A new BIM Insights paper by Majenta (following our interview with Willmott Dixon’s Gary Scott) points to a shift in attitudes towards BIM which is underway across an increasingly digitised construction industry as skills improve. Contractors and clients are recognising BIM’s value and more deliberately applying data to effective lifecycle management, with more changes predicted by experts for the next five years.
The following is an excerpt from a new Industry Insight Paper released by leading BIM Information Manager – Majenta Solutions. The paper includes highlights from a ‘BIM in industry’ discussion following Majenta’s delivery of several successful BIM projects for Willmott Dixon.
Host:
James Smith – Technical Director at Majenta Solutions
Panellists:
Scott Pullar – Principal Consultant at Majenta Solutions
Gary Scott – Head of Digital Construction at Willmott Dixon London and South
A summary of the full interview can be viewed for free here.
How BIM projects are going to change in the next five years.
The Majenta and Willmott Dixon panellists foresee a more effective customer relationship with BIM which will emerge as clients and contractors capitalise on recent digital learnings.
Predictions from an interview between ‘Majenta Solutions’ and ‘Willmott Dixon’ BIM experts, summarised here ➡ https://bit.ly/3taP9GN
Owner-operators will gain a new level of saving and efficiency from BIM (as a technology and way of working), with contractors and clients more deliberately applying the data to effective lifecycle management. Completed Asset Information Models will be of greater use to building operators.
The Majenta and Willmott Dixon panellists attribute this change (already underway) to more prescriptive BIM requirements from better informed clients, and better industry BIM skills.
Clients are more aware that BIM increases efficiency in the building’s operational phase, but lack the infrastructure or skills to manage this in-house. Contractors and Information Managers (e.g. Willmott Dixon and Majenta) will be in demand to work on model information updates post-practical completion.
Meanwhile BIM skills of all involved will improve, with Majenta’s Principal Consultant Scott Pullar predicting “an improvement in the actual linking of data into models,” as well as an improvement in IFC (Industry Foundation Class) data collaboration. With Majenta-style support, common challenges – such as subcontractors and projects stuck in the 2D environment or slowed down by clashing patchworks of software – will be overcome by upskilling.
The result will be a better model at building handover, with components such as stair cores and windows fully modelled within. This model, Scott tells us, will be:
“more of a managed asset for the client at the end of the project, which means that they can update it themselves if they have anything that’s going to be refurbished. It means the project team can then efficiently hand over the model for the next stage of the building. That’s where I can see it going in the future for construction.”
Considering BIM during operation, industry players such as housing developers are adopting this way of working to enhance the maintenance phase and pass savings to the customer. An up-to-date model, which Gary compares to a used car’s service history, can enhance the maintenance and therefore longevity of the building. Sporadic BIM usage will give way to properly digitised processes to bring maintenance into the light as part of what James calls “true lifecycle management.”
Has BIM in construction gained genuine value since the 2016 mandate?
Click here to view the full paper for free.
