With
ever increasing processing power of computers and a high demand for the
integration of technology in the architectural, structural, and construction
fields, it is no surprise that the use of BIM has become an essential part of
most current engineering firms. While BIM seems like a clearly superior
alternative to hand drawn drafting it is not without its problems.
Likely
the largest problem with any BIM software is that it required extensive
training in order to use. This is also a problem that can’t be fixed by a
simple software upgrade. Bringing in new employees or switching to a new
software means one thing for a company, and that training its workers how to
use BIM. Training means time, and time means money. I noticed this on multiple occasions working
for my second co-op. They primarily used AutoCAD but the standards they used
were completely different than those of my previous co-op so I had to be
trained in them. They gave me about two weeks to learn everything necessary to
work with their system and even then there was more that I had to learn simply
by working with their drawings. Right before I had left they had begun the
switch to using Revit for some of the designs. If two weeks were devoted to
learning new standards for a program I was already familiar with, imagine how
much time would be wasted training everyone in the office to use a new program.
The cost alone seems daunting. But this is the age we live in where BIM stands
supreme. If you’re not using the newest shiny software to design your structures,
then you’re behind in an industry that can be quite competitive.
In 2011
the British Government made a mandate that the use of BIM was required for all
future projects and at the time only 10% of AEC (architecture, engineering, and
construction) companies used BIM. This forced an essential change in the
industry, the cost of which was rather substantial [1]. But things should be
better now that everyone uses these smart, sleek programs to design today's
skyscrapers, and in many regards they are. Things are done more efficiently,
everything is stored online, and the sharing of information between the user
and the program has never been better.
Another prevalent
issue with BIM is that it fails to keep up with what some consider the “essential
five areas” of architectural design. In his article, Paul Coates breaks down
how BIM handles each of these area which include the following in regards to
the project; thinking, collecting, creating, correcting and connecting data
[2]. Based on his views it seems to stand up admirable in some areas yet fails
to meet his expectations in others. The article is worth a read and a link to
it is found in the sources below as he further discusses his analysis of BIM
and its place in the architectural world.
The technology is constantly
advancing and maybe someday it will live up to expectations of those who see
BIM as a flawed system. But until that day it will continue to have its
limitations, and these need to be accounted for when using such programs in
engineering.
Sources:
[2] The Limitations of BIM in the Architectural Process http://usir.salford.ac.uk/12898/2/PaulCoatesLimitationsofBIMICSU.pdf
Comments:
[1] http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b3-group-b-current-problems-with-revit.html?showComment=1453770384243#c2977510582230645231
[2] http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b3-group-b-schroeder.html?showComment=1453772404873#c4269257014327400074
Kai, yes I agree with you that the training time is a large problem of BIM. Today what we have learnt from school is very different from what the company is using. I think this problem can be solved if the University can strengthen contact with the society and try to shorten the distance.
ReplyDeleteKai,
ReplyDeleteThis post was very interesting to me because it focused on the side of BIM that I had not really considered before now: the business and economics side of it. As if the cost of the program itself was not high enough, the opportunity cost associated with employees having to learn the "ins and outs" of the programs is substantially higher. Although the argument can be made that once the employee has been successfully trained in a particular BIM program, that the productivity of the employee and the office as a whole will increase which should lead to an increase in revenue and profit. I guess this is why large engineering firms have accounting and finance divisions.
Kai,
ReplyDeleteMuch like the other commentators, I agree that a large associated with REVIT is the learning curve and training time. More and more employers are requiring previous REVIT and AutoCad experience. Some employers require their employees to attend REVIT courses and watch online tutorials.
I feel like it is more up to the employee to personally learn REVIT than for the employer to teach it to them (or pay for the time it takes to teach them).
Kai,
ReplyDeleteI had actually never heard about the British mandate regarding BIM, though my post this week did involve a study trying to determine why firms in the UK were less likely to use BIM than those in the US. Jumping from 10% to 100% must have been an incredible problem! This is especially true for projects which are small or simple, like residential or warehouse projects. I wonder if there were provisions for this sort of objection, as I'm sure firms argued that BIM would not be needed for a lot of projects. Do you know how long they had to make the transition? Was it a rolling transition (e.g. starting with sky scrapers and eventually including all projects)?
Kai,
ReplyDeleteAgree with you about the training part. BIM in general is expensive, major issue of BIM development at present is the cost. The software itself is expensive hence it is not used by companies with small budgets. Also, smaller construction projects have less profits which in comparison to the cost of the software is not feasible. Use of BIM also requires extensive training of the employees in usage of the specified software hence adding more costs of operation. For companies which have been working primarily with CAD software or hand drawings will suffer additional costs to convert projects to BIM format.