The need for better building information management BIM

BIM Management (Building Information Modelling) for constructive teamwork in the building industry

Mistrusting clairvoyants may be recommendable in practice. Meanwhile is foresight not only gratifying, but also possible. Yes, even in the construction industry.

Imagine a living model of your project that provides you with an overview of every process – at every stage. Welcome to the future of the building sector.

Many advantages of cooperative teamwork based on suitable tools had to be gone without for a long time. It almost appears as if many of us had resigned themselves to this.

Engineering is becoming more and more digital. That has concrete repercussions beyond the buzzwords. Digital engineering is a tool that redefines how projects are planned, realized and optimized. The complementary use of data, drawings and information allowing us to peek into the future is referred to as building information modelling, or BIM for short. It is high time to engage with this technology. Its influence on the construction and industrial market is growing, even if the building industry has shown great reserve here in comparison with other sectors so far. We at OPM have been doing just that for a number of years already, and for good reason, refining the processes and ways of working together.

Visualization is a great help for cooperation and decision-making. BIM enables a project to be brought to life by visualization before the very first cut of the spade.

Our BIM approach provides all those involved with an opportunity to cooperate on a shared level in what can truly be referred to as teamwork – and that from the first draft stages. This is where the parties exchange data, ideas, know-how, options and their consequences, providing everyone with a better understanding of the decisions. Even the easier access saves time while all the relevant information is combined in a single model – be it about the building, its technology and building management systems, or the required equipment.

Use of the three-dimensional model makes conflicts between the trades or facilities foreseeable, before they flare up in the realization. The consequences and costs of every change can be estimated more precisely, thus improving the decision-making process. This includes the option of defining the requirements for every project element early on, such as the water consumption of a machine, for example. Which facilitates review as the other trades and parties involved will now also be aware of these requirements, and able to adjust the dimensions of supply lines, for example, or to make allowances for the size of the machine, also for meeting fire escape needs. The benefits of BIM become clearer, the more complex the interrelations are.

As early as in the design phase, the BIM model provides all parties with a central platform, helping to streamline their work processes. The tasks in the construction phases are rendered transparent for all project parties, because they are better able to recognize, plan and provide their share of the services this way.

From determining the requirements and basics through to the maintenance phase

Besides the advantages for the planning and design, BIM also provides a framework for the management – for the operation, maintenance or adjustments such as conversion work. The optimization and adjustment of facility management processes to changed conditions can thus also be facilitated in the future.

The more complex a project is, the more helpful will BIM be.

Being able to foresee things can make everything a lot easier. Even highly complex processes can be safely realized thanks to BIM. We have already proven this in a number of major industrial projects such as the wheel and brake shop at Frankfurt’s eastern harbour.

It may sound like science fiction, but the list of projects where we succeeded thanks to BIM is a long one already. Here’s a selection: