In the construction industry, planning, time, costs and safety all play together to create an efficient work process. Nowadays, in the technological era, new tools have emerged that enhance each of these aspects, allowing for a more productive building process overall – ultimately benefiting every party involved. One of these tools is BIM, or Building Information Modeling, which is a technology that has been around for a decade but has been on a noticeably steady growth in the past two years.
What is BIM?
BIM software is used for the 3D modeling of a building project – but it’s actually so much more than that. It’s an interactive database of every aspect of the given project, from its physical features (such as geometry and spatial data) all the way to practical information concerning the time, the materials and the costs required to complete it.
Since BIM provides a virtual version of the project prior to construction, companies can take advantage of the information and make the building process more productive. In fact, 75% of the companies that already started using BIM report a positive ROI. Thus, considering the speed at which the industry is developing, integrating BIM will soon become not only an option but a necessity. So, here is why this technology is worth investing money and effort into and the ways in which it will benefit your business.
It enhances the speed of the construction process
Since, with BIM, all the data concerning a project from all the teams working on it is in one place, it is easily accessible at any time without any delays. It also helps avoid clashes. In addition, plans and documentation are created and worked on at the same time, cutting the time needed in half. With the help of AutoCAD LT, it is also possible to create 2D drawings more efficiently, which makes the process of technical drawing faster, more precise, and easy to modify in case changes have ensued in the plans. Integrated with other software, it creates a seamless experience.
It allows for higher quality work
BIM can point out potential flaws in a design, and direct the user towards the most optimal path by providing information about geographic details and even light analysis. The virtual 3D design method reduces the chance of error, which is of particular concern for the construction industry seeing as the safety of the building and those who will use it is of the utmost importance. The flexibility that BIM offers also makes it possible to explore new ideas in theory before construction, which makes it a safe way to execute innovative, high-quality results.
It can lower costs on many fronts
As flaws are fixed before the actual building ensues, a lot of problems can be avoided and a lot of money can be saved along the way. Similarly, thanks to the flexibility of 3D modeling, plans can always be changed – this reduces the need of rework which cuts back on the costs too. This is actually the benefit that expert users of BIM value the most. Besides, BIM makes it possible that smaller teams complete larger amounts of work, which not only lowers expenses but also prevents miscommunication and other inconsistency problems which are possible in case of a large number of workers.
It enables better teamwork
The productivity of your business largely depends on the productivity of your employees. As mentioned, using BIM keeps everyone on every team on track about changes in the project, allowing better collaboration and communication. Also, cloud access makes the models available at any place, even on mobile devices, so employees can take the project to the construction site and work efficiently.
It reduces waste
Besides being beneficial for the wallets of the construction companies, optimal material use and avoiding costly fixes reduces waste too, which is a huge plus from the environmental point of view. By using BIM, constructors can have a better overview of the materials needed. In addition, as the data is available to everyone on the project, miscommunication-caused waste is avoided as well.
In conclusion, with the integration of BIM, the costs and time needed to complete a project are reduced, which ultimately improves productivity and ROI. It also makes construction more seamless and convenient, allowing construction companies a better workflow and avoiding mistakes in time. BIM is thus nothing short of being the future of modern construction.
Mike is an Australian IT support professional. He’s working with companies that outsource their IT maintenance. He often writes about technology, business and marketing and is a regular contributor on several sites.
