Why is BIM’s future questioned?
Over the last two years I have spoken to a number of people about many different aspects of BIM. I have had discussions with clients, BIM consultants, contractors, architects, manufactures etc. and made a note of the more thought provoking remarks along with my responses. I have done this for the purpose of sharing with you some of the more troubling issues regarding BIM in the hope that I can provide some clarification.
Their Comment: “I’m still Trying to understand BIM and what it means for me.”
My Reply: “Many Organisations are still trying to understand BIM and how it might fit into their organisation. Please remember there are 3 types of organisations: Leaders / Followers and Too Late. UK Government Mandate is April 2016, you need to act now!”
“Change will happen with or without you!”
Their Comment: “Some of the Clients do not fully understand what they want from BIM or how they will implement it within their own organisation.”
My Reply: “The Clients are having their own difficulties in fully understanding what they need to do. It is critical that all Public Bodies get up to speed as they have until October 2016 to train their Staff and equip themselves with the necessary tools.”
Their Comment: “Currently produce 3D models and use Dropbox to share – I am BIM Compliant!!”
My Reply: “Many Companies fall into this area, unfortunately Dropbox does not comply with PAS 1192-2 in regards to collaboration of 3D Models, file naming convention or any BIM approval processes.”
Their Comment: “It’s too complicated”
My Reply: “On the face of it, it is complicated but as you get into it, believe me it does get easier and starts to make a lot of sense - Even for small Jobs.”
Their comment: “My senior staff don’t want to change!”
My Reply: “This is one of the biggest problems within any industry. “Teaching old dogs new tricks! No organisation can let any member of staff hold them back into the “Too Late” Category! These companies may well not survive this new digital revolution.”
Their Comment: “Need to invest in costly training and new software! Where is my ROI?”
My Reply: “In an industry where margins are very small, all overhead costs are looked at in detail. There is no easy answer to this comment because benefits will only be seen later and all parties are sceptical when it comes to claimed financial benefits.”
Their Comment: “I may lose control of my current jobs!”
My Reply: “All organisations must put together their own BIM plan, which must marry in with their current jobs. However one point I will make is do not base your plan on a new BIM Mandated job. This will lead to many problems, most of which will be poorly trained staff and unstructured procedures.”
Their Comment: “This is just another Government lead scheme which will run out of steam.”
My Reply: “I left this comment to the end as all of us have seen new schemes come and go. The difference with this one is the client “HMG” can save up to 20% on capex build costs. This comes to nearly ￡9 Billion Pounds worth of savings and that is only the start. Further down the track huge savings are being looked at from the operational costs.”
“No one is stopping this oil tanker!”
“The latest 2016 budget committed more efforts to the Digital Revolution within the Construction Industry.”
“In summary don’t wait and resist the future, instead embrace it”.
“Changes lead to many new Opportunities”.
I hope this exercise has led to some clarification surrounding a few of BIMs more worrying aspects, if you have any questions or would like to discuss something with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regards James
PS: Please add any comments.
BIM Manager / Chartered Architectural Technologist at AECOM
8 年"Their Comment: “It’s too complicated” My Reply: “On the face of it, it is complicated but as you get into it, believe me it does get easier and starts to make a lot of sense - Even for small Jobs.” If only! :)
Revit ? BIM manager at BIM.CAD.Visu, Dubrovnik-Zagreb, Croatia
8 年Well said and put. i do conversions from CAD to Revit mostly in austria-germany, home-croatia and there are always a few, or at least one - i like to call them reactionists / conservatives. when they realy get me going, i tell them the story of the telephone invention (its true)... the telephone did not get popular and widely used in a span of about 10-15yrs ! and it took 2 or 3 goes until it went successful ! the tel. sales persons had their share od "eye-twerking" and "brain boggling" (like we do with BIM today) when they heard the reasons why they do not want to use the telephone. one of the best ! "why should i explain something to a friend or business partner over the phone, when im going to meet him-her in a few days, anyway !!!! im sure that was enough for many phone salesmen to call it a day or "thats it, im out of this" ? on the other hand, i do have some understanding for the dino-CADsters. its not easy, it costs but there is no two ways about it. the best film i saw on this subject (evolve or die) is "other peoples money" giants....greg.peck + danny dvito in ring over the subject. masterpiece ! if that does not help your CAD clients....nothing will, and i usually give up on them...my advice is, do the same....some are just not ready for it and a few will never go BIM. of course i advise always to go BIM, give it at least a try (but a good one) not just "i did that better in CAD" "that does not work...etc" have a look....its not easy to decide. in any case some jobs are gone.but which concept will survive ? 1. peck ( long time CAD user, guru. good but stubborn, in the long run will ruin the company and destroy all the jobs too ?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJRhrow3Jws 2. danny (not the nicest guy, but....open minded...wants better, faster, make profit? you bet...he will close some jobs certanly, but also keep/make some? ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62kxPyNZF3Q if you are for Danny and going BIM with Revit, the summer is coming up, is anyone for a paddle (sea-kayaking) in the Adria, Croatia or cycling etc. AND learning Revit ? Go BIM !
Design Technology Leader | AEC Innovator | Speaker on BIM, Digital Transformation, and Industry Collaboration
8 年Trying to argue for BIM isn't as hard as it used to be. The most effective pro-BIM presentation I gave showed pictures of local builders and designers in town. I made sure to incorporate employee pictures too. I described their projects, their roles, their current expectations. Essentially, I showed they all used BIM in their projects and these were the direct competition and employee pool of the future. There's a harsh reality that sets in when you realize the competition is ahead of you in technology and their staff will be resistant to work for you in the future because joining your firm will be a step back in their careers. That you'll be less likely to be incorporated into joint ventures on projects because your workflow no longer fits well with their workflows. Five years ago we couldn't have made that presentation. Today, for the majority of industries, its getting easier to do. 5 years from now that presentation will be able to be made almost anywhere.
SustainIQ | Driving Sustainability & ESG Solutions for Construction
8 年Interesting post James - I can relate to a lot of what is mentioned here and am trying to share this message with NI Contractors. BIM is coming - don't get left behind. If there are any contractors out there reading this, why not get involved with the #BIM4CONTRACTORS(NI) group here in Northern Ireland. The idea is that the group represents contractors from across the province and gets together 3 or 4 times a year to discuss the BIM issues we face and shares how best to deal with them. The feedback from these meetings will then be relayed to the main BIM Steering Group in NI and back to the policy makers themselves. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with other #BIM4GROUPS here and across the water such as #BIM4CLIENTS #BIM4ARCHITECTURE #BIM4MEP #BIM4STRUCTURE etc. If you're interested please connect and drop me a mail and I’ll keep you posted on the plans for our kick off meeting. Linkedin BIM4CONTRACTORS(NI) group https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/8492792 You can also follow us on twitter @BIM4Contractors Michael