BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING | TECHNICAL
Above: Automatic generation of tunnel rings along the tunnel alignment for the UK HS2 project
BIM simultaneously describes an information
management process, i.e., how information is created and shared within a project and who can access and modify information at which project stages, as well as the models (2D, 3D, or otherwise), their application, and the software that are used to do so. To some users, BIM therefore represents the entire cyber ecosystem developed for an underground engineering project, while for others, BIM may only describe some of its parts. Much also relies on what a project sponsor wishes,
and how they view BIM in their plans and future operations. For example, smaller projects without sufficient funding may only include simple BIM software with no overarching organisation plans. Larger infrastructure projects, in contrast, may be mandated to use BIM in all aspects of the collaboration and delivery of a project, and develop detailed digital environments for all aspects of a project. Project participants on smaller projects, may therefore view BIM as different from those on larger projects, though neither would be inherently wrong in their views. As such, BIM, in its current state, exists at different
levels of maturity across different projects, and therefore it means different things to different project participants.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE BIM, like several other technologies or methods used in the tunnelling world, has its origins outside of the industry. While the concept of BIM has existed in
some form or another since the beginning of the use of computers in architecture and engineering (A&E), introduction of what we now know as BIM to the A&E field has its origins in the mid 2000’s as software manufacturers, such as Autodesk or Bentley, began to focus more on developing BIM-specific software that allowed users to integrate more design information than simply 2D or 3D geometries within models of objects/ structures. Early adoption of BIM within the tunnelling industry
often centred around the selection of specific uses of BIM oriented software, such as 3D modelling or tasks such as clash detection, rather than the implementation of a project-wide information management framework. Some early tunnel projects that adopted BIM include the Central Subway project in San Francisco and the Crossrail project in London, both of which Gall Zeidler Consultants was involved in. For the Central Subway project, BIM was used
extensively for the station design phase during 2008- 2010. However, the implementation of BIM for design was limited to the final structures. Use of BIM did not extend to the construction phasing and sequencing, nor did it require the contractor to implement BIM in its construction planning, which was a missed opportunity for continuity of the deployment of the BIM approach and benefits to the project. The UK Crossrail project began development of the
project wide BIM environment and various other BIM processes in 2008, prior to the 2012 UK government
June 2023 | 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39
