The Changing Face of Today’s BIM Implementation By Jason Boehning Developing an implementation plan is the key to successfully incorporating BIM into your building or infrastructure project. B IM Today In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction world today, there are many ideas of what Building Information Modeling, or BIM, actually is. Not too long ago, BIM seemed to focus strictly on the design and construction of buildings. Within the past few years, however, there has been a shift— the “Building” in BIM has gone from representing an actual, physical building to referring to any building project. In other words, the word “Building” is used as a verb. BIM now focuses on any project that involves designing and constructing—roads, bridges, plants, and of course, buildings. Another change is that BIM is becoming more of a business model, as opposed to just a method. Implementing BIM is a major undertaking for any organization. It is not a matter of simply buying a license of Revit and beginning to work in Revit instead of CAD. BIM implementation requires a change both in the overall culture and in the mindset of an organization. This change must be championed by management and driven from the top down. 16 purposes. For example, the model can be used for analysis, fabrication, and construction, as well as operations and maintenance. Implementing BIM As far as defining BIM, a broad definition is “an integrated workflow built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from design through construction and into operation.” If you are just implementing BIM or thinking about implementing BIM, the most important thing is to have a plan. Your organization should develop a BIM implementation plan. And once again, this implementation plan should be fully supported by management and driven from the top down. While everyone should play a part in developing the plan, management must be on board and completely supportive of the initiative. Depending on the region, BIM implementation may be different, as there are varying standards and mandates around the world. These should be considered when implementing BIM. Additionally, there are multiple books, online BIM focuses on virtual design and construction. In classes, and consultants that can help companies review and assess business processes, as well fact, some people actually define BIM as “virtual design and construction,” or VDC. This is because, as aid in the development of an implementation strategy. Once a plan has been established and essentially, BIM is the process of modeling all BIM technologies are chosen to carry out the BIM aspects of building and infrastructure projects. processes, there must be standards and protocols This allows for planning, designing, building, and developed for the use of those technologies. Don’t managing based on a single building information be afraid to ask for help! model. The model can then be used for several www.cadlearning.com