Why is BIM hailed as the future of Construction (Part 2)?

Posted on: February 13, 2019, By: Dhvani Badheka

Click here to read: Why is BIM hailed as the future of Construction (Part 1)…

This series of articles explains BIM Modeling Services and its salient features that make it indispensable and future of the construction industry. In the previous article, we had discussed what Building Information Modeling is all about. We had also discussed BIM Maturity Levels 0 and 1. Moving ahead, we will now talk about the remaining maturity levels, LOD, BIM dimensions, and eventually its future implications for the construction industry.

3. BIM Level 2

BIM Level 2 is distinguished by working in a collaborative environment between all disciplines. It enables the exchange of information for a particular project and defines a process of collaboration between the project participants and the various systems. This innovation takes into account increasingly proficient strategies for structuring, assembling, and keeping up a building resource all through its whole lifecycle. When the exchange of information takes place in a structured and pre-defined way, the data-rich 3D model is an information power-house that can be reused as and when required.

Though collaboration is at the core of BIM Level 2, it doesn’t require that all the participants of project work on the same 3D model. They can use a separate model which can then be inter-linked with each other For this, the participants must use software which can generate 3D models that can be saved into common file formats (such as the IFC). The unified model thus created gives an overall view of the project to all the professionals. For e.g. by linking the Architectural BIM model to the MEP BIM model, one can perform MEP BIM Coordination Services and Clash Detection to resolve clashes at the design stage itself.

The entire project and asset information is documented and stored in a digital format. There are several advantages of working on a collaborative BIM environment. The major ones are:

• Increased efficiency
• Better cost control
• Reduced risk
• Minimize wastage
• Eliminate coordination issues
• Improved production planning
• Enhanced carbon performance

Because of this advantage, the government of the UK had mandated the use of BIM Level 2 since April 2016 on all public projects. Several other countries such as the Scandinavian countries and other European countries are following the suit in a certain capacity in order to optimize the construction process.

For the implementation of BIM Level 2 by the AECO and asset management industry, the organizations and the employees within these organizations need to accept change with an understanding that their traditional roles within the organization may be required to be redefined in order to align with the new processes and information management. The pre-defined standards of BIM Level 2 outline the processes and information management practices that are required for successful implementation and functioning of the organizations at this maturity level.

We will discuss BIM Level 3 and Levels of Detailing (LOD) in the next article.

Read: Part 3

Read: Part 4

Written By:
Dhvani Badheka

Dhvani is an irreverent writer who has over 4 years of experience under her belt. She is a life-long learner and a quick study which provides her articles a unique insight. She is always reading, researching new materials and trying to expand her knowledge of the AEC industry so that she can create interesting and valuable content.