Singing The Praises Of Bim
Building Information Modeling at MSU
White Paper
BIM defined:
“A BIM is a shared knowledge resource for
information about a facility forming a reliable basis for
decisions during its entire life-cycle from earliest
conception to demolition.” NBIMS
BIM as a noun: (or a technology view)
A shared digital representation of the physical and
functional characteristics of a facility
BIM as a verb: (or a process view)
Collaboration by different stakeholders at different
phases of the life cycle of a facility to insert, extract,
Abstract
update or modify information in the BIM to support
and reflect the roles of that stakeholder
BIM is a revolutionary approach to design,
Overview
construction, and maintenance operations that
promises to speed construction, improve col aboration
Academic administrators have long realized that a
among construction stakeholders, manage change in
college campus is much more than just a
a less costly manner, reduce inefficiencies and
disconnected agglomeration of buildings that house
redundancies, and enhance overall productivity. This
scholars working in isolation. The great universities
paper discusses some advantages of BIM for the
foster a spirit of collegiality and collaboration among
owner, explains and defines BIM in a non-technical
seemingly disparate entities that lead to great
manner, and provides some suggestions to initiate a
discoveries. Any institution can build facilities to
BIM project.
house autonomous mathematics, physics, and
chemistry programs; inspired leaders provide the
“On a typical $10 million dollar (or more) project there
means and environment to encourage these
are approximately:
seemingly disparate entities to collaborate and
• 420 companies involved
combine to create a world-class nuclear science
• 850 individuals involved
program and to construct a state-of-the art cyclotron.
• 50 different types of documents generated
Collaboration and teamwork produce powerful results
• 56,000 pages of documents
for researchers. A fairly new software tool, Building
• 6 – 20” diameter, 50’ high,, 20 year old trees
Information Modeling (BIM), has the potential to aid
harvested for paper documents
the efforts of the construction organizations at MSU
Scanning the paper documents is the electronic
reach even higher levels of success.
equivalent of about:
• 3,000 MB or
BIM, both as a software tool (used as noun) and to
• 6 CD’s”
describe process changes brought about by
(Source: BIM Handbook)
enhancing teamwork and collaboration (using BIM as
a verb), has capabilities that reach beyond the facility
design and construction phases. It also holds great
promise to help MSU reach university-wide strategic
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April 2008
goals as embodied in sustainability initiatives, can
BIM facility management has a ready database to
streamline facility management functions over the
calculate rooms, spaces, and equipment. Using BIM
lifecycle of the building, and can support marketing
as simulation tool the facility manager can work with
and security efforts.
other university departments, such as the fire and
police departments, to analyze, for example, smoke
It has long been the goal of those involved in the
propagation during a fire. This would help to evaluate
design and construction of university facilities to work
evacuation routes in this and other crisis scenarios.
in a truly col aborative manner and as a team to
deliver value and meet the unique needs of the
Finally, BIM can be used as a marketing tool by both
academic customer. Given the almost unmanageable
housing and admissions. As a 3-D visualization tool,
number of companies and individuals involved in a
BIM has a feature that allows a virtual “fly-thru” of a
project (see insert) it is no wonder that confusion and
building or room. The prospective student or
conflicts sometimes seem to reign on large projects.
conference organizer could “virtually” visit their
BIM helps stakeholders coordinate and balance
room(s) prior to occupancy. Someday, in the future, a
issues such as end-user requirements and needs
potential student could virtually visit every building on
against hard budget limits early in the design process
campus without ever stepping foot in East Lansing.
– this helps to reduce changes later in the projects,
shortens design and construction time, and helps to
The remainder of this paper discusses other
minimize errors and omissions. BIM can also help in
advantages of BIM for the owner, explains and
the feasibility stage, when linked to a cost database,
defines BIM in a non-technical manner, and provides
to determine if the project is within proposed budgets
some guidelines to initiate a BIM project.
well before expensive design functions are performed
and irreversible commitments are made. It can also
help to detect potential interferences between trades
(sometimes cal ed “clashes”) and thus reduce change
orders.
MSU’s commitment to environmental stewardship, as
manifest in the university’s “BESPARTANGREEN”
program, is well known. BIM, as a pre-construction
virtual modeling tool, can help university planners and
designers to carefully evaluate the long-term impact
and energy efficiency of a proposed structure to
determine if it meets functional and sustainability
BIM Explained
requirements, such as those contained in the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
The idea of BIM has been on the designer’s wish list
(LEED) standards. Different alternatives can be
for many years. Technology has finally advanced to
quickly evaluated using energy simulation and
the point where the dream is now realized. The
analysis modules. BIM, as a digital tool, also holds
definition of BIM at the beginning of this paper is just
the promise to reduce the amount of paper consumed
one of many in the industry. BIM is a software tool
by the construction process (see insert).
but it also holds the promise to change the process of
construction and “business as usual.” First, lets look
BM is a workhorse for the university long after the
at “under the hood” in a mostly non-technical way at
ribbon-cutting ceremony. It acts as a repository of
explaining BIM as a “noun,” and how the software
vital information for the operations and maintenance
works. Then, we look at what the real “buzz” is about
of the facility. The BIM can hold all of the as-built
BIM, the “verb” part. This is the promise of enhancing
documentation from the design and construction
collaboration and teamwork.
phases as well as the operations and maintenance
data. Potential updates and renovations to the
facility can be evaluated using the original design
intent and the impact can be easily evaluated. With
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Under the Hood
Major BIM System Vendors
At the heart of the BIM is a large common database
BIM product
Vendor
that can be digitally manipulated to create a complete
representation of a facility prior to construction. This
Revit Architecture
Autodesk
includes traditional 2-dimensional (2D) plans
consisting of elevation, section, and plan views, 3D
views, and construction documentation such as door
Bentley Architecture
Bentley Systems
and window schedules. This database holds all of the
information for the objects and elements that make up
ArchCad
Graphisoft
the building. What makes this important - even huge,
is that information only has to entered once and can
Digital Project
Gehry Technologies
be accessed accurately multiple times. This means
that those who need the data, such as consultants,
How does this magic work? The scholars in the
can electronically access the data input by the
computer science department call this database
architect and use it in analysis programs unique to
property bi-directional associativity. This just means
their trade.
that changes to any part of the design are
immediately reflected (or updated) in all of the
This has several benefits. For one, the consultant
associated parts. The objects and elements (wall and
doesn’t have to re-enter the data by hand, saving
doors for example) that make up the building are
time, improving communication, and minimizing the
defined by their parameters, as are the relationships
chance for input errors. Changes made by the
among the model components. What this means is
consultant can be fed back into the database. Here is
that in the model a wall knows that it is a wall, not just
the amazing part, the changes made by the
a series of unrelated lines. The design intent (i.e.
consultant are reflected in other parts of the structure
how the architect wants the wall to be composed and
that are affected by the change! For instance, say a
how it should behave) is captured by these
mechanical engineer sizes a return vent that is to be
parameters. The parametic features fully describe
places on a wall. The vent impact on the wall
how that the wall is so many feet long and tall, made
dimensions are automatical y reflected in all of the
of steel studs and has drywall on each side. It also
representations (2d, 3D, and material schedules.
knows that it has a sound and insulation rating. It is
also an “intelligent” wall – it knows when something is
being added to it, like a vent, and adjusts its
parameters accordingly. By defining parameters
among building elements (think of this as linking them
together), the modeler can instantaneously update
the model as changes are made to the database. As
an example, a modeler might want the vent
mentioned previously to be parametrically linked to a
fixed location in the wall, say a certain number of feet
from the floor and ceiling and away from the door.
Now suppose that the end-user wants to move the
wall to accommodate say, a bigger and better
cyclotron. This change could impact a bevy of
building components that might not be realized until
the trades are in the field. But, because the building
is virtual y modeled long before groundbreaking,
these parametrically linked elements change in
relation to one another and are updated as the wall is
changed to accommodate the customers
requirements. The model may tell you that the
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change cannot be made, which is still valuable
The Buzz About BIM
information – computers can’t solve every problem.
The technology that drives BIM is certainly
BIM programs are also interoperable with other
impressive. However, we are reminded by our
common construction scheduling and estimating
brethren in the anthropology and industrial
programs. This is referred to as “xD” capabilities.
psychology departments that we live in a socio-
The 3D capability was previously mentioned. This is
technical world. The impact of the social aspects of
probably the most common use of BIM, to present a
BIM are equally as exciting as the technological
full pictorial representation and rendering of the
impacts. BIM affects the way people perform work
proposed facility. This helps all users visualize the
and how they work together. Using BIM changes the
finished product and judge aesthetics characteristics
fundamental processes of how construction is
in relation to the surrounding structures. The 3D
traditionally conducted. Early collaboration and
capability also allows virtual walk-throughs and
teamwork are the keys to a successful project and the
simulations as described previously. Incidentally, BIM
use of BIM helps to ensure success.
programs can also generate traditional 2D drawings
that are historically associated with building
Why is early collaboration important? Programs that
construction.
perform analysis’s, such as for energy efficiency,
traditionally are completed after the 2D drawings are
The BIM can also express construction sequence and
finished. In a BIM environment, multiple designers
scheduling dimensions of the project. This is referred
can work in tandem at the beginning of design to
to as a “4D” capability. Here, the facility is built
make modifications that improve building quality and
virtually in a time-lapse fashion so that constructability
functionality as well as decrease design time.
and other issues can be addressed. The program
Another benefit of collaboration is the involvement of
can also be linked to an external scheduling program
other stakeholders at critical junctures or the project.
to run simulations and forecasts of various resource
For instance, when using BIM the end-user can easily
allotments of not only time but also other resource
visualize the finished projects prior to and during
allocation issues such as labor. Here the project
construction. The full effects of proposed changes
team can visualize things such as how scheduling
can be visualized, the cost and schedule impacts can
multiple crews on-site can affect productivity and
be evaluated, and a decision can be made – perhaps
safety. The 4D capability can help an owner decide if
all in one session. Collaboration can reduce errors
a project can be built in the al otted time.
and omissions and detect conflicts in fieldwork among
the trades. Final y, BIM reduces Requests for
Linking the BIM to an external cost database can
Information (RFI’s) - the model contains the
provide almost instantaneous estimates on changes
information!
to the proposed design configurations. In BIM-speak,
this is called “5D.” This means that owners, in the
Getting Started
feasibility stage, have a better idea if the proposed
facility is within the means of the budget.
BIM holds the promise of many future “x’s” in the “xD”
capabilities. Many of these promises are well into the
development stage. A proposed “6D” is involves
supply-chain integration. A “7D” will improve the
operational life-cycle analysis. Certain BIM products
are already available for facilities management. The
“x’s” seem only to be bound by technology – users
will come up with new and better ideas to use BIM.
BIM has been proposed as digital modeling strategy
for the owner that enables greater project
collaboration, promotes better communication, aids in
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environmental sustainability initiatives, enhances
References
productivity improvements by eliminating
inefficiencies and redundancy, and facilitates process
“The BIM Handbook” by Chuck Eastman, Paul
changes, and as a tool to manage the facility over its
Teicholz, Rafael Sacks, Kathleen Liston
lifecycle, to name but a few. There are many other
benefits of BIM too numerous to mention in this short
“The Perfect Storm – Construction Style” the
treatise; for instance BIM seems especially suited as
FMI/CMAA Eighth Annual Survey of Owners
an enabler for construction initiatives such as Lean
Construction, in particular as a tool to utilize the Lean
“2007 Construction Information Technology Guide”
strategy of prefabricating components offsite to
Paul Levin, Editor
facilitate construction progress. BIM benefits the
entire construction team, not just the owner, far
“Revit Architecture 2008 –Student Guide Core
beyond the first costs of implementing the model.
Concepts” by Autodesk Corporation
Many large construction owners are implementing
Some BIM Websites of Interest
BIM. The General Services Administration (GSA)
mandated that all major projects in fiscal year 2007
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Promo/Build+As+One/
and beyond use spatial program BIM’s (the GSA
sometimes uses the term phrase Virtual Building
www.gsa.gov/bim
Model (VBM) instead of BIM) and recommends the
use of mature VBM’s on all technologies. Other large
www.wbdg.org/resources/bim.php
owners using BIM include General Motors
Corporation, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The
www. Autodesk.com/PowerofBIM
U.S. Coast Guard, and Sparrow Hospital in Lansing,
Michigan. BIM has even been used at MSU on a
http://www.bimworld.com/
limited basis by Chrisman Construction on the
University Apartments project clubhouse.
Because of the long-term and far-reaching benefits of
BIM MSU should consider including specifying BIM as
a requirement in solicitations and contract documents.
BIM technologies are quickly becoming less
expensive and more user friendly. The initial increase
in cost to the University is offset by the long-term
benefits as discussed and a more competitive, albeit
in the future, bidding market. As BIM becomes more
common constructors will require fewer managers to
run work, thus lowering costs.
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