INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY
Building Information Modeling
While Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) should be the ultimate goal of the construction industry, BIM is no doubt an enabler of true IPD. BIM is the collaborative platform around which a project is delivered using an integrated approach. BIM can be defined many different ways and is a constantly evolving concept. However, at EUA BIM is looked at as the creation of an intelligent virtual representation of a building and then use of that virtual representation to collaboratively deliver the project, facilitate the construction process and potentially facilitate the entire life cycle of the facility.
Many people view BIM very simply as next generation CAD or 3D CAD and it must be recognized that it is much more than that. Where CAD was simply a tool for producing dumb hard copy drawings that typically presented nothing more than lines arcs and circles, BIM is a process that involves creation of the building in the virtual world using intelligent virtual objects and associating useful information with those objects. For as far back as most of us can remember, architects have produced dumb hard-copy paper drawing…even with the mainstream use of CAD applications. The difference with BIM is that architects now have the ability to construct a building virtually which can lead to better performing, better designed and better coordinated projects.
As a result of BIM, not only is IPD made more feasible and relevant, but out of the design process comes new opportunities. BIM creates new opportunities to communicate – because the building is being constructed virtually everyone on the team has a better understanding of the project. BIM creates new opportunities to coordinate – project teams can work through the virtual representation of the building and eliminate physical conflicts in the virtual world before they become a problem in the real world. BIM creates new opportunities to analyze and simulate – because the design process creates a virtual representation of a building that intelligent model can be used to better analyze the building for schedule (4D), for cost (5D), for performance in relation to sustainability and for code compliance (Smart Codes and automated code checking). And finally, BIM creates new opportunities for owning and occupying a building – all of the information embedded in the intelligent virtual representation of the building can be used to facilitate and maintain the building once the owner takes occupancy.
BIM at EUA
EUA has been forging ahead with BIM techniques and methodology since early in 2005. As of January 2008 we are near completing a full migration to the BIM authoring tool of our choice, the Autodesk Revit platform. This migration has proved beneficial on many fronts and we are very excited about where it is taking our firm and how it can improve the architectural experience for all of our clients and partners. We are working closely with our preferred consultants and engineers and encouraging them to take similar steps in enabling their offices in the context of BIM so that our collaboration on projects is made more effective and more efficient.
BIM will enable EUA to fully leverage the world of IPD as we truly see it as the platform around which the most successful IPD based projects will be executed. This approach will ultimately allow us to achieve projects that are executed more efficiently and create better performing and designed buildings.