Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)

BIM for Construction Planning & Coordination

BM3806

Edmund Leong 20120518a

BIM for Construction Planning & Coordination (BM3806)

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Preface
This module is not about Building Information Modelling (BIM). The aim here is to equip students with approaches and skills to use BIM applications for Construction Project Management, and emphasis will be put on Building Projects superstructure works, as it is one of todays most common needs. The learning objectives behind this module are to Provide Students with Introduction to Construction Planning & Coordination Familiarize students with BIM application area in Construction Projects Equip Students with Software Skills to use 4D-BIM for construction management Equip Students with Software Skills to use 5D-Bim for cost estimating Provide hands-on opportunities to build and use 4D/5D-BIM models for construction project coordination & management

At the end of this module, students will appreciate how BIM can complement a typical construction project and what are some of the local challenges faced in the capacity of a BIM leader. You will also learn about how BIM can be used in a precast and fabrication environment and it support activities such as Site Planning, Procurement and Project Management. There will also be hands-on skills development, where students will learn about using 4D and 5D applications, and how these applications can deliver cost estimation, scheduling and construction visualization. Please observe that this module will require you to use the software Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Naviswork during the LAB exercises. You must be familiar (on an elementary level) on how to use this software and it is not the intent of this module to train you on how to use them. The use of this software during LAB exercises is for students to experience the benefits and results that can be derive from BIM Applications. It is also for the student to appreciate the complexity encountered with BIM Modeling in the capacity of a contractor and how such problems can be managed.

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Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)

BIM for Construction Planning & Coordination (BM3806)

Lecture 01

Edmund Leong

BCAA, Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)

20120518a

BIM for Construction Planning & Coordination (BM3806)

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Contents
1 2 Our Challenges and Opportunities .................................................................................... 5 Typical Construction Process............................................................................................ 9 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3 Life Cycle Overview ................................................................................................. 9 Information Flow .................................................................................................... 11 BIM and the Sub-Construction Stages ................................................................... 13 BIM Applications for Construction .......................................................................... 15

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 19

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Our Challenges and Opportunities

In a typical Building Project Lifecycle, the Construction Cycle is probably one cycle that requires the most coordination assessment among the entire project member. This premise is more so when the Design Cycle information is developed by different consultants. For instance Structural design component was completed by one organization while Building Services Design matters are done by another company. And it gets even more complex if there
Structural Engineer Architects Building Services Engineer

are

sub-trades

consultants involved in the Design Works. The diagram here illustrated schematically how complex the information channels can get. Do note
Civil Engineer

Others

that even with BIM, this complexity is not eliminated but will be significantly

Facilities Management

Contactors

reduced.

In an ideal situation, Building projects information should be managed from a centralized repository, where any views of these information can be generated regardless if it is a set of drawings or specific materials quantities. This centralized repository is fully shareable among all project members and respective information is kept current by the relevant members. In this ideal situation, the communication structure is streamlined and it will reduce significantly overheads for all parties at any stage of the building project lifecycle.

Structural Engineer Architects Building Services Engineer

Others

Centralized Repository

Civil Engineer

Facilities Management

Contactors

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Unfortunately, the realization of this Ideal Situation is still a long journey away. Until a time where technology and social aspects comes together in some form of normalization, only then building project lifecycle can be delivered in a highly productive, efficient and environmentally sustainable platform. Until then, we will have to learn to manage the challenges and opportunities for our projects. To be successful in your role as a BIM-Manager or as a member within your BIM-Team, it is important that you realize some of the common challenges in our local context, and where are the areas of opportunity for improvement. The following are some common views of challenges that we can expect to face for our local Construction Industry, when adopting BIM. You might find these somewhat similar to other stages in any building project lifecycle, but you need the note that in this section the emphasis is on the construction industry. There are two ways in which these challenges can affect your effort with BIM; they can have direct and indirect influences on your project. Lets review them here. Productivity Comparison among Industry Construction is probably one of the oldest trades. Since the early days of mankind human beings has been building houses. Yet when we compare the productivity against later trades such as Automobile or Manufacturing, Construction industry do not see much automation on a larger scale. Today it can take as fast as 1 day to manufacture a car with predictable labour and resources. But our construction industry has been a lot less effective in establishing such figures. The reason behind this phenomenon may require us to change our mind-set the way we see building project. Should we retain our conventional practices in addressing this issue, we will never achieve comparable productivity performance against other trades; building projects will continue to more expensive as labour cost and inflations grows. Construction Productivity Indexes This index for comparison is a highly debatable challenge, whether with or without automation in the construction life-cycle. This is because the criteria behind these indexes have to be consistent. And you cannot find any two (or more) identical projects with the same conditions and the problems to establish such baseline. For instance in manufacturing hard-drives, the sequence and the condition to building these hard-drives are consistent, and you can therefore benchmark some figures to represent a yardstick for representing how productive your situation is. But for building project, establishing such a condition is almost impossible, moreover the duration of a building project can take up to years. Along the way, technologies (or sequence) would have changed to meet the demands and conditions. If one can manufacture a hard-drive in 30minutes, one may be considered as being productive. But how

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would ones building project be considered productive if there are no yardsticks to start off. In our local context, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has been setting baseline in terms of regulatory codes to guide our industry. For instance, Buildablity scoring and the upcoming Constructability Index. Business Process Re-engineering In most literature, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is not about a tool. It can use to address a wide spectrum for the Construction life-cycle process, and to be successful with this implementation, it will require progressive development. Do not expect BIM implementation to be successful (or completed) in a 3-month effect. Chances are one would have been extremely myopic with BIM is, if one had done so. As some point, BIM must be considered as a methodology. And with such influence onto a project, business process re-engineering is inevitable. It does not need to affect the entire construction process immediately on a big scale, but one has to develop your effort in a systematic manner. Learn the type of applications that are available with BIM, and priorities your effect realistically. Observe the inefficiencies with your current process and re-engineer them to maximize your productivity. Eco-friendly and Sustainable Construction Platform Singapore has declared its commitment to reducing overall carbon footprint in an international forum by the year 2020. Thus our building regulatory requirements have recently been finetuned to support this needs. Beside this need, it is also important for us to play a part in supporting environmental matters for our future generation. Building and construction projects actually contributed significantly to increase carbon footprint. It is therefore important to ensure our constructions are environmental friendly and sustainable in the long term. We need to be aware of avenues in recycling materials and to cut back on cast in-situ practices, and to explore how BIM can help determine such readings to evaluate our performance. We also need to be aware of the upcoming BCA Constructability-Scoring for all construction projects. Using BIM will help use to present these indexes for regulatory submission. Limited skilled resources We rely sustainably on foreign resources to meet our demand for drafting and modeling today. There are several angles that this challenge has unwittingly contributed to a high cost and low productivity situation. For a start, our education is not producing fast enough, the resources to meet the demand for BIM; regardless if they are intended to model projects or to support BIM implementation. Moreover, there must be some fundamental knowledge on engineering domains in order to be successful BIM Manager. Thus structuring a curriculum here can be a challenge itself as one could be trying to combine multiple engineering skills into one. BCAA, Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)
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Secondly, many organizations do not equate a reasonable salary for the right candidate in this role. This can be due to lack of appreciation on the results BIM can contribute back to the company, both directly and indirectly. For instance, the BIM modeler building a project may take the same amount of time to develop the initial model comparing with conventional 2D CAD software. But the total amount of manpower savings at the end of the project cycle could be half because the BIM software could have taken half the time to produce coordinated and consistent construction drawings comparing with the effort with CAD software. Thirdly, the reliance on foreign resources at lower cost, posted a question on the quality as many organizations scramble to take in the next available candidate. But without the right quality, the organization could be employing more such resources to meet the demand resulting in overall higher cost and lower productivity. Software and Tools Deploying the right tools can make a lot of differences to your organization productivity. For instance the choice of software tools must have to ability to quickly and automatically generate cross-sections, and any modifications made on the project digital model, will automatically be reflected in the cross-sections views. This feature can significantly improve your productivity by reducing your effort on mundane task, thus allowing you to focus on other important activities. It is therefore important to identify your immediate and long term goals with BIM, and incorporating such assessment on the software and tools, by associating features to your BIM needs. Software vendors will go all out to make you buy their software, and they may be painting a vision way off your needs. Training should not be overlook as part of your choice of software tools. Without adequate training on the product, it can take you longer to realize better productivity for your project. When to Start ? This question is always on every adopters mind, and there is never a right time to commence. The best answer to this is to assess BIM value proportion for your project. Some organization could peg labour running cost to the BIM value proportion; others may associate the potential of reducing un-predictable change-request to the project. And there can be other means of justifying your own BIM value proportion.

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2 2.1

Typical Construction Process Life Cycle Overview

BIM is developed to complement any building project lifecycle, regardless of the project type. For instance, the project-type can be Commercial and Residential Buildings, Civil and Highway Projects or even Underground Storage Facilities. The following illustration represents a typical high-level information channel over the entire building project cycle.

a)

Feasibility and Planning An early stage in the project that conceptualize the overall development. The model can contain (but not limited to) information about geographical location & planning, functional space requirements, budgets, and early construction cost estimates.

b)

Development and Design A typical information model here contains content from several engineering discipline such as Architects, Structural, Building Services and Civil. Depending on the type of project, it can also contain additional information related to domain and social needs, such as Medical Planning, Handicap pavement, Safety Constraints and Regulatory-Approval requirements. The model here generally represents the design intent and solution for the project.

c)

Construction and Fabrication Typical information model here contains content about coordination among project engineering disciplines and project execution. This stage of the project is expected to contain a diverse scope of information, encompassing details such as site planning to project scheduling and sub-contractors bidding information. And where Precast or Fabrications are involved, the model should include the design and construction information.

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d)

Operations and Maintenance Typical Information model here contains consolidated content from the early stage planning to construction and as-built, fundamentally important to support building project operations and maintenance. For instance, such content can be space and area planning, telecommunication services points, equipment manufacturer and brand, and equipment life-span.

e)

Ownership and Asset Management This model represents the project ownership and asset repository which can be tangible and immoveable objects, or revenue from space utilization. Note, there can be a fine line of overlap with Operation-and-Maintenance Model, depending the application required. This stage is usually related to MIS systems and the dayto-day running of the project.

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2.2

Information Flow

To reiterate, the above process is a schematic representation and you can expect variation according to the projects nature and organizational structure. Since our focus for this course is on the Construction Cycle, we will elaborate to some extent the information component within this stage against the overall process. The information flow represented in the following diagram is about the type building information transition from one stage to another within the construction cycle, and not about construction process itself. Neither is it a technical representation of information flow. The conceptural data flow here is to illustrate the magnitude of information one would need to observe when using BIM to manage your project.

It is assumed that you have completed project drawings conflict resolution, and a basic set of Coordinated Drawings has been derived. Otherwise, you will need to make reference to the subject in this course BIM for Design Coordination & Documentation, which explains how you can achieve coordinated drawings. The output from the Design and Development Stage will be a Coordinated Model that will be used in the Construction Stage. This coordinated model typically represents what the construction works should be, and as such it is commonly refer to as "Construction Model", where Construction drawings and documents are generated for contractors to use. During the course of construction, on site construction information are constantly updated into the Construction Model. Such information can be related to unforeseen circumstances on-site that are not detected or captured during the "Design & Development stage".

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Our regulatory requirement encourages Construction projects to adopt high productivity methodology and Precast is one contribution towards quality project development. The finalised construction model should be used to conduct Precast Design and Fabrication; both the precast mould and the actual precast automation will benefit from the information extractable from the BIM-Modelling process. At the end of the construction cycle, the final result BIM model will have the latest repository of information pertaining to the project, before it is passed on to the next adopter in the building project life-cycle. We typically term this handling over model as As-Built Model. It is also expected during the course of maintaining the Construction Model; you may have different versions to represent different milestones in the construction cycle. This will also serves as a "fall-back" repository for any historical tracking and audit, where necessary.

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2.3

BIM and the Sub-Construction Stages

Now that you have an idea on the magnitude of BIM Information channeling within the Construction Cycle, you would now need to appreciate some of the BIM applications that can be used to support BIM implementation in this cycle. According to Brad Hardin in his book on BIM and Construction Management, he has broken down this relationship into several combinations. This following covers what is typically considered common in our local context. BIM in the Early Construction Stage (Pre-Construction Stage) Getting involved in the project as early as possible makes a different to achieving a higher chance of successful implementation with BIM. This may mean preparing the construction model even the project is awarded to your organization. There will always be a fine line of judgment for this effort and having the Tender phase model ready before the actual project starts will preempt many planning issues for the project team. Here is some of the task the project needs to work on during this stage Coordinated information among multiple engineering disciplines Number of RFIs and clarifications provide calculated judgment for risk and project contracts management More predictable project schedule and resource planning, at early stage Early estimates of quantities mitigates project budget

I have enclosed here how Finith Jernigan (BIG-BIM, little-BIM) presented BIM Applications that are applicable in this stage.

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BIM during Actual Construction (Construction Stage) In the actual construction stage, the primary focus must be on scheduling and planning. It goes beyond just planning for the building project construction, but the sequence of movement in the entire construction project; for instance the time to perform excavation to moving tower cranes and site office deployment. This is where constructability assessment plays a large role; you want to evaluate what and how specifics of project construction are going to be, and how precast (or fabrication) integrates into the Construction Model, as well as how subcontractors timeline works with your schedule. The common tasks expect in this stage are Construction Model development Precast / Fabrication Model Design and Development Project Scheduling and Sequencing Design Review Construction and Precast / Fabrication Model

The diagram here is extracted from Finith Jernigan (BIG-BIM, little-BIM), and it illustrated the type of BIM Applications that are applicable in this stage.

BIM and the As-Built / Maintenance Stages (Updates) Typical construction projects take a long time to complete, and it is inevitable along the way, changes and updates are expected. Consultant design information can have impact to the project schedule. Likewise, sub-contractors bids can have similarly impact to the project budget. And project unforeseeable circumstances can impact the project timeline. These updates can at time affect the project design and constructability. Therefore the ability to keep RFIs, and BIM Model information current, is the biggest challenge. Some of the tasks expected here are Coordinating updates into the BIM Model Managing RFI and sub-trades information Assessing project budget impact and timeline

The likely BIM Applications here are Clash-Detection and 4D/5D BCAA, Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)
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2.4

BIM Applications for Construction

The following applications presented are some of the commonly used ones today. Because the boundaries of BIM are continuously being defined and challenged every day, we can expect to see over time, new applications utilizing the information in BIM in the Construction Stage. QUANTITY TAKE-OFF Quantity Take-off for building projects can supports several perspectives. In the early stage of any project, it can be used to estimate project development cost. In a project construction stage, it can be used to manage sub-contractors bidding or project-progress claims. In its most simplistic form, many BIM software tools available in the market allows users to extract just quantities of parts that can be integrated with complex backend ERP/SAP tools or just importing into spreadsheets such as Excel to perform cost estimation. Automated Quantity Take-off is a generally accepted terminology to represent this application.

Generating the quantities for the walls in the model. (Courtesy: The Neenan Company and Innovaya) In the digital era for quantity take-off, conventional practices using digital CAD data in 2D, to measure and pick-off quantities. This process is no different from manual procedure on paperplans, except for direct input into your computer software. It is prone to fatigue and accuracy is always questionable. BIM has removed this limitations, delivering faster and higher accurate results. And with the more applications available to perform Estimation Analysis, automatic quantity take-off is definitely one BIM applications that is fast making head-roads into Building projects. BCAA, Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)
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SCHEDULING ANALYSIS Any construction project must have a project execution plan in place. Today's commonly used tools such as Microsoft Project or Primavera, have automated many of manual task in project execution analysis. For instance, Critical-Path Analysis can be automatically generated when your Gantt is completed with the relevant resources. Or you can get project planning tools to automatically flag resources overloading should you decide to implement selected strategies in project implementation. Yet much of this complex planning and analysis is still very "onpaper" and conceptualizing a project construction progress at a selected time in the plan can be a challenge visually. With BIM, you can link (or associate) these items in your project plan to an object (or a group of objects) within your BIM-Model, and visualize the project construction progress over time. With BIM, construction planning process can now emulate the sequencing of activities in space and time, and accounting for constraints such as procurement lead time/logistics, resources, spatial constraints, and weather among others. Traditional scheduling methods do not address the spatial aspect to the construction activities, and they are not directly linked to a design or building model. Traditional bar charts or Critical Path Method Network Diagram can be difficult to understand or interpret. Having the ability to watch the elements of a design come together onscreen gives the project team improved accuracy in construction sequencing. Scheduling analysis lets the project team use the project BIM model to analyze the timeline and the sequence for construction and space requirements at a project site. The analysis provides better understanding of the phasing schedule and showing the critical path of the project. Space and work space conflicts can be identified and resolved ahead of the construction. This BIM Application is commonly known in the BIM Industry as "BIM-4D".

Sample of Project BIM-4D BCAA, Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling (BIM)
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CLASH DETECTION ANALYSIS

"Clash detection allows for the effective identification, inspection and reporting of interferences in 3D project model"
detection.html http://dwf.blogs.com/beyond_the_paper/2009/05/what-is-clash-

Clash detection analysis is done to check for interferences between the designs of one or several models. Conducted effectively, it can help to reduce variation orders during construction. Consultants and Contractors must perform clash detection analyses throughout the building project process, so that BIM-Model quality can be developed and maintained over the entire project life-cycle. BIM-Model needs to be consistent in quality as Construction Documents, Quantities and other related contents are mostly auto-generated from it. Clash Detection is intended to reduce the risk of human error during model inspections. As technology progresses, one can even conduct clash tests between objects in the BIMModel, and laser-scanned point clouds. There are several ways commonly used in BIMModels to perform "Clash Detection Analysis" Linking Clash Detective and Object Animation together gives you the ability to automatically check interferences between moving objects. For example, linking a Clash Detective test to an existing animation scene would automatically highlight clashes for both static and moving objects during the animation, for example, a crane rotating through the top of a building, a delivery lorry colliding with a workgroup, and so on. Linking Clash Detective and TimeLiner together enables the time-based clash checks on the project. See Select Items for Testing for further details on time-based clashing. Linking together Clash Detective, TimeLiner, and Object Animation enables clash testing of fully animated TimeLiner schedules.

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VISUALISATION ANALYSIS Visualisation analysis typically refers to animations, walk-through, static 3D renderings, 4D and 3D Physical Models exported directly from BIM software. Such tools generally provide quality design visualizations that illustrate building spaces, their use and organization, to assist Owners, planners and all required project partners the visual information to make decisions over the project development duration. Visualisation tools allow the project team to view the design or construction of the project in 3D, giving a more accurate perspective on the end product before the actual construction. At some point, immersive technology is used in conjunction with Avatars to allow project team to participate and experience the spatial presence of project in a virtual world, using design and construction information. The results can greatly contribute to a more "friendly" building, especially for handicaps and the elderly. It should be noted that even though BIM-Models contain most of the properties and source information needed for visualization, there could be further refinement in specific animation and visualization software to accomplish intended results.

Using Avators to experience the Space, and interactively nagivating to explore the space in a Lab.

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REFERENCES

BIM and Construction Management: Proven Tools, Methods, and Workflow / Brad Hardin / Sybex, Wiley Publishing, Inc

BIM Handbook: a guide to building information modelling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors / Chuck Eastman / John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Building Information Modeling: Planning and Managing Construction Projects with 4D CAD and Simulations / Willem Kymmell / McGraw Hill Construction

Building Information Modeling: A Strategic Implementation Guide for Architects, Engineers, Constructors, and Real Estate Asset Managers / Dana K. Smith, Michael Tardif / John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Big-BIM, Little-BIM: The Practical Approach to Building Information Modeling / Finith Jernigan / 4Site Press

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