We would like to start by painting a picture. India’s construction industry contributes the most to India’s economy, just behind agriculture. It’s also the second-largest in terms of employment and provides thousands of jobs around the country. According to estimates provided by the government, the construction industry has grown by 80% over the past 4 years and has gone from generating $78 billion in 2013, to around $140 billion in 2017. Explosive growth is great, but growth should also come to greater social consciousness. And sure enough, an aspect that is getting ever-more attention is the safety of construction workers and safe practices on construction sites.

It is, unfortunately, true that each year, many workers die on construction sites, either due to falls, electrical mishaps, or accidents at the workplace. The labor Ministry figures (reported by NDTV) show that 450 workers were killed and 212 injured on site in 2013. Between 2013 and 2016, the numbers almost doubled, to 1,092 deaths and 377 workers injured.

A sector that’s as relevant and promising as real estate must include better safety regulations. We believe that technology and innovation can solve many problems, and Building Information Modelling (BIM), in particular, has a lot of potentials to solve many problems. Let’s take a look at how BIM can help improve construction safety.

Focus on innovation in safety

When it comes to construction, the most effective forms of safety programming occur during the planning and preconstruction phases of a project. Till recently, pre-construction safety improvement techniques, such as designing for safety (DfS) have faced many issues which are caused due to design flaws. What BIM does is that it allows the opportunity to detect and predict hazards from an early stage. It’s a collaborative effort because our designers need to be aligned with all the other project stakeholders to identify, isolate, and fix the hazards and risks early.

Leveraging data to improve safety at the pre-construction level

BIM can effectively make use of data to improve safety at various stages. Risk analysis and safety evaluations that would previously only be carried out at the site can now be automated, thanks to BIM. Designers are able to identify hazards way before they come into play. The design-driven storage and indexing of documents and certificates make referencing a lot easier. This allows designers to plan out their safety measures with greater precision and in accordance with all the regulations and compliance mandates.

Visualisation and prediction

One of the very cool applications of BIM is that it allows you to configure the digital information so that one can preview a range of potential (what-if) scenarios. Consider how useful it would be to do this with reference to health, safety, and hazards. Designers are able to play out all kinds of scenarios so that when it’s time to construct, everything is in place and one is well prepared.

Advantages of BIM on-site

The superior material-planning abilities of BIM allows us to fully utilize the prefabrication of materials off-site, in a highly safe and controlled way. It also facilitates automated compliance checking, which means that one can swiftly check if everything is up to mark in terms of regulations with little effort. Scenario-planning once again comes into play, where BIM becomes the fundamental blueprint for the contractor on-site.

Training workers in safety

Most construction workers in India are from low-income backgrounds and are mostly uneducated. This means that there is sometimes a language barrier when it comes to communicating rules, regulations, and best practices. BIM’s ability to communicate information visually and in an interactive manner can be leveraged to visually showcase critical elements, plans, and developing situations. This helps ensure that the workers get a better training experience and are better prepared for any kind of scenario.

Reduction of rework

Since BIM has a holistic approach, it factors in everything, from electrical plans to plumbing and everything else. This means that there is greater synergy between teams and very few clashes between tasks. Fewer clashes mean less rework and also a reduction in accidents that may occur when people onsite try to find “on the fly” solutions to address such clashes.

The role of advanced tech within the BIM framework

BIM also mixes well with futuristic technology such as simulation, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Not only do these help provide a better user experience, but they also help to visualize forthcoming challenges better and to plan better to reduce the risks on site.

It is said that during the design of the empire state building in New York, the design team infamously allowed for ‘one death per floor’ in the report for the project. During the construction, “only” seven people lost their lives which was actually viewed as a good thing. In an age where technology can be used to enhance almost every aspect of our life, it is time that we use it for the betterment of all, including the staff on the construction site. The real estate industry is beginning to embrace modern technology to make the process of construction more efficient, faster, and resource-conscious. We suggest that technology should also play a role in improving construction safety.

Can BIM be the core of your Green Building strategy?

Sustainable/green design is driving a sea of change in the construction industry across the globe. A Smart Market report says that Green Buildings enjoy an 8% savings in operating cost in the first year itself and that the building asset value also goes up by as much as 7%. This World Green Building Trends 2018 Smart Market Report projected that while 27% of the industry was doing “more than 60% of their projects green” in 2021, this number would grow to 47% -i.e. nearly half of all construction projects.

This can be seen in a couple of different ways. One that the trend of Green Buildings is growing. These buildings are designed to be inherently more conscious and sustainable in how they use resources. They are typically LEED-certified and the focus is more on running them “green.” From our perspective, there is, of course, another angle to this too. That is, how can the process of construction itself be more environmentally conscious and green. This post is about how the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry can, and indeed already is, leverage BIM to support and promote the cause of green buildings in all ways.

What is sustainable construction?

The word ‘sustainable’ has been so overused in the past decade that people have started to cringe at the mere mention of it. Everything from buildings to farming is shifting towards sustainability. Let’s look at what sustainability in the construction industry means.

Sustainable construction can be best defined as an attempt to meet the challenges and requirements of present-day infrastructure needs without adding a dent to the already stressed environment. It is far more than installing energy-efficient electrical systems or appliances. It is an attempt to meet the current needs without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The sustainable or green design focuses on every aspect and element of the design and construction phases along with the future needs of operation and maintenance of a facility.

BIM and Green Design

The recent discussions in the U.S. between the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reflects the growing focus on green or sustainable design. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the US along with other countries like Finland, the UK, and Denmark have adopted BIM for the majority of their public infrastructure work.

This focus on sustainability is visible elsewhere too. India’s current focus is on building smart cities. Public infrastructure development is underway in many Tier-II cities. Among the main focus areas of any smart city, the project is sustainable living. Sustainable living demands green buildings that thrive on optimum and intelligent utilization of the resources at hand.

Role of BIM in Green Design

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a cutting-edge technology that is widely adopted by the construction industry worldwide for better planning, resource utilization, collaboration, and cost control. These attributes suggest that BIM could be leveraged for creating sustainable projects too. Here’s how a connection can be established between sustainable construction and BIM:

1.    Transparency during the design phase

The shared model feature in BIM software helps in providing easy access to the design data for all the involved stakeholders. This allows the architects, engineers, builders, and designers to brainstorm upon the proposed materials and products that are going to be used in the project. In focus can be issues like whether the proposed options are environmentally conscious while delivering the needed functionality or whether an alternative can work better. The entire team can bring in their knowledge and expertise to find a sustainable BIM solution.

2.    Greater efficiency during designing and construction

The real-time sharing of data through the multidimensional model generated by BIM allows collaboration, simulation, and reviewing of workflows at every stage from inception to execution. This helps in increasing efficiency by saving time through clash detection and thereby reducing the overall likelihood of possible human errors or the need for rework. This saves resources, reduces wastage, and ensures work gets done faster -all helping to reduce the environmental footprint.

The better planning that BIM promotes also helps drive better material procurement and utilization. Only as much material as is needed is ordered, only that much is stored on-site, and material wastage is less. This drives more conscious consumption of construction material and a reduced impact on the environment.

3.    Performance monitoring during the operations phase

The projects in the past faced difficulties in maintaining data about the changes made to the design during the construction phase. This created much trouble for those tasked with maintaining the building since they did not have a final design of the facility. However, the real-time data sharing feature of the BIM makes it easy to maintain a list of all the changes executed during the construction phase. This assists the building owner or manager to carry out maintenance work efficiently once the building is operational. This optimizes the ongoing resource utilization of the building and, hence, the environmental impact.

The construction industry worldwide is being swept up in the global movement to be more environmentally conscious. This is also a regulatory imperative. As this article should show, Building Information Modelling (BIM) could help construction companies achieve these green goals.

The construction industry is in the middle of a paradigm shift in the designing and execution of construction projects. Part of this change is being driven by an increasing reliance on Building Information Modelling (BIM) – a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The BIM software provides a comprehensive view of all the elements of the construction before they are physically built. This helps the designers, architects, and builders to eliminate any shortcomings in the design ay the inception itself, thereby cutting costs and saving time.

Time and cost are the two most vital elements in a construction project. A minor deviation or a clash detected late in the game can mean increased costs and time spent. The digital representation in the BIM software allows all the involved parties and stakeholders to understand the practical implication of the design.

Why BIM?

The benefits of using BIM are many:

• Saves time

• Effective cost-control tool

• Collates and streamlines data making it easily accessible for everyone

• Uses technology to eliminate human error

• Helps in extracting an accurate estimate for the construction materials

• A more comprehensive approach to a design

• Saves construction time through clash detection

• A view of the practical implication of a proposed design

So, the benefits of BIM established, how do you go about selecting a BIM partner for your specific construction effort?

How to choose a BIM partner?

BIM services have gained importance in the recent past, and there are quite a few service providers in the market today. It can be hard to choose a BIM partner. To make the choice just that bit easier, here are some key points for you to consider:

1. Experience

The most important thing to consider when selecting a BIM partner is the experience. What makes the BIM partner under consideration stand apart? It must be the experience. How many projects have they worked on? What specific role did they play? How large were the projects? How deep was their involvement? These questions will help give you an insight into just how skilled your potential partner is.

2. The Clientele

Experience alone cannot be the parameter to finalize a BIM partner. A look at their clientele will help you in understanding the BIM partner’s portfolio and their nature of work. Every construction project has its unique requirements and choosing a BIM partner with the right experience relevant to your own requirements could prove crucial.

3. References and Feedback

There’s no better publicity than word-of-mouth publicity. If a BIM partner is as good as they claim to be, you will hear it from their clients in the market. Their reputation will be driven by the word-of-mouth publicity they are able to drive. That apart, do a reference check. Get in touch with the client references they provide. No one can give accurate insights into a service provider better than the clients they have been associated with. This feedback from the clients they have previously worked with or are currently working with will help you understand aspects like their professionalism, ability to meet deadlines, and other aspects important to you.

4. International Presence

A BIM service provider with an international presence and experience will bring a greater depth and breadth of expertise that a purely locally-based BIM partner cannot. The international experience should mean that the BIM partner would have gained exposure to international best practices, cutting-edge tools and techniques, and ways of working. International projects are also likely to have driven this provider to create stronger processes for documentation, collaboration, and communication. This can add richness to your own project planning and execution as well.

5. People

An experienced team with proper knowledge of BIM technology and its application is an essential asset. It is critical to find out about the team of your BIM partner and their overall experience with the various tools, techniques, and software. This is, of course, only part of the story. The people should have experience in the science of construction and in the details like building codes and rules too.

6. Latest Technology

BIM software has also undergone a few evolutions over the years that it has been around. It is essential to know and verify whether the BIM partner under consideration is using the latest software and tools or not. It’s not just about the BIM tools -what about their knowledge of the other technological advances in the field of construction?

7. Aligning Expectations

Before making the final call, it is essential to define exactly what you are expecting from your BIM partner. Start with the end in mind and seek a path to that objective from your BIM partner. Define milestones and deliverables as tightly as is practically possible. This helps you and your BIM partner to stay on the same page. This will help you keep track of the success of this effort.

Benjamin Franklin has said, “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.” It’s easy to see that advice applying to your choice of BIM partner too. The right choice will help you derive cost benefits, save you time and effort, and help you excel in your project execution. When you get all that, there’s really no reason to change then, is there?