Maybe you’re tired of hearing that BIM promises a “revolution” in building design. Why adopt it now? Here are a few good reasons.
BIM compels you to work better, earlier.
Jim Daly, a principal at Francis Cauffman Architects, doesn’t deny that working in Revit is in some ways a constraint. After a core team for a project has been selected, he notes, switching people out becomes “very problematic” because the 3-D design process is so front-loaded. And yet, that’s a good thing, he insists. The core team members become job captains for the 2-D linework, ensuring continuity and quality control, and keeping the client happy.
It’s great for owners, especially in this economy.
BIM compresses the overall project schedule and allows project costs to be fixed earlier. If you’re an owner who is concerned about escalation of costs, a shorter project cycle and earlier handover of risk to the builder are going to be attractive. Daly hopes that owners will influence legal thinking, too: “If you can show a client it saves them money or reduces the schedule significantly, that will be a big motivator for them to encourage [their] lawyers to change the way they think about it.”
It’s green. (Or will be.)
You can eliminate a considerable amount of paper waste by working from a digital model. Of course, the bigger the uptake of BIM within the building industries, the greater the gain for the environment.
