Interscale Content Hub – Behind the acronym of BIM lies a powerful concept that can deliver real benefits to small and mid-sized construction businesses; the business value of BIM.
While often viewed through a technical lens, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is significant in delivering concrete Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry advantages.
This article unpacks BIM’s business value, spotlighting why it’s more than a mere technological tool—it’s a strategic asset for your business growth.
Internal Business Value of BIM
The internal business value of BIM comes from its many applications, which together promote a more efficient, accurate, and risk-averse construction process. Let’s take a closer look at these critical internal benefits of BIM.
Provides Efficiency to Reduce Redundant Work
Innovation of BIM significantly streamlines workflows, mitigating redundant tasks and errors, thus saving time and resources.
A BIM object case study where the use of BIM and Plannerly significantly improved project outcomes is a compelling example of the power of BIM.
The LIMSEN team, leveraging BIM capabilities, completed their project under budget and ahead of schedule, realizing a total cost saving of over 4 million euros.
The team demonstrated how BIM can significantly improve project efficiency and reduce redundancies by reducing their BIM execution planning time from more than 100 to less than 30 hours.
Such optimization is not isolated but replicable across different projects and teams, demonstrating BIM’s vast potential to improve productivity and financial outcomes in construction processes.
BIM’s value shines through its ability to refine and enhance information management, as seen in a 2015 case study of Northumbria University’s city campus by Mohamad Kassem (Technology Futures Institute, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK).
The study highlighted improvements in manual processes, data accuracy, accessibility, and work order execution efficiency, underlining BIM’s critical role in enhancing operational efficiencies.
Challenges remain, such as interoperability and the need for skill development. Still, the overarching benefits are clear, showcasing BIM’s potential to streamline FM practices significantly.
The CESI project in Nanterre, France, showcases how the implementation of 4D BIM can enhance collaboration among various stakeholders, regardless of their maturity levels in BIM.
The infrastructure project aimed to serve both as an educational tool and a management asset, demonstrating how BIM can streamline construction phases and maintenance operations while ensuring the project’s information remains accessible and up-to-date.
These examples underline BIM’s role in driving efficiencies and reducing redundant work.
Organizations can achieve remarkable cost savings and operational improvements by integrating BIM into their processes.
The BIM approach has led to the method’s emergence as an essential tool in modern construction and facilities management.
Ensures a Comprehensive Digital Asset for Lifecycle Management
BIM provides a robust foundation for managing a building’s lifecycle, transitioning from a construction focus to ongoing facility management.
Traditionally, the value of BIM has been most recognized in design and construction, enhancing collaboration, documentation quality, and reducing fragmentation.
Using a CDE Common Data Environment (CDE), BIM centralizes all project information, allowing stakeholders to access, manage, and update data efficiently and accurately throughout the building’s lifecycle.
By implementing a CDE, all project participants — from architects and engineers to contractors and owners — can work within a unified information space, significantly improving collaboration and reducing errors and omissions.
Yet, the potential extends far beyond these phases, offering substantial benefits during the operational life of an asset.
For instance, transitioning the Project Information Model (PIM) used in design and construction into an Asset Information Model (AIM) ensures the continuity and relevance of data across the asset’s lifecycle.
This transition brings a significant portion of an asset’s information value to be realized during its operational phase, not just during construction.
Despite this, many asset handovers lose valuable BIM data due to early-stage focus, often neglecting the operational needs and diminishing the long-term benefits for asset managers.
Moreover, integrating BIM with advanced technologies like AI and IoT presents a new horizon for innovative asset management.
For example, connecting IoT sensors within a building to an AI-assisted system enables real-time, data-driven management of services like heating or lighting.
This approach streamlines maintenance and optimizes energy use, driving cost savings, innovation, and efficiency.
To maximize BIM’s value throughout an asset’s lifecycle, stakeholders must plan for its use from project inception, ensuring data remains relevant and accessible for future operations and maintenance stages.
This integrated approach enables better decision-making, enhanced efficiency, and longer asset life cycles, proving BIM’s worth far beyond its initial construction application.
Facilitates Communication and Transparency Among Stakeholders
The centralized nature of a BIM model serves as a single source of truth.
This standard mode of BIM is more capable of addressing challenges effectively and efficiently.
As a result, changes are updated in real-time and are immediately available to all stakeholders.
This instant access to current project information reduces misunderstandings and fosters a collaborative work environment.
In one example, BIM’s role in improving project quality was highlighted through its impact on risk management and interdisciplinary coordination.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) allows for the early detection of design conflicts. It provides a clear visual of the project to team members.
They can use the model to find potential issues early. This process prevents these issues from arising during the construction phase.
This proactive approach saves time and resources and significantly reduces the risk of costly rework and delays.
A study by Huang Y and colleagues in “Impacts of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on Communication Network of the Construction Project: A Social Capital Perspective” explored BIM’s effects on organizational communication in construction projects.
They discovered BIM’s potential to enhance project management and communication strategies. The findings suggest BIM encourages more effective interactions within project teams.
It highlighted how BIM fosters both inter- and intra-organizational communication.
Of course, this is crucial for maintaining robust relationships and efficient information exchange throughout the project lifecycle.
BIM enhances these communication networks and contributes to a more integrated and cohesive project team.
Manages Risk with Precision
BIM could also empower enterprises or even small businesses to step away from reactive approaches to risk management. Here’s how it happens:
- Clash detection: BIM software pinpoints potential conflicts between elements – like a duct clashing with a structural beam – virtually before anyone steps on site.
- Pre-construction visualization: Walkthroughs of the BIM model help spot constructability issues or logistical bottlenecks early on. This allows adjustments to be made when they are easiest and cheapest to implement.
- Schedule simulation: Linking the BIM model to project timelines makes potential delays visible. This enables teams to refine their approach and mitigate risks to keep things on schedule.
A study case by Waqar and colleagues in “Challenges to the Implementation of BIM for the Risk Management of Oil and Gas Construction Projects: Structural Equation Modeling Approach” highlighted how BIM could address safety management challenges despite the sector’s high complexity and risk.
The research identified significant hurdles in adopting BIM for risk management, including knowledge, technical, and functional barriers.
Yet, overcoming these challenges is essential for improving safety and project outcomes in high-risk environments.
Another analysis by InterFocus focused on the broad implications of BIM in risk management across different project stages.
During the design phase, BIM’s advanced visualization design tools enable the early detection of design conflicts, fostering better decision-making and collaboration.
BIM’s cloud connectivity ensures all stakeholders have timely access to essential project data during construction, reducing errors and enhancing safety.
Moreover, post-construction, BIM continues to provide value, allowing for efficient facility management and operational risk assessment.
Adopting BIM
With BIM, you’re investing in a tool, adopting a process, and a golden opportunity that can significantly streamline how your projects unfold from inception to completion.
In the initial stages, BIM aids in meticulous planning and design, allowing your team to visualize projects and make informed decisions early on.
Digital tools like SketchUp and Revit are great examples of BIM facilitating this crucial early engagement.
Once your project moves into construction, BIM’s value shines even brighter.
Tools like Navisworks simulate construction sequences, highlighting potential clashes or logistical issues before they manifest on-site.
After construction, the BIM model transitions into an asset for facility management.
It becomes a rich database supporting maintenance, renovations, and eventual deconstruction.
However, we know that adopting BIM can be challenging and means a lot of costs at first. And yes, adopting BIM is a long-run strategy.
At Interscale, we understand the many benefits and challenges BIM can bring you.
Our services are designed to help you navigate the complexities of BIM adoption, from understanding different levels of development (LOD) to leveraging BIM data across all project phases.
We want to be your business supporting system to capitalize on BIM’s potential, enhancing collaboration, improving efficiency, and ultimately delivering superior project outcomes.
Suppose you’re keen to learn more about how BIM can benefit your projects or want to explore our range of services. In that case, we encourage you to visit Interscale’s BIM page.
Here, you’ll find detailed insights into how we can assist your firm in harnessing the full power of BIM, setting you on a path to success in today’s competitive construction landscape.
Conclusion
BIM adoption within the construction industry is accelerating and for a good reason.
By embracing the power of BIM, small businesses can enhance efficiency, communication, and risk management and handover a valuable asset upon project completion.
Suppose you’re ready to take your construction business into the future. In that case, the business value of BIM represents an opportunity that should be noticed.
