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The Future of Construction: BIM is Shaping the Industry

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Introduction

Building Information Modeling or BIM visualizes the digital representation of any physical assets through 3D models. The Computer-Assisted-Designed (CAD) 3D models aid to track and monitor the physical assets through precise dimensions & measurements from initial design to construction, operation, and maintenance. 

Various project teams can collaborate on a project through BIM. With the software, design, construction, operation, and maintenance teams can share information and monitor the progress of projects digitally. Project management becomes streamlined with BIM and it avoids the silos formed through traditional CAD approaches. With BIM, CAD gets used in much more integrated ways than traditional approaches. 

After the proper data allocation, BIM projects get assigned to a Common Data Environment (CDE). It creates a collaborative link and connection between every team working on the project as everyone can access data in one place. 

As the world population keeps rising putting a demand on constructing buildings, the global AEC industry keeps looking for smarter and more efficient ways to design & construct personal and professional spaces. BIM is an excellent tool that gets used for this purpose as it simplifies and streamlines the whole process of project & construction management. BIM software allows the teams to capture necessary data they create and use to benefit operations and maintenance activities. 

Improved Collaboration and Communication

BIM gets extensively used by architects, civil engineers, construction professionals, and design-professionals in the construction industry. It aids improved collaboration and communication through processes of planning, designing, constructing, and managing of construction-projects. All stakeholders involved use BIM collectively to work together more efficiently save time, reduce errors, and optimize the project outputs. BIM is important to the construction industry due to the facilitation of high-quality communication, efficiency, risk management, cost, opportunity, and ongoing project management. 

The BIM interoperability allows a fluid working relationship between all the parties involved in the construction industry. It works regardless of preferred software tools and vendors. With BIM, communication becomes easier as it is cloud-based software and accessible from anywhere. Large-scale projects become more efficient and reduce the life cycle of a project. Construction sites are made safer through efficient risk management. BIM can help calculate the cost analysis of a project and make it more effective. 

Enhanced design and visualization

Opportunities arise through BIM due to its 3D modeling and virtual reality feature with which professionals can get the complete picture through digital-viewing of finished projects. It provides more scope for innovation. Construction professionals can use the precise measurements, dimensions, and variables in the blueprint to successfully complete the project in a limited time frame. The process of BIM creates intelligent data that gets used to manage and construct projects. The data gets visualized to prepare proper plans and designs to build and operate projects.  

Real-time visualization of BIM bypasses one of the fundamental difficulties with paper projects. In a real-world situation, one cannot fully visualize projects using paper blueprints and that is where the enhanced design & visualization of BIM comes in handy. 

During the development of a construction project, the models get produced independently by architects, MEP engineers, structural engineers, environmental engineers, and other design professionals. Once all data gets put into the BIM model, it highlights a quick-clash detection model that determines where the separate models can clash or overlap with each other. Hence, the clashing elements can be removed before the construction phase.

Increased efficiency and cost savings

The BIM-based cost estimation is more accurate than the traditional ways. By using BIM to increase efficiency and save costs through accuracy & coordination, construction projects stay on schedule within the budget. With BIM, 4D simulations of projects get done with which professionals understand all the nuances of projects much better than traditional ways. The potential bottlenecks get identified and removed, which increases efficiency while saving costs. 

Sustainable and Eco-friendly Construction

One of the biggest benefits of BIM is that it enhances and promotes greater sustainability of projects. The construction industry does create pollution and waste and ways need to be formulated & implemented to reduce and recycle these wastes. BIM helps in doing so through its calculations of quick-clash detection. The software digitally models the construction projects to identify potential problems that create waste, which can then be avoided during project-construction. Designers use BIM to assess the thermal performance of different façade systems to choose the most energy-efficient option. 

BIM Implementation challenges and solutions

Often people do not know how to implement BIM in the most effective ways. It translates to less sponsorship and management support, which ultimately leads to people not using BIM and suffering in the process. The solution is to give BIM training to professionals like we do at CAD International. 

Future trends and innovations in BIM

Five of the most innovative future trends in BIM include the use of 3D printing, drone usage, cloud collaboration, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Augmented & Virtual Reality. 

Conclusion

Contact us at CAD International to learn more about BIM and its training resources with which you can learn more about it. 

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