BIM How? – BIM Academy: Learning and Development

It’s all about data, but let us pay attention to Information Management.

Remember, there is a lot of construction data, and from different parties. How does all of this fit in with BIM and how did the built environment manage all this data prior to BIM?

Let us have a look at the history of BIM:

I) 1984 The first BIM concept
ii) In 1986 the first BIM software released
iii) In 1992, Building Information Model was established as an official term.
iv) 1993 building performance data was used
v) In 2000 Revit was born, then Navisworks followed in 2001.
vi) In 2006 Digital Project.
vii) 2013 PAS 1192-2
viii) 2016 UK BIM Mandate
ix) 2018 ISO 19650 1 & 2
x) Ever since BIM has been steadily growing in popularity and in maturity.

Talk through the relevant stages and information exchanges.

Perhaps no BIM presentation is complete without an image of the UK maturity model (pictured above), developed by Mark Bew and Mervyn Richards. Instantly recognisable by its wedge shape, it has been a useful diagram for the supply chain to identify what it is to deliver and the competencies required while the client can understand what the supply chain is offering. In essence, it is all about communicating expectations.

For anyone new to BIM it can be easy to get your 2D, 3D, 4D and 5Ds mixed up with your BIM Levels 0, 1, 2 and 3. By defining levels of maturity, organisations can set a benchmark as to where they currently are.

It followed a period of quite rapid growth from very low levels of use when we first started tracking BIM adoption in 2011.

This slowing of adoption is typical of many new innovations or ways of working. We have also seen that most of those who have not yet adopted BIM do intend to.

However, plans and reality often differ – with it often taking longer than intended to take the necessary steps. We have seen in previous surveys that there are challenges: the need to invest in new software tools, upskill staff, and to do so while working collaboratively with other members of the project team.

We can see above that 46% of organisations are on the BIM journey, compared to only 8% stating they have not even started.

For just under a third of respondents, it means working with 3D models. BIM is about more than this though – it is about better information management, and following an agreed process or standard. Almost two-thirds recognise this: 33% follow the BS / PAS 1192 series (BIM Level 2) and, almost a third, the new international series: ISO 19650.

Those based in the UK are more likely to follow a series of standards: 41% follow the BS / PAS 1192 series and 33% follow the ISO 19650 series. This is, perhaps, unsurprising given that BS / PAS 1192 are British Standards and that the UK has been so heavily involved in developing the ISO 19650 suite.

Almost three quarters say that their organisation follows a naming convention for all information that is shared. And nearly two thirds clearly indicate what the shared information is for. Again, these are higher among UK professionals.

Only half exchange information in IFC format and 31% in COBie format 2, but this rises to 57% and 39% among those in the UK. 39% classify information using Uniclass 2015; 50% in the UK. UK respondents are much more likely to highlight amended information through the use of revision codes (65%).

For guidance, there is a suite of ISO 19650 documents. The suite consists of four published standards and one further standard which is in development (expected publication 2022).

The core focus for each document is highlighted below:

Part 1 of the ISO 19650 suite presents some revised concepts and principles behind BIM implementation. These are based on best practice and have been presented in a clearer, less intimidating way than previous BIM standards. They illustrate not only BIM concepts and practices but also lay out the value of BIM implementation from a business standpoint.

Part 2 of the ISO 19650 suite concerns the delivery phase of built assets. On the Client’s side, it presents a framework that allows the Client to establish their informational requirements in a holistic and comprehensive way. On the Supplier’s side, it prescribes an ideal environment for the collaborative production of asset information which takes place as a direct response to the Client’s informational requirements. Ultimately, it ensures not only that the Client fully articulates their needs, but also that the Suppliers can produce and deliver this information in a way that is most efficient and effective, adding considerable value to the Project.

Part 3 of the ISO 19650 suite concerns the operational phase of built assets. Like Part 2, it presents a framework that allows the Client to establish their informational requirements in a holistic and comprehensive way, however, the focus here is on the information that the Client requires for the efficient and effective operation of the asset following handover.

Part 5 of the ISO 19650 suite concerns security-related issues associated with the digitalised management of information. This seeks to make all involved parties aware of the vulnerability of the information that is (or has been) produced and prescribes a number of solutions for the management of security-related risk.

This illustrates the various initiatives which are being used to roll out BIM globally. More than 30 countries have adopted or are planning to adopt BIM. The various methods are being used to adopt BIM around the world, with a focus on the use of governmental mandates.