5 Reasons Why You Should Invest in 5D BIM
The Building Information Modelling (BIM) boom continues to gain momentum in 2022, with cloud-based BIM software on the rise as professionals embrace our industry’s digital revolution.
Some quantity surveyors and estimators have written off BIM in the past as being too difficult or impractical to adopt. However, the recent technological shift in construction has changed the game for cost consulting, with advanced programs and resources now readily available to professionals around the world.
For our latest blog, we have explored some of the latest advents in the BIM landscape and offered five key reasons why now is the time to start building your business with BIM.
The Barriers to BIM Adoption are Breaking Down
BIM is nothing new for construction, but the traditional shortfalls of the concept are slowly being eroded by forward-thinking operators who truly believe in its potential.
The private sector has led the charge for better BIM, with a wide variety of guides, data repositories and other resources developed to address common pain points in recent years. Regional examples of this exist across the world; in the case of Australia, those getting started with BIM can refer to the Open BIM Object Standard, the NATSPEC National BIM Guide and Properties Generator, just to name a few.
While the early days of BIM were filled with excitement around the transformational potential of BIM, workflows weren’t always smooth in practice. In 2022 and beyond, there are plenty of lessons to take and even more information available to ensure your project proceeds as planned.
You Can Unlock Your Collaborative Potential
It’s no secret that collaboration is a leading benefit of the BIM concept. Advanced cloud-based software such as iTWO costX can allow multiple professionals to work together concurrently on a project, providing their input and interrogating data and the model in real-time. This guarantees that participants aren’t using outdated file revisions which could have a negative flow-on effect.
If files do need to be shared, iTWO costX users can count upon wide-ranging BIM file interoperability, with everything from Revit to ArchiCAD, MicroStation, Tekla, SketchUp and other major 3D design packages supported.
With modern BIM software, it’s even possible to give overseeing stakeholders read-only access to ongoing model work, so they can monitor progress and give input if required without making any changes. iTWO costX offers a free viewer tool for this very purpose.
You Can Reduce or Eliminate Early-Stage Errors
Efficiency and accuracy have never been so important in today’s competitive landscape. No matter the size of the project, participants cannot afford to make avoidable errors that lead to time-consuming rework.
With iTWO costX, BIM data is live-linked from the model to spreadsheet-based workbooks or user-defined rate libraries. Advanced viewing tools allow you to locate individual model objects or components, before clicking through to the correspondent workbook or library with ease to see the data expressed or highlighted.
The success of a BIM project is often defined by how thorough the planning process is. It’s integral that all participants ask the right questions when establishing a BIM Execution Plan. For those preparing to work on their first BIM project, we have put together a series of key discussion points that should be raised when establishing scope and strategy.
You Can Count Upon Standardised Data for Collaboration
Another commonly cited constraint of BIM has been in a lack of standardisation, leading to problems with data transfer and inconsistent approaches from one project to the next. The introduction of detailed regional standards has helped to mitigate this risk, and there are even international standards available for those working on projects spanning multiple nations.
The ISO 19650 International Standards were a game-changer when released in 2019, offering a comprehensive BIM framework and advice on exchanging, ordering, versioning and organising data. ISO 19650 represents a widely accepted baseline standard for best practice that can be understood by designers, contractors and estimators who may not have wide experience in BIM projects just yet.
Governments are Throwing their Support Behind BIM
In many parts of the world, governments seeking to scale new heights for construction productivity have introduced BIM mandates for certain public projects. For example, the United Kingdom has mandated at least BIM Level 2 to be used on all centrally procured construction projects for more than six years.
Mandates lend credence to the long-term feasibility of BIM as a driver of improvement on major projects, and should provide confidence to those looking to make an investment in BIM software for their business.
The collaborative nature of BIM has extended beyond the project level; we’ve even seen organisations from the United States and United Kingdom team up in 2021 to develop a roadmap for the US National BIM Program, based around the strengths of the UK model and in alignment with the ISO standards mentioned earlier. This type of initiative at a nationwide level is a good sign for an industry that appears well on its way to digital revolution.
Choose iTWO costX for Industry-Leading 6D BIM
RIB’s iTWO costX platform represents a fully integrated solution for cost consultants looking to take their operations to the next level. iTWO costX offers 2D and 3D workflows in a single platform, with digital takeoff able to be live-linked to spreadsheet-based workbooks to save time. The platform also offers auto-revisioning, a customisable report writer, subcontractor comparison and much more.
The BIM functionality of iTWO costX goes beyond time and cost considerations, with powerful features now available for lifecycle management and embodied carbon estimating. Users can easily load in detailed embodied carbon data to inform material and other lifecycle management decisions. To learn more about the BIM features available with iTWO costX, don’t hesitate to contact your local RIB office today!
