New Users and the Consolidation of BIM Systems - Part One

Whew! It's good to be back. 

After a somewhat lengthy hiatus of writing the second version of "BIM and Construction Management," I'm glad to be back on top of this blog/stream of consciousness that is writing what's in Brad's brain.

So here's what's new. Aside from joining a global engineering and construction firm at Black and Veatch, we are back in Kansas City (go Royals!) and am back home.

It's spring and on the BIM front , I wanted to share some of the new and forward thinking tenets of where I believe the AEC industry is headed and what we can do to align and improve how we work.

In a recent article from Accenture titled, "Digital Ecosystems" they do a really nice job of capturing where technology trends and analytics is headed in the coming years. I particularly agree with the concept of the "Intelligent Enterprise: Huge data + smarter systems = better business"

Here's the pitch. I believe BIM is now in between the early and late majority stage of the technology adoption curve. We talk about this in the new version of the book, but what does it mean?

Does this mean that BIM is no longer innovative? Not at all.
Am I behind if I haven't adopted BIM? Sure.
I've already adopted BIM in my firm, I'm safe right? Nope.

Here's the thing with the mid to late stage adopter types. They are highly analytical, they look to maximize the value of the shift (aka squeeze every ounce of value out of it) and ask some really good questions as they work in the tool. In essence, they are more patient than early adopters or innovators (generally speaking) and in lieu of "first to market" take a "best to market" approach with new tools.

How will this impact our industry?

1.) I believe we are going to see a consolidation of tool sets that seek to maximize the value out of each. 

2.) In addition to this, we are going to see a renewed vigor and focus on integration of tools between each other and a demand for not only connectivity, but hyper-connectivity. Keep in mind, these are the rational "doers" the folks who get it done and they don't have the patience to wait for systems to connect either. 

3.) Which leads me to my third prediction that we will see a spike in what I'm calling "gap apps." 

These applications will utilize the API's in the existing large scale tools and will be developed with the sole purpose of better connectivity or workflow automation. I don't know how many of these puppies there will be, but I can tell you it will create a very interesting dynamic in our industry.

Personally, I'm stoked about this new kind of user. I think now that we have moved beyond the Hollywood BIM or early "BIM washing," we are really going to start digging in and taking a renewed look at what BIM could mean for design and construction, what the data could mean and how traditional deliverable constructs need to be challenged or disappear entirely.

More to come...

Reality capture & Why does laser scanning matter?

Haven't posted for a while, but wanted to capture my thoughts on a recent project we did where we were looking to accurately "capture" information about an existing lobby space. The project was a tenant improvement project in a four story building lobby, where the goals of the effort were to accurately gather data about what actually existed in the space, in lieu of relying on traditional as-built reference documentation, which is often outdated or rarely updated. The other effort we were looking to eliminate was the amount of effort we typically would put into in-field verification efforts. As a team, we discussed the options and laser scanning seemed to be the most viable, both from the perspective of speed to capture and the high degree of accuracy as a product.



Laser scanning an occupied facility had its own challenges, but what came out of it as a result was pretty remarkable. The last time I had looked at laser scanning technology was over two years ago and I was absolutely blown away by how far the tools and software had come since then. In less than three hours we had completed the hi-res laser scan of the lobby space. Within the laser scanning software, (this laser scanner was a FARO scanner) we were able to isolate and assign faces and model elements to the point cloud data. In turn, the composite of all of the faces and geometry showed deviation from the original plans in many significant areas. One of them being the mullion spacing at the curtain wall which would have proved costly in the field. Another aspect of this effort that I was impressed with was the openness from this team to use the laser scan data. In my experience on other teams without laser scanning, each entity did what they felt needed to be done to capture any as-built conditions and then began designing from that.

With laser scanning the equation was quite the opposite and we have seen a number of project stakeholders step up and request the laser scan files and models. Some of these were a bit of light bulb moments for me as the mechanical engineer wanted to see where supply and diffuser vents were currently located, the electrical engineer wished to see the height of the custom lighting that was suspended from the four story atrium to better inform their lighting design and the subcontractor responsible for the glass guardrail installation performed his takeoff directly from the laser scanning software environment. Couldn't find a good link to the FARO viewer, but here is Leica's (http://hds.leica-geosystems.com/downloads123/hds/hds/cyclone/brochures-datasheet/Cyclone_PUBLISHER_TruView_DS_us.pdf )

Lastly, when we presented the scan to the owner the tool had layered on top of the point cloud file hi-res photos that reminded me very much of what it was like to navigate in BIM. One of the main differences was the ability to measure, in the software. As we were navigating we were able to measure distances with a high degree of accuracy as essentially we were just measuring from one point to another.

Needless to say, it was great getting to be a part of this effort and fascinating to see how far this technology has come in such a small amount of time. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next two years holds in this space.

Team Building with Marshmallows

Great TED talk video from Autodesk Fellow Tom Wujec showing how certain personality types think and interact around a tactile team challenge.

I can't help but love the Kindergartner's scores! Imagine what they could do with Rapid Cost Modeling...

Five Truths on BIM

In my experience in using BIM, I have become keenly aware of a number of "truths" in the arena of VDC. That said, I'm heading to the zoo with "my zoo" in tow today so I'll make it a quickie if possible.

Truth 1: The Owner owns the information (model).

If you're under contract to an Owner to design, construct and/or operate a building, they own the models and the information, just as they own the building. Our role as designers, contractors and operators is to be excellent stewards of this data as it passes through a building's informational life cycle and to optimize its use.

Truth 2: More information is not better. The RIGHT information is. 

Take a door for example. The Architect is interested in:
- code compliance
- was it sustainably sourced?
- the doors hourly fire rating
- available finishes
- hardware styles
- security level

As the responsibility for the door passes from design to construction, the information needed by the Architect to make good decisions is not the same information the contractor needs. The contractor needs to know:
- how many of each door there will be?
- does the warranty on the equipment match the specification?
- are there local suppliers?
- what are the costs of the doors?
- what is the availability and delivery schedules?

After the door is installed, the facility manager needs to have a certain level of information to do their work. This (on average) is about 10%-12% of what is aggregated throughout design and construction. Information such as:
- When do I oil the equipment?
- Where do I get replacement hardware?
- How do I program the lockset?
- How do I get to the warranty information?

The faster teams understand that some information is needed for the entire informational life cycle and that some has a shelf life; the faster teams achieve real clarity around how to pass useful information to the next project stakeholder. This eliminates the old way of heaving massive amounts of useless data "over the fence" to other team members to sort through and creates a deeper dialog of coordination in project teams.

Truth 3: Subcontractors should NOT run 3D coordination sessions.

We work with some really good subs and while I am sure that most of those are capable of running clash detection meetings themselves... it is our job as construction managers to own the coordination efforts. This theory is due to a number of reasons and experience, but the main reason is when coordinating with multiple trades it is far easier to have a "third party" unbiased approach to systems routing and configuration.

In my experience, I have found that the sub that runs the meetings rarely moves and has other trades move around them. This is particularly true when the project is in the thick of things and everyone is experiencing a bit of project fatigue. Secondly, on contract delivery vehicles such as CM@R, CM led DB, IPD and even hard bid where the CM's or GC's carry the majority of contractual risk; the majority of risk mitigation efforts should lie with the major risk holder. If a CM isn't doing this they are letting a subcontracted party manage their risk with no reward model and this is never a good decision in any business.

Lastly, relying on subs to run coordination meetings creates inconsistency to these efforts. As most CM and GC firms work with different subs on each project, there is a lot of value in providing consistent deliverables for your internal staff, so they aren't re-learning what a set of deliverables may be for each new project.

Truth 4: Establishing a learning culture is more important than creating BIM standards.

For many organizations, this is a toughie.

As new technologies enter the market on a daily basis, successful firms are finding that there is more value to establishing learning as a priority, rather than standards.

Standards, while useful in some aspects of a coherent look and feel or deliverable process, often become outdated before they are widely adopted. For this reason, I encourage groups to look at how to create "one page guidelines" that allow for flexibility and creativity around a process rather than a 213 page BIM standard on model creation. Creating a guideline allows for new technologies and processes to be inserted into a workflow to optimize output. When you create a standard, the clay has already set and there is little to no room for innovation.

Truth 5: If you aren't engaging your CA or field staff in the process you will lose.

One of the most repeated questions I hear is, "How do we take all of this great stuff we've done in the virtual environment and replicate it in the field?"

I have found that the answer to this question is, engage your field team. The team that is going to be responsible for construction administration, or construction management MUST be plugged in to the process. Otherwise your results are often going to be sub-par. Why is this?

Well, to understand we have to begin thinking like a project superintendent.

Here is a guy or gal who has "x number" of years experience in building structures and now they are being told by some VDC operator how to build their project from what a computer is telling them. Guess what?

There's no buy-in. In this scenario, there is no background being provided on the history to the decisions or directions along the way that could very well have created a solid product (this has to do with Truth #2). Thus the confidence level in that deliverable is zero, nill, nada.

Now think about how valuable it would be to have this same human database of information be able to participate in the coordination process with time tested input and real world experience. I won't give away the ending if this is news to you, but it will change your perspective real fast....also as a heads up this will often be where you will get some of the best ideas your organization has ever had.


That's it for now. I may do a part two, but we are going to go look at some monkeys. Let me know your thoughts and Happy New Years!

What Keeps Us Interested?

Had a great discussion not too long ago to a group of students and great minds, where I was asked the question afterwards, "What keeps you interested in BIM and technology?"

[Insert long thoughtful pause here]

I answered, "I guess it would have to be the promise of technology. Not only to design and construction and BIM, but in what we haven't thought about yet."

While this was a very truthful (and somewhat esoteric answer), the reality is that I thought about this question for some time on the plane ride home. Wondering if I had answered in a meaningful way, or if I had just scarred and confused a promising young mind forever?

So what exactly is it about the promise of technology that keeps not just me, but a whole host of people engaged in meaningful dialogs across the world... plugged in and searching for an aha moment, a break through or an app that can read minds?

As I see it, I believe it is the challenge of technology and human connectivity that keeps us searching.

In open retrospect, we all seem to firmly believe that technology will provide us with the means of creating a better world. There have been great examples of how societies have changed for the better or where new advances in science and research have occurred because of technology....but was it technology or was it connectivity?

Some would argue connectivity, such as the stodgy old sales guy I'm sitting next to on this flight to Orlando. Others would argue technology, such as my generation Y brother, who when I last visited him, was playing xBox 360, whilst talking to Siri on his iPhone to find a "western buffet" and listening to his laptop that was streaming a Pandora playlist through Facebook. (Yes I bore witness to this)

It seems to me that the best answer of why we continue to connect, download and search is a blend of both. Simply connecting human to human alone isn't big or fast enough (for right or wrong). Yet technology without human context is a one way street. Then I had my aha moment... what we are building is why we connect.

The HUGE amounts of information that surrounds us in our daily lives is now able to be collected, sorted and displayed in various forms to other humans in increasingly meaningful ways. Whether you are building a historic archive of your life (Facebook, twitter, instagram) or creating a digital 3D model of Seattle that could someday allow a blind man on a bicycle to wear a headset to navigate his way through the city streets...we connect to what we build...and we continue to build information to connect to.

So maybe to the student who asked that question, I would say now, "Because I think buildings will one day be able to talk, people will understand and achieve homeostasis with one another and I'll finally be able to have my iPhone read my mind as I cruise through downtown Seattle blindfolded on my 'Back to the Futur(ish)' hoverboard.

BIM for real is now Mobile!

Alright folks, I have established that a blog on technology shouldn't be limited by my use of technology!

That said I will now be posting from the "many exciting" places I go in the world, but mainly airports...

Thanks!

Changing the Title of the Blog

Much to my oversight, the title of the blog has been Revit - for real for some time and in reality Revit is about 1/7th of the piece of the pie to making BIM work, but initially I set out to have a Revit tutorial blog. However, as life would have it my direction and the direction of this blog has taken a different path.

That said, I give you the brand new revised title, completely lacking in originality, but clear in purpose.....

BIM - for real...much better.