BIM and the Future of Collaboration

Eventually we will all stop talking about BIM and it will just become another deliverable, says Adrian Girling, Graphisoft’s managing director for UK and Ireland.

When asked how important BIM adoption is to business, Girling says “[there are] huge benefits of BIM adoption even in its simplest form. It is proven that BIM allows for more reliable 2D documentation derived directly from the BIM model,” Girling explains. And reliable documentation means fewer mistakes – and fewer mistakes means everyone saves time and money.

One New Zealand-based architect experiencing the benefits of BIM is Context Architects. Earlier this year, the company’s IT and CAD Manager, Jonny Breen shared with us how BIM is shaping their workflow. Breen explained that by implementing BIM on their projects, they have been able to automate several repetitive tasks such as schedule creation – which has in turn eliminated errors. Plus, by defining the way BIM is to be used on projects (via their own BIM Handbook), other project collaborators also save time, which in turn, saves the client money.

Context developed their BIM Handbook after experiencing problems that arose due to a lack of standardisation when collaborating on projects. The resulting Handbook helps internal staff and external teams understand what is required of each other – essentially managing expectations while streamlining processes. Best of all, Breen explains, “our BIM Handbook has been met with enthusiasm from vendors who are excited to work on a federated model that ‘just works’,” he says.

According to a recent study by EBOSS and the NZ BIM Acceleration Committe, a lack of BIM Execution Plans (also known as a BIM Handbook) – or simply a failure to comply with them – is frequently causing collaboration problems[1]. If you don’t already have a BIM Handbook you may like to refer to the following resources to build your own:

• In New Zealand: BIM Handbook (free download from BIM in NZ)
• In Australia: Natspec BIM Guide (free download from Nat Spec)

To read the full article ‘Open Standards Key to Future’ published by the Chartered Institute of Building in the UK, click here

[1] BIM in New Zealand – an industry-wide view 2016, EBOSS + BIM Accelleration Committee, 2016.