ChallengesinCostEstimating withBuildingInformation Modeling

LouiseSabol

Contents
Overview BIM,CostEstimatesandProjectPhasing SupportingInformationExchangeBIM andCostingApplications StandardizingDataModelsand Definitions BuildingInformationModelsforthe ProjectLifecycle Conclusion References

Abstract
Asavisualdatabaseofbuildingcomponents,BIMcan provideaccurateandautomatedquantification,andassistin significantlyreducingvariabilityincostestimates. ExchangingdataisachallengingaspectofAECinformation technology.BIMapplicationsareevolvingandstandard formatstoorganizeandsharebuildinginformationarefar fromfullymatureaswell.

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Overview
BuildingInformationModeling(BIM)offersapotentiallytransformationaltechnologythroughits capabilitytoprovideashareddigitalresourceforallparticipantsinabuildingslifecyclemanagement, frompreliminarydesignthroughfacilitiesmanagement.Asavisualdatabaseofbuildingcomponents, BIMcanprovideaccurateandautomatedquantification,andassistinsignificantlyreducingvariabilityin costestimates. ExchangingdataisachallengingaspectofAECinformationtechnology.BIMapplicationsareevolving andstandardformatstoorganizeandsharebuildinginformationarefarfromfullymatureaswell. SoftwareapplicationscanemployseveralmethodsforexchangingdataXML,APIs,ODBCamongthem. Themethoduseddependsonthephaseoftheproject,detailrequired,andtypeofinteractionneeded betweenBIMandanexternalapplication. CostingexercisescanbeconductedthroughouttheprojectlifecyclewithBIM.Thelevelofdetailinthe modelwillvarydependingontheprojectphase.FirmsemployingBIMwillneedtodevelopmethodsand standardsforobjectdevelopmentthatsupportthelevelofdetailrequiredforusefulestimates,aswell asprovideaframeworkforprovidingconsistentinformationfortheBIMcomponentstalliedbycost estimators.

Figure1:Traditionalcostestimatingtakeoffvs.BIMbasedquantification

BIM,CostEstimatesandProjectPhasing
Costestimationforbuildingprojectstraditionallystartswithquantificationatimeintensiveprocessof tallyingcomponentsfromprinteddrawingsets,ormorerecentlyCADdrawings.Fromthesequantities, estimatorsutilizemethodsfromspreadsheetstocostingapplicationstoproducetheprojectcost estimate.Thisprocessispronetohumanerrorandtendstopropagateinaccuraciesthatcreepintothe tallies.Currently,quantificationisalsotimeconsumingitcanrequire50%to80%ofacostestimators timeonaproject.2 BIMoffersthecapabilitytogeneratetakeoffs,countsandmeasurementsdirectlyfromamodel.This providesaprocesswhereinformationstaysconsistentthroughouttheprojectandchangescanbe readilyaccommodated.Buildinginformationmodelingsupportsthefullprojectlifecycleandoffersthe capabilitytointegratecostingeffortsthroughoutallprojectphases.Theinformationinamodelandtype
1 2

ScreenshotfromUSCostsSuccessApplicationandAutodeskRevit. 123Revit:BIMandCostEstimating,RickRundell,CadalystMagazine,AugustandSeptember2006.

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ofcostestimateneededdependsonthephaseoftheprojectrangingfromhighlevelschematic modelsduringpreliminaryphases,todetailedestimatesasprojectsenterconstruction. PreliminaryCostEstimates Duringtraditional(e.g.manual)projectdevelopment,accurate,actionablecostinginformationhasbeen difficulttodefineduringpreliminaryprojectphases.Greaterprojectefficienciesandmoreaccurate schedulingcanbedevelopedbasedonrealisticcostingfeedbackearlyon. Architectstypicallydonotprovidecostestimatesonprojectsaspartoftheirstandardservices,butthe nativecapabilityofBIMtoquantifyandcalculateischangingthenatureofprojectdeliverablesforall participants.Conceptualortopdownestimatesarethefirstseriousefforttopredictthecostofa projectandaligndecisionmakingwiththoseestimates.Projectinformationattheseearlystagesis usuallygeneralandatahighlevel(e.g.numberofoccupants,grosssquarefeetarea,andenclosed volume). Preliminarycostingisgenerallybasedontemplatesfrompastprojectexperience,oronstandardsquare footcostsbasedonprojecttype,region,ortypeofconstruction.Preliminaryestimates,unlikethose createdduringlaterstages,arepreparedusingconcepts(e.g.hospitalscost$x/sq.ft.orcorporate spacestandardsrequirexsq.ft.forthisproject),andavoidcountingofindividualpieces.

Phase Conceptual Design/ Engineering Construction

Project/BIM Development

Estimate

Preliminary Estimate

Fair Cost Fair Cost Estimate Estimate

Value Engineering

Definitive Definitive Definitive Estimate Estimate Estimate

Figure2:ProjectandCostEstimatingProcess StandardCAD,andnowBIM,applicationshavethecapabilityofmodelingdatafarinexcessofwhatis neededatpreliminaryprojectphases.Detailedmodelingcanconfusedecisionmakingandscenario planningratherthanassistit.Determiningwhatthebuildinginformationmodelisduringtheplanning andschematicphasesofaprojectinvolvesdelineatingwhatinformationisrequiredtosupportthe decisionmakingprocessesattheearlystagesofaproject. SchematicBIMmodelsarebasedonsimplegeometriesandneedtobeflexibleandlightweightenough tosupportmanyiterationsandchangesinherentinearlyprojectphases.Modelsatthisprojectstage aregeneratedfromfunctionalrulesandprogrammaticrequirementsratherthangeometryand specifications.Standardobjectsorassemblies(cellsorblocksinCAD)atthisphasearegenericand lessdetailedinnaturetobereplacedlaterintheprojectastheprojectdevelopsthroughdesign developmentandconstructiondocumentphases.

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Softwareapplicationsthatdeveloppreliminarybuildingmodelsandcostingestimatesmaynot necessarilybethesametoolsusedtosupportthedesigndevelopmentanddocumentationprocesses thatfollow(moretypicallythoughtofasBIM).Thesameprocesschangethatoccursnowduring projectdevelopmentwillstillexistinfullyautomatedprojects,butimproveddecisionsupporttoolsare beingdevelopedtoassistprojectprofessionalsearlieron.Preliminaryapplicationsshouldhavethe capabilitytoexportdevelopedinformationtofullfledgedBIMmodelers. DetailedCostEstimates Detailedestimates,alsoknownasbottomup,faircost,orbidestimates,arepreparedfromwelldefined designandengineeringdata.Theseestimatesaregenerallycarriedoutforbidevaluations,contract changes,workscoping,permitsandapprovals.Asprojectdevelopmentprogressesfromschematic designthroughcontractdocuments,quantificationandcostingbecomedependentondeveloping objectsinthebuildingmodelinincreasinglevelsofdetailandcomplexity.

Figure3:CostEstimatingClassificationMatrix3

ThelevelofdetailencapsulatedwithinaBIMobjectisajudgmentarea.BIMimplementersneedto developstandardsforrepresentingbuildingelements(objects,families,assemblies)inamodelto whatlevelofdetail,atwhatphaseoftheproject.Elementscanbemodeledingenericfashion(e.g. FlushDoor)ortoawelldefinedlevelofdetail(e.g.5PlyParticleCoreWDMAExtraHeavyDutyPC5 FlushDoor).AECprofessionalsneedtodevelopgraphicrepresentationsdetailedenoughtosupport theirdocumentationeffort,withoutcreatingaBIMmodelthatistoocumbersome(heavy)toupdate andcoordinate. Objectsandassembliescanbeencodedwithdatainabuildinginformationmodeltosomeextent. Additionalinformationcanbeaffiliatedwithobjectsinanexternaldatabaseaswell.Costingapplications harvestinformationfromBIMobjectsinvariousmannerseitherenhancingobjectdefinitionswithin themodel,orusingauniqueidentifiertolinkobjectstomoredetailedinformationstoredexternally fromtheBIMapplicationinadatabasesuchasMicrosoftAccessorOracle. 3 AdaptedfromAACERecommendedPracticeNo.17R97:CostEstimateClassificationSystem,AACE,Inc.,1997. Page4

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Costingeffortsrequireamechanismtocullcomponentinformationfromthebuildingmodelforeach iteminthemodelidentifyinginformationandquantities,andexportingthisdatatoacosting application.MechanismstoexportinformationfromBIMapplicationsarediscussedinthefollowing section.Ideally,theexchangeofdatabetweentheBIMandcostingapplicationswouldbebidirectional, allowingevolvingdesignmodelstoretrieveinformationfromcostingexercisesthatresultintheneed foralternativesandsubstitutions.Currently,automatedBIMcostingapplicationsdonotaccommodate bidirectionality. Valueengineeringefforts,typicallyundertakenduringtheconstructiondocumentationphase,would greatlybenefitfromthecapabilitytoautomatesubstitutionsinthebuildingmodelfromcosting analyses.BIMcostingexercisesthroughouttheprojecthavethepromiseofreducingtheneedforvalue engineeringbysupportingthedecisionmakingprocesswithmoreaccurateinformation,earlierinthe project.

SupportingInformationExchangeBIMandCostingApplications
Buildinginformationmodelingoffersthepromiseofacommoninformationrepositoryforallproject participants.MultiplepartiescantapintoaprojectBIMtoderivecomponentinformationforarangeof taskssuchasenvironmentalcompliance,energyanalysis,aswellasmaterialstakeoffandproject costing.Severalstandardsoftwaremethodsareusedbyapplicationsdeveloperstofacilitatethis informationexchangebetweenBIMmodelsandexternalbuildinganalysisapplications. ApplicationProgramInterface AnApplicationProgramInterface(API)isasetofroutines,protocols,andtoolsforbuildingsoftware applications.SoftwarevendorsprovideAPIstogivethirdpartydevelopersthebuildingblocksto developaddonapplications.APIsareonemechanismthatcanbeusedtoexportinformationfrom withinaBIMapplicationforusebycostingapplications. APIroutinesallowcostingapplicationstotrackthestatusofobjectsimportedfromaBIMmodel.This allowsuserstodeterminewhetheritemsorassemblieshavebeenupdatedsincetheywerelast imported,andupdatecostsaccordingly. Atpresent,somedevelopersarecautiousaboutusingAPItoolkitsforapplicationssinceBIMsoftware hasbeenundergoingupgradesanddevelopmentatarapidpace(ergo,APIsarebeingenhancedand changedregularly,requiringdeveloperstoupgradesoftwarebasedonAPIinterchangemorerapidly thanothermediumssuchasODBCorIFCs). OpenDatabaseConnectivity TheOpenDatabaseConnectivity(ODBC)formatisastandarddatabaseaccessmethoddevelopedby Microsoft.Widelyaccepted,ODBCcanbeconsideredatypeofAPI,offeringavendorneutral mechanismforexchangingdatabetweenanapplicationsuchasBIMandarelationaldatabase(RDBMS). ODBCinsertsamiddlelayer,calledadatabasedriver,betweenacallingapplication(BIM)andthe databaseapplication,whichtranslatestheBIMapplication'sdataqueriesintocommandsthatthe RDBMSunderstands.ThegoalofODBCistoenableaccesstodatafromanyapplicationBIMorothers, regardlessofthedatabasemanagementsystemused. ODBCofferstheadvantageofnotrequiringanyspecialprogrammingorinterfaces,aslongasthecalling applicationandthedatabasesoftwaresupportODBC.Thissimplifiesandreducesthecomplexityof encodingdatalinkstoBIMelements.StoringdataexternallyfromtheBIMapplicationskeepsthemodel Page5

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lightweightandallowsamoreexpeditiousaccesstoexternalapplicationslikecostestimating,that needtousethatinformation. ODBCislimitedbythefactthatthereisnorealtimesynchronizationbetweenanapplicationsuchas BIMandthedatabase(i.e.theyarenottightlywrapped).Theusermustexplicitlyrunacommandto exportdatafromtheBIMapplicationtothedatabase.ThedatabasehasnocontrolovertheBIM(i.e. changesinthedatabasecannotdrivechangesinthebuildingmodel).

StandardizingDataModelsandDefinitions
Aprerequisitetothesuccessofcostestimatingwillbeconsistentdefinitionsanddataformatsfor buildingobjectsandassemblies.Therearesignificanteffortsunderwaytodevelopconsistent frameworksfordatainteroperabilityintheAECFMindustry,provingcommondefinitionsinacommon formatforthemanyparticipantsthroughoutthebuildingprocess. IndustryFoundationClasses TheIndustryFoundationClass(IFC)isadatamodeldevelopedbytheInternationalAlliancefor Interoperability(IAI).Itaimstoprovideasingle,internationallyacceptedframeworktofacilitate informationexchangeamongparticipantsinthebuildingprocess,throughouttheentirelifecycle. ThecapabilitiesofbuildinginformationmodelsextendwellbeyondprevioustechnologiesofCADand generic3Dmodelswhichwerepurelygeometricinnature.Geometryisjustoneofthepropertiesof buildingentities,butitservesastheprimaryinterfacetointeractwithabuildingdatabaseinBIM. Buildinginformationmodelstrackinformationonallofthecomponentsthatcompriseabuilding,and canrangefromtheverygenerictothefullydetailed.

Figure4:CAD(Geometric)vs.BIMElementDescription

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TheIFCconceptisawellregardedcollaborationfacedwithacomplexgoal.Theeffortisbeing developedbyanallvolunteerorganizationforahighlyheterogeneousindustry.Atpresent,BIM softwarevendorshaveintegratedIFCexporterswithintheirapplications,butthemajorsuccessofthese exportsiswiththe3Dgraphicelements.IFCexportinghaslesssuccesstodateexchangingnongraphical properties,complexgeometries,orparametricallymodeledcomponents. IFCsmayneverbecomethestandaloneunifyingmodelortranslationmediumforBIM.However,they mayhavethegreatestpotentialforstandardizingBIMdataexchangebyprovidingacommonsetof termsanddefinitions.IFCsofferaframeworkfordatadescription,buttherewillnotbeanofftheshelf coverageofallthecomponentsneededforadetailedcostestimateinallcases.TheusefulnessofIFCs maybeextendedbybeingusedinconjunctionwithmorecustomizeddatastructuresandexchange formatsforspecificpurposes,includingcostestimating.Atpresent,commercialcostestimating applicationsutilizeIFCs,butnotasthesolechannelforinformationexport. ExtensibleMarkupLanguage AmoregeneralmeansofexchangingelectronicinformationisofferedthroughtheExtensibleMarkup Language(XML)format.Thisisatextbased,platformneutralsupersetofwebsoriginalHyperText MarkupLanguage(HTML).WhereasIFCsprovideawellstructuredanddetailedframeworkforbuilding information,XMLisamoregeneralmeansofformattinginformationthatistobepassedfromone applicationtoanother. OneexampleofXMLsuseinaBIMapplicationistoexportquantitytakeoffinformationtoa spreadsheetapplication.TheXMLformatisusedasanexchangemediumforarangeofbuildingrelated schemas.AfewoftheseincludegbXML(greenbuilding),AGCxml(constructionrelateddata)and CityGML(urban3dmodels).BIMdatathatisinIFCformatcanbeexportedviaanXMLframework,but theresultingfilestendtogetverylargeperhapsprohibitivelyso(asshownintheexampleofasmall pieceofcodebelow).

Figure5:IFCdefinitionandifcXMLschema4 StandardTaxonomies
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Adaptedfrom:ifcXMLImplementationGuide,N.Nisbet,T.Liebiched.;February9,2005

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Developinganautomatedcostestimateisdependentonusingaconsistentframeworktoorganizethe manycomponentsthatconstituteabuilding.Severaltaxonomiestechniquesofclassification,have beenusedforyearsintheAECprofessiontoorganizebuildinginformation.Methodschosenforuseare verydependentontheprojectphaseanddetailrequired.Preliminaryphasesrequireamuchmore generalizedorganizationthanthedetailedinformationrequiredduringthematurephasesofaproject cycle.

Figure6:ConstructionInformationStandardsbyPhase5

UniFormatwasdevelopedintheearlyseventiesandenhancedin1993(byCSI,GSA,AACE,R.S.Means andothers)toorganizeinformationforestimatinganddesigncostinganalysisbyaprojectsmajor components.Thisframeworkbreaksbuildingsystemsintocategoriessuchasfoundation, superstructure,shell,andinteriorconstruction,andintosubcategoriessuchasfloorandroof constructionandexteriorwallsandwindows.Theformatisusefultocostestimatesbeinggeneratedin thepreliminaryphasesofaproject.BIMapplications,suchasRevit,useUniFormatfororganizingtheir objectsandassemblies.Theformat,byitself,willbetoogeneraltocategorizecomponentsfordetailed costestimates(Figure7). MasterFormatisaspecificationswritingstandarddevelopedbytheConstructionSpecificationsInstitute (CSI)andhasbeeninuseforoverfortyyears.Thisstandardorganizesinformationbyconstruction requirements,productsandactivities(termedworkresults).Thisframeworkisgenerallyusedduring theconstructiondocumentationphasesofabuildingproject,whendetailedinformationisdeveloped andorganized.

Adaptedfrom:CSIFormatsandBuildingInformationModeling,RogerGrant/CSIforFederalFacilitiesCouncil, Forum,October31,2006
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Figure7:WalldetailandclassificationbyUniFormatandMasterFormat OmniClass(OCCS)isanewlydevelopedAECindustrywideinitiativeledbytheConstruction SpecificationsInstitute(CSI)andendorsedbytheIAI.Itisintendedtobethemostcomprehensive classificationformat,essentiallyclassifyingtheentirebuiltenvironmentfortheNorthAmericanmarket. PortionsoftheMasterFormat(forworkresults),UniFormat(forelements)andEPICElectronicProduct InformationCooperation(forproduct)systemshavebeenadaptedintothisframework. OmniClassestablishesaterminologylibrarythatcanbeusedtoexplicitlyidentifyobjectsandtheirparts byassociatingtheirnameswiththeactionsandresourcesthatmakethemup.Inthepracticeofbuilding informationmodeling,objectsthatareassociatedwithtermsinanOmniClasslibrary,inheritstandard setsofpropertiesandpredefinedrelationshipswithotherconceptsintheOmniClassdefinition framework,bythisassociation.

BuildingInformationModelsfortheProjectLifecycle
BuildingInformationModelingoffersthepromiseofacommonrepositoryforbuildinginformationfor allprojectparticipants.Asanevolvingtechnology,itremainstobeseenwhetherBIMwillconsistofone consolidatedmodeloraconfigurationofdistributed,yetsomehowaffiliated,datamodels.TheAEC industryisstillahighlysegmentedbusiness;participantshavedifferentfunctionalrequirements, deliverablesvaryindetailandpurpose,andavailabletechnologiesandstandardsarestillevolving. Incurrentpractice,differentBIMmodelsareoftendevelopedfordifferentpurposes,fromplanningto fabrication.Aschematicmodelusedforpreliminarycostingwillbemoreofamassingorstackand Page9

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blockmodel,withoutdetailedcomponentdefinition.BIMmodelswillneedtobelightenoughtobe responsiveduringprojectdevelopmentandgenericenoughtofacilitatechange.Somecommercially availablesoftwaredevelopersareaddressingconceptualcostestimating,notablyTrelligencesAffinity andBecksDprofilerapplications.

Figure8:PreliminarycostingapplicationsTrelligenceAffinity(left)andBeckDprofiler(right) Modelsdevelopedtosupportonephaseofthelifecyclewillneedtobepassedalongtothenext, requiringtheBIMuserbasetoclearlydelineatetheirprocessesanddevelopguidelinesandstandards (e.g.WhatinformationisincludedinaBIMmodelateachphase?Whendogenericobjectsinamodel getreplacedbymoredetailedobjects?Atwhatstagearecostestimatesdoneandwhatisincludedin theproduct?Whohastheresponsibilitiesintheprocessfordoingandoverseeingtheseactivities?). BIMdevelopmentprocessesneedtosupportthedifferentusesofthemodelindifferentprojectphases. Thiscanbeaccommodatedwiththeuseofmultipleobjectlibrariesforincreasinglevelsofdetail.For examplehowcostscalculationsarederivedfromwallsduringthecourseofaprojectwillvary. Estimatesduringearlierphaseswilluseamoregeneralizedcostperlinearfootforacertainwalltype. Forthatsamewall,however,constructorswillneedtoderiveatotalareaforgypsumboard,doublearea forfinishes,framing,basemoldingandnailquantity.Accuracyofcostestimatingwilldependdirectlyon howwelldevelopedassembliesandobjectsareinthemodel.

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Figure9:Objectdataforagenericwindow(left)andanAndersonWindow(right) MoresophisticatedapplicationsarebeingdevelopedtoenhancetheBIMprocessfordataintensive usessuchascostestimating,environmentalcompliance,energyanalysis,andcomponentfabrication. Howcomponentdata,suchascostsandspecifications,istobeassociatedwithBIMcomponentsisa significantissueinrightsizingaBIMmodelscomplexity(e.g.WhatdataisstoredintheBIMmodel?Is anexternaldatabasebeingusedforstoringdetaileddata,andifsohowisthatdatastructuredand exchanged?). Duringprojectdevelopment,objectsinaBIMmodelneedtobepopulatedwithsufficientdatatoallowa costingapplicationtoaccuratelyclassifythematerialsandassigncosts.Developingdetaileddefinitions forcostingcantakeseveralpaths.Largefirmsororganizations,suchastheUSCorpsofEngineers (USACE),candevelopdetailedinhousestandardsforassembliesthatcompriseitsbuildingmodels. USACEiscreatingadetailedIFCbasedformattobeassociatedwithobjectsinamodel(enhancingthe baseIFCdefinitionswiththedetailrequiredforstandardcomponentsusedintheirprojects). CommercialBIMcostestimatingapplicationsworkinvariouswaystoenhancethedetailassociatedwith aBIMobjectinordertogeneratecostestimates,oftenenhancingobjecttagsortextfieldswithdetailed assemblyormaterialdescriptions.LightweightmodelsexportedfromtheprimaryBIMapplications areusefulforarangeofpurposes,severalcurrentusesinclude:NavisWorksimportsBIMmodelstoits ownformatstructureforclashdetectionandscheduling;Innovayaemploysalightweightmodelformat tosupportitsvisualestimatingapplication;AutodeskofferstheDWFformatfordesignreview;and SolibriimportsIFCmodelsforrulesbasedanalysis. Monolithic,doeverythingsystemshaveyettobeasilverbulletinanyarena.Newinformation technologiesingeneral,suchasWeb2.0,ServicesOrientedArchitecture,etal,areevolvingtosupport integrationandcollaborationbetweenapplicationsthroughinteroperability,aimingtoeasetheflowof informationbetweensilos.
6

fromAutodeskRevit2008

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BidirectionalUpdating ThecapabilityforBIMgeneratedcostestimatingapplicationstoupdateandchangetheoriginalbuilding modelremainsundeveloped.Costingexercisesoftenresultintheneedtosubstitutecomponentsofthe buildingdesign.Costingapplicationshaventyetdevelopedthefacilitiestoexportthesedecisionsback toBIMandautomaticallyupdatethebuildingmodeltoreflectthechanges.Currentcostingapplications dohavetheabilitytoflagitemsthathaveeitherchanged,orhavebeenaddedtotheoriginalmodel,so thattheestimatorcanmodifytheobjectbaseusedfortheestimate. Infact,atwowayexchange(roundtripping)ofBIMgeometrybetweenformats(e.g.BIMouttoIFC andbacktoBIM)isasofyet,problematic.Aprocessthatcouldexchangeandupdatinggeometryand integratedatadrivenchangesinvolvessignificantcomplexitybeyondcurrentBIMcapabilities. ImportanceofVisualDataManagement OneofthemostimportantfeaturesofBIMisitscapabilitytoexplainbuildingdatathrougha3Dvisual model.Thisrepresentationgivesitsusersaclearerunderstandingofabuildingprojectandreducesthe chancesformissingormisrepresentingcomponents.Traditionalcostingapplicationsbytheirnature havebeentextorientedlisting,tabulating,andcalculatinglistsofcomponentassemblies. Inthecurrentmarket,InnovayasVisualEstimatingapplicationisanexampleofaBIMbasedcosting applicationthatemploysarobustinterfaceforvisualmanipulatingthemodelanditscomponentsfor costingpurposes.TheBuildingExplorerapplicationbuildsonRevitsvisualinterfacetocomposea graphicinterfaceforinteractivecostinganalysis. Thecapabilitytovisuallyselectobjectstoquantifyordisplaybuildingcomponentsbyuserdefined groups(beitCSIformats,phase,orcomposition)withcolorcodingofferstheestimatorsapowertoolto performmoreinformeddecisionsandinvestigatemultiplewhatifscenarios.Contrarytobeingreplaced bytechnology,costestimatorswillfindtheirrolesenhanced,freedfromthetediumofquantifyingwith moretimetoperformhigherlevelduties.

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Figure10InnovayaVisualEstimatingapplicationscreen

Figure11:Structuralcomponentcosting,BuildingExplorerapplication

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Conclusion
BuildingInformationModelingoffersthecapabilitytodevelopprojectcostinformationwithmore accuracythroughouttheentirebuildinglifecycle.ThekeytosuccessfuluseofBIMbasedcostingwillbe thedevelopmentofprocessesandmethodswithinorganizations.Thelevelofdetailrequiredina buildingmodelwillvarydependingonprojectphases,frompreliminary(macro)costingmodelstovery detailedmodelsrequiredformicrocostingactivitiesduringtheconstructionphase DataexchangebetweenBIMandcostingapplicationscanbeaccomplishedinseveralwaysAPIs,ODBC andIFCsamongthem.Themannerchosenwilldependonthesoftwaredevelopersintent.Professionals usingBIMcostingapplicationswillneedtoselectamethoddependingonprojectphaseandthedetail required,anddevelopinhousestandardsandproceduresforaligningtheirmodelswiththeestimating processes. IndustrystandardsfordataexchangeIFCsinparticularandframeworksforinformationclassification (e.g.OmniClass,UniFormat)areintegraltoindustryinteroperability.Asmanystandardsarestill developing,soareBIMapplications.ProfessionalsusingBIMwillhavetoadoptstrategiestointegrate andchangeasthesetechnologiesmature. BIMoffersthepromiseofacentraldetaileddatabaseforarangeofprojectapplications,anditsvisual capabilitiesforallofthemshouldbeanotableadvantagewhenconsideringhowprofessionalscan changeandmanagebuildinginformationthroughoutaproject.Asnewtechnology,BIMassistedcost estimatingwillnotobsoleteestimators;rather,itpromisestofreethemtofocusonhighervaluetask thancounting,returningincreasedvaluetoprojectprocesses.

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References
SpecifyingandCostEstimatingwithBIM,RobertPaulDean,AIA,CSI,CCS,andSusanMcClendon,RA,CSI, CCS.Architech,April2007 123Revit:BIMandCostEstimating,RickRundell,CadalystMagazine,AugustandSeptember2006. NewToolsDeliverBIMData,H.EdwardGoldberg,CadalystMagazine,December2003 PreconstructionManagementSoftwareTrendsandStrategy,RiverguideInc.,October2006.

AACERecommendedPracticeNo.17R97:CostEstimateClassificationSystem,AACE,Inc.,1997. ADifferentApproachtoUsingIFCstoFacilitateInteroperabilityintheBuildingIndustry,JimForester andIanHowell,AECbytesViewpoint#15,April13,2005.

CSIFormatsandBuildingInformationModels,RogerJ.Grant,AIAEdges,2006. http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_tap.cfm?pagename=tap_a_200611_CSI_formats VisualEstimating:ExtendingBIMtoConstruction.LachmiKhemlani.AECbytes.March21,2006. http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2006/VisualEstimating.html BIMCostingApplications: InnovayaVisualEstimating BuildingExplorer U.S.CostSuccessDesignExchange TrelligenceAffinity BeckDprofiler http://www.innovaya.com http://www.buildingexplorer.com http://www.uscost.com http://www.trelligence.com http://www.dpearth.com

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AboutLouiseSabol LouiseA.Sabolisaregisteredarchitectwithmorethan 25yearsofexperienceinthebuildingandtechnology professions.AtDesign+ConstructionStrategies,LLC, Ms.SabolservesasDirectorofTechnology,providing overalltechnicalplanningforthefirmstechnology integrationprojectsfororganizationsinvolvedin complexcapitalprojects. Design+ConstructionStrategies,LLC 11DupontCircle,Suite601 Washington,DC20036 (202)2220610 www.dcstrategies.net Copyright2008Design+ConstructionStrategies.All rightsreserved. Design+ConstructionStrategiesandtheDesign+ ConstructionStrategieslogoaretrademarksofDesign+ ConstructionStrategies.Othernamesmaybe trademarksoftheirrespectiveowners. AboutDesign+ConstructionStrategies,LLC DCStrategiesisdedicatedtobusinesstechnology implementationandthecreationofITenabledculture intheAECcommunity. OurclientsincludetheU.S.DepartmentofState,the GeneralServicesAdministration,theInternational CodeCouncil,Autodesk,Inc.andGreenwayConsulting. Moreinformationisavailableatwww.dcstrategies.net.

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