How many times have you landed at an airport and been taken aback by the magnificent and complex structure? Some airports, mostly international, are more than just airports. They are more like small towns in themselves from cafes, restaurants, shopping malls to hotels – you name it, and they have it.

Over the years airports have evolved from being just a landing and take-off place for aircraft to becoming tourism, commercial, and cultural hubs for residents and visitors alike today. Airport terminals and control towers are no longer restricted to functional and operational roles but perform complex roles as landmarks, signposts, and cultural identities. Some of the major tourist destinations like Dubai International Airport, Changi Airport (Singapore), Wellington Airport (New Zealand), and Winnipeg International Airport (Canada) are known for their exemplary and intricate structures. This has ramifications, especially in terms of design. It is here where BIM technology provides a unique solution for building and constructing marvellous structures by optimizing costs and time frames.

Airports and BIM

Large-scale projects like airports which keep evolving over a period of time are complex to build and even more complex to manage over their lifespan.

In BIM you do not merely draw a design, but you build it, and this unique feature is what makes BIM desirable for large-scale projects. This gives the technology its ability to increase the ROI by curtailing costs, material procurement and planning, clash detection, and better collaboration in the build phase of the project. BIM helps optimize the ongoing operations of the facility by providing a reliable base design to define management plans and help gauge the likely carbon footprint of a facility. It’s this integration of technology that makes a building stand apart today and BIM, when implemented from the first phase, allows us to do just that. It becomes easier to build, transform or reconstruct (a part of) an existing building with the help of BIM.

Let’s look at these three airports across the world that are/will be built using BIM technology:

1.    Istanbul Airport

The new international airport being built in the city of Istanbul, Turkey; is going to be the world’s largest modern airport. The new airport is being built from scratch, and is going to be constructed in four phases with the first phase being completed in 2018.  The first phase consisted of one terminal, three runways and a remarkable structure for the air traffic control tower. Once completed and fully operational, the IGA will cater to 200 million passengers annually.

“Since the aviation sector develops rapidly nowadays, efficiency in developing outstanding standards according to our baseline schedule and compared to other projects worldwide is critical for us. We aren’t just creating an airport, but also value for people. BIM is an essential tool for us to deliver this super megaproject,” Yusuf Akçayo?lu, CEO, IGA Airports Construction.

Thousands of people are working daily on the construction site. One can only imagine the task of communicating every bit of change in design across these numbers. According to Dr. Ozan Koseoglu, Director of BIM, IGA – the team has saved on humongous amounts of time and money by identifying more than 320,500 clashes in the design. The clash reports are issued and assigned to relevant parties along with updating the rest of the team through BIM. BIM has helped in preventing unseen time extensions, cost overruns, and any other unexpected claims.

2.    Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, India

We have written in the past of the impact of BIM on public infrastructure projects in India like the Nagpur Metro. We have also had the privilege of providing our BIM expertise to the Mumbai International Airport.

The T2 terminal at Bengaluru’s KIA will be one more in the growing list of infrastructure projects in India to benefit from BIM technology. Tom Shimmin, Chief Project Officer, BIAL has said, “BIM will enable us to develop new and innovative infrastructure, thereby setting new benchmarks. We are proud to be early adopters – not just in India, but the world,’’ The project will integrate a full BIM lifecycle for the entire project lifecycle.

The combined capacity of both terminals will be over 70 million passengers annually. The government has said that the first phase will be operational by the end of March 2021. BIM could play a vital role in helping achieve that pace of project completion.

3.    Denver International Airport, United States of America

The expansion plan for Denver International Airport, one of the largest airport facilities in the world, included the construction of a hotel, public plaza, and transit centre next to the south terminal of the airport. The construction agency had the complex task of considering the existing structure and amalgamating it with the vast new proposed one.

Another issue faced by the design team was accommodating the weather movement of the existing roof of the south terminal. The roof at the south terminal was an iconic design made of fabric which is supported by a steel cable system with tie-downs that help in maintaining the tension and in anchoring the roof to the ground. Due to weather conditions, the roof moves vertically up to 18 inches. Now, the hotel building that is being constructed required displacing six of these anchors along with incorporating them in its design. The meticulous planning for this was done through virtual models built with the help of BIM. This helped the team in understanding and designing the structure in the most efficient way and faster.

These are but some of the many massive airports that are taking wing with BIM. Large public infrastructure projects offer readymade business cases for BIM with the projected savings in time, cost, and effort. It’s no surprise that success stories like these have made it vital to incorporate BIM technology in large-scale infrastructure projects such as airports.

BIM is the new buzzword in construction, as more and more stakeholders in the industry try to explore the unique opportunities that it offers. If used right, BIM can be the vehicle to share valuable data during a project.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot of confusion around the role of Building Information Modeling and what are the components of a successful BIM strategy. Having a 3D representation of your project is surely a powerful thing but it should not come before data. After all, a 3D model is only as good as the information added to it.

This is where the issue of user adoption comes into the picture. Construction is one of the industries that generate the largest amount of data on a global basis. It appears, though, to be one of the worst sectors in collecting, sharing, and analysing these precious beats of information.

Simply put, this signifies that the digital culture of the sector is still at a very early stage and that there is a considerable digital gap that has a direct effect on the way people in the industry communicate, collaborate and eventually build.

That being said, it becomes understandable that before construction falls for BIM, it is necessary to sort out the parameter of digital adoption on the field. Only then, the industry will be ready to get the most out of the implementation and use of BIM.

Push for standardisation first

There is no doubt that BIM will take over and disrupt the construction industry within the next couple of years. However, its impact can increase exponentially if the right systems and procedures are in place.

Building Information Modeling is here to help people get organised and develop their processes in a digital environment so that they gain time, collaborate more and by extension trust, each other more leading to better data collection and fact-based decisions.

For that to happen, there are certain steps that need to be followed:

a.Get people to use digital solutions

The transition from a hammer to a tablet can take a while but it’s the bedrock for the digital transformation of the construction industry. The adoption of a data-driven way of working will pave the way for a better-connected construction site with lower rework rates and higher productivity.

b.Show them how they should use them

Once they get going with the use of digital tools on the field, it is time for the next step which is known as process digitalization. Show them how they do what they used to do using that device. Once they understand the value that the new working approach brings to the table, they will become your most valuable allies to this digital transformation journey.

c.Standardise your processes

Last and most critical step is, without a doubt, the standardisation of the building process. As soon as you turn your construction site digital, it is time to push for standardisation. In that way, the learning curve both across internal and external projects will be much faster. This change of mindset could act as a catalyst for BIM adoption and fuel a meaningful change in construction.

BIM is a data vehicle

We already mentioned in the opening of the article that Building Information Modeling can be one of the main vehicles to share data in the course of any construction process. Thanks to wider user adoption, planning can become a part of the BIM model.

Through the BIM model, the different field teams can track progress, collaborate effectively on the latest updates and adjust their planning process based on the provided feedback.

For this to happen, though, you need people both on the site and the office to actively use digital tools in order to collect and analyse data. Like that, it will be considerably easier for BIM managers to link activities on-site to the model.

At this point, the importance of standardising your processes can become apparent considering the fact that many companies are struggling with a vast number of classifications that differ from project to project.

People need to have a well-defined Protocol for their on-site follow-up. Establishing a set of standard internal classifications so that all model elements are identified and described with accuracy is one of the biggest challenges for more efficient construction industry with lower rework rates.

There is a plethora of different parameters that can be used for the description of an element in a BIM model (eg. location, structure, material) and the absence of a common classifications language can hinder collaboration across tasks and projects.

The industry needs to learn more about BIM

BIM technology has been around for quite a while now but it is still clear that many in construction appear to be very cautious regarding its benefits for the industry. That is mainly because they haven’t fully understood the great potential that Building Information Modeling offers.

And this is something that the sector needs to address. In most cases, the reluctance to invest in BIM implementation stems from the high initial cost around BIM training and on-boarding. But that’s something that applies to almost every type of digital solution in construction.

By skipping this crucial step, many project teams end up not having the proper knowledge and skills in order to get the most out of the use of a BIM model and create a unified classifications language.

This results in construction projects which are either poorly-driven when it comes to BIM and where the numerous teams are working in a very isolated way resulting in loss of vital information, more delays and budget overruns.

Final word

Wrapping it all up, it is of paramount importance that the industry starts to see BIM as a vital competitive advantage and invest more in boosting the adoption of the technology on both the boardroom and the construction site.

It is a long and demanding process that requires a lot of effort and a unique focus on data. Before we dive into 3D representations of a built structure, it’s vital to prioritise the data.

Otherwise, no matter how nice a 3D model can be, it plays no role if the data that supports it is imprecise.

About the author: Anastasios Koutsogiannis is Content Marketing Manager at LetsBuild. 

The construction industry has seen a phenomenal change with the wholesome adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the public as well as the private sector. It’s fair to say that BIM has transformed the execution of construction projects by helping in decreasing the time and cost involved in the building process.

The governments across the globe took notice of the benefits of BIM technology and are mandating its use for public projects. Countries like the UK and Germany have passed the mandate while the USA, China, South Korea, Brazil, and Singapore are considering their own BIM adoption standards. To further drive up adoption, the European Union (EU) has issued a directive to its 28 members for adopting BIM on public projects.

The governments’ stand on BIM is based upon the proven ability of the technology to enable seamless integration and collaboration between the project participants across the different project phases. This collaboration results in reducing the time involved in resolving conflicts. It lowers the operating costs while improving construction quality.

The private players are also gung-ho about the adoption and implementation of BIM technology for large-scale projects. Contractors are realising the advantages and demanding the use of BIM, even in countries where there are no government mandates issued. The impact is being seen in huge projects worldwide. The Qatar Rail is one such example. Autodesk is responsible for the design, construction, commissioning, operating, and maintaining of the massive rail project.

Application of BIM in a Construction Project

BIM provides a holistic approach to the construction process by providing insights and inputs at various stages from design, cost and raw material estimations, schedule planning, the build process, and allocation of resources to post-handing operation and maintenance of the building.

Let’s look at the 5 facets of a construction project where BIM applies:

1.    The conceptualisation of the project

A building is only as good as its design, and design is as good as the concept or the idea. The 3D BIM model aids in building intelligent concepts that provide a preview of the building. The 3D model helps in identifying design clashes. The contractors, builders, architects, engineers, electricians – all have access to the complete information at a centralised source in BIM. The seamless integration of data for the involved parties aids in better planning and avoiding delays in the construction timeline due to redesigning.

2.    Drawing estimations for raw materials

The seamless collaboration brings together all the essential parameters of the project. The detailed model helps in determining the exact quantities of all the materials required for the construction. On an ongoing basis, the parametric modeling helps in identifying the impact of every small little change made in the design of the overall project. For example: Changing one wall will change all the elements involved with it – quantities for cement, steel, sand, paint; everything will change accordingly. Any change in any of the design specifications will reflect the amount of raw materials required.

3.    Construction Scheduling

Adhering to the schedule plays a significant role in any construction project. The BIM model offers a single-window of truth for all the different teams involved in the construction. This promotes better collaboration and seamless interfaces between them that allow better construction scheduling. That apart, delays due to clash-detections, wrong estimation of raw materials, inefficient logistics are hard to control in the absence of BIM. The powerful visualization of the building design, clash detection, and the extraction of the estimated time required for completing each phase drive better adherence to the stipulated timeline.

4.    Project Planning and Financial Strategy

The fifth dimension of BIM provides information on the material requirements at specific points in time in the project. This information, in turn, helps in enabling just-in-time (JIT) delivery of raw materials to the site; which in turn helps in cash flows, as well as in saving effort and cost in transportation, storage on site, and prevents wastage of raw materials due to problems on-site making it easier to execute the plan.

As mentioned earlier, the detailed analysis helps inaccurate estimations, thereby extracting the approximations for the overall budget of the building project. You will know precisely how much outflow must be projected for at each stage. Better planning of finances can help drive project profitability since financing costs form such a significant part of any project’s cost.

5.    Project Handing and Operations Management

A key dimension of BIM is the as-built picture of the construction project. This is an essential part of the handing over process post the completion of the project. The reality of construction is that, however comprehensive the design, the final site will always look different in small and big specific ways. The as-built design of BIM provides access to the most accurate information of the facility, which forms the basis for efficient operations and maintenance of the facility.

Phillip G. Bernstein of Yale University said, “Evolution of BIM implementation came in parallel with a willingness to collaborate and share project information, the move toward an integrated practice that is much talked about in the industry.” It is this willingness to collaborate across all the stages of the construction cycle that will drive the most efficient construction projects forward. And BIM will lead that charge.

All manner of industries are witnessing a paradigm shift with the introduction and implementation of innovative technology. The construction industry is no exception. Ever since its introduction and especially over the last few years, BIM Technology has transformed the way the construction industry operates. Many countries like the UK have made the use of BIM mandatory for large-scale public projects.

The impact of BIM drives optimum utilization of the resources as well as greater productivity and profitability. The Indian construction industry is catching up with the utilization of BIM technology, but it has its fair share of challenges.

Mr. CB Amarnath, Founder, India BIM Association has this to say, “We have about 30-40K people who are using BIM for projects, but most of the people providing these services are for the global markets, there are a very few who are providing the services for Indian projects largely because they are not able to convince clients about the benefits of BIM. When we talk about the level of development, it’s mainly for modeling, scheduling, estimation, and not for construction tracking or FM usage, etc. There is a need for providing information about how this can be adopted for various stages of projects.”

BIM Adoption Challenges in India

BIM has been around for nearly two decades but has recently become more mainstream in the professional consciousness. The adoption of BIM technology has been slower than expected in India due to some inherent challenges. Here are some significant hurdles that BIM adoption in the Indian construction industry faces:

1.    Lack of Expertise

The biggest challenge faced by the construction industry for BIM adoption is the lack of widespread expertise. Some organizations (like Excelize) do provide specialized BIM services. But it’s fair to say that the majority of India’s construction companies do not have many employees who are qualified or knowledgeable enough to integrate BIM and construction projects seamlessly. The lack of in-house expertise results in BIM experiments. Projects suffer from inefficiency and loss of profits due to increased operating costs. This creates the perception that the technology is hard to adopt.

2.    Lack of Awareness

The second most significant hurdle is the lack of awareness regarding BIM technology. In a country as vast as India, there’s no dearth of construction projects – both public and private. But it is still true that a significant part of the real estate industry is not attuned to the most modern construction practices. There is a lack of awareness of the implementation of BIM and the potential benefits. This translates into a lack of management support or sponsorship, without which no strategic initiative can become successful.

3.    Cost-effectiveness for small projects

BIM has more than proved its mettle in big projects by saving humungous amounts of money by reducing operating and inventory costs. However, this cannot always be said for smaller projects. These projects lend themselves easily to more intuitive and experience-driven decision making. The penalty for mistakes is also smaller as are the budgets. This makes it less attractive to implement BIM with its operating costs and effort commitments. Hiring experts and training the existing workforce involves significant investments. The small and medium size construction companies see this as an expense rather than an investment as they are less likely to see the long-term benefits of investing in BIM services.

4.    Resistance to change

A growing fraction of construction companies have adopted BIM for their construction projects. But implementing BIM also necessitates a change in the operations of the construction company. Better planning means greater responsibility for perfect execution. There is less room for error and hence greater pressure to perform. All these factors contribute to resistance to adopt technological change. Companies that worry about the cultural impact prefer to operate traditionally instead of investing in training the existing workforce or hiring a new workforce that is more in tune with the BIM-driven approach.

5.    Lack of cooperation between stakeholders

The most significant advantage of BIM technology is the integration of the workflow of all the involved stakeholders. Now, this involves high levels of collaboration from the interested parties. This is a significant challenge that only becomes greater as the project becomes bigger. Large infrastructure projects have multiple teams associated with specific point responsibilities. Quite often the involved parties lack the will to cooperate. Conflicts arising due to noncooperation between the stakeholders make it difficult to carry out work -BIM-led or not.

Successful BIM adoption demands a level of expertise within the organization. It mandates a change in the organization’s way of working. The cost and effort of leveraging BIM have restricted its impact to the larger, more visionary companies and projects. That said, this is the direction the world is moving in and India has to catch up.  It’s time for India’s construction industry to get BIM power.

BIM integration and implementation are not new. I have been talking about it for some time and I can confidently say that this is slowly gaining a foothold in India. BIM is catching the eye of various construction firms and contractors, professionals, government bodies, educational institutes and so on. But the country still has a long way to go in the widespread adoption of BIM technology. Perhaps it will help if we take notes from other nations that are using it in various spheres.

Here are a few stellar examples of BIM technology in use by various nations and what we can learn from them:

UAE:

Expo 2020 is a stellar architectural contribution to UAE’s landscape. It is capturing the imagination of millions around the globe. A little bit of background for those of you who are hearing about it for the first time – it is a $6.8 billion project. It’s designed to welcome 270,000 visitors per day and the area enclosed will be 2,000,000 square meters with 2,400,000 square meters designated for various amenities and facilities. Over 80 percent of the site is going to be reused or repurposed.

Such a strategically important project is depending on a solid BIM strategy. It is based on the delivery of intelligent 3D models as well as Industry Foundation Classes data. BIM will be prominent throughout the project life cycle. This BIM application in construction will help all the stakeholders to understand, communicate, and manage coordination more effectively than ever. Additionally, it will offer a streamlined approach for all users. The various teams involved in the project log-in as well as navigate either the state-wide model or individual project models without having to go for extensive software installation and training requirements.

It is expected that with BIM there will be 24/7 model access and therefore, reduce dependency on manual as well as offline processes for sharing the information. Moreover, the design coordination, as well as clash detection, may have already helped in saving millions and in reducing scheduling delays.

That’s not all. BIM models integrated with specific cloud-based software has helped the project designers to analyze pedestrian behaviors or identify bottlenecks. It’s hard to believe that this would have been possible without BIM.

UK:

It is well-known that the UK is undergoing multiple transformations when it comes to the public transportation system. Among those is a project called High Speed 2, a high-speed railway that connects London to Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester, and possibly all the way to Scotland. This project is planned in two phases, including the 119-mile London to the West Midlands as Phase 1, and a Y-like connector to both Manchester and Leeds as Phase 2.

It is obvious that HS2 is a complex technical system. It involves communications, power, earthworks, tracks, structures, noise mitigations, and detailed control systems. As can be expected, the project has multiple stakeholders. A key consideration is the impact the construction will have on the cities as well as the countryside. Completing the project within the set deadlines and allotted budget is a formidable challenge, one that UK hopes to overcome by using BIM and allowing the project to collect, organize, and communicate the data using one of the most detailed visual models around. This has become a key element in the delivery effort. There’s a real sense that the building the model can be used to educate the stakeholders as well. The UK’s positive experience with leveraging BIM for saving time, effort, and money in public infrastructure projects is now common knowledge. I fully expect the HS2 to add to that set of BIM success stories.

Norway

In Oslo, Norway, the Gardermoen Terminal 2 is not only a major construction project with over 100 contractors but also works as a functioning international airport. The location is the main challenge because the builders need to take into consideration the safety, the airport security as well as smooth operations. Airport operations cannot be hampered even as the work goes on to double the floor area of the building. The project leverages BIM to provide a guiding model for the contractors. They also use BIM for accommodating the existing infrastructure into their plans. With accurate information about the existing structures, they aim to achieve a renovation that is easy, painless, and cost-efficient. They have used Open BIM and managed various changes using 3D models for creating an enhanced experience for the users. This suggests that BIM can be implemented and adopted even in the most complex of scenarios.

These are noteworthy projects leveraging BIM from three countries. But it doesn’t stop only at specific large projects and initiatives. The BIM adoption movement is picking up pace. France had decided as far back as 2014 that it would develop 500,000 houses in a tight deadline, and they chose to use BIM. The French government’s initiative also paid due consideration to sustainability in that decision. Driven by the value they expected; the French government also launched an R & D project to develop BIM standards for wider use. Spain, on the other hand, has a BIM Commission sponsored by the Ministry of Public Works for BIM to be applied in buildings in 2018 and in infrastructure in 2019.

There are many great examples out there. But where does India stand? To my mind, our nation is embracing a digital transformation in so many business areas. In that light, it is a given that BIM collaboration will also catch on. I believe that the first step to the widespread adoption of BIM in India will have to be making BIM usage mandatory in India’s public infrastructure projects -and I know we will get there eventually.

Building Information Modeling helps in generating an intelligent multi-dimensional digital representation of the functional and physical characteristics of a facility. It gives engineers, architects, and construction professionals/builders key insights for planning, designing, and building infrastructural facilities efficiently by facilitating seamless team collaboration. The successful implementation of BIM results in increased productivity, reduced wastage, cost control, and an improved ROI on the overall construction investment. But is that just what we say?

Well no. BIM application in construction has been transforming the construction industry ever since the mid-‘80s. Thirty years later, today, the world has taken to BIM technology to streamline and ease the infrastructural designing and execution. Countries around the world have benefited from BIM integration into their Construction Services Management.

As per a McGraw Hill report, two-thirds of the users of Architectural BIM Modeling have reported a positive ROI on their investments.

• 83% of the expert BIM users experienced a positive ROI
• 93% of the users strongly believed in the potential of gaining more value in the future

The report offers some great examples of construction projects across the globe that have benefitted from the use and implementation of BIM services. There are, of course, other such great examples too. Here are 15 stats that prove that BIM delivers value:

1. University of Colorado, Denver Health Sciences Centre

An 11-story bio-medical facility spread over 540,000 sq ft area with an expected budget of USD 201 million. BIM delivered:

• 74% reduction in construction Request for Information (RFI) during the foundation phase
• 47% reduction in construction RFI during the steel erection phase
• An overall decrease of 37% in the coordination of RFI
• The project progressed two months ahead of the scheduled completion timeline and six months ahead of another comparable project
• The project team estimated a reduction of 50% in both labour and in crashing of the work schedule

2. Sutter Health Medical Centre, Castro Valley

This is a notable project that implemented BIM. A USD 320 million project that reported a savings of over USD 1.2 million!

3. Department of Energy, US

A USD 100 million project spread over 45,000 sq ft area saved a whopping USD 10 million on the estimated project cost through the clash detection features of BIM. The team found about 500 serious problems that were rectified during the design stage driving the massive cost saving on the project.

4. Aquarium Hilton Garden Inn, Atlanta

An expansive project was constructed at an estimated budget of USD 46 million. The facility is spread over an area of 484,000 sq ft. It consisted of 14 stories, 242 hotel rooms, parking space for 700 vehicles, and a 25,00 sq ft retail space at the ground level. By using BIM at the design phase:

• 55 clashes were identified at early design development stage, helping in reducing the cost by USD 124,500
• Over the period of the entire design phase, more than 590 more clashes were detected
• The overall estimated cost savings on the project were USD 800,000

5. Nagpur Metro Rail Project, India

It is one of the major infrastructure development projects in India today. In this project, an elevated metro corridor, spanning over 38.2 km across the city with 36 stations and 2 depots is being constructed. The construction team has reported that with BIM:

• 12% of cost savings have been reported so far in terms of logistics and staff days. This is expected to rise to 15% by the end of the project
• The anticipated reduction in overhead costs by the end of the project is 5%
• An 8% cost saving is expected over the DPR projected costs
• An overall cost saving of 10% has been recorded so far which amounts to be INR 800 crore approximately

6.    Tata Consultancy (TCS) Mumbai, India

The Indian IT giant was duplicating an already built building at one of its campuses spread over an area of 74,000 sq ft. The biggest challenge the team faced was the unavailability of as-built data. The construction drawings that were available only available were substantially different from the actual building and no accurate as-built data was available. The team used BIM to build a model focussing on Clash Detection and Resolution (CDR).

• Estimated time-frame using conventional method for coordination was three months
• With BIM, the team completed this in one month which resulted in time-saving of around 66%

Of course, these savings in time, cost, effort, and improvement in construction quality is the norm rather than the exception when using BIM. And Mechanical Electrical Plumbing (MEP) and Building Services Engineering folks agree.

An elaborate survey to assess the many characteristics of BIM usage and implementation by Becerik-Gerber and Rice highlighted the following:

• 41% of the respondents realized an overall increase in project profitability
• 55% of respondents said that BIM helped in cutting project costs
• Out of that 55 %, 50% claimed a staggering 50% cut in the project costs
• 58% of respondents found a 50% reduction in the overall project duration

There is no longer any room for doubt. These stats prove the importance of BIM in delivering higher ROI from the investments made in construction. BIM achieves this through controlling costs, better planning, saved time and accurate estimations for raw material and time. It’s time for you to consider your own BIM Implementation Plan and BIM Execution strategy.

Waste” is never good. We are all becoming more conscious of our processes as well as the repercussions on the economy, people, and the environment. The same can be said of the construction industry too. I have been fascinated with the concept of Building Lean for a while and this blog is about that.

‘Building Lean’, means to eliminate and minimize waste over the construction process, thereby enhancing efficiency and conserving resources. This refers to waste generated by every process, from the ordering of excess materials to duplicating tasks within a workflow.

Why should we turn to Lean principles of building? Let me make a comparison, automation has driven a 3.6% spike in global labour productivity in manufacturing over the last 20 years. In contrast, the construction industry has only seen a 1% improvement in the same time frame.

How do we embrace the Lean Building approach? And can Building Information Modeling (BIM) help?

Efficiency is everything

The skillsets and expertise that go into each project are very diverse. Different kinds of professionals come together on each project. This can be an issue, especially when its without clear communication protocols. This can create conflict, delayed outcomes, errors, and miscommunication. This WILL reduce overall efficiency.

The Building Lean model shifts the focus from individual work and ownership to teamwork. Building Lean focuses on the overall efficiency of a project within individual work silos. To achieve this, BIM is a great way to go since your entire project is modeled and planned meticulously. Most issues and conflicts are identified and solved beforehand. Once construction begins, you have an agreed-upon model to follow as a single frame of reference. This eliminates the scope for disagreements or conflict. When everything is planned beforehand, putting it in place is a lot easier, making the entire project more efficient.

Using materials smarter

When it comes to Building Lean, the clear aim is to eliminate waste, and a very big contributor to waste is poor inventory management. Sometimes in construction, you may not require all of the materials for immediate use. Materials that are not needed in the now are considered excess inventory. This chokes the budget, takes up space and even depreciates in value over time. Poor planning results in over-ordering of specific materials or of ordering materials that may not be needed later.

With BIM in place, you can drive much better estimates of what is needed and order only what is needed, when it is needed. This, obviously, reduces waste.

Marked improvements in containing safety hazards

Better planning results in more transparency, better communication, and more accountability for safety. One of the grim sides of the construction business is the lives lost due to accidents or improperly provided safety measures or training. But when you’re Building Lean, all this is tackled at earlier stages.

BIM is a wonderful way to drive this value too since it involves the transparent mapping and planning of the project at every stage. One can foresee possible conflicts or hazards at different stages of the project and eliminate or be prepared for it. By staying one step ahead safety can be maintained.

The hidden costs of waste

An inefficient project will bleed losses in the form of time, resources, materials, and more. Waste inflates cost. In construction, waste is not limited to just the resource itself, but also the chain reaction of waste that takes place as a result.

For example, if you place an order for an incorrect material. You have wasted the human resource’s expertise and time, as they could have been more productive if they were sourcing the right materials. You are wasting the material itself, which comes at a cost. You will be wasting time in the process of returning the materials which will result in a drain of energy, expertise, and money. You will also expend unnecessary labour, which could have been used elsewhere. Wastage is a blackhole that draws money, time, and effort into its vortex.

Building ownership

Like any project in any field, ownership is very important. And the lean method of building strives to uplift the entire project by empowering and enabling independent teams to be more efficient. Collaboration on this scale is impossible without ownership, and that’s a big part of a successful lean building model.

Again, to sound a bit like a broken record but the best way to achieve this is by employing BIM. This will help teams work with synergy to create an accurate representation of the entire project. With this sort of blueprint in place, it makes it easier for teams to identify their roles and responsibilities and carry them out efficiently.

Bringing it all together with BIM

I guess it must be clear by now that I’m interested in Building Lean because of the potential to apply BIM. The sole objective of BIM is to build efficiently. All the software, processes, and expertise that go into formulating and following these models have efficiency at the heart. This means a marked reduction of waste, the safety of the workers, quicker project turnaround, and elimination of errors at early stages. And isn’t that what Building Lean is about too?

According to a survey by McGraw Hill Construction, 84% of construction companies stated that they witnessed better quality projects after making the switch to leaner methods of building. 80% of the surveyed companies said that they improved customer experiences and satisfaction. 77% saw a spike in productivity and improved safety on site. I believe it’s clear that Building Lean is much more than just a passing trend in construction. It is the natural evolution of the industry. This is why I am personally extremely excited to watch these trends unfold, and watch early adopters reap in the rewards!

Renovating or refurbishing a building or facility is often far more tedious than constructing a new one. Unlike a new construction where the required changes can be easily made in the plan, renovating or refurbishing has its limitations.

The renovation and refurbishment projects involve unique risks for contractors and builders alike. The challenge often is that the drawings for the original project differ, in some cases substantially, from the actual construction. Changes made on the fly to overcome clashes address challenges between the utilities and other teams, and custom requirements tend not to be reflected in the original drawings. A key task becomes the need to address the issues with the interface to the existing plan to rectify the errors and work within the limitations of the original plan.

BIM for Renovation and Refurbishment Projects

In the construction industry today, BIM services are used often for a new construction projects. But the potential application of BIM for renovation and refurbishment projects is perhaps under-utilized.

BIM services can be of great help during different stages of renovation projects. It can play a significant role in quality control, documentation, and energy & space management of a facility. BIM can be handy even during the demolition of a building. It provides holistic information regarding the structure. This allows the builders to minimise errors and risks through data management, cost calculation, and building a better demolition schedule.

The following five practices will help ensure the success of your renovation and refurbishment project:

1. Point Cloud and Laser Scanning

The point cloud to BIM services helps in creating an accurate model for the renovation and refurbishment projects. The point cloud modeling is done through 3D laser technology which is more precise than the traditional measurement tools and surveys. Such an accurate measurement of a facility helps in identifying and eliminating deviations and errors in the original plan.

2. Point Cloud to 3D Model

The data collected through laser scanning is imported and processed through software to create a 3D model – this process is called point cloud to the 3D model. The parametric data helps in creating an intelligent model that provides accurate information about the elevations, sections, and floor plans of the building. The collected information then helps in creating a renovation plan with minimal or no errors. The accuracy of the parametric data is vital in renovation or refurbishment projects. The point cloud to 3D model provides that, unlike the traditional methods which leave room for errors.

3. Scan to Construction Drawings

The scan to construction drawings helps in creating the as-built BIM model for renovation and refurbishment projects. The construction drawings provide an early insight into clash detection. The early identification allows the builders and architects to eliminate issues during the planning phase. It makes the execution simple and free of errors emerging due to a faulty design component.

4. Beneficial to the stakeholders

The laser scanning provides a holistic view of the facility. The plumbing and electrical fittings are among the major components to take into consideration while renovating or refurbishing a facility. The 3D laser scan provides accurate information regarding every construction aspect including these. This helps in understanding the current state of the utilities and in defining the changes that will be needed in the old facility.

5. Streamlined Data and Information

Using BIM services ensure that all the collected data and information regarding the project is streamlined and easily accessible to all the stakeholders. The availability of information is a crucial factor in getting rid of any discrepancies that occur during the execution of the plan -either at the time of the initial construction or while the renovation is underway. More often than not, errors in construction and renovation plans occur due to unorganised information. With BIM, that is taken addressed.

It’s clear that BIM can be a handy tool in renovation and refurbishment projects. It allows the owners and production team to carve out and execute a more comprehensive plan successfully. The 3D modeling helps in rectifying any errors during the planning phase. This helps in saving time and overall project cost. And isn’t that always worth the effort?

A smart building is defined as any structure or facility that uses automated processes to control the building’s operations. The key focus is on reduction in the use of non-renewable sources of energy and relying more on renewable sources of energy thereby reducing the impact on the environment. That apart, business benefits like optimized operations, better management, reduced operational costs, and less effort can accrue.

Though this definition encompasses various factors it is not restricted within these parameters. There is no single standard definition available to describe a smart building or structure in the construction and infrastructure industry. The common parameters amongst the smart structures are better resource utilization and reduced effort.

Constructing a smart building involves linking the core systems of the structure such as lighting, power meters, heating, cooling, pumps, fire alarms, and plants with sensors, and easily accessible integrated control systems.

The conventional structures remain just structures, unlike smart structures which could improve with time and external factors to provide more than just shelter and safety to its inhabitants.

Smart Buildings & Building Information Modelling

According to the experts, the future of the construction industry lies in building smart structures that will evolve with the ever-evolving technology. It is not technology alone that makes a structure smart. A smart structure is an amalgamation of technology, processes, and standards – the guiding force behind this paradigm shift in the construction and infrastructure industry today.

If smart structures are the future, then one cannot overstate the importance of BIM in this endeavor. Constructing a smart building involves the integration of several different aspects that go into the construction and BIM specializes in doing that.

BIM can be extremely vital in the initial stages of a project. The digital graphical representation of the facility helps in identifying and eliminating any shortcomings before beginning the construction of the facility. A building plan can be optimized with the assistance of the consolidated streamlining of data provided by the BIM software.

BIM can play a crucial role in the inception, execution, construction, and maintenance of these smart buildings. Here is how:

1.    Integrated Design

One of the highlights of the BIM approach is the integration of data that is easily accessible to architects, engineers, designers, and builders. Every change that is made in the design gets automatically updated across the project. This helps in avoiding conflicts and gets everyone on the same page.

2.    Digital Representation

The graphical representation of the design in the form of a 3D model helps in understanding and thereby eradicating conflicts in the design. This is done during the inception phase which helps in avoiding loss of time and curtailing costs during the construction phase. This assists in the smart utilization of resources and in reducing wastage of time as well as materials.

3.    Integrated Data

The digital platform of BIM helps in centralising the data for all the involved stakeholders. It provides a single source of truth. The availability of information to every party helps in eliminating errors of judgment and miscommunication that commonly happen during large-scale construction projects. Information regarding the quantities of the required material to be procured, and estimates of proposed and current usage help in keeping a lid on over-ordering and unbudgeted expenses.

4.    Security System

BIM software provides a base that can be leveraged for a comprehensive and cohesive security apparatus. This can be the foundation for consolidating and generating data points with the help of smart sensors and systems installed throughout the facility. The advanced security system is not targeted to be used by the inhabitants alone. It can ensure safety during the construction period as well, by restricting unwanted maneuvering on the project site, and by assisting the management team with an overview of the activities being carried out on the site.

5.    3D Modelling

3D modelling in BIM helps in understanding not just the construction plan for a facility that we can see but also the underground construction (unseen or buried). It provides useful information to the construction team regarding existing pipelines or fiber-optic cables. The information also helps in knowing how far to dig without causing any damage to the existing underground structure. Adding in the 5D, 6D, and 7D dimensions helps to map the scale, scope, and state of construction at various project stages with respect to critical cost parameters during construction and on an ongoing basis post-construction too. This provides invaluable information for planning, execution, and management of the building.

6.    Enhanced Project Visualization

BIM-modelling promotes enhanced and more accurate visualization of the facility post-construction. This can become the foundation for creating management plans for the facility. This is especially critical as it captures the as-built condition of the building including providing for the changes in the plan that would have been made during the construction phase. This becomes an essential foundation to build automation strategies on. It removes the guesswork from the automation strategy and helps create a better, more comprehensive, and more tightly-integrated plan.

The future is digital, and BIM is accelerating technological advancement and innovation in the construction industry. The journey to a Smart Building starts well before the construction starts – and BIM can drive that Smart journey from day one!

Every infrastructure construction project comprises different teams of varying sizes working together at any given point in time of the project. Coordination between the groups of architects, designers, engineers, contractors, and specialist contractors has always been a major challenge in the construction industry. Streamlining the work, especially in large-scale projects, is vital. Errors in judgment or execution can result in loss of time and money -both scarce commodities.

Let me paraphrase from a NICMAR report that I found. Studies across various construction projects in many different countries found that the major causes for delays in projects were:

• Design changes by the owners during construction
• Errors in the planning stages
• Poor site management
• Delay in producing design documents
• Lack of effective communication

And what’s the impact? The same study says that (at the time of the examination) 49.6% of the time in construction was devoted to wasteful activities.

A developing country like India cannot afford to lose out due to such preventable issues. Today, the country is undergoing significant public infrastructure development in every town and city. Over the next 5 years, India plans to turn a whopping 50 cities into smart cities, and infrastructure work for it has already begun.

The Nagpur Metro Rail Project is one such major infrastructure project undertaken by the Maharashtra Government. Under this project, an elevated metro corridor, spanning over 40 km across the city with 36 stations and 2 depots is being constructed. The project is well on the way to completion and trial runs have already begun. It’s fair to say that it is one of the fastest infrastructure projects being carried out in the country today.

Controlling cost in such largescale projects is a herculean task. The most effective way of managing cost is by planning and collaborating better and eliminating discrepancies in the design and estimated time and raw materials required for the completion of the project.

Nagpur Metro is also one of those major public infrastructure projects which have successfully used and implemented Building Information Modelling (BIM). I have been personally involved in this aspect of the project, and I am sure that BIM has allowed Nagpur Metro to reap benefits in the form of cost-cutting and time-saving.

Nagpur Metro Rail Project leveraged BIM to accelerate work and control costs. During a conference in Singapore in 2017, Mr. Brijesh Dixit – MD, Nagpur Metro Rail Project highlighted the following points:

•   Cost savings of around 12% has been achieved concerning logistics travel and staff days. It is expected to grow up to 15% by the end of the completion of the project.

•    Savings in time around 8% have been achieved which is likely to rise to 11% by the end of the project.

•   The end of the project anticipates a reduction of overhead costs from 5% to 3.5%.

•   Cost savings of around 8% is expected over the DPR projected costs.

How did BIM help in achieving this?

Just repeating that BIM is software that helps in generating a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The 3D representation allows architects, engineers, and builders to plan, design, manage, and execute the project efficiently. The data related to the facility is saved in the form of digital files that is accessible to all the stakeholders in the project. This centralisation of data helps in eliminating duplication, thereby avoiding confusion during the execution phase. BIM uses six dimensions (6D) to create a holistic construction plan. These six dimensions are:

•   Width/Length

•   Depth/Breadth

•   Height

•   Time

•   Cost

•   As-built /Facilities management

The inclusion of the 4th and 5th dimension helps in making accurate projections about the time and estimation of costs required to complete the project. The 6th Dimension, As-Built/Facilities management helps in having accurate information of any updates during construction which will help with facilities management. Every infrastructure project evolves during construction, and it becomes difficult to keep track of these changes. The As-Built is the final drawing of the facility which incorporates every small little change that is made in the actual design during the construction process.  This becomes precious information for the ongoing maintenance of the project even after construction is completed.

Why make BIM Mandatory for Public Infrastructural Work?

Before answering the why, let’s look at the benefits of implementing BIM:

•   Helps in accelerating the completion of the project by facilitating better planning

•   Helps in saving and cutting down construction cost through clash detection

•   Helps in saving through construction process simulation

•   Helps in eliminating unbudgeted changes

•   Helps in reducing the request for information or missing information

•   Helps in reducing the time required to generate estimates

•   Helps in better collaboration between the various stakeholders

Think of all the extensive public infrastructure work going on in the country today. Now, think of executing those infrastructure projects with the help of BIM. BIM will not only help in cutting costs but will also help in driving faster project completion. UK made the use of BIM mandatory in public infrastructure projects a couple of years ago. Last year a report by PwC estimated that on a projected public infrastructure spend of GBP 31.7 Billion on 2018/19, public funds to the tune of GBP 429 Million could be saved. That’s in 1 year!

The Nagpur Metro Rail Project is an example of how effective BIM-driven construction can prove to be for public infrastructure projects. Today, the Metro work in Nagpur has been more than 40% complete. This has been achieved within 2 years.

To me the choice is clear, and it is inevitable, I appeal to the Government of India to make BIM mandatory for every public infrastructure project being carried out in the country today. It’s the need of the hour!

Reference:

https://www.nicmar.ac.in/pdf/2012/Oct-Dec%202012/07%20Communication%20II%20-%20Time%20Waste%20And%20Delays%20In%20Construction%20Projects.pdf