- Learn why Building Information Modeling ("virtual design and construction") is gaining interest
- See the benefits of BIM that may propel your firm into adoption
- Understand the challenges and caveats in adopting BIM
- Review more than a dozen case studies of how other AEC firms have successfully used BIM at various phases of design and construction
- Learn what the next steps may be for your firm in approaching this exciting technology
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is getting a lot of attention in the AEC industry today. Using BIM (also known as "virtual design and construction"), a computer model of a building links a three-dimensional, geometric description of the architectural elements to information about their properties and behavior. Theoretically, such a model could contain everything anyone would ever want to know about the building, from pre-design programming requirements, through design form and specifications, to construction procedures and operations manuals. Not only does such a model "live" through the entire life cycle of the project, it also feeds and is fed by the information and expertise of every professional discipline along the way, including architects, engineers, builders, and owners. The Promise of Building Information Modeling is a new briefing from ZweigWhite Research that will introduce you to this computer-supported design technology that may well transform the AEC industry over the next 10 to 20 years. This report will bring you up-to-speed on BIM and explain what it means for how your firm will do business in the coming years. Many experts agree that, to take best advantage of the emerging technologies, such as BIM, it’s important not to wait until conditions are ideal. There are already benefits available to those firms that step in gradually. This report will help firm leaders and information technology professionals decide whether it’s time to begin an incremental approach to adoption of BIM. The Promise of Building Information Modeling details the advantages that BIM promises to hold. It will show you how BIM will allow architecture and engineering firms to design, document, and administer the construction of buildings with more thoroughness, control, and precision than ever before. However, as the word "promise" implies, the technology is not yet a commodity that a firm can purchase today and implement tomorrow. If adopting BIM were easy, it would have been widely accepted in the AEC industry by now, as it has been in the automotive and aerospace industries. There are many challenges to its adoption, some technical, some cultural. The Promise of Building Information Modeling will help you understand what these obstacles are and how they might be overcome. To apply BIM effectively, firms need to change the way they work. This briefing will tell you how firms will need to "retool" to meet the challenges of BIM. This is not a job for the information technology staff alone; adoption requires committed "buy-in" by senior management and design staff. The Promise of Building Information Modeling includes over a dozen case studies showing how firms worldwide have already begun enjoying the benefits of BIM technology, at various phases of design and construction. See real-life examples of how AEC firms are putting BIM to work on projects, from programming to design to construction to operations. This briefing is written by B.J. Novitski, a freelance journalist specializing in the use of computer technology in architectural practice and education. She has an extensive background in writing articles for magazines such as Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Computer Graphics World, and Architectural Lighting. She is also managing editor for ArchitectureWeek. More than any other prior computer technology, embracing BIM will depend on knowledgeable, thoughtful collaboration between a firm’s management and IT staff. Make sure you have the knowledge you need to make informed decisions about BIM.
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