B2- Laura Hill

Going into the reading for this week, I had only little knowledge on BIM as a whole other than the basic knowledge we are taught in courses at Drexel. I know how to create floor plans and drawings using AutoCAD, but I really didn’t have the understanding of what extent this software can be used for, and specifically how it can positively change the construction industry as a whole.

The construction industry has been operating for many years without the use of BIM; however, introducing BIM technology saves money, saves time, and reduces error in the industry. Although the benefits of using BIM in construction firms out weigh the detriments, the time commitment it takes to learn how to use the technology should also be kept in mind.

Typically in the construction industry, there is an entire team that works on a building from design to the actual constructing of it. There are various parties involved including the architect, general contractor, engineers, fabricators, and sometimes subcontractors. However, nowadays there are design-build firms that take responsibility for almost all aspects of the building process. This is where the BIM technology is most beneficial. BIM allows for 2D and 3D modeling, and because the entire process is done within one firm there is no need to design in a specific way to pass on to contractors. Going off of that, there are currently various forms of 2D and 3D technology being used in the construction industry. None of which include every tool needed to completely satisfy the needs of contractors/designers. BIM is working toward changing that by providing future implementations to the software.

A main point brought up in this article was that project cost-estimating is a key component in the design process, and one that takes a large amount of time to do. With BIM, although the cost estimates cannot replace hands-on analysis, it provides a baseline of costs based on quantity and types of materials specifically used during the modeling process. BIM programs can also be linked with cost-estimating software, which makes the process significantly faster. In fact, some cost estimating software’s now offer plug-in devices to link specifically to BIM because of how much it reduces labor in the cost estimating process.

In my opinion, the most interesting section of the chapter BIM for the Construction Industry was section 6.10, which talked about how the software can be used to make sure a building is designed specifically for the location and environment it is being placed in.  Meaning BIM uses and will continue to apply technologies including laser scanning, machine guidance, GPS tools, and Radio Frequency Verification (RFV) to help guide the installation process of a building and prevent common failures that occur when taking a design and executing it where it needs to go. 

Jon Swartz-

Similarly to your post, I wrote about the benefits of BIM to the construction industry, however, I like how you focused on that aspect first. Overall, I also liked how easy your post was to read. The chapter from the handbook went into a lot of depth and detail, but the way you expressed the information was straight to the point and got a lot of the ideas across well.

Karan Sagar Sinha-

Unlike other posts, your post stuck out to me because of the layout in which you presented your information to the reader. I like the way you bulleted important things like the BIM tools and uses by contractors. I also liked that you included a picture to better represent the information. Overall, I talked about many of the same topics that you presented, but your post did a good job of clarifying and only including the most crucial details from the chapter we were assigned.

Eastman, Chuck. "BIM for the Construction Industry." BIM Handbook a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken: Wiley, 2008. 207-42. Print.