A few years ago, an international architectural studio famous for its modern glass and steel designs discovered that building information modelling threatened to break the quality assurance process critical to the firms’ reputation
Instead of taking days to generate thousands of fully coordinated drawing sets, as when using 2D CAD, 3D models produced that quantity of sheet sets in mere minutes! As a result, the firm’s bespoke document control process, developed for 2D modes of production, needed revamping or replacing to avoid becoming a bottleneck.
In the words of the firm’s senior partner and head of technology, “We buried our QA/QC process in data.”
That’s one challenge related to BIM outputs. There are more.
Extending the models’ outputs to the field
Once all those sheets are generated from the model, how do you make them available on electronic tablets? Because more and more, tablets are how people like to access information at the job site.
Fortunately, there is technology that flows data seamlessly from the model to the tablet.
It’s akin to a magic act to see information flow from the 3D model to document control software to a plans app. And it’s an assurance of quality to know teams in the field have ready access to the latest plans.
These are a few of the challenges to managing BIM outputs. But that’s just half of it. For BIM’s success also hinges on stepped-up collaboration at the outset of a project. To collaborate on that scale, you’ll need to get a better handle on BIM’s inputs as well. An example will help.
More collaboration = more inputs
As many have noted, to make BIM really successful, you need the input of all project stakeholders as early as possible in the design process. Before ground is broken in real life, the project is built digitally, and to do so, you need input from the people who will build it.
As a result, with BIM, much of the coordination that traditionally transpired in the course of construction is compressed into preconstruction. Representatives of the client, the contractor, the consultants and subcontractors – civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection – and other team members all contribute ideas to optimize form, function and the construction process.
It’s an intense period of collaboration. While it’s best done face-to-face, decisions are largely settled and documented via email. Lots of email.
For example, Dave Moyes, information management partner at SimpsonHaugh and Partners, recently noted that, halfway through their design of phase one of the iconic Battersea Power Station Redevelopment in London, his staff had saved over 150,000 project-related emails to the shared folder on their email server.
In addition to email, their file servers had over 2.25 terabytes of project data, including PDFs and BIM models to shop drawings, specs, reports, meeting minutes, site photos, and other images.
“Information and collaboration have reached scales not seen before,” said Moyes. “Having project information management software dedicated to managing this explosion of digital data goes far in reducing risk, meeting schedules, and pleasing clients.”
One way to manage all that data is in a common data environment.
Common data environments and input–output management BDP, one of the UK’s largest design firms, has deployed project information management software to maintain what BRE, the Building Research Establishment, calls a “common data environment,” or CDE. The CDE comprises the graphical model, non-graphical data, and documentation – in other words, more than just the model.
BDP’s CDE is more than just an information warehouse. It manages and monitors project controls, as well.
For example, the software applies a standard set of action items as part of each project’s BIM execution plan. The BIM-related tasks and documents can be accessed by all team members via a Project Handbook dashboard. For executives, a cross-project dashboard provides firm wide reporting of BIM Execution plan compliance.
The system fulfils BRE mandates to be able to “communicate, re-use and share data efficiently without loss, contradiction or misinterpretation,” as well as be able to “archive information transfers, models, documents, contract documents, and operational and maintenance information.”
Assuring quality
Project information management software ensures high quality and consistency in the professional services that BDP delivers, which is key to its ISO 9001, 14001, 27001 and BIM Level 2 compliance. The system is flexible and adaptable to the company’s processes.
The success is evident. In November of 2014, BDP became the first company to achieve BIM Level 2 certification by the independent BRE auditors. According to IT Director Alistair Kell, the project information management system “was key to enabling us to achieve BIM Level 2 certification.”
Managing waste
By slashing the time it takes to research past decisions and locate authoritative versions of documents, project information management software eliminates wasteful activity and mitigates the risk or working from outdated information.
In the case of Simpson Haugh and Partners and the firm’s 150,000 project emails and 2.25TB of project files, that abundance of information has become a resource the firm now uses to improve project delivery and client responsiveness, not just on active projects, but on others to come.
According to David Moyes, “If properly implemented, BIM will reduce physical waste in construction as well as a building’s operating costs in the long run; but only if the stakeholders effectively manage the resulting digital waste produced during the design and build stages.” By managing inputs to and outputs from the model, waste is going by the wayside.
About the author
Allen Preger is a co-founder of Newforma, a developer of software to manage building and infrastructure project information. He is the company’s vice president of global strategy.
Allen Preger
Co-founder/VP of Global Strategy
Newforma
Tel: +44 207 268 3020
apreger@newforma.com