CSE Magazine: BIM offers huge potential for sustainability
Mar 26th, 2009 | By admin | Category: News
By Kimon Onuma, FAIA, Onuma Inc., Pasadena, Calif. — Printed in Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 3/1/2009
High-impact decisions that affect a building’s performance can be made at early design stages when engineering input has the highest potential impact. Web-enabled building information modeling (BIM) tools allow specifiers to position themselves as profitable information managers and can yield great value for clients.
A traditional engineering process is very linear—waiting for the architect to complete his or her task before the engineer becomes involved. This is the limitation of current processes. The American Institute of Architects Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) calls for earlier and more frequent involvement by all stakeholders throughout the project, and this process promotes interaction by those who typically would only be reacting to previous decisions before they are set in stone. IPD allows specifiers to have an early impact on project decisions, reducing costly overtime to change bad decisions or rapidly visualize scenarios before they are set in stone, creating a better end-product.
When BIM is web-enabled, it supports stakeholders’ ability to interact in real-time through a model as the communication medium. Typically design decisions on a building’s form and MEP systems are made in later stages, reacting to earlier decisions that are difficult to change. IPD calls for stakeholder collaboration in earlier design stages.
Breaking down the linear process of design decisions opens up huge opportunities. It is also a sustainable process for the building industry, as there is exponential value in having real-time expert advice throughout the design lifecycle.
Meanwhile, building industry tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The amount of data related to projects and buildings is growing exponentially. The task of categorizing and accessing the information is adding another dimension to the BIM process. For some, BIM inundation is creating BIM aversion, at a time when we need to be versed in BIM.