How BIM Supports Construction

BIM is growing rapidly as Architectures, Engineers and Construction (the AEC trades) seek to achieve better bottom-line returns. BIM enables more streamlined workflows by offering a model-based approach where all contractors involved in a project can see in one area every step involved.

Cohesion is just one of the many benefits of incorporating BIM, and there are undoubtedly many more. Professional BIM outsourcing partners such as The CAD Room can provide complete BIM services across the building services industry, from a simple sketch to a complete drawing project model.

Here are six top benefits that BIM brings to drive both budget and time savings for infrastructure and building projects:

Collaboration and communication improvement

BIM offers greater information sharing; built-in cloud functions ensure a smoother process where everyone in the AEC sector can easily see the latest versions and project information. Projects often fail or face delays through a lack of information sharing, meaning different designs or out-of-date versions are used, which causes problems. BIM ensures that all stages of a project lifecycle can be viewed on and off-site on any device connected to review and make changes instantly visible to all. Cloud storage also protects against file corruption and accidental deletion; the entire version history is available automatically.

Better pre-construction visualisation

2D designs are limiting visually for both clients and contractors to see the end building in the real world. Not only does BIM mean you can plan and visualise the entire project in its entirety, but you can also see how its placement affects the surrounding landscape before digging the first hole. 

BIM also helps architects calculate building energy performance through simulation, enabling them to design buildings for peak performance.

Cost optimisation

Cost is one of the biggest issues facing the AEC sector as they have previously been unable to identify clashes early enough in the project for costs not to be incurred. BIM allows clash detection from the outset and ensures that unused building material and labour expenses are kept to a minimum. Using BIM has helped 75% of companies to reduce costs and waste. Both time and money savings were found when BIM was used early in the building design process.

Site safety improvements

Projects must be managed quickly and efficiently, but safety should be prioritised. BIM visualisation of site logistics means plans can be drawn with safety in mind reducing the chance of physical risks and hazards occurring down the line,  which may always have been waiting to occur. BIM can pinpoint dangers before they happen in real life.

Productivity improvements

BIM enables everything to be planned precisely, removing the possibility of the building design messing up at any point in the process. Setbacks through design changes, unexpected events and errors cause many project delays that BIM identifies for you at the outset. Project delays are fewer and better planning leads to better and more efficient builds. Every object can be seen on a database, and changes tracked.

BIM results in better buildings

Our conclusion is BIM enables better building execution from planning to ongoing management. Sharing standard BIM tools allows more experienced contractors to work with less experienced contractors on contracts with better control of technical decisions and design execution.

Real capture technology in the construction phase can be used to improve future project accuracy and ensure buildings are better. Structural building construction and deficiencies can be tested and accounted for early in the project. Partnering with experienced BIM experts as integrated external, fully managed departments or just calling on help for peak times to get BIM involved in your next construction project could therefore be a great idea that can save time and money as well as late-stage disasters.