Transparent Planning with BIM: Benefits for Construction Professionals
In the beginning was the Word—and just like that, the universe was created. We humans, however, would be wise not to rely solely on the Word. Especially when it comes to complex construction projects, we should rely on sketches and designs—or, even better, on true-to-scale models. The latest trend for construction planners and facility managers, however, is BIM. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling and describes a software-based method for integrating all the information that the various trades compile for the construction and management of buildings. In Germany, the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport is responsible for promoting its adoption. io has been using it for years in its planning projects for clients.
First, each trade involved in the project creates a specialized model that depicts the structure in three dimensions along with information—ideally covering its entire life cycle. Using BIM, these models can then be merged into a single, coordinated master model. The goal is to identify and ultimately resolve any interdisciplinary conflicts between the elements of the individual discipline-specific models through a clash detection process. Predictable issues then do not have to be resolved on-site through a lengthy and costly process. “This happens automatically at first, but can be configured in various ways,” explains Esta-Marie Ernst, Business Unit Manager at io. “This makes the work much easier, but it by no means replaces the expertise of specialists. Targeted reviews are necessary to evaluate potential clashes from a technical perspective.”
io brings together under one roof the expertise of all the disciplines involved in planning large-scale construction projects. As a result, differing levels of knowledge and approaches cannot conflict—and any potential compatibility issues are prevented before they even arise.
Transparency for all steps of the overall planning process
BIM makes the individual steps of the overall planning process transparent because each discipline involved can work on its own discipline-specific model. From these, an overall model can then be generated that reflects the results at specific points in time. The overall model immediately shows how the work steps of a single discipline affect others. When this approach is consistently followed, all information is available to everyone involved at the same time, making subsequent data exchange—for example, via email—obsolete. Nevertheless, one person is needed to take overall responsibility: the BIM manager. This person coordinates the overarching workflow—from compiling the individual discipline models, to reviewing the overall model for content and clashes, to forwarding the review results to the relevant experts.
“io brings together the expertise of all the disciplines involved in planning large construction projects under one roof,” Ernst notes. “As a result, differing levels of knowledge and approaches cannot conflict—and any potential compatibility issues don’t even arise in the first place.”
The use of BIM makes planning more efficient and cost-effective—and, incidentally, doesn’t take any longer than creating detailed CAD drawings, as Ernst reports. Another advantage: BIM also serves as a data repository beyond the project planning phase. After all, all information and parameters are recorded in the overall models. “We always consider the entire life cycle of a building,” says Ernst. “With BIM, it’s easier, for example, to consistently keep building systems up to date.”
Architectural Relationships as an Aesthetic Experience
Furthermore, BIM models can be visualized as needed—for example, for project meetings during the planning phase, or as a PR tool. This makes complex architectural relationships tangible, intuitively understandable, and an aesthetic experience. Communication about the underlying construction project then becomes comprehensible even to outsiders. In this way, skillfully executed visualizations support decision-making and increase public acceptance of future buildings.
Ernst and her team rely on software that allows them to create still renderings, rendering videos, and 360-degree panoramas—all the way up to photorealistic visualizations. Thanks to specialized software packages, even real-time walkthroughs and VR are possible. “Right in the middle of it, not just watching from the sidelines”—and that’s already the case during the planning phase.
