OPINION
DON’T BIN THE YELLOW TRACE JUST YET
Great ideas are borne out of sketching on disposable tracing paper, says Geoffrey Palmer, who fears over-reliance on BIM will see engineers experimenting less with their designs
between BIM and 3D design, I have real concern that BIM could stifl e good design, because it doesn’t allow you to experiment with ideas. I believe good design needs dead
ends, and great design requires yellow trace. It’s a cheap and disposable medium and allows maximum expression at minimum cost. Passion for good design is what
Pick up a copy of any construction-related magazine
and you are likely to fi nd reference somewhere to building information modelling or BIM. It may be images of completed projects, the latest government initiative, adverts for software or legal comments on potential diffi culties over shared models. The industry – partly driven by government assertions that this approach will drive effi ciency and reduce construction costs – is now wondering not if it will adopt BIM, but when. For complex projects, there can be no
doubt that modelled 3D coordination between all elements of the works is at worst benefi cial, but much more likely to be critical for successful delivery. Most design organisations have been using 3D design for nearly two decades. This is not always for an entire project, but often focused on complex areas, where real value is added by the modelling process. Designing complex projects,
such as Crossrail, without a tool that 24 CIBSE Journal February 2014
creates a virtual reality of the project is not sensible. Yet to apply such a sophisticated tool as BIM to a wiring replacement or solar installation for a primary school would be inappropriate. From 2016, central government departments will adopt, as a minimum, collaborative level 2 BIM. No one yet knows whether it will be required for these sorts of simple projects. While in Hong Kong in 1995, I was involved in various design packages related to the construction of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. Alignment, settlement and coordination of the runways and their surrounding facilities were critical. A single 3D model was built to represent the inputs from numerous design parties fully and these included asset tags, key attributes, line and level for all major elements. This was critical for the success of the project and was an early forerunner to BIM. For me, however, there is a ‘but’ –
and a fairly big one at that. Beyond the fact that very few people seem to really understand the difference
I’ve never met an architect who’s locked onto the fi nal solution on their fi rst sketch
drives me. Yes this design needs to be both coordinated in its detail, and initially borne out of experimentation and the exploration of different options – which may lead to dead ends. If we don’t push the boundaries in fi nding out what doesn’t work, how can we possibly know we have the best solution? My fear is that if we move to BIM without our eyes wide open, we may end up more focused on serving the model, rather than great, sustainable, forward-looking designs. With BIM, if you go down a design cul-de-sac, you may not be able to turn back because the cost of change is excessive, or the necessarily complex three-point turn may lose you both time and design momentum. Could BIM before Stage D stifl e
good design? Certainly I’ve never met an architect who’s locked onto the fi nal solution on their fi rst sketch. Good consultants use all manner
of manual and computer-aided techniques to better understand project challenges, and to balance the pros and cons of their potential solutions. Long may these design tools remain in our armoury, alongside BIM solutions for detailed project development and coordination. As I refl ect on the benefi ts of yellow
trace, I wonder if it’s the satisfaction of achieving three points from a 15-yard cross-offi ce bin shot that excites me, or the knowledge that my next sketch is likely to be better than the screwed up ball of paper now sitting in the recycling bin?
● GEOFFREY PALMER is a director at Grontmij
www.cibsejournal.com
BIG PANTS PRODUCTION / SHUTTERSTOCK
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