Technical Feature: BIM
17th February, 2016
David Bampton, Eurobond Technical Services Lead, looks at the challenges facing the construction industry as the BIM Level 2 deadline approaches.
BIM will soon be required on all Government projects; how ready do you think the industry is ahead of the 2016 deadline?
I do applaud the fact that there is a current line in the sand
as it shows a willingness and a commitment by the government to
adopt BIM and the obvious benefits that brings. Speaking purely
from my own personal experience, I think that different parts of
the industry are at different stages.
Architects and suppliers seem to have taken to BIM quite well, as
the benefits to them are quite tangible. Where the lag may be more
apparent could be M&E engineers, and sub-contractors. Of course
there are exceptions to the rule, I know architects who still draw
with a set of Rotrings, and I know sub-contractors fully suited in
Tekla, but as far as I've noticed, that seems to be the
trend.
Contractors and architects large enough to pick up publically
funded projects will certainly be ready. Companies like Boyes Rees
Architects and Interserve PLC have been producing hospitals and
schools whilst utilising BIM for years already. You can bet that as
soon as companies who start losing tenders because they aren't 'BIM
ready', they'll soon catch up.
Do you think adopting BIM is more a cultural than technology challenge?
Unfortunately I think it's both. Although BIM is not actually
linked to the software you use, it will surely be the norm; if you
haven't got the software to work collaboratively, you may be out of
luck.
One aspect of the industry that I have been enjoying seems to be
the BIM camaraderie it has created in the market. Everyone seems
willing to talk about BIM, to educate one another and share
information. I've had countless discussions with other BIM content
creators and users about best practice, general advice and the
usual "how's the BIM going?". From industry leaders down to
novices, everyone seems very open to sharing information and
knowledge, even between rival suppliers! The excellent work being
done by the BIM Task Group and organisations such as Excitech
running seminars and webinars are also helping to prepare the
industry for the launch.
In your opinion what are the main benefits of BIM for the building product manufacturer?
For manufacturers and suppliers such as us, I would say the key thing would be early integration and contact with a project. With BIM objects being company specific - especially when you start looking at BIM Level 2 - once the architect has used your BIM object on his model, it's as good as being in the specification. In some ways it's the new form of NBS, but with a tendency to lock the specification a bit more, as the inevitable "or equally approved" would cause a lot of extra work for someone if the model was changed further down the line.
How can users access the Eurobond BIM library?
All of our BIM objects are freely available to download from the Eurobond website.
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