Copyright 2010 Barrington Architecture & Design Ltd. You have permission to post this document, email it, print it and pass it along for free to anyone you would like to, as long as you make no changes or edits to its contents or the printed or digital format of it. What this means: 1. You can pass it on to a friend 2. You can send them to www.barringtonarch.com to download it for free 3. You can make a copy of it or print it out and give it away (as long as you do not alter the original form of it). Copyright 2010 Barrington Architecture & Design Ltd.
Transcript
Copyright 2010 Barrington Architecture & Design Ltd.You have permission to post this document, email it, print it and pass it along for free to anyone you would like to, as long as you make no changes or edits to its contents or the printed or digital format of it.
What this means: 1. You can pass it on to a friend 2. You can send them to www.barringtonarch.com to download it for free 3. You can make a copy of it or print it out and give it away (as long as you do not alter the original form of it).
About the AuthorHi, my name is Scott Barrington and i lead the team at Barrington Arch.Barrington Arch. is one of the fastest growing BIM content development companies, working with building product manufacturers from around the globe.
At the time of this publication we have been in operation, developing BIM content (for Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Autodesk Revit) for over four years. Working with companies from New Zealand to London.
Our latest partners ecospecifier global have exclusive licence to use the world’s first BIM based life cycle assessment (LCA) tool with their GreenTag™ green product certification and rating program. They uniquely combine BIM, Products and LCA into brand new field of potential sales drivers based around the ecological of features products. Barrington Arch and ecospecifier global can now enhance your green product potential by delivering ecolabel certified product BIM directly to designers desktops.
For most business owners in the AEC industry (Architectural, Engineering & Construction) BIM (Building Information Modelling) can be a confusing topic.This booklet has been put together to help clear up some of this confusion & clearly outline where your business fits into the “BIM” process and how you can implement it to achieve fantastic results!
If, at any stage, you would like to spend some time with someone from Barrington Arch discussing the concepts outlined in this booklet and how they relate to your business and our services and products - feel free to contact us at [email protected]
IntroductionBuilding information modelling (BIM) is currently a buzzword in the architectural and construction industry, and is the process of producing virtual (digital) building models on a computer which are then used to produce the documentation for the project. BIM software is currently being adopted three times faster than 2D CAD software was in the early 1990s.
There are a few different brands of BIM software available, such as ArchiCAD, Revit and Vectorworks. ArchiCAD is currently the most widely used in New Zealand, with around 45 percent market share.
BIM provides a number of benefits to people and companies at all stages of the building process. The problem most companies experience is coming to terms with BIM and correctly understanding how it affects them.
Over the next few pages I will explain how BIM affects people in different areas of the AEC industry.
ArchitectsBIM software is used by architects and designers from the initial design concept to working documentation. The key concept is a single model is used for multiple purposes and in multiple softwares seamlessly.
This allows the initial time that has been invested in the design process to be transferred through into the working drawing stage, thus speeding up the entire process. As well as insuring that vital aspects of the design are transferred through to the completed project.
All the building documentation is taken from the BIM model, which enables it to be produced more efficiently and accurately and allows far more technicians to work collaboratively.
Architects and technicians can easily place 3D “parametric” smart objects into their BIMmodels. This allows them to instantly see whether a product will work with their design,visually & functionally. e.g. our partnership with ecospecifier global allows architects tosee brand specific third party eco-certified products in the object libraries drop-downmenus in ArchiCAD.
As the project is “virtually built” on the computer, it allows for a large amount of error & collision checking, which once again saves time & avoids errors & delays on site.
The architects BIM model can then be easily and seamlessly exported to a variety of different formats to allow any other consultants on their time to easily collaborate with them.
Content is KingIn order for architects & technicians to produce powerful BIM models they require well built and information rich BIM content.
BIM content (often referred to as Revit families or ArchiCAD objects) are the components that make up the BIM model and are normally of a building manufacturer’s products such as windows or timber beams. The latest development in BIM content is represented by ecospecifier’s GreenTag™ BIM integrated LCA ratings.
As BIM models get more widely used (up take is happening at a rate 3 times faster than 2D CAD up take in the 1990s), the need for BIM content from manufacturers is increasing.
How Can You Help?At Barrington Arch our core business is helping manufacturers to get their products BIM ready and deliver them to BIM users in all of the formats they require. If you are a building product manufacturer make sure you get in contact with us at [email protected], as with any thing new, the market awards the early adopters.
If you are an architect or technician, you can help this process by recommending that manufactures get their products into a BIM format that you can more easily use. If you have a particular manufacturer or product you would like to see in a BIM format, feel free to send your ideas through to us at [email protected]
Engineers/ConsultantsThe 3D virtual BIM models can be accessed by and exported to work with the software used by structural, MEP and thermal engineers.
Once again this allows all parties to work in collaboration, meaning documentation is produced more accurately. This saves time during the final building process as everything is modelled in 3D, and any issues can be sorted out before construction starts.
StructuralStructural Engineers can take the architect’s BIM model and use it for their structural calculations. They can then place all of their designed beams and structural elements into the 3D BIM model. Allowing them to instantly check for collisions and whether they compromise the architect’s design.
MEPMechanical, Electrical & Plumbing engineers can once again work from the same BIM model (which now contains data from the architects & structural engineers). This allows them to virtually run all of piping & wiring and once again check for collisions.
ThermalThermal & Energy Efficiency (Green Building) engineers can take the BIM model and run simulations on it. Such as virtual sun studies & weather pattens. This allows them to effectively see how different weather will affect the proposed building project. This information enables us to instantly see how how energy efficient a building will be & helps to improve it, before the project is built.
Rapid Building EcoprofilingThe BIM based LCA engine behind the ecospecifier global GreenTag™ system is called LCADesign™. This globally unique tool allows whole building, whole of life LCA rapid ecoprofiling. When combined with GreenTag™ product libraries, LCADesign™ literally reduces the time it takes to ecoprofile a building for e.g. embodied greenhouse, energy or pollutants from years to hours. The benefit of this power is now being understood by clients and will benefit consultants who adopt the technology early.
Building Product ManufacturersBIM provides manufacturers a chance to unlock more value in their product information.
By producing and making available parametric BIM objects of their products, it allows architects, designers and engineers to use and make decisions on manufacturers’ products more easily. as well as instantly seeing how a product will affect the building project.
Data from BIM content/objects which are place in the model can then be pulled from the BIM model to populate schedules & specs. This allows all of the project’s documentation to be more streamlined and creating less chance for error. It also allows BIM to deliver unique benefits like product eco-profiling and rapid building ecoprofiling, where the ecological profile of a product can be used to drive design, selection and specifications.
BIM content is easily distributed via a variety of internet channels and websites such as ecospecifier.org, which allows product data to reach the market more quickly and easily. The fast growing amount of manufacturer specific BIM content allows for greater cross product comparisons and more educated decisions.
Above is a Timber i-beam BIM object shown in ArchiCAD 12, Built by Barrington Arch.
As a building product manufacturer, making it easier for Architectural firms to integrate your objects into their project(s) and use it for multiple leading edge uses, translates to more usage of your product, greater market leverage and an increase to your bottom line. As well as creating huge brand preference and loyalty.
That means creating high quality BIM content, rich with relevant information and getting it distributed to the design community thereby increasing your chances of being specified and used.
There are many key factors that will add to the success of your BIM content (whether it be for ArchiCAD, Revit, Bentley BIM or Sketchup). These are: 1. Quiality built content 2. Good distribution 3. Backup user support 4. Updating (What happens when next year’s version of Revit or ArchiCAD is released?) 5. Stats collection & ROI measurement. (Remember if you can’t measure it, it’s not worth doing!)
Review Where Your At
Every building product manufacturer is different. Whether your big or small, selling windows to concrete blocks, well made BIM content will get your products in front of more architects & get more of your product specified. Contact us at [email protected] is you would like us to assess what it would take to get your product range BIM-ready. Or click here to learn more.
If you would like to know more about GreenTag™ contact ecospecifier on [email protected] or click here to learn more.
When developing BIM content, we at Barrington Arch use our own custom developed 5-step process. This helps to ensure that the content is not only built to the highest of industry standards, but also meets the needs of the market.
Put together a BIM strategy & the results you want to achieve from it. This includes taking note of any content or drawing files you may already have or may wish to have.
Plan what content you will need & in which BIM formats you will need it to best meet your market or region.
Build the content into the required formats, such as Autodesk Revit, Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Bentley BIM & Google Sketchup. Including any branding & back-links to your website
Test the new BIM content, to check that it is functioning correctly.
Submit the finished BIM content to BIM directories in your region & help tie it into your existing marketing channels, such as your website or ecospecifier’s.
We find this 5-step process is the best way to ensure your BIM content is used to its full potential and that you yield the best results from it.
Developers/Owners/ClientsThrough using BIM modelling, developers and owners can keep a closer eye on the whole construction process, allowing them to manage costs and the project outcome.
BIM 3D models can then be exported for use in marketing materials. As well as used to produce photo-realistic renders & animations
Commercial projects can also use the BIM model as part of their everyday building management system, thus making the BIM process a very valuable part of the building’s life cycle and yielding a huge return on investment.
If you are wanting to measure the Greenhouse impact of your project, consider contacting ecospecifier global to find out how you can automate the process and rapidly ecoprofile your project.
Proposed living room rendered from BIM model by Barrington Arch.
SummaryTo summarise, BIM is all about increasing the flow of information and allowing greater collaboration between parties within a project, automating and speeding up calculation process that would otherwise be uneconomical.
I hope this booklet has given you a better insight into the BIM process and where you, your company or your product fit into it.
If you have any questions or would like to enquire about a BIM needs assessment for your company please contact us at [email protected]
Regards
Scott Barrington
Chief ExecutiveBarrington Arch
P.S. Still looking for more information? Be sure to check out our blog at www.barringtonarch.com/news/ for some of our latest insights & ideas.
