QUESTION TIME
uestiontime
This month’s question:Are architects now using BIM and if so, why? What benefits do they hope to see?
Last issue, Will Nicol at Autodesk, took Architects Choice readers through the advantages of utilising BIM in their work
practices, gaining that all important edge over their competitors. BIM signifies the next step in providing the industry with a model-based, intelligent delivery system that can improve ‘project costs, schedule and quality.’ According to Will, a survey carried out by the National Building Specification revealed that the number of firms using BIM had doubled within the last year. This is impressive even when considering that 48 per cent of the survey commented that they were to wait out the economic downturn before investing. It means BIM is certainly a thing of the future and looks to only get better. With this in mind and BIM technologists pushing the advantages, it is interesting to see what the architects’ reactions are to this new way of working. Are you using BIM and if so, why? What benefits are you most looking forward to reaping and how are you adapting your working practices to accommodate this new way of working across projects? If you are yet to start using BIM, what are your reservations?
ALISTAIR BAINES DIRECTOR, CASSIDY + ASHTON
At Cassidy + Ashton, we have recently begun to train some of our employees on Autodesk Revit, which is the most popular and widely-used piece of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software.
As we are currently planning a significant investment in BIM software, the benefits of using it are already apparent. Speaking to employees who have recently returned from a three-day introductory course, they have lauded the software’s
intelligence and capabilities, and praised the ease in which it automatically transfers data from one drawing to another. The most important aspect of BIM, however, is the way in which it brings together the Architect and their Consultants, creating a new way of working. The BIM Task Group believes that these “collaborative behaviours” will “unlock new more efficient ways of working at all stages of the project life- cycle”, and this can only be a good thing for individuals and the industry.
Whilst BIM will undoubtedly make the Architect’s day-to-day working life much easier, the impact on practices of all sizes is yet to be felt.
Most Architects would agree that their industry is one which has not felt the full effects of modernisation in the same way as other industries have. Although BIM will not replace pen and paper, it will certainly change working practices considerably, and I am sure there will be a large number of professionals who will be
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ArchitectNews.co.uk
resistant to the change. Finally, there are a number of other considerations that need to be made before BIM can be invested in. For example, will this benefit all our employees in one way or another, not just a select few? Can we afford to provide the training, implement the software, and any ongoing technical support? Most importantly, do all staff have the capability to use the software, and do they value it enough to spend hours away from projects learning how to use it? These are all important questions that I, and the rest of our team, have considered before making a decision. Like many others, the answers were undoubtedly yes, but they were still valid questions nonetheless. For those architectural
practices that have so far refused to bring BIM on board, it will be interesting to see how they respond as the Government Construction Strategy’s 2016 deadline approaches.
DAVID MARCHANT CAD/BIM MANAGER, REARDONSMITH ARCHITECTS
Preparation here at
ReardonSmith Architects is underway since we know that BIM may soon become a requirement for our project coordination with consultants. We currently use a variety of tools to augment our conventional methods of producing drawings. For example, at the outset of a project we create numerous 3D visualisations with SketchUp, and then we frequently use AutoCAD to extract information
from our drawings. We also have found that the use of Newforma Project Center software enables us to achieve better collaboration with consultants because not only does it allow us to upload chosen folders and AutoCAD reference files to a designated server, it also allows these consultants to do the same. This sharing of information leads to much better project coordination - in essence it’s BIM without the 3D models.
Surveys for refurbishments have become more sophisticated so that scans formed from point cloud data can be translated directly into BIM. However refurbishment and renovation projects constitute the majority of our work and the use of BIM for these types of buildings is still in its infancy. At the present, many of our projects are outside the UK, and since the consultants on these use AutoCAD it makes sense for us to do so as well. We are still waiting to see if AutoCAD’s Revit software will be the right tool for BIM. A preview of the Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit 2012 has just been released, so the day isn’t too far away when we should be able to implement it easily. The additional 30%-50% cost of conducting a point cloud survey rather than a traditional one may wind-up being prohibitive, though. ReardonSmith is keeping its eyes open for a project in which BIM can be put into practice - ideally a new-construction building where the consultants would also use it. We know the opportunity is imminent, so we already have Revit in our office and have been looking into other BIM software options.
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