Madrid, January 7, 2022.-   Construction entrepreneurs and professionals who conceive construction projects know the advantages of BIM technology. This has been evidence for some years, although voices that indicate some nuances can also be found in digital construction forums:

“BIM (building information modeling) is a kind of technology that has great potential to enhance the level of automation in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects. The created virtual model of the facility allows coordinating all industries during the entire life cycle of the building. The possibility to save the data related to the given facility in one place, namely in the BIM model, enables control and management of the AEC projects at every stage. During the design and implementation phase, BIM models facilitate the optimization of time, costs, and quality, and in the operational phase, they support effective management of the facility. The use of BIM for building energy modeling (BEM) is the next step of evolution in architecture and engineering design practice. The benefits of using the BIM approach are widely discussed in the literature; however, they may be hard to achieve if appropriate attention is not directed to minimizing the barriers to the implementation of this technology. Observing Europe, one can notice that western and northern countries successfully use BIM for their needs, while the countries of the Eastern Bloc, including Poland, introduce it at a slower pace”.  (The Polish Study).

I am a strong advocate of any technology that makes the construction of large infrastructures more efficient. The following reflection on BIM comes from Acciona (Spanish multinational conglomerate dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure and renewable energy):

It is a working method that changes the way of designing, building and operating buildings and infrastructures around the world. It´s aim to digitize all the project information details in an accessible and collaborative manner.

BIM is nothing other than a virtual prototype with which to detect and refine the design, plan the operations or control project costs. The greatest benefit of applying BIM in a project is for our Clients. In short, BIM helps in avoiding incoherence and errors, save time and reduce costs by making it possible to bring our Clients’ vision to life before the execution phase.

Furthermore, after finishing construction on the BIM model, it becomes an effective tool for the management and operation of the infrastructure. By phases, the advantages can be summarised as follows:

DESIGN

• Gain a better understanding of the project.
•  Facilitate the marketing of the finished project.
•  Optimise cost estimations.
• Guarantee coherence of data.

CONSTRUCTION

• Anticipate any possible challenges and difficulties before execution,
•  Increase reliability of costs and term of execution.
•  Improve organisation and safety on site

OPERATION

• Optimise maintenance and management of infrastructure.
• Anticipate and simulate the evolution of buildings.
• Manage new and existing buildings more efficiently.

VIRTUAL VIEWING AND PRECONSTRUCTION

Traditional organisation and time management tools in a construction project make it possible to represent the technical team’s ideas and projections in a document.

Every element of the BIM model is linked to the works schedule, which enables an exhaustive control process of the phases, adjusting times according to the model. Likewise, it makes it possible to automatically view the progress of the works carried out.

The link of this planning to BIM also makes it possible to verify and ensure that this planning is realistic. This is possible because said planning is restricted to the real limitations of the works.

AUTOMATION AND COLLABORATION

The application of BIM implies a substantial change in the current work methods and an improvement in the communication between the agents involved in the project.

All of the site agents involved work on a single updated and more visual model, which makes it possible to have greater communication between agents and a better understanding of the project at all levels.

AS-BUILT DATA BASE

The final aim of the model is to offer the client an as-built BIM model with all of the relevant information for infrastructure management and maintenance.