4D planning and BIM are becoming prominent in the delivery and management of the built environment. In this article, Elecosoft explores the benefits of 4D BIM and why it is vital to success
With projects susceptible to time overruns, cost and high safety risk, 4D BIM has become increasingly paramount to plan ahead and challenge conventional construction methodologies.
Contractors, construction managers and engineers rely on 4D construction techniques to drive value in workflows.
What is 4D Building Information Modeling?
Building Information Modeling (BIM) creates and manages information for a built asset.
It is a collaborative process that allows construction professionals, including architects, engineers, manufacturers and contractors, to plan, design and construct a building using 3D models as the data hub.
4D BIM combines 3D models with time and schedule-related information such as programmes and logistic models to create a virtual construction sequence.
What are the benefits of 4D BIM?
- Develop a deeper understanding of the project plan and how it will become a reality by using 3D to visualise the build sequence.
- Provide a clear understanding of project deliverables, timescales and methodology, leading to safer design and construction processes.
- Demonstrate a virtual representation of the construction process, leading to the identification of risks and issues before they become expensive mistakes.
- Keep track of changes made to a project and the impact these have on the timeline, thus minimising costly remedial work.
- Bring the project to life by simulating the build in 3D, revolutionising the communication of build packages and simplifying the consultation process with stakeholders.
- Increase collaboration within the team, which impacts error and risk reduction.
- Provide a platform for improved planning and management of construction activities, thus improving project coordination. For example, run different scenarios and test various construction methods, analysing the impact on cost and time.
- Optimise space usage by seeing where work is scheduled and how to use the environment better. In a post-Covid world, this can mean digital site briefings and demonstrations of working practices and procedures.
To truly unlock the benefits of 4D, it is vital to embed 4D into the project planning culture, rather than consider it a speciality, a “nice to have”, or something to be done once and then forgotten.
4D has to become the standard approach to planning, meaning the usage of 4D-enabled tools has to replace legacy planning tools.
Powerproject by Elecosoft is already utilised by 90% of the top UK contractors and includes a powerful 4D BIM module designed to unlock these benefits without adding expensive, difficult-to-use software into the process.
What is the future of 4D BIM?
4D BIM is providing construction companies with an opportunity to demonstrate colleagues, customers and contractors the best way to run future projects with much greater clarity and understanding.
As more companies develop their digital transformation strategy, 4D BIM technology will only increase until it becomes essential for construction planning and management.
Delivering projects on time, and on budget
Already, we’re seeing the positive impact that better planning is having on project outcomes by enabling construction companies to think outside the box. For example, when Willmott Dixon began scoping the University of Warwick’s new Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, it used Powerproject by Elecosoft to pitch a modern construction methodology that involved prefabricating 50% of the building off-site.
As demonstrated above, 4D BIM brings important potential benefits to the construction industry; it reduces safety risks, the ability to foresee hazards, improves project planning, improves communication, increases collaboration and increases project visualisation.
After a slow start to digitalisation, 73% of the industry is now using BIM technology to manage construction work and deliver more projects on time and within budget.
