Conceptual estimating has always been a crucial aspect while planning a new construction project.

Developers assign costs for every stage of the planning to determine the costs, feasibility, and direction of the project. That enables the construction company to build a perspective of how the project will come together over time.

Construction companies call it part-science and part-art. There are two main approaches to it.

• The cost approach: Cost estimation can safely be called the cornerstone of conceptual estimating. Over 70% to 80% of the costs are determined during the pre-construction stage itself.  It gives the developers an overview of the total budget and the potential for cost overruns in the project. It also enables developers to start planning for ways to work within a limited budget. In the current economic scenario, it is definitely advisable to have a cost estimate prepared for the projects on the floor to have a template to aim for at all times.
• The design approach: In the design approach, the construction company creates a detailed design based on the written scope and then proceeds with the construction. The concept is the main differentiator in this process.

How Can BIM Help With Conceptual Estimating?

BIM software comes with in-built estimating features that can help construction companies estimate better:

Cost-savings

According to McKinsey, large construction projects take 20% more time to finish, and 80% of the time goes over budget. They, and we, believe that BIM can help in solving these issues. It can shorten the duration of a project and save on effort and material costs. A 5D model of a project, for instance, can help builders get an overview of the project’s total cost as tied to the schedule. Take the UK’sCrossrail project, for example. The full-lifecycle BIM approach adopted for the project is estimated tohave saved 20% on design and construction and 40% on operations and maintenance costs. Closer to home, the Nagpur Metro Rail project is being credited with driving savings of an estimated Rs 1552 crores by using advanced technology like BIM.

Automating the process

Research shows that manual estimation can take up 50% to 80% of the time during the cost estimation stage. Additionally, manual estimating can also be prone to human errors such as inaccurate drawing interpretations during measurement. BIM enables automatic quantification, i.e. automating the quantification process that involves tallying components from printed drawing sets, or CAD drawings and using estimators to come up with a project cost estimate. It improves the plan efficiency of the project by removing duplication and reducing the chances of human errors. It can also minimize cost variation that normally occurs due to errors. This can help improve adherence to planned estimates, a key advantage in managing financing and cash flows. It can also help ensure more rational vendor billing and payments.

Saving time

Considering that BIM automates the steps such as manually entering the quantities and pricing, the estimators can save time on conceptual estimating. As the estimated quantities and pricing are linked to BIM, estimators do not have to update the quantities manually; neither do they have to update the pricing manually. It gets updated automatically. Providing a detailed estimate of a significant project can be quite cumbersome. That’s where BIM comes to rescue.

Let’s look at a complexexample. The IT giant – TCS was looking to redo a significant portion of a campus spread over 74,000 sq. ft. But the designs available to them were from the planning stage, whereas the as-built campus was substantially different. They used BIM to build a model focused on the architectural, structural, and services components. This was designed to be used for Clash Detection and Resolution (CDR) as the new designs and plans took shape. The estimated time frame for the completion of the CDR phase of the project through the conventional method was over three months. By using BIM, this phase was completed in 1 month -a time saving of 66%!

Detectingerrors early-on

BIM helps in managing risks, design errors, quality, and budget of the project. The intuitive design of BIM gives users a better view of the design and detects risks that can be addressed early on to avoid any challenges during construction. Let’s consider a 40-acre project with a site of 30-feet elevation. There would be dozens of buildings and structures on that site. The entire information may be hand-drawn. When the sketch gets digitized and modeled with BIM, the estimators can calculate the cost and provide conceptual estimates that show the probable elevation issues that the developer could face during construction. Instances like these help construction companies to mitigate risks at an early stage.

Conclusion

BIM, if used in the right manner, can enable construction companies to save an average of 5% of operating costs per annum. It offers multiple benefits ranging from increasing ROI to reducing change orders and requests for information through the process of construction. It also promotes more communication and effective collaboration across various stakeholders involved in the conceptual estimation.

BIM can completely change the way conceptual estimation is done. It can change the way estimators plan and build the project. For any assistance in integrating BIM with the conceptual estimation process, contact us. We will guide you through the process, just like we have done for dozens of other projects.

I have been a part of the construction industry for many years, and in all that time, I have observed something unexpected about the industry. As much as the feeling is that the industry resists change, it has evolved steadily and constantly.

Who could have thought that we could not only identify clashes but also rectify them before the construction began or that construction doesn’t need to happen at the construction site? It would have been hard to imagine a few years ago. But, here we are, and this is just the beginning of how technology is going to revolutionize the way we think and do things in our industry.

The ever-increasing infrastructure demands, and tight spaces on-site have opened the gates to offsite construction. As per one definition, “Offsite construction is the completion of elements or components of a construction project at a different location from where they will be permanently installed.” The offsite construction involves planning, design, and fabrication of the elements which are then built in the offsite manufacturing unit. The manufacturing unit can either be a permanent facility or a temporary facility built for the duration of a project. The finished product is then transported to the construction site for installation.

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention – the global construction industry is looking towards new and innovative ways to keep projects moving faster and more efficiently. And, offsite construction is just one of them. And, I feel this change has been long overdue in the industry.

3D Printing and Offsite Construction – What are they?

The current pandemic situation has made the world turn around to technology to innovate and fight against the COVID19 breakout. 3D printing found global attention when the medical fraternity turned towards it to meet the shortage in supply for masks and other equipment. But, did you know that the construction industry has been using 3D printing to revolutionize the construction methods and techniques for long?

Researchers have been toying with the idea of 3D printing since the early 80s. It took three decades for 3D printing technology to become mainstream but, it started becoming mainstream only recently.

3D printing is a combination of techniques that are used to print a physical structure. The three-dimensional physical structure is created from a digital file in 3D modeling software which is then brought to life via a 3D printer. The technology is relatively new for the construction industry. It is rapidly being developed and innovated to build complete structures like bridges and houses using materials such as concrete, metal, and resin. You would have all seen fascinating videos of homes being built in, what seems like, hours. That’s 3D printing at work.

Understanding the role of BIM in 3D Printing and Offsite Construction

In this technological age, people have certain expectations and demands like speed, accuracy, and an elevated user experience that cannot be fulfilled with traditional construction methods.

I believe that BIM technology is reshaping the digital landscape of the construction industry while offsite construction and 3D printing are set to reshape the physical landscape. And the two are deeply connected. The nature of the beast is such that you have to follow JIT methods. That leaves little flexibility in offsite construction schedules or onsite assembly or installation. To make offsite construction work you need extremely comprehensive, accurate, and current data about the site as it stands. That becomes the base for the elements that get constructed offsite. You cannot afford any gaps or deviations as that will make assembling the elements onsite incredibly difficult, if not impossible. That is where BIM models can deliver massive value. It’s remarkably similar with 3D printing. The structure comes up based on a detailed and comprehensive digital depiction. There’s truly little room for manual intervention or “on the fly” changes. This is a” made for BIM” use-case.

The benefits of 7-dimensional BIM have been well-established in our industry. Now it’s time to realize the potential of BIM in backing innovations like 3D printing and offsite construction.

The construction industry is at a cusp of a technological revolution with BIM, offsite construction, and 3D printing playing a crucial role in it. The future is digital. Considering the acceleration in the pace of life there is likely to be increasing pressure on construction companies to complete structures within a very short period. In essence, the construction industry will have to depend upon technologies like these to deliver better, faster, greener, and sustainable structures. It’s certain that BIM will play a key enabling role in all these developments!