Get in Gear
Front loaded BIM process, technology and delivery requirements are on its way.
Wow, what a year it’s been for BIM! CIC BIM Protocol, VR and AR applications, IoT, Upswing on IM requirements and the hype on ISO19650 has begun. And yet. . . it’s only the starting point on what is to come.
Ok maybe not that dramatic. Unless, of course, you are reading this from the front-line trenches. Then you are probably as excited as I am to take that BIM beach in 2019.
So, what is it we need to prepare for? Well, its not an overnight revolution of technology use and project process, but most likely a change over a longer period of time.
With the benefit of hindsight. Looking at the BIM Level 2 deadline in April 2016 and now almost 3 years later the industry is only compliant at 70%, as reported as a statistic back in May 2018. We can probably guess that we will see a slowish but steady increase in more robust BIM Level 2 requirements from developers, starting from 2019.
What is driving this change? Well, primarily, in the UK, it would be the government, in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Built Britain at Cambridge University. In the pipeline are plans for what the UK construction industry should look like in the future. It involves, amongst other things, how buildings and cities are to be developed and managed. This is not a new thing, we are already in the middle of it however, we are about to enter a new phase of this AEC vision. The architects and engineers should, by now, already be BIM Level 2 compliant (70% claim they are).
Question for the design practice: As well as having the right “Standards and Processes” in place, can the technology and systems that have been invested in and implemented, cater for the new demands?
What designers and developers should be gearing up for, is that the BIM focus will now shift from designers through to the developers, who will now have to take ownership of the BIM process on the projects.
For the design sector this probably means that in the near future, we will see new requirements from the developers on process and delivery. These requirements may, currently, not be catered for on the non-client led “BIM Level 2” projects. These projects, not always but often, only really involve 3D model coordination and collaboration between architects and engineers, guided by an un-official Pre-contract BIM Execution Plan template.
Strictly speaking there is nothing wrong with this, except we can’t call it BIM Level 2; but, if the teams can get the team work going and if it helps the project through project stages 2-4 and deliver information better, faster and safer. Then Great! (and it does, I might add)
But, what the Stage 2-4 “BIM” process, on design led BIM, does not cover, are actual client requirements driven by the client’s own business model as well as some standards and deliverables that are BIM Level 2 requirements.
Which brings me to the next point. ISO19650. We are currently waiting for the publication of this standard, and up to the time of publishing, we can only speculate on if there will be any unforeseen standards and processes; and what it’s effect will be on the UK BIM process.
However, from my experience and understanding of the new standard, it seems that the standard is very much based on the UK BIM Level 2 process and that the developer will be put in the driver’s seat. i.e. the points brought up earlier in this post.
I leave you with this:
BIM or not BIM compliant, over the years the BIM process have been proven to be beneficial, if only for the sake of coordination and delivery of 3D models. The fact is that the BIM Level 2 standard is taking foothold and will be adapted by developers at an increasing rate from 2019; and BIM is becoming an international standard with the ISO19650. We can’t control this. We just need to adapt.
What we can control however, is how this adaptation affect our businesses (and personal stress levels).
Learn about what BIM means and how it applies to your business. Then source the help required to meet your needs. Implementing BIM should not have to be a major investment of time or money. And. . . importantly! Your BIM implementation should not create a dependability on one person or service provider. Your BIM capabilities should be second nature to your teams, so you can better lead the project as a developer or provide a better service as a designer.
Thank you for your time.
Jimi Clarke
Tags
#developers #business #BIM #iso19650 #BIMLevel2 #process #standards
Inspired to progress, in the best way possible. By driving the innovation of technology, process and service to unify an industry. To communicate and collaborate to be the best we can be.
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