Building Information Modeling (bim)

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Building information modeling is a complicated process that involves generating and managing data associated with a building throughout its life cycle. Though complicated, the benefits of building information modeling have led many contractors to use it. BIM typically produces three dimensional images in real time, thereby aiding greatly in the building’s construction. This process encompasses building geometry, geographic information, and spatial relationships.

Not only is building information modeling useful when constructing a new building, but it is also useful after the building has been constructed.
For example, if the owner of a building notices that there is a water leak in the building, the building owner can take a look at the information modeling program to see where water valves are located in the building. This would prevent the entire building from having to be surveyed and would cut down on the time involved in the diagnosis and repair of the problem. If there is adequate information available in the modeling system, the building owner would also be able to locate all of the pertinent information regarding the water valve, including pieces of information such as the model number.

There has been a major push to acquire building information modeling systems for previously constructed buildings. The benefits would be plentiful, though the costs could be outrageous. Some people believe that the benefits outweigh the cost and others disagree. Therefore, building information modeling systems are not readily available for previously constructed buildings.

The Associated General Contractors and other contracting firms believe that BIM systems have greatly improved the world of building construction. Most contractors believe that building information modeling greatly reduces the costs associated with the construction of a new building by reducing the amount of time required to perform the construction. In August 2004, the National Institute of Standards and Technology confirmed that the use of building information modeling systems did, in fact, save time and money when constructing a new building.

Though the use of building information modeling can be greatly beneficial to contractors, some contractors find it to be more of a hassle than it is worth. This is typically due to the software requirements associated with building information modeling. This is generally regarded as an uneducated view given the extreme amounts of time and money that building information modeling system have been shown to save contractors once they learn how to use it. However, those contractors that do not find building information modeling systems to be beneficial usually claim that having to upgrade all of their software is not beneficial for their individual situations.

Overall, most people would agree that BIM systems are greatly beneficial and would like to see their use even in previously constructed building. However, the software requirements make this a wish that probably will not be granted in the near future, though they will likely be growing in popularity for initial construction. Soon enough, the use of building information modeling with be truly commonplace in the construction industry and will be used even for previously constructed buildings.