Decision Makers! Please do your homework about BIM!

The image above represents the Vico Engagement Plan in the USA.

In USA, it would take a contractor  9 weeks start with 4D and 5D BIM training or pilot project. I believe this is a very reasonable period if the decision makers do their homework.

What about in the Middle East? We usually spend 9 to 12 months introducing the software and 4D&5D process.

As you see the difference is huge! In USA it is 9 weeks and in the Middle East it is 48 weeks!

Why?

Unfortunately the decision makers don't do their homework in the Middle East! They mostly wait for spoon feeding!

Why?

Are they too busy? I don't think so! It's recession time. No company is overloaded with projects these days. (Except us :)))

Dear Decision Makers,

First watch our 5D BIM for Contractors Video please!

Please do your homework! Make sure that your team evaluates the software and process properly during the "Evaluation / Trial" period!

Evaluation period is the time when one of our implementation specialists is dedicated to anwser all your questions. Feel free to keep them busy;)

I will also appreciate if you do not call us asking directly for  a "BIM Quotation" :))

BIM is a process, not a tool! :)

Enjoy your weekend!
I hope we will not have any sandstorms! Cross your fingers:)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Can consultant's BIM Model be used for construction?

Can consultant's BIM Model be used for construction?

This is the popular question of last few months?

Let me give you some background information before going into the discussion. Especially in the UAE almost all the large consultants are already using BIM. Of course with different level of expertise and success. However compared to the contractors, consultants are BIM gurus:)

So, what happens in a project?

Image from Ambro

The consultant educates the client about BIM and recommends to mandate BIM usage in the tender. Client is happy because he thinks he already have the BIM Model so the contractor will only operate it.

The consultant hands over a LOD 300 model with no/limited liability.

The party starts here!

Contractor believes that he can use consultant's model for shop drawings, quantities, cost planning, scheduling etc.

I have experienced this myself. When we told the contractor that the model coming from consultant can not be used as it is, they do not want to believe and most of the time they do not believe.

Now, let's imagine a project in which the design consultant hands over a LOD 300 BIM Model. (If you are not familiar with LOD please check James Van's blog! It is pretty cool)

First of all, we should define what is LOD 300.

"LOD 300 - Model elements are suitable for the generation of traditional construction documents and shop drawings.  As such, analysis and simulation is authorized for detailed elements and systems."

When a contractor reads the above statement, he is quite sure that the model will work fine for him. Unfortunately what a consultant understands from "shop drawings" is slightly different than contractor's understanding.

A basic example. A consultant can use a multi-story column might work fine for the shop drawings of a consultant but it should be from slab top to slab bottom in contractors model.

The consultant does not care about the concrete grades but for contractor it is very important.

Even for design coordination! Many people believes that clash detection within a LOD 300 model is perfect. But not really! In a complex project, the slight difference on the radius of the bend might create a clash in LOD 400 model where LOD 300 is absolutely ok!

What do we usually recommend for contractors?
If the consultant does not accept "full" liability on the model, do not rely on it.

Freeze the consultant's design model as a reference model and create your own. You might create your own model by just modifying and developing the design model but we saw cases in which it is much easier to create the model from scratch. So evaluate both options.

Image from jscreationz

Have your own BIM team since you can not freeze the design model forever. There will be changes. Your BIM team should update your model continuously.

Yes, I know it does not seem very productive but it will still be much more productive than the traditional system. Plus it will be much more accurate.

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build? Which one embraces BIM better?

Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build

 Image from

These are the two main contract methods in the Middle East. Probably US is also similiar.

Owners loves the first one. Design-Bid-Build.

 Image from Ambro

Why?

Because they can get competitive prices for each phase of the project. First they let the consultants to fight for getting the design job, decrease their profit especially on these days of recession.

Then comes the second part. Now it's contractors turn to bid.

Seems like a smart method for the owner.

Is it?

Each party is responsible for a certain task in the project. For instance an architect is involved in the design part only. He will try to avoid any liability for the later stages of the project. He may not include enough details in the drawings to facilitate accurate bids in the tender.

What will happen then?

Image from Stuart Miles

Disputes, claims etc. The consultant and the contractor becomes enemies.

This is the worst thing that an owner would want in a project. A project can only succeed if all the parties work as a team.

I can hear you saying but the owner can get Project Managers to protect his rights. True! But it comes with an extra cost.

So far the problems were not even related to BIM.

Now, let me tell you about my experience so far.

Consultant builds the BIM Model for design phase. It looks pretty. You can generate basic documentation out of it.

Is it useful for the contractor? NO!

If you do not take the required construction information into consideration in early stages of the modeling, adding it in a later stage will take much more time than remodeling.

I have not seen a model coming from a consultant which can be used by the contractor so far.

In most of the cases, the contractor has to build his own BIM Model.

At the end of the day, the owner pays for this additional cost indirectly.

Is there a solution for this?

 Image from Andy Newson

Yes and No!

VICO developed a Model Progression Specification (MPS) system which allows the consultant to prepare the model in a way that the contractor can use it as well.

But even this requires, early involvement of the contractor in the project and also very good relations between the project parties.

What about Design-Build?

This is my favorite!

In the Middle East contractors get involved with both types of contracts. When a contractor decides to implement BIM into their organization and ask our advise for the pilot project, we always recommend to start with a Design-Build project.

Why?

 Image from Stuart Miles

The earliest you start with BIM, the more benefits you get from BIM.

If the project is Design-Build, you have the power to start BIM from the very beginning of the project.

Not only this, but also you can start BIM the way you want. Your BIM team will take your construction needs into consideration at an early stage and implement MPS properly.

Ohh! I can hear you saying what about IPD? Well, the industry is still experimenting with it. Unfortunately in Middle East I have not seen any examples of projects delivered with IPD yet.

I believe once the BIM expertise of the construction industry in the Middle East matures, IPD will be the preferred contract type as well.

 Image from Idea go

Wow! This became a very long and serious post. I hope you have not get bored while reading.

If you did, let me share something very interesting with you.

I was looking at the Stats page of the blog this morning and found very interesting "Search Keywords":)

Some people searched for the below keywords and ended up in our blog:)))

• pest control 4 construction
• united arab emirates crazy pictures

 Well, I do not want to comment further:)))

Enjoy your week!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 3

# 3 - Multi Processor and 64 bit Support

270.000 m2
  42.000 m2
  82.000 m2
  85.000 m2

These are the built up areas of some of the projects that BIMES have provided BIM services within last year.

In the rest of the world, these size of projects are quite rare. Only few "big boys" get the opportunity of getting involved in them.

However in the Middle East, these are regular numbers. As an architect / engineer, you deal with these kind of projects everyday.

The fact that ArchiCAD supports both Multi Processors and 64 bit is an extremely important factor here. The video below explains how these technologies improve your productivity.

I have no idea how people are investing in BIM software which does not support Multi Processing fully. It is like buying a Lada and racing against Ferrari. (I hope this is a good example. I do not understand much about cars :)

If your BIM Software does not take advantage of the latest technology of the available hardware, how can you commit to Billion Dollar projects?

I saw many companies, doing a basic model just for design coordination and than switching to 2D CAD for shop drawings. Is this real BIM?

NOT AT ALL!

Thanks to the great development team behind ArchiCAD, we do not make such "Mickey Mouse" business!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Is BIM Getting out of Control?

"In your opinion, what do you think is the best performing 3D design software package on the market, in order to undertake quality 3D modelling on a BIM project?"

 The above is the title of a poll in LinkedIn.

When I see things like this, I feel the word "BIM" is getting out of control.

Not sure since when SketchUp is accepted as a BIM Solution?

People seems to forget about the "I" and focuses on "B" and "M".

Image via CrunchBase

But then look at the VICO software which I totally respect the way it brings new dimensions to BIM.  I always believed that VICO is the right BIM solution for contractors, project managers, cost planners and I definitely find it very smart that they do not have modeling tool but they import models from almost any BIM tool.

Image via  VBH

Now, here comes the confusion for me.

VICO can import SkecthUp models and add 4D and 5D BIM to it basically.

So you can convert a 3D BM to 4D & 5D B"I"M.

Would I do that?

Probably not:)) But it is good to have the option:))

PS: I guess you all know which one I voted for:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com
https://twitter.com/#!/BIMESmarketing

Do you have "Build" command instead of "Print"?

This is the joke we usually hear from senior architects / engineers when they first meet with Building Information Modeling (BIM).

The first time I heard it, I just thought it is just a good joke (I even stole it:).

But when I heard it a couple of more times, I noticed the important "fact" lying beneath the joke.

Changing from 2D to BIM was as drastic as having a "build" command instead of "print" for these senior architects and engineers.

No wonder why people are scared of changing:)

Is the change really that drastic?

I do not think so!

I believe it is basically going back to basics. Documenting a 3D Building in a 2D environment sounded always strange to me. Even from the very beginning...

During my architectural education, the first thing we learned was 2D CAD software which did not make any sense to me even at that time. Memorizing strange commands and shortcuts in order to present my design thoughts did not help developing my creativity at all :)

It actually reminded me my first interaction with computers.

I was 8 or 9 years old when my dad bought my first computer and it was on MSDOS. I had a instructor coming every evening teaching me some strange combination of letters to execute the simplest command. Anyway, since I was a good kid and proud of my computer I memorized all those commands but hated using computer.

Some years later, my computer was upgraded and MSDOS was no longer there. At the begining I felt clumsy since it was all new to me but I learned quick since the way it worked was logical. If I want to delete something I was dropping it to "trash bin" :) No need for complex commands. It was intuitive.

I think the same applies to BIM.

BIM softwares are much more intuitive than 2D CAD. You work with real construction elements not dummy lines and fills. These elements act virtually the same way they would act in real life.

If it can not be modeled easily, it can not be built easily too. That simple!

What else can an architect or engineer want :) ?

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

ArchiCAD BIM for Kids

Yes, you read right!

Believe me or not but I have met 3 kids in Dubai who is trying to learn ArchiCAD BIM.

World of Contradictions!

We are trying to promote BIM to the construction professionals and they are very very resistant to change yet with no effort there are kids willing to learn.

Let me tell you how I met with these kids.

I received an email asking how to get ArchiCAD and directed him to www.myarchicad.com
Then I received few more emails asking about some technical questions.

I thought giving a call would be a lot easier than writing a long email so we started talking. The email signature belonged to one of our clients but I didn't know the person. Finally I suggested him to talk with the department which has ArchiCAD Licenses than the shocking part came.

He said "Look, I am just 12 years old and it was my father's contact details. I don't know the people in that department."

3 seconds silence...

Than I got out of the shock and asked him what is he going to do with ArchiCAD.

His reply left me speechless:

"I want to be an architect in the future. I tried some software but I found that ArchiCAD is the easiest amongst them. I want to learn more about it."

Wow! Wow! Wow! This kid is planning his career at the age of 12 and developing his skills accordingly.

I was extremely impressed they way he explained his dreams and the way he spoke.

Construction industry definitely needs these kind of kids to graduate and start their careers ASAP :)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com