BIM is the talk of the town in the construction industry nowadays. While the term itself is not exactly new, just a few years ago BIM was somewhat unheard of. People know that BIM stands for Building Information Modelling, but few understand what it means or how broad the scope of this technology is. So, what is BIM in construction? What is benefits of BIM in construction? BIM Structure Engineer Mohannad Zaaza says that optimizing the overall coordination process and conducting cost and time simulations, BIM could aid stakeholders involved a lot in decision-making.
Can you introduce yourself a little bit?
Mohannad Zaaza is Civil Engineer by degree. He is a holder of a Master of Science in construction engineering and management from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, the top engineering school in Middle East and North Africa. Mohannad has conducted various researches and studies in fields of technology and management inside construction industry. He is currently working as BIM Structure Engineer at a tier 1 mega construction company in Saudi Arabia called Albawani which is recognized to be the top contracting company in Saudi Arabia. Mohannad worked on multiple mega projects in public sector, especially in healthcare and military, where BIM was employed. This experience in such mega projects has enabled Mohannad to develop a robust knowledge in the field of BIM implementation.
The technology of software will aid construction company, especially contractors, to determine whether their financial and workforce resources are realistic or not.
How technology is transforming the construction industry and how does the construction companies use technology?
The technology is going to impact the most the pre-construction phase of projects. It can be noticed that the source of 90% construction problems lie in areas related to planning, coordination, control and management. Thus, integrating technology in such domains has a promising potential to optimize projects performance in terms of time, cost and quality. The firms and organizations are currently adopting the digital advancement of computers and software as a form of technology. By this, they are making their operations workflow as efficient as possible. The technology of software will aid construction company, especially contractors, to determine whether their financial and workforce resources are realistic or not. In simpler words, it will help them to predict the constraints during construction project life cycle. Also, there are other upcoming technology forms that may drastically change how construction industry operates; such as drones, virtual reality (VR), 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI).
BIM-based software provide users with a capability to model their construction project in 3D
What does BIM mean in construction? Why do we need it?
The term of BIM in construction stands for “Building Information Modeling”. Some scholars and experts consider BIM stands for “Building Information Management” since it is mostly employed in areas related to project coordination and management. However, the both opinions are valid because of the fact that BIM-based software provide users with a capability to model their construction project in 3D and then the model itself will act as a treasure containing all project information allowing the involved stakeholders to access the model through a specified procedure.
BIM in construction will significantly reduce the probability of cost and time overruns occurrence
Why BIM is important in construction? What is benefits of BIM in construction?
Applying BIM in construction will significantly reduce the probability of cost and time overruns occurrence because it has a proven potential to align understandings of contractors, consultants and clients regarding projects prior to the construction phase. The benefits of employing BIM in construction are uncountable. Beside optimizing the overall coordination process and conducting cost and time simulations, BIM could aid stakeholders involved a lot in decision-making. For example, BIM could help building owners to select interior decoration by 3D-visualizing every single design alternative within seconds which eventually may reduce the change orders at the site.
Through a employing a collaborative coordination procedure, the model is firstly created with a computer software as per design drawings received by technical team and then the model may be updated as the real project, at the site, progresses
How to apply BIM in construction projects?
To figure out how exactly BIM is employed in construction; it is necessary to know first what the nature of BIM is. BIM is not neither technology nor software. It is a process of establishing, gathering and managing data, of a certain construction project, to generate a software-based building model that contains a digital description of every asset inside. Through a employing a collaborative coordination procedure, the model is firstly created with a computer software as per design drawings received by technical team and then the model may be updated as the real project, at the site, progresses. The collaborative process of BIM is implemented according to pre-determined standards such as The ISO 19650. The role of BIM manager, who is the highest individual in the employees hierarchy, is to ensure that the BIM process in his/her organization is coordinated by adhering to the international BIM code if a local code for BIM does not exist.
Recently, a considerable count of scholars have started to test the potential areas of combining artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies with BIM to make construction project flow as efficient as possible.
What do you think future of BIM in the construction industry and beyond?
The BIM is a fertile field for research and development purposes. For example, mechanical engineers may use it to optimize the energy consumption within a facility throughout its life cycle which may help them to reduce the green gases produced. Laser scan machines that possesses a great accuracy can be used to include material properties of existing buildings, such as heat transferability coefficient, to come up with best energy consumption solutions and geometry arrangement. Recently, a considerable count of scholars have started to test the potential areas of combining artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies with BIM to make construction project flow as efficient as possible.
Mohannad ZAAZA
BIM Structure Engineer
