BIM Implementation & Process/Culture Change - Part 1

Following on from my previous post about BIMShowLive I am going to capture here my thoughts on some of the topics I covered in my presentation, in a series of posts in coming few weeks.

I start with Process/Culture change and it's importance to the successful BIM implementation. We are all in agreement that BIM implementation is not just about buying a piece of software but mainly changing hearts and minds. In fact 60% of BIM implementation is about process/culture change and the rest is about software/protocol/training etc.

I am sure you would have come across this strategic talks/discussions about BIM & process/culture change many a times in your career so far. But interestingly, one day a junior user asked me a question, after reading some of the BIM process/culture change material, that what does this mean to him? I scratched my head for a moment and explained him briefly what 2D vs 3D BIM is. So from a user's (and of course management) perspective lets have a look at  the following two wokflows.

TRADITIONAL 2D NON-BIM WORKFLOW

Traditionally, in 2D workflow we will focus on our contractual deliverables in 2D and would not worry about the building as a whole in terms of documentation (and coordination). We will focus on key GA plans, elevations, sections, details etc. We then exchange these 2D drawings with other consultants and overlay each others' drawings and find coordination issues. The cycle of overlaying drawings continues until we are satisfied of the level of coordination (and of course until the deadline is looming) and issue set of drawings as part of contractual deliverables.
Some of the outcomes of this process are: unfinished design, partially resolved design, and difficult to visualize design intent.

3D-BIM WORKFLOW

Now in 3D BIM workflow things are slightly different, assuming BIM models are also part of your contractual deliverbales on top of your main 2D deliverables. In BIM workflow you build your 3D BIM model to help you visualize the intent in 3D, coordinate the design spatially, and simulate options quickly. The bonus of this workflow is that when you slice your 3D model and you get 2D contractual deliverables ready!! Yes, it is not as simple as just slicing the model, you will need to spend some time tidying up sliced 2D views, annotate them, and in some cases spend some time embellishing sliced 2D view with some 2D details depending on the geometric LOD of your BIM model. Nevertheless, generating 2D drawings can't be easier than this. You also get fully/automatic coordinated 2D documentation set including schedules!!! Isn't this a fundamental change in the process of design/documentation?

For further reading see latest articles on this subject at construction manager and AECBytes.

BIMShowLive 2012 - My Run Down

Last couple of days has been total #BIMbarding at BIM Show Live 2012, all in a good way and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Following is my quick run down of the event.

DAY - 1

The event was kicked off by Simon Rawlinson with some interesting facts about the current state of play of BIM in the UK AEC industry and questions needed to be addressed. Also, part of the keynote speeches we saw a small (BIM) house to a large (BIM) city.

The key message was there is no question whether the industry should adopt BIM, but HOW? This year's theme was focused on this very question of how to successfully implement BIM?

We had fantastic lineup of speakers ranging from designers, contractors, clients, developers, software vendors etc.

After lunch, my class, 100 Bishopsgate - Multi discipline BIM Collaboration, was amongst the first series of classes.  I was honoured to have almost room full of people in my class. Following picture was taken 10 mins before the class began during my setup and by the time I started the class the room was almost full. unfortunately, I couldn't take picture once I started my class.

I must admit that I really enjoyed delivering this class, especially having some BIM lions (David Light of HOK, Shaun Farrell of Zaha Hadid, and James of BIM Tech to name the few) in the audience gave me some moral support and confidence boost. I was also fortunate enough to have some key members of 100BG BIM team in the audience. I received very positive feedback at the end of the class. Thanks everyone for their time and positive feedback.

For my blog readers and those who couldn't attend the event, here is the presentation I delivered at the event.

After my class I attended a class delivered by David Light and Cara of HOK on one of the HOK BIM Case studies. I found the class very informative and useful from BIM Project Management point of view. If you are one of those who manages BIM projects then you can  understand the challenge Cara (and of course David) is going through managing this particularly complex project. Well done Cara!

Next for me was a class by Shaun Farrell and Christiano of Zaha Hadid on one of the BIM projects they are working in China. As usual, amazing project and fantastic use of technology in delivering such a complex project. They showcased how they used Digital Project to generate complex facade models and construction documentation. Christiano was brilliant as a speaker.

That was end of DAY-1 at the event venue but, as usual the show went on, this time at the VIP dinner hosted by Autodesk. Most of the speakers and some VIP guests attended the dinner.

DAY-2

I started day 2 with a class by David Hines of Populous on the Aviva stadium. This is the project that features on the latest BIM Handbook cover page. Great use of Rhino, Grasshopper, Excel, and Revit to generate full documentation and also brilliantly delivered by David Hines.

Next one I attended a class by Joyce Chan of HOK on Integrating Environmental Analysis into an Architect's Workflow. Some very interesting workflows were demonstrated on how they integrate environmental analysis into early stages.

After lunch, we had a technology forum where software vendors were given opportunity to showcase their latest BIM portfolios. ArchiCAD and Bentley showcased some amazing BIM technologies.

At the end we had a keynote speech by James Pallett of Great Portland Estate (GPE). It was very encouraging for the industry to see clients such as GPE coming forward and sharing their knowledge and expectations about BIM. BIM is clearly one of the core strategies of their business now. Again, 100 Bishopsgate featured in GPE presentation as well, as GPE+Brookfield are the client for 100BG.

Conclusion: The message was clear. The BIM adoption in the UK is increasing exponentially and the UK government and private clients are actively engaging with their supply chain to help them get BIM ready. Come 2015 and I wouldn't be surprised if the UK emerges as a BIM leader in the world. Only time will tell.