BIM
or what is Building Information Modeling
Hello,
this is the first article in the series on the broadly understood work of the Architect and what he faces in everyday duties and struggles. I will start with the topic of BIM, because it is something that has strongly influenced the path of my careerand I had the opportunity to work with projects carried out in this technology.I would like to interest you in this topic, and maybe you will have the opportunity to use this knowledge in the near future in practice.
But what is BIM?
BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. it takes place in time and is a set of activities that consists of modeling and saturating the model with information that ultimately lead to the creation of a so-called digital twin whos elevel of detail determines the level of accuracy of the model expressed in LOD (Level of development or level of detail).
Imagine a 3D model that depicts a building. Let it be a single-family residential house. This building is located on the plot has an investor, designer, contractor. In addition, it has a connection to the network, road, heating network or has its own heat source. Preferably photovoltaic panels and a heat pump. All this information listed will most likely appear in the description. But why not in the model itself? That's what BIM is for. It is not just a 3Dmodel, but information that is linked to geometry and objects.
Why BIM?
But why so much effort for? After all, everything is in the statement attached to theproject and all the information is detailed there. We have a summary of costs, CPV codes with the definition of works and the missing information will be clarified at the construction site or through inquiries from the construction site to the designer. And what ifyou can avoid it by anticipating all these events and queries.
In addition, using the information contained in the model, we can optimize details and documentation, better plan the costs and time needed to implement the project, coordinate the project and work on the data contained in theproject. For me, the most important aspect is cross-industry coordination. We are only humans and everyone makes mistakes. By verifying models, we can reduce the risk of discrepancies between architecture and structural design or collisions, e.g. in installation projects.
How to do it?
It is necessary to break this down into several aspects:
1. First of all, people. You need people who know the software, it;s capabilities and are able to implement the design assumptions.
2. You need a program where you can do it and coordinate this
3. You need rules and regulations on how people should do and project documentation and who is responsible for what.
4. It is also important to determine why wedo it this way and what we want to achieve with it.
There are various programs available on the market dedicated to this type of design. The mostpopular are ArchiCAD, Revit, Navisworks, Microstation. But it doesn't stop there. Sketchup, Rhinoceros,or3DS Max can also be adapted to create BIM models.
In my professional work, I usually use ArchiCAD, but this does not mean that other programs are foreign to me. I cooperate with industry professionals who use, for example, Revit when designing installations. It isworth to be aware of how the model can be exported or imported. What is thestructure of the data and how to limit the information only to the necessary onesand optimize the size.
The key issue isto determine the basis point, what information should be included in the model,in what format the files will be exchanged and what you willuse them for. Weuse BEP, or Bim Execution Plan, for this. It is a document in which we define these issues.
It is also important that the project participants interact with each otherand do not shift responsibility. That's why goals areset. In theory, it sounds simple,and in practice, when each of the companies begins tobe scored from errors or mistakes, translation and obscuring instead of correction and reporting begins. I know of the projectsthat such actions ledto morethan a year of delay and consequent termination of the contract. But if everything went smoothly, we wouldn't learn anything.
Summing up
We are in the process of transition to economy 4.0. Where BIM is a half-step to automate the construction site.
