboutreferencedandrelatedinfo.Wewantthe3Dmodelstohost theminimumamountof infoandreferenceout tootherdatabasesinthesystemasmuchaspossibleandifnecessarylinkouttotheinternetforotherinformation.Sothemodelbecomesagraphical user interface for all of the systems and databases wenormallyhaveonaproject.

WeuseArtrAtolinkthemodeltoourdocumentmanagementsystemsothatifweclickonanobjectthatrepresents,say,ahospitalroomwecanfirealivequerytoourdocumentmanagementsystem.Wecansendaquerytotheroomdatasheetdatabase.Wecanusethesystemtodoprogressrecording.Wecanuseittorecordsnagsand outstanding work. We’ve developed a tablet PC system thatjoinsallthisdatathatourarchitectshavecreatedforus.Allthisusesproprietary software; we’ve just paid people to develop the gluebetweenthesoftwareandthedatabases.

MODELSHARING

Wefindthatarchitectsareconcernedaboutsharingdataandsharingtheirmodels. I’mneverquite surewhy. In thepast they’ve beenhappytopassondrawingfilesintheirnativefileformats,andwhat’sthedifferencebetween2Dand3D?Weonlywantthemtosharethatinformationtodriveouterrorinthedesignandbuild.

Wetaketheviewthateverybodyownstheirownbitofthemodel.Ourdesignagreementsarewrittentomakeitclearthatdesignerslicence their data to us on a project – it’s not ours as such. Thecopyrightremainswiththem.Weareinterestedintheintelligentversion, the 3D model that we can browse and that has all theattributesthatwe’veaskedfor.It’stheread-onlyversion.We’renottheretochangeitandmessaboutwithit,we’retheretoreuseitandshareit.

We’renotthatbotheredaboutthenativeformatofthefile.Whatwe want is the rich read-only format – IFC, Bentley i-model orAutodeskNWD.That formatdrivesourBIMsystemandmakesthis3dmodeltheroutemapforallthedatabasesanddatasourcesontheproject.

VALUINGDATA

Dataisthenewdeliverable.Thegovernment,withitsBIMmandate,ismakingitveryclearthatitvaluesdataandiswillingtopayforit.That’sanimportantmessagetotheconstructionindustry.Inthepast,architectsandcontractorshaven’tvaluedthedatathatwehavecreatedroutinelybutnotmadeagreatdealofuseof.

WemeasureourBIMimplementationagainstfourareas:people,process,technologyandprojects.Wehavefoundnowwearealmostthreeyearsintothejourneyisthatthepeopleissuesaretheonesthatarethemostdifficulttotackle.

Whenarchitectsjumpfrom2DCADto3DCAD,theysometimesstillhavethemindsetthatthey’remodellinginordertogeneratedrawingsinsteadofmodellinginawaythathelpsusbuild.Oftenwefindthatwehavetogobackintomodelsandre-editthemwhich


13

wedon’twanttodo.Wewanttoshareandreusedataandaddtoit,notredrawandre-keybecausethat’swhereambiguityanderrorscreepin.

NEWDELIVERABLES

It’simportantthatwegetpeopletounderstandthenewdeliverables;thatadrawingisnolongersufficientforus.Weexpectourdesignteams to deliver spatially co-ordinated information. We expectarchitectstoactastheleaddesignersandwepaythemtodothat.Theonlytimewewantthemtocometouswithclashesandconflictsiswhenthereisaproblemthatcan’tberesolvedwithintheexistingdesignteam.

We’ve found that projects benefit the most when you findchampionswhoarepreparedtousethetechnologyandengagewiththeprocessandwhenothersseethemuseit.Thatgeneratesalotofinterest.Weconcentrateontrainingthetrainer.

Nextweekwehave25ofourkeysupply-chainpartners,includingarchitects,comingtoourofficefora2dayBIMsession.We’vegottobringeveryonealongonourjourney.Wecan’tthrowoutalistofrequirementsandjustexpectourarchitectstodeliver.

We’restillsayingcomeandjoinus.Butwearerapidlygoingtogettothepointwherewehaveacriticalmassofpracticesthatweworkwithwhocandeliverwhatwewantandarehappytoworktogetherwithus.

Theotherthingarchitectsareinterestediniswhathappenstodesignfees.Ithinkit’sanopportunityforarchitectstoaddgreatervalue.Someclientsmaybelookingforlowerdesignfees,butothersmightbelookingformoreoptions.Ithinkthere’satradeoff.

14

APPENDIX


14

I.RELATEDARTICLESFROMBD

i.i How will investing in bim affect your tax bill?

By Mark Twum-Ampofo

Published 24 February 2012

WhetheryoumaketheleapbeforeoraftertheendofMarchcouldmakeadifference

Whilethecostofbimsoftwarewillvaryaccordingtoanindividualpractice’srequirements,itisfairtosaythatitrepresentsasubstantialoutlayandonethatcouldhavegreaterfinancialimplicationsfromApril.

Becausethesoftwarewillbeusedforanumberofyearsitrepresentscapitalratherthanrevenueexpenditure.Thisisimportantbecauseofthewayinwhichcompaniesreceivetaxreliefontheirspend.

Until the end of March, practices are entitled to an AnnualInvestmentAllowance(AIA)enablingthemtoclaimfulltaxreliefonthefirst£100kofcapitalexpenditureinayear.Thatmeansthatformostarchitectsthecostofpurchasingbimsoftwarewillbesetagainstprofitsintheyearofpurchase.

However,fromApriltheAIAwilldecreaseto£25,000.Whilethecostofbimsoftwaremaywellfallwithinthisreducedallowance,youalsoneedtoconsiderallothercapitalitemspurchasedinthefinancialyear—suchaslaptops,iPadsanddesks—whichtogethercouldtakeyouoverthe£25,000threshold.

Theexcesswillbeeligibleforcapitalallowanceswhichisafarlessgenerousregimeandonlyallowsafirmtowriteoff20%ofyourexpenditureagainstprofitseachyear.

Cashflowpermitting,practicesexpectingtomakethemovetobiminthenearfutureshouldconsiderwhetheritwouldbebeneficialtomaketheinvestmentbeforetheendofnextmonthinordertoacceleratetheirtaxrelief.

i.ii How to avoid the problems with bim

By Martyn Day

Published 6 June 2011

Bimistrumpetedastheone-stopfutureofconstruction,buttherealityisnotassimpleasitseems

Themarketingengineshavebeenpromotingbimasthefuturefor a number of years without actually delving into the detail.However,eventhemostcommittedbimconvertwillrelateinitialdrawbackstoimplementingprocesschangeandmakingtheswitch.Therewillbehurdlestoovercomeandnewproblemstodealwiththat really should be examined and understood before any freshimplementationisconsidered.

THE DEMO VS THE REALITY

Bimispresentedasaone-stopsolution.Simplybuildasingle,data-richmodelandeverythingwillbeproducednearautomatically


14

–plans,sections,elevations,quantities,renderings,costingsandevenperhapstheenergycertification.Itisautopianvision.

Theactualsinglemodelisreallyadream.Anarchitecturalbimmodelisquitedifferentfromaconstructionbimmodel–whilethegeometrymaybethesame,theinformationisdifferent

andtheconstructionschedulingrequireselementstobebrokendown(eghowmanyconcretepoursforthefloor).CompanieslikeTeklacreatemodelsforconstructabilityandfabrication,withthecorresponding detail. Vico also creates bim models for quantity,cost,schedulingandproductioncontrol.

DEALING WITH CHANGE

Theworkloadchangesandshiftsforwardmanydesigndecisions.Before starting a project, new “families of parts” (intelligentcomponents)shouldbecreated,whichmaybringforwarddecisionsoninteriorfittingssuchasdoorsandwindows,escalators,liftsandglazing.Thelevelofdetailinthemodelisalsohighlyimportant–toolittleandthebenefitsofmodellingwouldbelost,toomuchandthemodelwillbecometoobigtoloadandmanipulate.Mediumtolargebuildingsneedtobebe“cutup”tobemanageable.

ADAPTING OUTPUT STYLES

Onesimpleproblemisthattheautomaticoutputof2Dplans,sections and elevations has a style which many firms do notappreciate. Customers expect drawings to conform to their owninternalstandards.ManysendthesethroughanAutoCADuserto“tartup”andloseoneofthebigbenefits.Anychangestothemodelwillupdatethedrawingsandthesewillallneedtobehand-editedagain.

CULTURECHANGES

Changingalong-establishedwayofworkingisalwaysgoingtocauseproblemsandbimhasitsownissuesthatneedaddressing.Obviouslythereisthe“people”issue:staffskillsneedtobeupgradedandnewstaffwillneedbimunderstanding.Internalprocesseswillchangeandnewteamswillbebuilt.Mostbimtoolsare“easy-in”butthedevilisinthedetailsandthereisafairlysteeplearningcurve.

INDUSTRYANDDATASTANDARDS

Standards are a major industry issue. First there are internalstandardsandthentherearethedataexchangestandards.Fortheinternal standards,aworkgrouphasdefined theAEC(UK)bimstandard,atemplatetobedownloadedandincorporatedintoanoffice’sprotocols.Thestandardhasno legislativebackingandisunfortunatelybiasedtowardRevitusers.

Thecadindustryhasalwaysbeenterribleatdataexchange.Withbim, it appears that the competing software players are takinginteroperabilitytonewlows.Bimmodelshavecomplex3Dgeometry,behaviour,parametricandlotsofinformationattachedtoeachobjectandtheonlyrealstandardisIFC(IndustryFoundationClasses).


14

Thisisanindependentdocumentedstandard,whichthevendorsinterpretandimplementattheirleisure.Theendresultsarehitandmiss,butIFCsaretheonlyrealhopeandonecanonlywishthatthisimproves.Fornowanumbersharedatathroughthe2Ddrawings(DWGandPDF).

CONTRACTS

Thelastculturalissueisofcoursethecontractsituation,whichdoesnotaccountforthelevelsofintegrationanddata-sharingthatbimenforces.Anewtypeofcontractisrequiredwhentacklingprojectsastheoverallliabilitiesmustbeshared.Bimfavoursdesignbuilders;traditionalfederatedprojectsrequireanewattitudetoliabilityofdeliverables.

UPGRADINGHARDWARE

Dependingonthesoftware,bimmodelsgetbig,fast.DavidLightfromHOKtoldmethefirmisstipulating24GBoframforitsnewworkstationssotheycanholdtheRevitdatasetswithoutpagingtodiskontheirbiggestprojects.Thisisaconsiderableinvestment:yousimplycannotrunbimonoldmachinesdesignedforAutoCADor VectorWorks. Other bim modellers are not quite as memory-hungrybutstillstarttoswellasthemodeldetailgrows.

FindinglikemindsAnotherobstacleisthat,ifyouareusingbim,itpaysdividends

toworkwithfirmsofasimilarmindset.Withtheinteroperabilityissue,ithelpsifyouareonthesamesystem–RevitArchitecturetoRevitMEPorBentleyArchitecturetoBentleyStructural.Withbimstillinitsformativestages,adoptionisthinontheground,especiallywithintheMEPindustry.Asadoptionaccelerates,thiswillbecomelessofanissue.

CONCLUSION

Building information modelling is widely seen as the nexttechnologyforthebuildingindustryandrightlyso.Butadoptionwillrequireadaption,investmentandgreaterteamworkbetweenthecoretrades.Avarietyofissuesstillneedtobeovercomebothinthetechnologyandbetweendevelopers.Experiencesuggeststhatafterthreeprojectsmostfirmsreallyseethebenefitofthemovetobimbuttherearealsofailures,albeitco-ordinatedones.

Martyn Day is editor of AEC Magazine, a bi-monthly journal for construction professionals.www.aecmag.com

i.iii Bim adds an extra dimension

By Hugh Davies

Published 15 October 2010

Politicaladvisersmaybepushingbuildinginformationmodelling,butistheindustryready?

Althoughtheuseofvirtual3Dbuildinginformationmodelling(bim)hasbeenwidespreadintheaircraftandautomotiveindustries


14

formanyyears,theconstructionindustryhasbeenslowtotakeitup. Paul Morell, the government’s chief construction adviser,recentlyurgedamovetotheadoptionofbimtoreducecostandaddvaluetopublicsectorbuildingprocurement.

Today,architectsroutinelyuse3Dmodellingtoproviderenderedviewsandwalk-throughsofdesignworkinprogress.Itisessentialforpitchingideasandcommunicatingwithclients.Inaddition,3Dmodelling is often used at the production information stage forstructuraldesignandanalysis,claddingpackagesorthedetailedresolutionofspecific3Dgeometries.However,theseusesof3Dareoftenbolt-onadditionstoproductioninformation,whichusuallyremainsasasetof2Dabstractionsofthebuildinginplan,sectionand elevation. Such 2D information requires a combination ofoverlaytechniquesandhumanskillsincoordinatingandinterpretingtheinformationthoughouttheconstructionprocess.

Bimaimstobefundamentallydifferent,inthatitsapproachistouseavirtual3Dmodeloftheentireproject,fromwhichall2Dand3Dinformationisgenerated.Thiscanvaryfromconventional2Dplans, sections, elevations and component schedules through toclientfriendly visualisations and computer-aided manufacturing(cam)models.

Theconceptisthat,sincealltheinformationstemsfromasingle3Dmodel,itisallspatiallyconsistentandcoordinationerrorscanbeeliminatedsothattheclientcanhaveupdated3Dvisualisationsassoonasanychangesaremade.Thecompleted3Dmodelisalsoseenastheidealvehiclefortherepositoryofas-builtinformationforfacilitiesmanagementoverthelifecycleofthebuilding.

Sohowdoesitstandupinpractice?Asaconcept,Bimhasbeenaround for a long time. I remember being shown the then in-development,nowdefunct,GablesoftwareatSheffieldUniversitymorethan20yearsago.Leadingsoftwarehousescurrentlyhavetheir own particular flavours – Autodesk’s Revit, Bentley’sArchitecturev8iandGraphisoft’sArchicad.However,bimisyettotransformtheUKconstructionindustry.

The organisation Constructing Excellence in the BuiltEnvironmentisapparentlyduetopublishareportrecommendingtheuseofbiminbuildingprocurement.

Thereal-worldusageofbimdoesn’talwaysmatchthetheoreticalideal

TheflavourofUKbimusageisindicatedbyfivebimdeploymentcase studies that they published earlier this year (http://tinyurl.com/2vdqf8a).

Thefiveillustratedprojectswerespreadacrosshealth,education,commercial and scientific sectors with contract values from £30milliontomorethan£300millionandallcompletedwithinthelastfiveyears.Theyindicatethatthekeybenefitsderivefromthesinglesourceofinformationleadingtobetter“firstfit”spatialintegration.Thisseemstobeparticularlythecaseindetailingbetweendifferentdesign disciplines. These advantages are credited as leading toreducedrequestsforinformationfromtheconstructionteam,fewerchangesbythedesignteamandconsequentreductionsofupto10%oftheoverallbudget.

However,whatisalsoapparentisthatthereal-worldusageofbimdoesn’talwaysmatchthetheoreticalideal.Despitetheadoptionofbimonprojects,notallpartiestakeiton.Evenwhereprofessionals


14

subscribetotheuseofbim,internaldesigndevelopmentworkisoftenstillexecutedin2D.

Thesinglemostspecificvirtueofbim–theuseofasingle,centralinformationsource–does seemtocreate itsown issues.On themicro-level,difficultiesseemtoarisewhenchangestothesingle,centralbimmodelmadebyonepartyareinadequatelyflaggeduptootherteammembers.While,onthebroaderlevel,partiestotheprocesshaveconcernsaboutownership,accessanddesignliabilityforthesingledesignmodel.Thisseemstoactasarestraintonitseffectivetransferfromdesignteam,toconstructionteamandend-userclient.

Bimisundoubtedlyapowerfultoolinthearmouryofthebuildingdesigner,butisitapanaceafortamingtheconstructionprocurementprocess?Unlikely.Itiseasytofindexamplesofhowtheuseofbimhassavedtimeandmoneyonconstructionprojects,butarchitectureismorethanthesumoftheresolutionofenvelope,servicesandstructureclashes.

Formany,bimremainsjustonetoolamongmany.Encouragingamuchoverdueincreaseinitsusageamongstarchitectsisdesirable,butistheimpositionofitonthedesignprocessfromtheclientsidereallygoingtobethebestwayofachievingthis?

Hugh Davies is a co-founder of IT consultant Lomas Davies


14

II.RELATEDARTICLESFROMBUILDING

ii.i Bim and legal issues: Model behaviour

By Rudi Klein

Published 17 February 2012

Last year Building briefly reported on the first claim to arise in the United States from the use of Building Information Modelling (bim). It concerned the construction of a university life-sciences building. The architect and M&E consultant had used bim to fit the engineering systems into the roof void of the building. The space was very limited; the installation could only be carried out if done in a specific sequence.

Somebody had forgot to mention this to the contractor. He had completed 70% of the work before realising that the rest of the installation would not fit. He claimed against the client who, in turn, issued claims against the architect and consultant. Eventually a settlement was agreed in favour of the client with the contractor, architect and M&E consultant each contributing to it.

This kind of dispute could, of course, occur on any project irrespective of whether or not bim was used - it was not linked directly to the use of bim. One can only speculate, however, as to the reason why the modelling process did not simulate the sequencing of the installation or, if it did, why the contractor was not aware of this.

The industry will not rush to invest in bim training and technology if it is introduced into traditional procurement processes that are now primarily aimed at facilitating risk dumping

In a case such as this the key question would be: who had assumed the risk that the installation would not fit into the roof void unless carried out in a specific sequence?

Obviously, the answer would depend upon the wording and type of construction contract used but, in this country, such risk would lie with the contractor more often than not.

But I can imagine a similar problem here. For example, the M&E contractor is presented with a consultant-designed model of the building (or section of the building). He is then told to complete the design and carry out the installation in accordance with the design intent as represented by the model. In the present state of the law the contractor is likely to be responsible for any shortcomings in the design he has inherited via the model.

In Co-operative Insurance Society Ltd vs Henry Boot (Scotland) Ltd (2003), Judge Seymour held: “Someone who undertakes, on terms such as those of the contract … , an obligation to complete a design begun by someone else agrees that the result, however much of the design work was done before the process of completion commenced, would have been prepared with reasonable skill and care.” (emphasis added)

In fact, contributing or inputting to someone else’s model could, unwittingly, saddle you with extensive design responsibility. If, for example, a manufacturer has supplied data relating to his product, this could require a re-decision of other elements. He could be lumbered with liability for such re-design without having any PI cover. The industry will not rush to invest in bim training and technology if it is introduced into traditional procurement processes


14

that are now primarily aimed at facilitating risk dumping. Moreover there is concern that many firms in the supply chain will only discover late in the day - that is, after they’ve been appointed - that their project is bim-enabled. Another, more likely, scenario is that the tender information will simply state: “Bim is a requirement on this project.” Everybody will then be left wondering what this means. The government regards bim as a collaborative tool for eradicating waste and inefficiency in the delivery process - not as a tool for perpetuating it.

So, what should happen? Project participants - client, consultants, contractors, FM firms, manufacturers - should, at the outset, agree a bim implementation plan.The plan should address matters such as:n what models are to be created and by whom and for what purpose (that is, what are the intended outputs);n definition of the content of each model and level of detail required from each participant at specified milestones;n how any conflict between model content is to be resolved;n levels of reliance that can be placed upon the data content of models and at what stage in their development;n the software platforms intended to be used, processes for transferring and accessing model files and file storage location;n ownership of model(s) and data inputs;n management of the modelling process.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. But the overriding factor is that all participating parties should have had the opportunity, as a team, to discuss and agree the content of the bim implementation plan. Then everyone should know what is expected of them.

This is, after all, simple common sense.

Rudi Klein is a barrister and chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group

ii.ii The rise of the bim consultant

By Thomas Lane

Published 4 November 2011

With its clear government backing and success stories in the press, construction firms realise that bim is a Very Important Thing. The question is, how to do it? Thomas Lane meets the new wave of bim consultants who may have the answer

In an office in London’s Bloomsbury a phone starts to ring. The caller is a contractor wanting help to win work because he read a story in Building magazine detailing how Laing O’Rourke’s use of bim was “key” to it winning the contract to build the Cheesegrater. The office belongs to a firm called Bim Technologies that has only been in existence for two months - it was set up to cash in on the construction industry’s need get up to speed with building information modelling. “These stories are great for us,” says Rob Charlton, chief executive of architect Space Group, which is behind Bim Technologies. “When the Cheesegrater story was published our phones started ringing, as people saw bim as a way of winning jobs.”


14

The boom in bim is caused by two things. Bim improves efficiency, meaning firms can do more for less, which is essential in today’s tough economic environment. The second reason is that the government wants Level 2 bim to be compulsory on all public sector projects by 2016. Level 2 bim is where project teams collaborate using 3D models featuring “intelligent objects”, whereby any object in the model, say a door, includes attributes such as cost, fire rating and what it is made from as well as dimensions. According to Mark Bew, chairman of the bim industry working group and director of business information systems at URS/Scott Wilson, only 15% of jobs are currently using Level 2 bim. That means the industry has got a lot of catching up to do, a market opportunity that has spawned a whole new sector: the bim consultant.

THE CONSULTANT

Bim consultants come in all shapes and sizes starting off with people who simply take 2D drawings and turn these into 3D bim ones. At the top end are firms offering a far more sophisticated service. They get involved with clients at the beginning of jobs, identify their objectives and develop a bim strategy to suit. This is centred on developing fully integrated teams and ensuring information is created and managed efficiently. The big multidisciplinary consultants have been using bim in this way for some time, so providing a dedicated service is a natural next step for them. Arup is about to launch a dedicated service in the UK and Bim Technologies was launched on the back of Space group’s experience with bim. WSP has offered the services for two years and Atkins has helped organisations with bim for the past six months.

The first step is to find out what the clients want. If they want to use bim to operate and maintain their building this needs to be stated up front so the right information can be collected and incorporated into the model. Other questions include whether the model will be used to manage scheduling and costs. The key is only to incorporate essential information otherwise the whole process can get bogged down. “People need to understand everything they are putting into that model and what it is there for otherwise you can slow everything down and cause a lot of stress to the participants,” explains Michael Beaven, the Arup director charged with rolling out the firm’s bim consultancy service in the UK.

Part of this process is examining what software tools people are using and how these will work together. Beaven stresses that software is very much a secondary issue. “It’s about asking the clients the right questions and thinking about what they need rather than what suits the software vendors,” he says. “It’s a process not a software platform and how that process is brought together can make or break a project.” From here the devil is in the detail, a collaborative process has to be agreed on as well as what protocols will be used for data management and distribution. Beaven says


14

it doesn’t matter whether a single model is shared by the project team or they all work with their own models and update these against the others providing everyone uses agreed protocols.

THE PROCESS

A key challenge facing bim consultants is getting firms that are used to working on their own to collaborate and share information. Anne Kemp, Atkins’ technical director for integrating digital solutions, says culture change is one of the biggest challenges. “This is such an important part of rolling out bim and a lot of coaching is going to be needed,” she says. “You need to make people feel they have ownership and control of the project. If you can show them what the benefits of working this way are you can win them over and they develop enthusiasm for it.” Kemp is doing an MSc in coaching and cultural change to help with this process.

Some client firms find it impossible to make the shift. Arup has been offering a bim service from its Sydney office in Australia for a year. Stuart Bull, Arup’s Sydney bim co-ordinator says the firm has had to walk away from the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi. “The client wasn’t prepared to listen to us so we pulled out,” he says.

Clients are most likely to use a bim consultant. “The people who have the most to gain are the owner occupiers as they have a long-term interest in the building,” says Beaven. Atkins says two thirds of the organisations that use its services are public sector clients, but contractors and specialists have a need for a bim consultant too. WSP is currently helping a contractor working for airport operator BAA. The contractor is experienced with using bim but needs specialist advice to make its systems BAA friendly. “The reason I have been asked to do this advanced service is to ensure the information BAA receives suits their methodology, data structure and protocols, down to the right software to use and export it to BAA in the right format,” explains Marc Walker, WSP’s bim development manager. Bim Technologies has been also asked to turn an architect’s design into a bim model by a specialist facades contractor.

Could bim consultancy be the next big thing? “It’s the fastest growing part of our group at the moment,” beams Charlton. Kemp agrees: “From the point of view of a standalone consultancy I do see it becoming a significant part of Atkins’ business.” Arup’s Australian bim consultancy has been busy too - in the past year it has bid for 34 contracts and won nine, which Beaven says is a good hit rate. But Bew sounds a note of caution saying bim consultancy in its current form may have a limited shelf life. “I don’t see this as a long-term situation,” he explains. “As bim becomes a more normal way of working and the tools mature, people will be able to do it themselves.”


14

II.III Bim and the QS: Better late than never

By Erland Rendall

Published 24 October 2011

The recent RICS survey into the engagement of quantity surveyors and building surveyors with bim revealed that a vast majority - nine out of 10 - are either not using or are infrequently connected to bim. David Bucknall, chair of the RICS QS and construction professional group, believes this is a “wake-up call” to its members. The question becomes are the respondents just inherently scared of change or are there more deep-rooted concerns around the impact that bim will have on this profession?

Through his position as chief construction adviser and chair of the government construction board, Paul Morrell OBE, a proud chartered QS and respected leader across the industry, is mandating the use of BIM on all public sector projects by 2016. So with Egan, Latham and now Morrell driving culture change through the industry, why are QSs the last to come to the collaboration party?

Perhaps it’s the perception that bim is based around design and design software? This argument misses the point of bim, which seeks to build virtual models and resolve the majority of issues prior to construction and operation of that asset. Cost and programme are key performance indicators, in addition to quality. With the advent of parametric modelling (which forms a model from a set of bases or parameters that are related, such as area efficiency ratios and cost parameters), the QS can contribute these two fundamental parameters to the modelling process from the outset and add the most value from the earliest stage.

The QS can design and set the standards - they just need to think in a different way and work with the other actors in the process. The public sector requires robust and coherent benchmarking and who better to provide this than the QS. Furthermore, the private sector will also demand this commercially advantageous knowledge. The QS will be able to define what “good” is, echoing Morrell’s mantra of “good, is good enough”.

Maybe it’s the threat of Quantity Take-off (QTO) within the model? This means that quantities can be extracted automatically based on the attributes of objects within the model. For QSs to be wholly reliant on “process” to demonstrate professional value is a weak and flawed position. QTO will provide a new and efficient process which will release the true professional QS expertise of determining holistic value and context to design intent and client requirements. Paraphrasing Henry Ford, we will be introducing a whole new method of professional service delivery not just breeding faster ways of measuring.

inally, the current economic climate is being cited as a good reason not to embrace change, innovation and investment in bim. I disagree and suspect that this is more symptomatic of the inherent personality of QS professionals. In reality, there is no better time to engage and realise the productivity gains that bim provides - for consultants, clients and end-users. In a market where “more for


14

less” is the norm and competitive advantage is hard to come by, bim, and the whole ethos wrapped around it, presents that opportunity for sustainable business growth.

If the profession does not change and adapt, the early adopters in the contracting market will continue to realise the market opportunity and squeeze out the consultant QS. Where is the pride in the training and education that QSs have undertaken, the two to three years of post-graduation experience to then become professionally qualified? QSs have had an identity crisis for the last few decades, ever since the notion of pre-contract cost modelling and estimating entered their skillset. Now is the time to be confident in our ability to inform both the client brief and design concept with the data, information and knowledge that we hold. We can be transparent and share in real-time while leading in an environment where “absolute value” is the highest and most appreciated commodity within the market.

Erland Rendall is head of thought leadership at Davis Langdon, an AECOM Company


14

III.RESOURCES

FURTHERREADINGONBIMADOPTIONSANDSTANDRADSINTHEUK:

UKGovernmentwebsite-http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/

UKGovernmentReports-http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/reports/

COBie-http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-uk-2012/

COBie data drops - http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-data-drops/

UK BIM Forum (recently launched) - http://www.bim.co.uk/forum/index.php

NationalBIMLibrary-http://www.nationalbimlibrary.com/

CPIC-http://www.cpic.org.uk/

New Uniclass Proposals - http://www.cpic.org.uk/en/uniclass/new-uniclass-proposals.cfm

B/555 - http://shop.bsigroup.com/Browse-by-Sector/Building--Construction/Building-Information-Modelling/

BS1192:2007(requirespurchase)-http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030163398

AEC(UK)BIMStandards-http://aecuk.wordpress.com/

NBS bim research and publication - http://www.thenbs.com/topics/bim/index.asp

FurtherreadingonbimstandardsinEurope:

Senate Properties bim requirements - http://www.senaatti.fi/document.asp?siteID=2&docID=517

BuildingSMARTopenBIM-http://buildingsmart.com/openbim

FURTHERREADINGONBIMSTANDARDSINSINGAPORE:

Singapore Particular Conditions for Building InformationModelling draft - www.aces.org.sg/pdf/058-2012_DRAFT_BIM%20Conditions.pdf

Singapore bim guide draft - www.aces.org.sg/pdf/058-2012_DRAFT_Singapore%20BIM%20Guide.pdf


14

FURTHERREADINGONBIMSTANDARDSINTHEUSA:

Contract examples - http://info.aia.org/bimsample/091708_E202-2008_eSample_Blank.pdf and http://www.agc.org/galleries/contracts/301.pdf

TheNBIMSNationalBimStandard-www.wbdg.org/bim/nbims.php

PennStatebimresourcecentre-http://bim.psu.edu

IndianaUniversitybimstandards-http://indiana.edu/~uao/iubim.html

The US General Services Administration 3D-4D bim standard -www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105075

ThePortAuthorityofNewYorkandNewJerseybimstandard-www.panynj-cadstandards.com

Denver International Airport bim manual - http://business.flydenver.com/bizpdf/DIAID_907.pdf

FURTHERREADINGANDRESOURCESONSOFTWARE

AutodeskRevit-http://www.autodesk.co.uk/

Autodeskusergroupinternationalforum-http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

LondonRevitusergroup-http://www.lrug.org.uk/

BentleySystemsArchitecture-http://www.bentley.com/en-GB/

BentrleyUserresourcesite-http://www.bentleyuser.org/index.asp

Gehry Technologies Digital Project Designer - http://www.gehrytechnologies.com/

GraphisoftArchiCAD-http://www.graphisoft.com/

Graphisoftuserforums-http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/

NemestchekAllplan-http://www.nemetschek.com/en/landing_page.html

NemetschekVectorworks-http://www.vectorworks.net/

4MBIMSuite-http://www.bim-architecture.com/