Introduction of BIM related technologies in the construction industry has greatly been transformed and it continues to reshape each and every day. BIM has been implemented in many architectural and civil projects in many parts of the world. Lots of benefits have been realised from the implementation such as: enhanced communication among the various project stakeholders, greater certainty for both the cost and schedule conformance and enhanced efficiencies (Levy, 2017, p. 167).
Construction industry has greatly gone through a gradual decrease in its labour productivity since 1960.This has led to the construction firms requiring more labour per contract dollar amount. Traditional construction project delivery techniques, breaks down roles of the project team during design and construction process, thus hindering the collaboration of the general contractor with other project team members during design phase of the project.
In this project a research was carried out on Catskill-Delaware Water Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility is an ultra violet water disinfection and treatment plant.
The main purpose of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the delivery of this project was to enhance collaborative working between different parties. Building Information modelling allowed the project team to work as a team in order to achieve set standards of the project. Implementation of BIM in the design and construction of the facility greatly increased the level of collaboration (Club, 2014, p. 56).
Building Information Modelling (BIM) refers to a three dimensional digital representation of the building or any other structure and its intrinsic characteristics. BIM comprises of intelligent building components including parametric rules and data attributes for each object in the project. For instance a window made up of certain materials and of given dimensions are related to the wall (Deutsch, 2015, p. 142).
BIM provides coordinated, consistent representations for each view. This helps designer/architect to save a lot of time and resources because each view of the model is coordinated through built-in model.
BIM is the practice and process of virtual construction and design throughout its lifecycle. BIM is considered as a platform for communicating and sharing of knowledge and information between the various project team members (Eastman, 2011, p. 76).
The BIM stage 3 is where the semantically integrated models are developed, maintained and shared collaboratively across the lifecycle of the project. In the stage 3 of BIM there is a clear focus on the preferred design option which is used to support the full or outline business case .The model which is preferred for design deliver the expected outcome and dimensionally correct which are set out in the brief. The model can be used during the early contract and initial analysis on construction and programme methodology.
During this phase of BIM concept of the design and associated project information model are progressed until the entire design is coordinated the various parties involved in design. The integration of the models can only be achieved by use of model server technologies (Eastman, 2011, p. 65).
The importance of Building Information Modelling is that a design is seen as an integral component in a building cycle. The subdivided work between the members and the design phases are replaced by an adjusted process. This is only achievable through design technology changes, which involves shifting from the 2D drawing to development of a 3D computer aided model of the building under design. The 3D CAD have all the required parts of design such as. Structural, architectural, construction, mechanical process, estimates and technological requirements.
In the design phase these objectives are put in place by use of the Building Information Modelling technology, which mainly focuses on the fully equipped and finally completed 3D building model which comprise all the design parts. The foundation of this technology is comprised of the 3D graphical-information model which cover the following: The building model, physical properties of this model, functional performance of its components. One of the major innovation of Building Information Modelling include; modelling of components of the building. The technology for modelling the components allows the design team to work parallel with entire design data at the stage covering of data component covering full design cycle according to the scale of the design team. Engineering components which are usually graphical numerical models of the real objects existing, these models properties, geometry, attributes and links of real objects. In the design stage using Building Information Modelling it is assumed that any building being designed consist of parts and elements which are different by their functions, manufacturing technology and properties. In design a part may a part may involve complex structure or simple structural component. All the parts or elements which are contained in BIM have unique 3D shape with the same properties of the real structure which exist. The elements are intellectual and parametrically controlled i.e. each of the object or element contained in BIM ‘knows’ about itself both qualitative (Materia, contents and other attributes) information and quantitative (area, volume and length) information. All this attributes offers possibilities to edit the shape of the object effectively and rapidly, developed objects, manage and preserve their attributive information by use of the 3D building model technology.
The figure below shows the uses of Building Information Modelling for planning process, preconstruction (design) and post construction operations (Epstein, 2012, p. 45).
Fig 1: Applications of Building Information Modelling throughout a building lifecycle.
Catskill and Delaware water treatment ultraviolet disinfection facility is located in Westchester County, New York, united states. The project is a water treatment facility with a very high capacity of approximately 2 billion gallons per day which is equivalent to approximately 7.6 million m3.It belongs to New York City Department of Environmental protection. The facility consist of 9 major structures which include: ED building, UV building, south for eBay, north fore bay, Catskill flow meet chamber, generator building and Catskill valve chamber (Garber, 2014, p. 184).
Fig 2: Catskill and Delaware water treatment ultraviolet disinfection facility
Application of BIM in the project has been very significant in scheduling, updating and drawing coordination. BIM model was at first used to virtually navigate through the facility and all the structures. BIM helped the project team of architectural design early to be in a position to study alternate methods and also give room to visualise construction sequence (Holzer, 2016, p. 112). Through the connection of the model to the baseline schedule the project team, client and project management could easily and quickly understand construction sequence for this complex water facility.
During design of the facility BIM was used to maximise its impact on the project since the ability to influence cost is high. The design team who were involved in design and planning of the project came up with ideas and solutions to the issues regarding the project before they impacted the project. BIM greatly enhanced design process through coordinating various members of the project team (Jason, 2015, p. 183).
Information of each space in the facility was entered into building information modelling software and the relationship between each of them was also entered into BIM software. This enabled design team to generate relationship between the spaces in the facility easily without any challenge. At the same time design team were able to generate various floor plans of the structures within the facility. Based on different physical relationships which were entered into Building Information (BIM) database, design team were able to generate variety of conceptual design options which were to be developed in order to assist in the schematic design phase so that it can be easily coordinated with other parties who are involved in the project.
Architects and engineers who were involved in design of the facility had an opportunity to use BIM to test their conceptual design ideas which include energy analysis. Building Information Modelling also aided in coordination between vendors and subcontractors during early stage of designing the facility (Kensek, 2016, p. 76).
The use of Building Information Modelling assisted the client to determine whether what architects and the design team were working on was actually what the client wanted. That was achieved by 3-D views of design which were obtained in the process of design. The clients had an opportunity to revise the design until what they wanted was achieved.
Building information also offered an opportunity to the client and other shareholders to know some of alternatives which were available for their project and through that client of the project had to view the project model through walking or flying around it.
BIM allowed the design team to work on a single model while they were designing so as to enhance teamwork among them. Each member of the design team was to work on a given part in the design. The model was managed from a central point.
Building Information modelling also was used during conceptual phase of designing to come up with mass models on how the different structures will be organised on site.
Building Information Modelling was used to obtain the 3-D images of the facility to be used in making the sales brochures. Different views of the facility were obtained in during the early stage of design of the facility. The views which were obtained helped designers to visualise and interpret how the facility will look like on completion (Reddy, 2011, p. 76).
In the conceptual design phase, various parties were involved and they included: The architect together with his drafting team, the client who were representatives from New York City Council, quantity surveyors of the client, environmental experts and set of engineers who included the electrical, mechanical and geospatial engineers.
Collaboration of the construction team with the client, engineers and the architects was initiated at early stages of the project. Implementation of BIM in the project greatly enhanced the collaboration due to the efficient and reliable communication within the project. The design team were able to produce the 2-d drawings for the project and at the same time with the 3-D models. Other parties who were involved in project delivery such as MEP contractors and steel fabricators were required to enter their data and the information regarding the phase of the project they were handling into the BIM database.
3D coordination of the facility was started at the time when the model was developed, that was aimed at ensuring that any interference with the spaces of the proposed facility are resolved before actual implementation of the project. Overall the collaboration efforts of the construction team, the client and the subcontractors helped to reduce errors which ware committed during the design stage of the project. BIM also greatly assisted various parties involved in construction of the facility to understand what was to be done at a given time and by who. Thus, it was easier way to collaborate and coordinate the various parties who were involved in the delivery of the facility (Deutsch, 2015, p. 546).
The process of implementing BIM in the construction allowed the project team to work effectively, mostly in identifying problems which they were likely to face during construction process.
Building Information modelling helped in integrating various roles of different parties who were involved in delivery of the project. The main purpose of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the delivery of the project was to enhance collaborative working between the different parties. The Building Information modelling allowed the project team to work as a team in order to achieve the set standards of the project. Implementation of BIM in the design and construction of the facility greatly increased the level of collaboration. That was attributed to the effective communication within the project team which made it very easy for the flow of information from the main contractors to the subcontractors.
Sharing of Knowledge and information between the project team members made it very easy for the team to work together. The members of the project team learnt a lot of new skills on how to design and construct. Sharing of knowledge during the design and construction boosted the morale of the team and they were motivated to achieve the best quality for the client.
BIM was used in the entire lifecycle of the project from design stage, construction to operations of the facility. Building Information Modelling (BIM) was used to determine scope of the project, measurements, components and project dimensions. In implementation of the facility, BIM was also applied in tracking of cost of the project. All the systems of the facility such as electricity and plumbing were followed by the use of BIM not only during the construction and designing phases but also during maintenance of the systems once the facility was completed.
BIM pulled all the aspects of the building project into a single package. The members of the project team at a stage of the project delivery were able to draw the necessary data from a given project easily as they were able to access it from the BIM database. This greatly helped in reduction of costs for instance in the process of maintenance .The use of BIM can easily show the electricians and plumbers where the pipes are located in the walls or slabs to avoid damage to the walls, ceilings or floors.
Some of the benefits which were obtained from the use of BIM in the project delivery include:
Correct decision making: The decisions which were made were greatly improved by reducing the poor decisions which were made during the design and construction of the project by use of BIM models and tools (Teicholz, 2013, p. 167).
Better contract documentation: By using BIM the level of unknown contract documents is reduced to re-establish precision and accuracy ,enhance the construction cognition and make it easier to understand all the project participant and thus making the process of documenting the contract documents much batter (Garber, 2014, p. 107).
Improved preconstruction estimation: By reducing the level of inefficiency and guess work through schematic design take-offs which are created in the BIM process and they greatly enhance the pre-construction estimation.
Improved scheduling and procurement processes: Reforming the project scheduling and procurement through the application of the cost modelling and the time modelling eliminates job-site down time and at the same time enhances overlap, phasing and coordination.
Better contract documentation: Through the integration of the models the number of filed coordination errors is reduced. Also the use of detection software to facilitate the interdisciplinary design coordination issues.
Cost efficiency: Reduction of the coordination errors costs, incorrect fabrication and the improper installation of fixtures and equipment through the adoption of a pre-fit workflow from the designer to the subcontractors who are contracted and at the same time enforcing the greater installation precision greatly enhances the cost efficiency.
Close-out document: Migrating to the BIM approach of all the project document allows the owner/client of the project to continue using the traditional documents to the project management (Smith, 2014, p. 165).
There were both technological and organisation challenges which were likely to be faced as discussed below.
The technological challenges included:
Organisation challenges included:
Conclusion
In conclusion, Building Information Modelling is a very valuable tool in delivering projects. From the conception stage to the operation phase of the construction. Changes in the project were easily made without any difficult. The project cost of the facility were easily controlled and all the phases of the project were accessed without any challenge.
There are many merits which organisations gets from implementing BIM and they include: Correct decision making, improved preconstruction estimation, better contract documentation, Cost efficiency, improved scheduling and procurement processes and proper use of traditional and outdated drawings.
The BIM model was at first used to virtually navigate through the facility and all the structures. BIM helped the project team and the architectural designers early to be in a position to study the alternate methods and also give room to visualise the construction sequence. Through the connection of the model to the baseline schedule the project team, client and project management could easily and quickly understand the construction sequence for this complex water facility (Jason, 2015, p. 211).
BIM was used in the entire lifecycle of the project from the design stage, construction to the operations of the facility. BIM was used to determine the scope of the project, the measurements, components and the project dimensions. In the implementation the facility, BIM was also applied in tracking of the cost of the project. All the systems of the facility such as electricity and plumbing were followed by the use of BIM not only during the construction.
References
Club, Y. M. P., 2014. Bim, Volume 18,. 3rd ed. Auckland: John Wiley & Sons,.
Deutsch, R., 2015. BIM and Integrated Design: Strategies for Architectural Practice. 4th ed. London: John Wiley & Sons.
Eastman, C., 2011. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. 3rd ed. Texas: John Wiley & Sons.
Epstein, E., 2012. Implementing Successful Building Information Modeling. 5th ed. Berlin: Artech House,.
Garber, R., 2014. BIM Design: Realising the Creative Potential of Building Information Modelling. 4th ed. Paris: John Wiley & Sons.
Holzer, D., 2016. The BIM Manager’s Handbook: Guidance for Professionals in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. 3rd ed. Chicago: John Wiley & Sons.
Jason, U., 2015. Handbook of Research on Building Information Modeling and Construction Informatics: Concepts and Technologies: Concepts and Technologies. 1st ed. Chicago: IGI Global.
Kensek, K., 2016. Building Information Modeling: BIM in Current and Future Practice. 3rd ed. Texas: Wiley.
Levy, F., 2017. BIM in Small-Scale Sustainable Design. 4th ed. Paris: John Wiley & Sons,.
Reddy, P., 2011. BIM for Building Owners and Developers: Making a Business Case for Using BIM on Projects. 5th ed. Chicago: John Wiley & Sons,.
Smith, D. K., 2014. Building Information Modeling: A Strategic Implementation Guide for Architects, Engineers, Constructors, and Real Estate Asset Managers. 2nd ed. London: John Wiley & Sons.
Teicholz, P., 2013. BIM for Facility Managers. 1st ed. Sydney: John Wiley & Sons.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download