BIM/CIM

BIM:: Building Information Modeling 

BIM benefits for the architects:

• reduced errors and omissions in documents

• increased competitive advantage 

• reduced risk and rework

• reduced Cycle Time of specific workflow, enhancing the productivity

BIM benefits for the engineers:

• garnering the response rate

• maintaining repeat business

• offering new services

• reduced errors and rework

BIM benefits for the contractors:

• job site productivity

• reduced rework

• reduced project duration

BIM benefits for the owners:

• reduced document errors

• reduced construction cost

• reduced project duration

• reduced litigation 

“Pre-BIM technology was about representation. Thinking and analysis happened elsewhere. Now it is all becoming integrated. You can apply analytical algorithms to models and really begin to reason about the design.”

• Mobile devices have gone from a rarity on the most tech savvy sites to commonplace across industry. Powerful computers in your pocket or the size of a notebook allowing you to do multiple jobs in one go rather than needing 6 or 7 devices, printing bills have dropped and more people are using tools likeBIM 360 Docs to load the latest construction documentation straight to their phone or tablet and feed issues back to the office.

• Connectivity and the Cloud has shifted from the latest buzzword to a normal part of our everyday lives. Think back 5 years, most people were still adding to their CD, DVD and Bluray collections, now they're gathering dust in many people's attics due to companies like Netflix and Spotify. In construction, the link between office and site has changed the way technology is perceived by many firms with investment in decent internet connection on site and suitable hardware becoming a priority.

• Drones and UAV's have become the must have toy for many children and big children but the real life applications to help with inspections of hard to reach areas, and ability to create 3D models accurate enough for cut and fill calculations from photos taken by these self-piloted devices, would five years ago have been dismissed as something from a sci-fi film.

• Reality Computing is an area that already had traction back in 2011 but was still scarce, over the last five years drops in hardware costs, innovative new data capture methods like from backpacks, cars and UAV's and new technology like Project Tango from Google have made a conventional laser scanner look boring.

• Wearables such as the prototype Google Glass, DAQRI smart helmets, smart watch's and location and sensor technology embedded in safety vests might not have taken over construction yet but we are seeing a change in tone from why to how, in five years' time I think we'll see more of this technology becoming standard on larger projects and filtering down to certain personnel on those smaller projects, like tablets are doing today.

• The Internet of Things and sensor technology in buildings, again have gone from a rare example of how things could be done to a common part of many people's lives. For example I can't imagine how I'd get on without my Nest, a thermostat that allows me to switch off my heating from my phone on the other side of the world, now many of the largest projects in the world such as Hudson Yards, are looking at sensor technology as an essential part of their design.

• Increase in use of Big Data as a way to measure projects to identify problems early in an industry notoriously bad at predictions, allowing contractors to make better decisions about which subcontractors they work with and when to invest in additional resources.

• With 3D printing we've seen a couple of false starts such as the story of ten 3D printed houses in a day which was found recently to be faked, however there's still a lot of interest in how this method of manufacturing on site could change how buildings and infrastructure are delivered in the future with many proof of concepts that just weren't around five years ago. There's starting to be more of a push to 'local factories', where items are built on or very close to site for quicker assembly, mirroring some of the trends we see in manufacturing.

• We have seen a surge in the interest in Advanced Robotics for construction with companies such asMX3D are looking at how to 3D print a bridge in the middle of Amsterdam using these robots, and other examples of robots being used for bricklaying!

BIM Books

http://open.bimreal.com/bim/index.php/documents/bim-books/