Sunday, February 21, 2016

It's Time to Get Rid of BIM.

" It's time to get rid of BIM "  - those are words that I bet you never thought you would read on a blog called BIM - for real.   But this concept is something that I feel very passionate about, that BIM is not needed in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industries.

Before I elaborate, I should probably explain that I'm involved with project teams on both US coasts as well as across the US South and Mid-West. Because of this involvement I have found that each region and each project can be extremely different.  We have projects that are using tablets accessing data on "the cloud"; project coordination that leverages the benefits of clash detection during preconstruction; projects that combine 3D models and project management solutions for project scheduling ... you get the idea, real technology and information workflows. Of course, we also have projects where we need to create our own 3D models for these purposes as the sub-contractors or design teams did all their work in AutoCAD or with hand sketches.  That doesn't mean that these players are not part of the greater collaboration process, just that they are doing it differently based on their required deliverables, skillsets, budgets, overhead, client demands, etc..  As a result, we need to adjust the way we perform our services based on a wide variety of factors.

With the paragraph above, I successfully got rid of BIM.  Not the technology, not the process, not the model. I was able to get rid of the term and concept of BIM... because we don't need it.

A favorite description of BIM and one that you may have read in many technology and marketing articles is that BIM is a "disruptive process". Disruptive because it changes the way you do things to achieve your end results. But who wants to disrupt the way they produce a great product and make a comfortable living? Even I don't want to do that.  On the other hand, I do want to enhance the way I do my designs and deliver my projects. Technology and process improvements should be ENABLING and not disruptive! That's the foundation for why it's time to get rid of BIM from our lexicon of industry language. The process we currently describe as BIM is already understood to be an enhancement or requirement for doing our jobs. We are enhancing the way we deliver projects through process and technological improvements. That's not something that requires its own ill defined word, that's simply adapting to our current industry reality which is something most industries are doing today.

For further proof that we don't need BIM, ask yourself how you would you answer the following question:  "How do you do your business?"   You may describe everything from specs to CD's, from design to technology, from coordination to budgets, from presentations to marketing... but you could do it ALL without ever using the disruptive terminology of "BIM".

So lets stop using this term which can cause a general feeling of disruption or uncertainty of meaning each time it is used. If we are not describing a Building Information Model (a BIM - the most generic description of a model used for design and construction) then you are likely not communicating your point of view effectively.

Unless of course you are like me and arguing that you don't need to use the term BIM, then it's kind of mandatory. :-)

Introduction

Hello!  Let me start by getting my introduction out of the way. This is me:





I'm Brian Myers, the BIM Manager for Alberici Constructors based out of St Louis, MO. I want to start by thanking Brad for providing me the opportunity to join this blog and to share some of my thoughts and experiences.  I have both very high level experience in the industry as well as very technical picks and clicks experience, so my posts will reflect a bit of both backgrounds. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see discussed, please reach out to me at brian@brianmyers.us . I'll be glad to either respond privately or by writing up a nice article here. My experience ranges from Architectural and MEP design to Construction technologies, so feel free to ask me anything, more often than not I'll have an answer.