Mcgraw-hill Construction Bim Smartmarket Report December 2008

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Modeling (BIM)Building InformationTransforming Design and Constructionto Achieve Greater Industry Productivity

BIM SMR SD112608f.qxp:Layout 1 11/26/08 9:09 AM Page 1

Construction is a team sport, and BIM is dramatically reshaping the way project teams worktogether to increase productivity and improve outcomes for all. This is driving the mosttransformative evolution the construction industry has ever experienced. To help everyone inthe industry better understand the breadth and depth of this phenomenon McGraw-Hill

Construction is very excited to publish the SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling:Transforming Design and Construction to Achieve Greater Industry Productivity.

This report, produced in collaboration with 23 construction industry organizations — including 15 associations and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — is based on extensive interviews with hundreds of owners, architects, civil, structural, and MEP engineers, construction managers, generalcontractors and trade contractors who are currently using BIM. The goal was to determine knowl-edgeable users’ perceptions of BIM adoption, implementation, value and impact within their firms. Wealso wanted to measure BIM user perspectives on the developing elements of a BIM infrastructure including standards, content, software, training and certification; and on the use of BIM on green “sustainable” projects.

We found that BIM use on construction projects is growing rapidly — 62% of users surveyed indicated that they will be using BIM on over 30% of their projects in 2009. The research find-ings also clearly indicate that BIM expertise leads to greater understanding of BIM benefits and thevalue of using BIM – 82% of BIM experts believe that BIM is having a very positive impact ontheir company’s productivity and 44% of BIM experts now regularly track BIM ROI. This powerful trend points to an unstoppable wave of accelerating adoption and creative implementationthat will redefine project delivery and affect every company in the construction industry.

In addition to providing highlights of this research, we also present in this SmartMarket Report fourcase studies that demonstrate how BIM is generating value for owners, design professionals andcontractors in a wide variety of project types and activities from site excavation to energy analysis. All of this is further amplified by interviews, special features and a look ahead at what McGraw-Hill Construction believes will be the impact of BIM going forward. Since the need for basic BIM training is one of the findings of the report, we have also included a special Introduction to BIM to help educate readers who are new to BIM.

As we face uncertain economic times in 2009, and perhaps beyond, innovative approaches to projectdelivery such as BIM can be critically important differentiators among service firms and can helpowners more effectively control costs, quality and completion schedules. This SmartMarket Report is intended to both enlighten those who have already begun their transition to BIM and encouragecompanies who haven’t started yet. The benefits are tangible and the risks of not participating outweigh those of getting engaged.

Lastly, we want to thank the design professionals, contractors and owners who participated in the research and the sponsors who supported the report, each of whom is committed to advancing BIM for the benefit of the entire industry.

Harvey M. Bernstein

Stephen A. Jones

Introduction

Norbert Young, FAIA, is a registered architect, with professional affiliations including The American Institute of Archi-tects (AIA) and the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI), where he served as Chairman of the IAI-NA Boardof Directors and was instrumental in evolving IAI into the buildingSMART alliance at the National Institute of BuildingSciences. A true leader and innovator in his profession, Norbert is a strong advocate for the development and adop-tion of global standards for data to enable true interoperability in the design and construction industry. He is an active,recognized speaker nationally and internationally, addressing such topics as “interoperability and its impact on our in-dustry,” and “current trends in interoperability.” Norbert is a Fellow of The American Institute of Architects and in2008 was inducted into the National Academy of Construction.

Steve Jones leads McGraw-Hill Construction’s initiatives in Building Information Modeling, Interoperability and Inte-grated Project Delivery and develops alliance relationships with major corporations for technology and content. Be-fore joining McGraw-Hill, Steve was a Vice President with Primavera Systems, the world's leading provider of projectmanagement software. Prior to that, Steve spent 19 years in a variety of design and management roles with architec-ture firms. Most recently he was a Principal and member of the Board of Directors with Burt Hill, one of the largestarchitectural/engineering firms in the world. Steve holds an M.B.A. from Wharton and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins.

Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP, has been a leader in the engineering and construction industry for over 30years. He serves as Vice President of Industry Analytics, Alliances and Strategic Initiatives for MHC, where he haslead responsibility for MHC's research on thought leadership and green building initiatives. This includes researchstudies on future industry trends in areas such as interoperability, BIM, the global construction marketplace, sustain-ability, and innovation. He also is a visiting professor at the University of Reading (U.K.) School of Construction Management and Engineering.. Harvey has an M.B.A in Corporate Marketing from Loyola College, an M.S. in Engineering from Princeton University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Norbert W. Young Jr.


1

Table of Contents

Images courtesy of HOK

Cover images courtesy of:Jacobs Global Buildings and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

IntroductionBuilding Information Modeling Market Summary..........2Adoption of BIM...............................................................................6

Market Growth ...............................................................................................................................................6

Perception of BIM .....................................................................................................................................7

Experience .......................................................................................................................................................8

Interview: Robert A. Bank, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ...................................8

Challenges to Adoption .........................................................................................................................9

Case Study: PCL Construction .............................................10Usage of BIM .................................................................................12

Range and Drivers of Use and Owner Investment .....................................................12

Modeled Elements and Emerging Maturity Models ...................................................13

Modeling Details .....................................................................................................................................14

Scheduling and Cost Data ..............................................................................................................16

Outsourcing BIM ....................................................................................................................................17

BIM Users and Green..........................................................................................................................18

Case Study: Springfield Literacy Center..........................20Special Section: Introduction to BIM ................................21Interview: Phil Bernstein, Autodesk ...................................25Value of Using BIM .....................................................................26

Perceived Value .........................................................................................................................................26

Interview: Michael LeFevre, Holder Construction Company ..............................26

Importance of Tracking ROI............................................................................................................27

Case Study: Crate & Barrel ....................................................28Impact of BIM on Internal and External Processes ...30

Internal Process Change ...................................................................................................................30

External Process Shift .........................................................................................................................31

How BIM is Used ...................................................................................................................................32

Risks, Contract Language, and Integrated Project Delivery .............................33

Case Study: UCSF CRI ..............................................................34BIM Infrastructure ........................................................................36

Technology Choices and Opportunities for Improvement ..................................36

Object Data...................................................................................................................................................37

Content Demand and Establishing BIM Standards ..................................................38

Impact of Interoperability ...................................................................................................................39

Interview: Deke Smith, buildingSMART Alliance .........................................................39

Training Methods and Certification Needs ........................................................................40

Conclusions.....................................................................................42Resources & Methodology ......................................................44


Building Information ModelingMarket Summary

2

Competitive Advantage of BIM in a Down EconomyMcGraw-Hill Construction research shows that, in the face of an economic recession, BIM users expect to significantly ramp uptheir investment in BIM in 2009. Experienced users are realizing greater productivity, improved communications and a competi-tive edge when bidding work. As development opportunities tighten, these users continue to differentiate themselves fromthose who have yet to adopt the technology, bringing value to clients while improving their bottom line.

Key Findings

� 62% of BIM users will use it on more than 30% of their projects in 2009.

� 82% of BIM experts believe that BIM has a very positive impact on their company’s productivity.

� 72% of BIM users say that BIM has had an impact on their internal project processes.

Market Adoption and GrowthBIM is being broadly adopted across the construction industry with over 50% of eachsurvey segment - archtect, engineers, contractors, and owners (AEC/O) - utilizingthe tools at moderate levels or higher. In the population as a whole, roughly one-third(35%) of BIM users are very heavy users, one-third (27%) are medium to heavy users,and one-third (38%) are light users. Key segment findings include:

� Architects are the heaviest users of BIM with 43% using it on more than 60% oftheir projects.

� Contractors are the lightest users of BIM with nearly half (45%) using it on lessthan 15% of projects and a quarter (23%) using it on more than 60% of projects.

BIM usage will also grow rapidly in the coming year. Nearly half of all currentadopters (45%) will be heavy users of BIM in 2009, using it on at least 60% of theirprojects—a 10 point increase over the previous year.

� A majority of architects (54%) will be very heavy users of BIM in 2009, upfrom 43% in 2008.

� Contractors expect to see the greatest increase in BIM usage in 2009. Thirty-eight percent will be heavy users, up from 23% in 2009. Only 12% expect light useof BIM, compared to 45% the previous year.

BIM DefinedFor purposes of this report, McGraw-Hill Construction definesBIM as: The process of creatingand using digital models for design, construction and/or operations of projects.

Market Triggers and ObstaclesBIM users face a very broad range ofdrivers and hurdles on the path toadoption. In general, BIM users see theneed to balance the benefits of im-proved productivity and coordinationwith the challenges of BIM-relatedcosts and training issues.

The Top Benefits of BIM

� Easier coordination of differentsoftware and project personnel

� Improved productivity

� Improved communication

� Improved quality control

Top Obstacles to BIM Adoption

� Adequate training

� Senior management buy-in

� Cost of software

� Cost of required hardwareupgrades

Growth in BIM Use on Projects

Total % Projects 2008 Projected Total % 2009

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2008

38%

17%10%

35% 18%

20%17%

45%

Light Users(1-15%)

Medium Users(16-30%)

Heavy Users(31-60%)

Very HeavyUsers (>60%)


3

Measuring the Value of BIMSurvey results indicate that 48% of respodents are tracking BIM return on invest-ment (ROI) at a moderate level or above. Results from companies who are activelytracking BIM return on investment (ROI) (see PCL Construction Case Study andHolder Construction interview) are showing initial BIM ROIs of 300 to 500% onprojects where BIM was used.

A follow up McGraw-Hill Construction online survey of AGC BIM Forum members(November 2008) found that the average perception of ROI on BIM to be between11% and 30%. However, those making the effort to measure ROI perceive a higher value. Among those that do measure it, almost one third reportan ROI greater than 100%, with several greater than 1,000%. Thus measuring ROIestablishes greater benefit of BIM than mere intuition suggests.

Some of the most important aspects of BIM ROI being measured by firms include:

� Improved project outcomes such as fewer RFIs and field coordination problems (79%)

� Better communication because of 3D visualization (79%)

� Positive impact on winning projects (66%)

User ExperienceThe rising use of BIM correlates with a generally upbeat assessment of its impact onusers’ business practices. As users begin to see its benefits, they deepen theirinvolvement with BIM.

� Half of users say BIM has a very positive impact on their respective companies.Only 7% report a negative impact.

� As users gain experience with BIM, their view of its impact improves significantly.

� Contractors (61%) have the most positive view of BIM.

� Most architects see BIM as having a very positive impact on their businesses.

� Owners are beginning to see the value of BIM, with 41% reporting that BIM has apositive impact on their projects. One-third are very willing to purchase BIM soft-ware for other team members and half are at least moderately willing to pay extrafor time and effort on detailing BIM models.

The broad future impact of BIM can beseen in the experience of expert users.As more users adopt BIM and gainproficiency, they will eventually de-velop many of the same viewpointsand practices as today’s experts.

� The positive impact of BIM on acompany’s practice is seen bythe vast majority of experts(82%), but few beginners (20%)

� Many experts can quantify theirsuccess with BIM . Nearly half(44%) frequently track ROI com-pared to 10% of beginners

� Use of BIM is changing the way expert firms do business.Experts are three times more likelythan beginners to say BIM has hada dramatic impact on their internalprocesses, and four times morelikely to say it has had a dramaticimpact on their external processes

� The ability to leverage dataanalysis comes with experienceExperts are twice as likely to useBIM data for quantity takeoff,scheduling and estimating com-pared to beginners

� BIM plays a more significantrole in green projects. ExpertBIM users are twice as likely to seeBIM as helpful on green projectscompared to beginners

7%

44%

49%

Most Negative(1-4)

Neutral

Most Positive(8 -10)

Impact of BIM Adoption on Users Expert Outlook


All Respondents

52%

23%

25%Low Effort(1-4)

Moderate

High Effort(8-10)

Involvement in Measuring ROI


All Respondents


4

Top Decision MakersIn determining whether BIM should beused on a project, architects are con-sidered the primary drivers of BIMuse among all build team members.

However, many team members, espe-cially contractors and engineers, are as likely or more likely to see them-selves in that role. This could reflectthe fact that many contractors seevalue in using BIM on projects re-gardless of its use among otherteam members.

Software UseSoftware provides the tools that makeBIM possible. Because BIM can reachacross the entire lifecycle of a project,numerous software providers offer awide array of solutions needed to meetdemand. Although these software ap-plications are available on varied plat-forms, users expect them to exchangeproject data as seamlessly as possible.Interoperability is cited as the mostimportant aspect that users wantsoftware companies to improve.

Content in Highest Demand ByUsers

� Structural elements

� Mechanical equipment

� Building envelope and windows

Most Popular Tools Used in Conjunction with BIM Data

� Quantity takeoff

� Scheduling

� Estimating

Elements Most Likely to Be Modeled in BIM

� Architectural

� Structural

� Mechanical

Architects Engineers Contractors Owners0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Per

cent

of L

evel

11%

49%

40%

44%

42%

14%

29%

52%

19%

41%

49%

10%

Less Adequately Adequately More AdequatelyTrained Trained Trained

Level of BIM Training

Paths to Expanding BIM UseTraining is critical to increasing BIM implementation. College and on-the-job training can help users unlock the potential of BIM, since research shows that usersgain more positive results from BIM as they develop higher levels of expertise.

� 76% of BIM users say the level of training available to them is adequate. One-third believe their training options are highly adequate, suggesting room for im-provement.

� Across all experience levels and company sizes, training on BIM basics is seen as the most important training need.

� Users are almost evenly split on the decision to bring in external trainers, train at off-site locations, use internal trainers, or teach themselves.

� The vast majority of respondents (85%) say users in their firms are at least moderately trained in BIM. One-third are very adequately trained, suggesting ademand for more training.


Rise of the Contractor

While BIM was initially developed with a focus on the design world, it has quicklygained favor among contractors.

Contractors who use BIM:

� Believe they are the most sophisticated users, with 46% considering themselvesadvanced or expert users.

� Have the most positive view of BIM and are more likely to see themselves as theprimary driver of BIM use on projects.

� Create BIM on a majority of their 2D-designed jobs.

� Could see the greatest increase in BIM use in 2009.

� See the greatest need to outsource BIM work in 2009.

� Are most likely to see working collaboratively with other firms in BIM as important.

� Are most likely to see a dramatic impact to external processes with BIM.

� Are the only users likely to modify conventional contracts when using BIM.

� See BIM as having the most benefit to green projects and want greater access togreen BIM tools in order to provide more comprehensive construction manage-ment capabilities to clients.


5

Recommendations� Beginners: Momentum is critical. Startsmall; know what you are trying to achieve;measure the results; and keep your expecta-tions aligned as you move up the learningcurve. Research shows that positive experi-ence grows in direct relation to expertise.Don’t get discouraged — you will overcomeinitial challenges. Designate BIM champi-ons and devote adequate training andtime for them.

� Intermediate Users: Focus on devel-oping best practices and a training program to expand BIM use internally.Decide either to build a team of BIM expertsto support multiple projects or to make BIMcapability a requirement for everyone. Ex-plore the growing universe of analysis toolsthat work with BIM (e.g. energy analysis).Reach out to companies you work with whoare also adopting BIM to develop integratedprocesses for model sharing and analysis.

� Advanced and Expert Users: For de-sign professionals and builders, leveragethe competitive advantage of your BIMexpertise by exploring 4D (schedule in-tegration) and 5D (cost modeling), whichprovide extremely powerful process efficien-cies. Also, consider forming alliances withother BIM-savvy companies that you workwell with to approach clients as an inte-grated delivery team with establishedprocesses and a proven track record. Youwill rise above the competition as demandfor BIM inevitably increases.

For owners, focus on defining specific BIM requirements for your projects sothe most qualified providers will be identified. Also, work on migrating your completed BIMs into automated operationsand maintenance, and have your teams tailortheir deliverables to support that.

� All Users: Leverage resources fromprofessional industry organizations.Consider joining the buildingSMARTAlliance (www.buildingSMARTalliance.org)where you can network with global BIMleaders and help advance the entire industry.

BIM and Green BuildingThere are significant opportunities for BIM tools to address issues related togreen building. Data incorporated into a BIM can be used to analyze the performanceof a building, including such green aspects as daylighting, energy efficiency and sustain-able materials.

Most BIM users are frequently involved in green projects and find BIM to be helpful with those projects. However, there are significant opportunities to further lever-age the benefits of BIM on sustainable projects. For example, BIM could be used to trackLEED credits. As BIM continues to develop, technology providers will need to improve itsability to address the sustainable design and construction demands of the industry.

� 77% of BIM users are involved in at least a moderate number of green projects.

� 57% say BIM is at least moderately helpful in producing green projects.

� Half of respondents indicate that a LEED certification tool would be beneficial in motivating them to use BIM on green projects.

Internal and External Impact of BIMBIM is changing the way companies work internally as well as with externalteam members. In order to reap the greatest benefit from BIM, many users recognizea need to rethink roles and work flow. As a repository of information from multiple teammembers, BIM also promotes a more collaborative environment that breaks down tradi-tional boundaries between firms and allows the sharing of project data among users.

� Seven in 10 users say that BIM has had at least a moderate impact on their internal project practices.

� Two-thirds of users say that BIM has had at least a moderate impact on their external project processes.

Top Ways BIM Changes How Users Work

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visualization capabilities to communicate with all parties.

� Using BIM on the jobsite to guide construction activities.

� More time designing, less time documenting.

23%

27%

50%LowInvolvement (1-4)

Moderate

HighInvolvement (8-10)

Level of Involvement in Green Projects


All Respondents


6

Adoption of BIM

The Rapid Rise of BIMBuilding information modeling is quicklygaining traction. After years of develop-ment and experimentation in the mar-ketplace, BIM is bringing swifttransformative change to how its usersapproach their work.

Research shows that users see clearbenefits of BIM and they are respond-ing by deepening their use of the tech-nology. At a time when the overalldevelopment market is tightening,these users are looking for BIM to helpthem gain a competitive advantage.

Adoption AccelerationMarkku Allison, resource architect atthe American Institute of Architects,has witnessed the rapid adoption ofBIM in recent years:"At our 2005 convention, the open-ing plenary session was about BIM,and of the nearly 4,000 architects inthe room we got the impressionthat 85% had never even heard ofBIM. Now when we go on the road,everyone knows what BIM is andthe audience can offer up successstories about using BIM."

Market GrowthThe expanding use of BIM is profound.All users expect to rapidly increasetheir use of BIM in 2009. In 2008,one-third of BIM users said they werevery heavy users, involving it in at leastthree in five of their current projects.Next year, nearly half expect to useBIM at that level—a 10 point increaseover the previous year.

User Differences� Contractors could see the great-

est rise in use. Although contrac-tors report relatively limited BIMuse compared to others, they arequickly catching up. Twenty-threepercent currently use BIM on 60%or more of projects. Thirty-eightpercent expect to use it at that levelin 2009—a 15 point increase.

� Architects use BIM on the highestpercentage of projects. Becausemany architects were among theearly adopters of BIM, they have ahead start on other users. A majorityof architects expect to become veryheavy users of BIM next year,jumping from 43% in 2008 to 54%in 2009. This substantial commit-ment to BIM could prompt otherteam members to increase theiruse of the technology as well.

� Engineers see their BIM use in-creasing, but not as drastically asother build team members. Thirty-five percent use BIM on at least60% of their current projects. Forty-three percent expect to use it at that level next year.

� Owners expect to see moderateincreases compared to other buildteam members. Owners currentlyhave limited opportunities to useBIM for operations and mainte-nance purposes. As those capabili-ties develop, BIM use amongowners could increase significantly.

Growth in BIM Use on Projects


Total % Projects 2008 Projected Total % 2009

38%

17%10%

35% 18%

20%17%

45%

Light Users(1-15%)

Medium Users(16-30%)

Heavy Users(31-60%)

Very HeavyUsers (>60%)

Current 2009 Current 2009 Current 2009 Current 20090%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Per

cent

of P

roje

cts 46%

11%10%

33%

41%

8%10%

41%

38%

15%

35%

12%

23%

12%

20%

45%

43%

16%

20%

21%

35%

8%

21%

36%

54%

22%

12%

12%

43%

11%

14%

32%

Architects Engineers Contractors Owners

Light Users Medium Users Heavy Users Very Heavy Users


7

Perception of BIMAs BIM use becomes more prevalent,much of the industry has a positiveview of its effect on their businesspractices. Half of users say BIM hasa very positive impact on their re-spective companies. Only one in tenexperience a negative impact.

Users offer an upbeat assessment ofBIM despite the fact that a limited num-ber of users measure their ROI (seesection “Value of Using BIM”). Thissuggests that although many userscan’t quantify its benefits, they still em-brace BIM’s promise.

User Differences� Contractors have the most posi-

tive view of BIM. Sixty-one percentof contractors say it has a very pos-itive effect on their companies.Contractors see benefits such asimproved clash detection that candirectly reduce costs and delays.

� Architects also see BIM as benefi-cial with three in five reporting ithas a very positive effect. Thirty-eight percent say it has a neutral orslightly positive impact. Throughuse of BIM, many architects findthey can spend less time draftingand more time designing.

� Engineers are also generally posi-tive about BIM, though slightly lesscompared to other users. Thirty-seven percent report that BIM hasa very positive effect on their busi-nesses. A majority (54%) say BIMhas a neutral or slightly positive ef-fect. Engineers can leverage datain BIM to help with simulation andanalysis.

� Owners are largely positive aboutBIM, but less than contractors andarchitects. One in 10 report that ithas a negative impact. This couldbe related to concerns over its cost.Many owners do not see the directbenefits of BIM compared to oth-ers. This could change as the capa-bilities of BIM for owners expand.

Impact of BIM Adoption


All Respondents

Architects Engineers

Contractors Owners

5% 38%

57%

9%

54%

37%

4% 35%

61%

10%

49%

41%

7%

44%

49%

Most Negative(1-4)

Neutral

Most Positive(8 -10)


8

Experience CountsBIM is progressively seen as having amore positive effect on one’s practiceas the user becomes more experi-enced. Sophistication with BIMbreeds success. Eighty-two percentof expert users say BIM has a positiveimpact compared to 20% of beginnerusers.

This could be attributed, in part, to theexpert user’s ability to capitalize onmore of the technology’s functionalitycompared to others.

It can’t be assumed that all users willeventually become experts. Althoughbeginners may not see the upside ofBIM initially, the research suggests thatthe payoff will happen as they gain ex-perience.

Interview with Robert A. Bank, P.E.U.S. Army Corps of EngineersEngineering and Construction DepartmentThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requiring BIM-based deliverables as part of itsCenters of Standardization program, which focuses on design-build projects for military transformation work. This involves continuous building of 43 standard facilitytypes. The Corps plans to combine, reuse and rebuild BIM models as the basis forthese standard facilities and deploy them repeatedly in an adapt-build mode. RobertA. Bank, P.E., with the Corps’ Engineering and Construction department, gives hisviews of this initiative.

How are you evaluating service providers?We expect our design and construction contractors to develop BIM capabilities. OurRFPs require firms to describe their BIM qualifications. It’s a critical evaluation criterion.

What are your metrics for success?First we focused on getting the eight Centers of Standardization up to speed. Nowwe’re tracking how many districts are doing BIM, which helps to focus our trainingand development efforts. As of October 2008, we have completed and occupiedabout 10 BIM projects and have about 40 more underway.

What is working well so far?We’re getting good response to RFPs for design-build projects in BIM. Contractorsare willing to meet our BIM objectives. And our customers are pleased with the visu-alization capability of BIM. They can be much more involved in the projects.

What are the challenges you are coming up against? There is still some resistance to BIM, especially with smaller contractors who are re-luctant to make the investment. Also, there was some misunderstanding about ourBIM program being strictly Bentley based. We have been working hard to clarify ourposition of being vendor neutral. The industry seems to be getting that message.

Where do you intend to take the program from here?We have a very forward-looking BIM roadmap. We will continue to train our peopleand to extend BIM into more projects. Our CERL Lab in Champaign, Illinois is devel-oping Construction Operations Business Information Exchange (COBIE) as part ofthe National BIM Standard so we can move BIM into facilities management. Ultimately we want to bring models and their associated data into a GIS-based decision-making system for our senior management. Another future goal is to incorporate BIM into big horizontal construction projects in our civil works program.

Contractors Creating BIMFrom 2D DocumentsThe need for contractors to createtheir own BIM on projects that wereoriginally designed in 2D is fairly com-mon. Many contractors find they cangain value from BIM even if other teammembers aren’t using it.

Approximately 3 in 5 contractors cre-ate BIM on a majority of their 2D-de-signed jobs with one-third doing so onnearly all 2D projects (80% or more).Forty-four percent rarely create BIMwhen the project was originally de-signed in 2D. It can be assumed thisgroup is receiving model files from de-sign professionals and not authoringmodels themselves.

This practice is significantly more com-mon among experienced users andlarger firms. More than 80% of ad-vanced and expert users create BIM ona majority of such projects. Likewise,17% of beginners say they regularlycreate BIM on 2D projects.

Sixty-one percent of large firms createBIM on 2D projects compared to 34%of small firms.

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

82%14%4%

66%30%4%

42%53%5%

20%65%15%

Most Negative (1-4) Neutral Most Positive (8-10)

Impact of BIM by Experience Level



9

Challenges to AdoptionAlthough many report a variety of chal-lenges, users tend to view them asmoderate or lesser concerns. As anew technology, costs and trainingissues have been the greatest hurdles on the path to adoption.

TrainingReceiving adequate training is thegreatest challenge to adopting BIM.This could be particularly difficult be-cause only a limited number of usershave an expert background that couldbe used as a training resource. Asmore expertise develops in the in-dustry from colleges and universi-ties, within firms and from thirdparties, training should become lessof a challenge.

� 19% see it as most challenging.

� Engineers are most concerned.

� Owners are least concerned.

� Training is an important concernacross all experience levels.

CostsCost of software and required hardwareupgrades are also considered signifi-cant hurdles. These are common concerns with any new technology.

� 15% see software costs as mostchallenging.

� 13% see hardware upgrade costsas most challenging.

� Architects and engineers are mostconcerned about hardware upgradecosts.

Staff Buy-InThe higher the level of management inquestion, the greater the general con-cern that they may not embrace BIM.Senior management buy-in is consid-ered among the greatest challenges toadoption. This could reflect severalfactors. Senior managers are morelikely to be in a position where theyhave to justify the costs and effortsassociated with bringing BIM intopractice. As veterans of the industry,they may also be “used to doing thingsa certain way” and therefore hesitantto change their processes.

Lower down the ladder, junior staff buy-in is considered the least challenging. Inpart, this is because junior staffers arein less of a decision-making role. Also,younger staff who are still developingtheir skills in the industry are likely to bemore open to trying new methods ofpractice and may have been exposed toBIM as part of their college education.

� 17% see senior staff buy-in as mostchallenging.

� 11% see middle staff buy-in asmost challenging.

� 66% see junior staff buy-in as leastchallenging.

� Owners are the most concernedabout buy-in at all staff levels.

Other Factors

� Engineers are most likely to see alack of external incentives or direc-tives moving them to use BIM.

� Architects and engineers are bothchallenged by the potential risks oflosing intellectual property, and liability issues.

� Other than training, expert usersgenerally see fewer challenges thanbeginners.

Upbeat Future OutlookThe largely positive view of BIM amongusers contributes heavily to its antici-pated near-term growth. The technol-ogy’s greatest advocates will leadthe broader effort to expand its future use.

� Seven in ten of very heavy users,who expect to use BIM on at least60% of projects in 2009, also re-port that BIM has a very positive im-pact on their businesses.

� No very heavy users say it has anegative impact.

� Among light users, who expect touse BIM on no more than 15% ofprojects, only 15% hold a very posi-tive view of BIM. A quarter of lightusers say BIM has a negative effect.Many of these users are also begin-ners and are likely experiencing thegrowing pains of BIM adoption.These users may need more experience with BIM to see the advantages of expanding their investment in it.

0% 20% 40%

19%

15%

13%

17%

11%

13%

9%

12%

80% 60% 40% 20% 0%Percent of Challenges

35%

44%

50%

52%

51%

61%

60%

66%

Users ReportingLeast Challenging

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingMost Challenging

(8-10)

5.25

4.70

4.46

4.37

4.27

3.76

3.72

3.61

Adequate training

Cost of software

Risk of losing intellectual propertyand liability issues

Cost of required hardwareupgrades

Senior Management /senior staff buy-in

Middle management /middle staff buy-in

No external incentives ordirectives moving us to use BIM

Junior Management /junior staff buy-in

Challenges to BIM Adoption



10

Case Study:PCL Constructionby Bruce Buckley

Change doesn’t often come quickly tocompanies with over a century of expe-rience in the construction world. But theadvent of BIM has executives at PCLConstruction based in Denver, Colorado,rethinking their view on internal struc-ture and process. The 102-year-old firmis undergoing a transformation thatuses BIM to make virtual design andconstruction (VDC) an everyday part ofits practice.

“In five years, we want VDC to be fullyintegrated into what we do,” says EdHoagland, virtual construction managerat PCL.

The company’s VDC mission is to buildprojects twice—once in the virtual worldand once in the real world. Beforecrews take to the field, a project ismodeled virtually. PCL teams use BIMto create a prototype where they canidentify issues before they have an im-pact on budget and schedule. When it’stime to build the project in the realworld, Hoagland says the goal is tohave eliminated at least 90 percent ofissues before they reach the field.

The process redefines value engineer-ing as the team minimizes redesigns,requests for information, coordinationissues and rework on site.

Through VDC, the company aims toimprove risk management and commu-nication.

“It’s about spending more time plan-ning and less time fighting fires,”Hoagland says.

Big ReturnsSo far, the initiative is paying off in a bigway for the company. Hoagland esti-mates that PCL is realizing roughly a500 percent return on investment withBIM. The vast majority of that paybackis coming from clash-detection effortsthat greatly reduce costly change orders. However, the company realizesadditional benefits that aren’t calculatedinto ROI.

“It’s hard to quantify saving time and ef-fort,” he says. “Some of it is just gut-feeling. A lot of what we do results in‘problem avoidance.’ That’s a benefitthat’s sellable in the construction indus-try, whether you can quantify it or not.”

As traditional ideas of process change,so does internal hierarchy. Hoaglandoversees PCL’s BIM initiative from thecorporate level—a position that didn’texist five years ago. The company hasalso hired a least one full-time BIMmodeler in each of its 12 U.S. districts.

“We had to create those positions andare working on making a career path forthem,” he says.

The goal is to have at least one “BIMchampion” in each district, who canserve as a BIM expert and overseeVDC efforts regionally, Hoagland says.The company also typically places anon site modeler on its BIM projects,taking the place of a project engineer.

“This isn’t something you can do with amodeling department in the corporateoffice,” he says. “If someone in the fieldneeds something, the modeler on sitecan turn around and handle it rightaway.”

Depending on the number of projectsunderway, additional modelers arebrought on as necessary; howeverHoagland says this is only a short-termfix. Eventually, he hopes that BIM will bea skill set that a variety of staff memberscan employ.

“In the next year, we’re looking at send-ing field engineers through BIM trainingand making it a stop on their careerpath,” he says. “After six months ofworking with it, then they are able to goout on a site and use it. It becomes aspoke in the wheel of your career de-velopment.”

Internal IssuesAlthough VDC could redefine some ofPCL’s processes, the company isn’tready to toss out its proven practices.Using BIM data to help generatescheduling analysis—often called 4D—has been an easy call, Hoagland says.

“There are big returns on low effort with4D,” he says.

However, the company is hesitant tofully integrate estimating functions—or5D—into its BIM work. Hoagland saysthat PCL is investigating how to retain itsexisting estimating processes and mak-

Memorial Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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pany. This is a construction companyand BIM is a tool we use to get there.”

Recent successesThrough recent BIM projects, PCL hasfound value at different phases in theconstruction process.

BIM was beneficial in pursuit of its Met-ropolitan Gardens project in Denver.Hoagland says the models were inte-gral in helping PCL win the project,showing the owner a 4D schedule ofconstruction phasing along with a quan-tity survey. With 100 man-hours spenton BIM work, Hoagland says the com-pany gained a competitive advantageduring project pursuit; increased thecomfort level with ownership; and gen-erated a valuable communication toolwithin the team.

On PCL’s Silverline project in Telluride,Colorado, BIM helped PCL avoid verycostly errors during preconstruction.Hoagland says the project site, which isset along a steep hillside, is sensitivebecause it neighbors a gondola that operates most of the year. Truck trafficand risks to homes located uphill fromthe site were also of concern to thetown council. The team used a 4Dschedule of excavation and shoring inBIM to show how it would mitigate is-sues which helped it gain approvalsfrom the town council, Hoagland says.

PCL also used its Silverline model topull quantities as a back-check to itsoriginal takeoff. The original estimatefor excavated material was around100,000 cubic yards. Hoagland sayschecking the model revealed that thequantity was closer to 170,000 cubicyards As a result, PCL avoided a nearly$3 million error before guaranteedmaximum price was finalized. The com-bined effort required 560 man-hours,generating expenses well short of itstotal cost savings.

PCL has consistently seen payoffs during the construction phase. On itsMemorial Hospital project in ColoradoSprings, Colorado, PCL used BIM toovercome numerous challenges, butperhaps none greater than clash detec-tion. In addition to housing the complexarray of MEP systems commonly seenin hospitals, Hoagland says the archi-tectural design was complicated andnonlinear. By layering the architectural,structural and MEP systems in BIM, hesays the team discovered nearly 3,500total clashes. Although the vast majoritywere errors that could have beencaught and fixed easily in the field,Hoagland says that at least 500 ofthem would have had a significant im-pact on cost and schedule. From pursuitthrough construction, PCL loggednearly 1,200 man-hours in BIM.

ing BIM work within that framework.

“The estimating processes here havebeen developed over the last 100years,” he says. “In order to get [5D] towork, you’ve got to tailor it to workwithin that system. It’s about taking thesoftware and making it work for us. It’snot about rethinking estimating. It willnever work that way.”

External ForcesWhile the company works through itsown internal issues as it moves for-ward with BIM, it isn’t waiting for oth-ers to get up to speed. Hoagland saysthe company uses BIM on projectswhether other team members use it ornot. He says that PCL very rarely receives useable BIM models fromdesigners. Although receiving a modelfrom a designer could cut down onPCL’s workload, the company sees significant ROI regardless.

However, Hoagland says, BIM willchange the way it interacts with sub-contractors. The company often specifiesbasic file requirements from subs, sothat data exchanged between firmscan work with its BIM-related software.

The key is to not force subs to learnBIM, he says.

“If they are unable to do the modelingthemselves, we’ve got outsourcing options we can refer them to,” he says.“We help make the connection andthey pay for it. It shows up as a lineitem in their bid. We’ve found that if wedon’t give them that option, they comeback with bids that are completely out-rageous. By making those connections,we mitigate that.”

Although PCL usually initiates the de-cision to use BIM on a project,Hoagland says that eventually needs tochange.

“In the long run, we need to find someway to get from design-intent modelsto construction models,” he says.“That’s a burning question throughoutthe industry right now. We don’t wantto be building every model. In the end,we don’t want to be a modeling com-

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Usage of BIM

Owner InvestmentMany owners are willing to pay someextra costs to designers and con-tractors for use of BIM on projects.

� 30% are very willing to purchase BIMsoftware for other team members.

� Half of owners are at least moder-ately willing to pay extra toward thetime and effort needed to model inBIM, with half being at least moder-ately willing. This is logical becauseowners are more accustomed topaying team members for their time.

Drivers of BIM UseWhile BIM can be used by all build teammembers on a project, some are morelikely to drive its use than others. Archi-tects are considered the primarydriver of BIM use. Beyond its obviousdesign applications, architects are earlydecision makers and their technologychoices can set the tone for how a projectwill progress. By using BIM, architectsalso create information that can be sharedwith other team members, developing theframework for an integrated environment.

User Differences� Architects are seen as the primary

driver by 40% of all team members.Four in five architects see themselvesin that role, but few contractors seearchitects as the primary driver.

� General Contractors and CMs areconsidered the primary drivers among18% of team members. Half of con-tractors see themselves in that role,while few other team members creditthem with driving its use. This couldreflect the fact that many contractorsuse BIM on projects regardless of itsuse among other team members.

� Engineers are as likely to see them-selves as the primary driver as theyare to see architects in that role (one-third each).

� Owners are more likely than othersto credit a combination of individualsas the driver (26%). This suggeststhat owners see BIM as more of acollaborative process than others.

Range of UseThe great promise of BIM is its expansive range of applications for users. At its basiclevel, BIM represents an evolution from traditional 2D design to a dynamic 3D modelbuilt around a database of a project’s physical and functional characteristics. The moredata users add to the model, the more benefits can be leveraged from it. Be-yond 3D visualization of a project, information about specific objects within the model canbe used for a wide range of analyses such as building performance, schedule and costs.

Today, 3D modeling is by far the most popular use of BIM, with architects leading theway. Other users, such as engineers, are finding selective ways to model elements inBIM. Contractors are building momentum for the use of BIM in 4D (scheduling) and 5D(cost estimating).

As users continue to gain expertise with BIM, they will further capitalize on thetechnology’s potential and push for new ways to garner benefits in areas suchas sustainability and building operations. Architects and engineers will likely useBIM to do energy analyses, and owners will use the BIM model to manage and main-tain their facilities.

Other

Trade Contractors

Structural Engineers

MEP Engineers

Civil Engineer

Owners

Combination

CMs or GCs

Architects

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

40%18%

14%13%

7%3%

2%1%2%

Primary Drivers of BIM Use on Projects


Purchasing Hardware to

Training

Outsourcing to 3rd Parties

Time & Effort on Detailing

Purchasing BIM Software

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

30%8%62%

19%32%49%

19%24%57%

16%24%60%

16%11%73%Run BIM

BIM Modeling

Least Willing (1-4) Moderately Most Willing (8-10)

Owner Willingness to Pay Extra For BIM



13

Modeled Elements on BIM ProjectsBuild team members say that architectural, structural, mechanical and plumbingelements—in that order—are the most likely to be modeled when using BIM.This view holds generally true among all team members, although the larger andmore experienced the firm is, the more likely it is to see these elements modeled onBIM projects.

This view makes sense in light of the BIM adoption and usage patterns of variousdisciplines. Architects lead the way with 54% reporting to be either heavy or veryheavy users in 2008. Engineers lag slightly as 43% of all engineering disciplinescombined are at that usage level. In 2009, fully two-thirds of architects predict beingeither heavy or very heavy users—a 41% increase. By comparison, engineers predicta 37% increase at this usage level in 2009.

Electrical engineers lag behind mechanical and structural. This is likely due inpart to the relative lack of content for electrical elements. These elements also havesmaller physical size requirements in buildings compared to bulky structural systems,large mechanical elements like duct work, and the diameter and pitch/location re-quirements of plumbing waste lines. As such, electrical coordination issues are lesschallenging and modeling is less critical.

Users suggest a relative prominence of accessibility planning as a special function(30%). This points the way toward more innovative uses of BIM modeling be-yond visualization and clash detection. During construction sequencing and siteplanning, some contractors are gaining powerful efficiencies by using simulation tooptimize logistics, phasing, equipment locations and materials handling. As more en-abling applications come online that extract relevant data from design models to au-tomate valuable tasks, it is likely that their use will dramatically increase.

Emerging Maturity Models for BIMIn the National BIM Standard (NBIMS)Version 1, Part 1, the National Instituteof Building Sciences (NIBS) has pub-lished a preliminary guideline to estab-lish the minimum level of informationthat constitutes a BIM, setting a thresh-old for what legitimately can be called aBIM versus a set of weighted criteria.

NIBS further outlined a Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for users toevaluate their BIM processes and setgoals for improvement. It is based on10 levels of maturity in 11 areas of interest, including: data richness; life-cycle views; change management;roles or disciplines; businessprocesses; timeliness/response; deliv-ery method; graphical information; spa-tial capability; information accuracy;and interoperability/IFC support.

NIBS provides an interactive workbookso that users can easily see wheretheir operations are the most mature.The electronic version of the CMMworkbook can be downloaded at:www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/I-CMM.

The Alliance for Construction Excel-lence (ACE) at Arizona State Universityalso tackled this challenge in its publi-cation entitled “Building InformationModeling: An Introduction and BestMethods Approach.” ACE outlines a three-level rating system where Level1 is considered the basic and funda-mental use of BIM, Level 2 representsa more significant investment in BIM at a project level, and Level 3 is a moreadvanced, complex, and integrated approach to BIM. This document isavailable at: www.garyaller.com/publications.asp.

Transportation system

Energy management systems

In-ground utilities

Storm-water system

Fire/life safety systems

Electrical system

Construction sequencing

Accessibility

Plumbing system

Mechanical system

Structural system

Architecture

0% 20% 40% 60%

58%

49%

38%

30%

25%

23%

24%

23%

21%

18%

13%

10%

80% 60% 40% 20% 0%

23%

33%

41%

50%

49%

55%

56%

57%

60%

60%

65%

78%

Users ReportingLeast Frequent

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingMost Frequent

(8-10)

7.06

6.33

5.41

4.88

4.64

4.42

4.38

4.28

3.96

3.84

3.51

2.77

& site planning

Frequency of Modeling Elements with BIM



14

Modeling DetailsBIM users gravitate toward using thetechnology to model specific elementswithin their respective practices. Al-though some use BIM for a broadrange of applications, there is sig-nificant room for expanded use ofthe technology to model certaindesign elements. Architects tend touse BIM to model a full range of ele-ments at a high level. However, electri-cal engineers and contractors do verylittle electrical design modeling.Among some disciplines, such as me-chanical engineering design, there is amix of preferred uses of BIM, suggest-ing that users have yet to realize thebenefits of some design elements.

Architectural Elements� The frequency of modeling all

architectural elements is highamong architects.

� Exterior openings, building skin, andexterior wall and skin are the mostfrequently modeled elements byarchitects.

� Floor assemblies are the least frequently modeled element by ar-chitects. However, these elementsare still modeled at a high level.

Mechanical Elements� Mechanical engineers and contrac-

tors use BIM to model duct systems,air handlers and major equipmentvery frequently.

� Grilles and diffusers are also modeledfairly often by mechanical engineersand contractors.

� Notably, energy management sys-tems and controls are rarely modeledby mechanical engineers and con-tractors, with three in five sayingthey don’t model those elementsfrequently. With the rapid rise of thegreen movement, demand to modelthese elements more frequentlycould quickly gain momentum inthe near future.

Differentiating Between Design and Construction ModelsDerek Cunz, director of project development at Mortenson Construction, says hiscompany likes to work with integrated design teams early in projects, but oftenbuilds its own construction models.

"There are design-intent models, and there are construction models, and they aredifferent in what they are intended to do," he states. "With design-intent modelswe see an opportunity to collaborate, do analysis, do validation and look at sched-ules early. In the construction phase, traditionally we're building from scratch be-cause of the amount of detail required in a construction model [that isn't in adesign model]."

During schematics, Mortenson uses the design team's model for analysis but won'tcreate its own model at that point because the design is still evolving. Even withthe added work to build the construction model, Cunz says the process ultimatelysaves money.

Floor Assemblies

Toilet Rooms

Interior Doors

Stairs

Roof/ Roof Assemblies

Interior Partitions

Exterior Wall & Skin

Exterior Openings

Building Skin

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

83%8%9%

83%11%6%

82%9%9%

82%10%8%

76%13%11%

75%15%10%

74%16%10%

73%15%12%

66%22%12%

Least Frequent (1-4) Moderately Most frequent (8-10)

Modeling Architectural Elements in BIM


Controls

Energy Management Systems

Grilles & Diffusers

Air Handlers

Major Equipment

Duct Systems

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

80%12%8%

76%12%12%

76%12%12%

64%20%16%

20%20%60%

20%16%64%


Modeling Mechanical Engineering Elements in BIM



15

Electrical Elements� The frequency of modeling all elec-

trical design elements is low amongelectrical engineers and contractors.

� A quarter of electrical engineersand contractors model light fixturesfrequently —more than any otherelement.

� Energy management systems andjunction boxes are rarely modeledby electrical engineers and contrac-tors. Again, demands related to increased green design and con-struction could prompt engineers to model these elements more fre-quently in the coming years.

Civil Elements� Civil, environmental and transporta-

tion engineers model site grading andstormwater drainage very frequently.

� Sanitary, sewer and water distribu-tion systems are frequently modeledby civil, environmental and trans-portation engineers.

� Bridges are rarely modeled in BIMby civil, environmental and trans-portation engineers. This representsan opportunity for future expansionthat needs to be further explored.

Structural Elements� Steel columns, beams, trusses and

concrete are very frequently mod-eled by structural engineers andcontractors.

� Nearly half of structural engineersand contractors model reinforcingand steel details in BIM.

� Formwork is almost never modeledin BIM by structural engineers andcontractors. This represents an op-portunity for future expansion thatneeds to be further explored.

Energy Management Systems

Conduit

Junction Boxes

Switches/ Outlets

Panels

Light Fixtures

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

26%16%58%

19%11%70%

16%20%64%

13%15%72%

10%17%73%

8%15%77%


Modeling Electrical Design Elements in BIM

Bridges

Building Pads

Water Distribution System

Sanitary/ Sewer System

Streets/ Highways

Stormwater Drainage

Site Grading

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of Modeling Civil Elements

68%25%7%

61%25%14%

53%11%36%

50%25%25%

43%36%21%

39%25%36%

14%18%68%


Modeling Civil Engineering Design Elements in BIM

Formwork

Reinforcing

Steel Details

Concrete

Steel Columns/ Beams/ Trusses

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of Modeling Structural Elements

81%8%11%

78%6%16%

30%17%53%

28%17%55%

6%8%86%


Modeling Structural Engineering Design Elements in BIM





16

Scheduling in BIMThe potential of BIM to offer schedul-ing functions—also referred to as 4D—is an emerging benefit. Although thedesign capabilities of BIM are widelyemployed by users, the industry isstill in the early phases of adoptingBIM for scheduling. This is likely dueto the large investments that firmshave already made in project manage-ment software. As BIM use amongcontractors expands faster thanamong other users, greater use of 4Dcan be expected in the near future.

User Differences� Contractors are most likely to use

scheduling in BIM, as that is a sig-nificant portion of their practice.

� As could be expected, archi-tects (78%), engineers (85%)and owners (87%) use sched-uling in BIM much less fre-quently than contractors.

Cost Data in BIMAs with scheduling, users are still exploring how to incorporate cost data—also known as 5D—into BIM. In somecases, companies may struggle withhow to integrate BIM with existing esti-mating systems. Although there areconsiderable opportunities to improvethe use of scheduling in BIM, the lackof cost analysis being executed inBIM represents even more potentialfor future growth.

User Differences� Contractors are most likely to use

cost data in BIM, as estimating is akey part of their practice. Three in 10use it at least moderately frequently.

� After contractors, owners are nextmost likely to use cost data in BIM.Owners also focus heavily on costs.

� Engineers (82 %) and architects(85%) are least likely to use esti-mating in BIM.

� More experienced users are farmore likely to use cost data in BIMthan others.

Integration of Scheduling Data with BIM



Contractors Owners

Integration of Cost Data with BIM



Contractors Owners

78%

12%10%

85%

9%6%

51%

28%

21%

87%

13%0%

85%

12%

3%

82%

13%5%

71%

16%13%

79%

8%13%

Most Negative(1-4)

Neutral

Most Positive(8-10)

Most Negative(1-4)

Neutral

Most Positive(8-10)


17

Outsourcing BIMWith the exception of owners, buildteam members largely handle theirBIM work in-house. However, as theuse of BIM expands rapidly amongcurrent adopters there will be agreater need for outsourcing in2009 to meet demand. Eventually,the in-house capabilities of firms couldcatch up with demand, but not untilgrowth eases.

Future Use� Owners are most likely to out-

source BIM work with one-third reporting they do so very frequently.That could expand significantly asone-third also expect to increaseoutsourcing in 2009.

� Few contractors (7%) outsourceBIM work very frequently. However,contractors see the greatest needto outsource BIM work in 2009, with40% expecting it to increase. This isnot surprising considering that con-tractors also predict that they willsee the largest increase in use ofBIM on projects next year (see thesection “Adoption of BIM”).

� Few architects currently outsourceBIM work, but three in 10 expect todo so in 2009.

� The majority of users (60%) whoexpect to increase outsourcing ofBIM in 2009 are beginner or in-termediate users.

� The majority of users (53%) whoexpect to increase outsourcing ofBIM in 2009 are medium-large tolarge firms.

� One-third of users who expect toincrease outsourcing of BIM in2009 currently use it on 60% ormore of their projects.

� Two in five users who expect to in-crease outsourcing of BIM in 2009also expect to use it on 60% ormore of their projects in 2009.

Outsourcing of BIM Work



20%

40%

60%

80%

31%

61%

5%3%

40%46%

9%5%

14%

73%

8%5%

29%

70%

1%

Stop Entirely Decrease Stay the same Increase

Projected Outsourcing of BIM



Contractors Owners

93%

7% 0%

91%

8% 1%

80%

13% 7%

61%8%

31%Most Negative(1-4)

Neutral

Most Positive(8-10)


Growing the ConnectionBetween BIM and GreenJust as BIM use is rapidly expandingwithin the design and constructionindustry, so is the green buildingmovement. Although these twotrends are evolving along their ownpaths, there are significant oppor-tunities for BIM tools to addressissues related to sustainability.

Data incorporated into a BIM can beused to analyze the performance of abuilding, including such green aspectsas daylighting, energy efficiency andsustainable materials. As the greenmovement gains momentum, BIMusers are beginning to tap into thetechnology’s potential. As BIM con-tinues to develop, technology providerswill need to improve its ability to address the sustainable design andconstruction demands of the industry.

18

BIM Users and GreenAs sustainability continues to gain momentum, BIM users are among itsadopters.

Three-quarters of BIM users are involved in at least a moderatelevel of green projects with half reporting that their involvement ingreen building is at a high level.

User Differences� Architects and contractors are

most heavily involved in green proj-ects with three in five reporting ahigh level of activity.

� Nearly half of owners are involvedin green projects at a high level.

� Engineers are the least involved ingreen projects.

� Large firms are significantly morelikely to be involved in green projects.

� More experienced BIM users alsotend to be more heavily involved ingreen projects than others.

BIM Energy Modeling ToolsFirms like SmithGroup are using BIM tools to redesign buildings to be more energy efficient. As shown in the graph below, using the modeling tool, SmithGroupwas able to identify energy savings of 19.6% resulting in cost savings of 22.4%.This was primarily achieved through lowering space cooling and lighting, andthrough exchange of pumping and heating energy usage.

Energy efficiency analysis of Constitution Center Renovation, Washington DC(Source: SmithGroup)

23%

27%

50%LowInvolvement (1-4)

Moderate

HighInvolvement (8-10)

Level of Involvement in Green Projects

10.2% 4.1%

25.5%

19.6%

12.7%

6.4%

1.4%4.9%1.1%2.3%0.5%

4.7% 2.6% 4.1%

Service WaterHeating

Office Equipment

Elevators &Escalators

Misc Equipment

LightingConditioned

LightingUnconditioned

Space Heating

Energy Savings

Space Cooling

Pumps

Cooling Tower

Fans-AHU

Fans-Misc

Fans-ParkingGarages

Proposed Design

All Respondents



BIM and Green ProjectsAs BIM users tend to be involved inmany sustainable projects, some seeBIM as providing a high level of assistance with their green work.

A majority of users (57%) say BIM is at least moderately helpful in produc-ing green projects. Forty-three percentcurrently see little involvement of BIMin green projects, indicating that astronger connection to BIM’s analysiscapabilities needs to be made. The de-velopment of new green tools couldalso bolster its use in the coming years.

User Differences

� Contractors see BIM as having themost benefit to green projects withthree in 10 reporting a high level of assistance.

� Two-thirds of architects see BIM asat least moderately helpful.

� A majority of engineers and ownerssee BIM as helpful.

� Expert BIM users are twice as likelyto see BIM as helpful compared tobeginner and intermediate users.

� Perceived helpfulness of BIM in pro-ducing more sustainable projects isrelatively similar regardless ofcompany size.

19

Green ToolsThe development of additionalanalysis tools could further spuruse of BIM on green projects. Sev-eral BIM analysis tools were identifiedby users as being needed for greenprojects:

� 50% indicated that LEED calcula-tion software integrated with BIMwould be very helpful.

� 47% thought that more buildingproduct content with data about theproducts sustainability characteristicsshould be integrated into BIM tools.

� 44% believe energy analysis soft-ware should be integrated with BIM.

BIM Use in Green Projects


All Respondents


Contractors Owners

36%

46%

18%

48%33%

19%

42%

28%

30% 49%

28%

23%

43%35%

22% LowInvolvment(1-4)

Moderate

HighInvolvment(8-10)


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20

Case Study:Springfield Literacy Centerby Bruce Buckley

Performance analysis of Springfield Literacy Center

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In designing the new Springfield LiteracyCenter, the choice by design and engi-neering firm Burt Hill to use BIM was anatural one. While planning the Spring-field (Pennsylvania) School District’s firstnew building in nearly 50 years, school of-ficials aimed to create an inspirationallearning environment that connects stu-dents to nature. Everywhere within the50,000 square foot building students canview nature, including a grove of maturetrees and a neighboring creek.

The building itself also needed to be envi-ronmentally sensitive, offering green ele-ments that would not only improve theperformance of the building but serve asa tool for students to better understandsustainable practices.

The project proved to be a learning expe-rience for Burt Hill as well. When the firmcame on board in 2006, their K-12 studiowas presented with the perfect opportu-nity to implement a fully-integrated BIMstrategy for the first time. With the goal ofachieving LEED certification, Burt Hill’sperformance analysis team was broughtin early to help affect key design decisionsduring the schematic phase. By gettinginvolved early, the analysis team could ex-peditiously offer feedback about designchoices and provide alternatives asnecessary.

“Normally we don’t come in until the de-sign document phase or even the con-struction document phase,” explainsMatthew Rooke, architectural engineer onBurt Hill’s performance analysis team.“We’re traditionally an afterthought, andprojects miss a lot of benefits as a result.With some of these analysis questions,the ideal time to address them is duringthe schematic phase. It takes much moreeffort and redesign once you’re in designdocuments.”

Effective daylighting was a critical compo-nent in achieving the client’s goals. Initialdesigns included floor-to-ceiling windowsin all classrooms, but analysis showedthat the windows would produce high

levels of glare. The team was able to re-design smaller windows that maximizednatural daylight while minimizing glare.Energy analysis was also used to deter-mine optimal levels of window trans-parency to balance lighting demandswith thermal performance concerns.Light shelves and external shadingwere also added to portions of thebuilding as a result of early analysis.

Other sustainable design elements in-clude geothermal heating, recycled materials and a green roof.

Interoperability proved a key to productiv-ity. The performance analysis team usedsoftware that exchanged nearly all dataseamlessly with the BIM, eliminating re-dundancies such as reentering data.

“It was a good tool for real time and effi-cient dialogue,” adds Michael Corb, seniorassociate at Burt Hill. “With the energyanalysis, we didn’t create new models foreach specific purpose and then just throwthem away. We always had the one BIMmodel and we kept detailing it until wegot our final product.”

BIM also greatly improved communica-tion with the client. The team held regularcharettes with school officials to go overdesigns and make changes on the spot.

“In a lot of our meetings, we brought themodel in, talked about programming cer-

tain spaces and got buy-off from theowner on design concepts right way,”Corb says. “They gave us feedback thatwe put back in the model in real time. Atthe end of the discussion, we’d throw therendering back up so they could respondand approve it. We didn’t have to go backto the office, rework it, take it back tothem and hope it’s what they want.”

Between improved communications, a reduced need for reentering data be-tween software applications, and theability to avoid many costly redesignslate in the schedule, Corb says theprocess of using BIM along with analysissoftware in an integrated environmentsignificantly improved productivity.

In the end, it will also ensure quality. Byrunning analysis early and incorporatingthe results into BIM, Rooke says the teamcame up with optimal ways of achievingproject goals. When the school is com-pleted in late 2009, the team is confidentthat it will achieve sufficient LEED pointstoward certification and that the buildingwill use 26% less energy than a similartraditional facility.

“By being involved early, the team couldset its target [toward LEED] earlier on in-stead of just hoping to get it,” Rooke says.“This way, we can tell the client withgreater confidence that we’ll be able toachieve certification.”


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Introduction to BIM:SmartMarket Report Special Sectionby Stephen A. Jones

Building Information Modeling (BIM) isdriving an unprecedented revolution inthe construction industry. It involvesusing digital modeling software to moreeffectively design, build and manageprojects, and is providing powerful newvalue to the construction industry firmsthat adopt it.

Simultaneously, it is breaking downage-old barriers between these playersby encouraging the sharing of knowl-edge throughout the project lifecycleand closer collaboration to integratevaluable fabrication, construction andoperations expertise into the overall design. This improves constructibility,adherence to schedule and budget, lifecycle management and productivityfor everyone involved.

Other major industries have already im-proved productivity by adopting model-ing technologies and integrating theirdesign, production and operations activ-ities. For decades, aerospace, automo-tive and shipbuilding companies havedesigned their complex products virtu-ally, working closely with their suppliers,and used the models to drive their fabri-cation equipment. In effect they buildthe product twice, once virtually to en-sure optimization, then physically inexact compliance with the model, at ahigh level of quality and production effi-ciency, in safe clean conditions with askilled and well-trained workforce. Thishas contributed enormously to im-proved productivity, safety and productquality in those industries.

This proven approach is now being in-troduced to the construction industry asBIM. The potential for benefits is clearand most current BIM users are experi-encing positive results very quickly afteradopting. Without a doubt, BIM has ar-rived, and everyone's business will beaffected. We are entering the mosttransformative time our industry hasever experienced.

The Key Concepts of BIMMost of the important benefits of BIMcan be tied to three fundamental con-cepts:

1. Database Instead of Drawings

2. Distributed Model

3. Tools + Process = Value of BIM

Database Instead of Drawings

For centuries, designers have used draw-ings and physical models to convey theirmental vision of a project to those whoneed to approve and ultimately build it.Drawings have become standardizeddocuments (plans, elevations, sectionsand details). When supplemented by ad-ditional documents that specify construc-tion quality requirements, identify specificproducts to be used, or demonstrate afabricator’s detailed approach to achiev-ing the design intent, they generallyachieve their purpose.

But the method of authoring these doc-uments is a major obstacle to improvingintegration and coordination. Typicallythere are hundreds or thousands ofdocuments for each project and each isan individual, stand-alone segment ofthe total design. There is no central

Model-checking software applies user-selected business rules to automaticallyanalyze, find, count or calculate from a BIM. Source: Solibri

repository that effectively integrates allthat information to represent the total-ity. The pieces require human interpre-tation to tie them together into acomprehensible whole. As a result, ef-fective coordination between the de-sign disciplines and communication ofdesign intent to the field are constantchallenges.

The breakthroughs from aerospace, au-tomotive and shipbuilding demonstratethe power of developing designs as adigital database rather than a series ofseparate documents. That databaseserves as the central repository of allthe physical and functional characteris-tics of a product, or in the case of BIM,a construction project. Documents arestill useful, but with BIM they are gener-ated on demand from the databasewhich represents the most current,shared understanding of the project.Documents are no longer the primary,core representation of the project. In-stead, the database is “the truth” at anymoment in time; a shared resource forreliable, collaborative decision making.Consequently, documents become special-purpose work products generatedfrom that database.


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Distributed Model

No one BIM tool can do everything.There are two basic types of BIM toolsavailable today: authoring and analysis.BIM users are taking a “distributed” approach that combines the value of authoring tools with the power ofanalysis tools.

In a distributed BIM environment sepa-rate models are usually authored by the appropriate design and construction entities. These can include:

� Design models – architectural,structural, MEP and site/civil

� Construction model – breaking thedesign models down into constructionsequences

� Schedule (4D) model – linking thework breakdown structure to projectelements in the model

� Cost (5D) model – linking costs toproject elements in the model

� Fabrication model – replacing traditional shop drawings and drivingfabrication equipment

� Operations model – for turnover tothe owner

This differs importantly from the currentfragmented practice of numerous individ-ual sets of drawings because these mod-els are BIM databases. So, for example,they can be viewed together to identify“clashes” (geometric conflicts between ar-chitectural, structural and MEP systems)

that can be fixed virtually to avoid fieldproblems. Authoring tools allow 2D or 3Dviewing from any angle or section, andcan also generate standard documents(plans, elevations, specifications, etc.)

Since the BIM database holds the infor-mation from each of the intelligent objects in a BIM, it can “publish” specificsubsets of that data to analysis tools on demand. For example, an energyanalysis tool can extract just the informa-tion about a project’s site orientation,glazing, doors, mechanical system per-formance, equipment electrical loads andheat generation, surface reflectivity of theexterior materials, and envelope insula-tion properties. The energy analysis toolalready has the annual solar path, tem-perature and wind conditions for the site,so it can analyze a proposed design solu-tion for energy performance and potentialLEED credits. The team can then modifythe BIM and retest multiple times untilsatisfactory. All of this happens digitally,with no manual reentry of informationfrom multiple sources into separate tools.It is seamless, fast and highly effective.

Additional analysis tools are rapidlybeing developed and refined, including:

� Model-checking - Applying user-selected business rules to automati-cally check design models for clashes,or for compliance with accessibilityregulations, building codes, etc.

� Scheduling – Linking work break-down structure to relevant project elements to plan construction sequencing. Can produce animatedvisualization of process.

� Estimating – Matching BIM ele-ments to cost codes to produce construction estimates. Can produce“visual estimates”.

� Ingress and Egress – Populating aBIM with people to simulate scenarios such as emergency evacu-ation or peak-time elevator queuing.

As more analysis tools are developed towork with authoring tools, the power ofBIM will increase exponentially.

A BIM project is not “drawn” in the tra-ditional sense, as lines, arcs and text inmultiple documents representing theinformation about all the elements ofthe project. Instead it is “built” digitallyas a database in BIM software, using“intelligent objects” that represent allthe elements of the project. So insteadof having to look in separate drawings,schedules, specs and cut sheets for allthe information on a particular element,let’s say an entrance door, all the perti-nent information is built into the intelligentobject of that door in the BIM. The ob-ject knows everything about itself. So,once placed in a BIM it will automati-cally represent itself in any plan, elevation,section, detail, schedule, 3D rendering,quantity takeoff, budget, maintenanceplan, etc. Furthermore, as the designchanges, the object can adapt itself para-metrically to adjust to the new design.

As a result, all the physical and func-tional characteristics of a project are ina database format, which opens upenormous potential for fluid exchangeof information between project teammembers and their technology tools,generating exciting process efficien-cies and more collaborative design andconstruction. Additionally, the ownergets a “digital double” of the completedproject that can be used for decades ofoperations and maintenance.

Analysis applications extract data from design models and perform valuablefunctions quickly and reliably. Source: Burt Hill, University Mechanical of Arizona,Ryan Homes, View By View, The Beck Group, Turner Construction Company

ClashDetection

Quantitytakeoff

Fabrication Cost

4D

Energysimulation


Tools + Process = Value of BIM

While modeling tools provide significantbenefits for individual users, leveragingBIM just to produce “silos of excel-lence” minimizes the greater potentialfor large-scale improvement of the entire industry. The AGC BIM Forum(www.bimforum.org) calls this dichotomy“lonely BIM” vs. “social BIM”. Encourag-ingly, a trend called Integrated ProjectDelivery (IPD) is rapidly emergingand leverages the power of modelingto facilitate collaborative decision making.

IPD brings key construction manage-ment, trades, fabrication, supplier andproduct manufacturer expertise to-gether with design professionals andthe owner earlier in the process to pro-duce a design that is optimized forquality, aesthetics, constructibility, af-fordability, timeliness and seamlessflow into lifecycle management.

Using model-checking applications todetect system clashes (e.g. AutodeskNavisWorks, Solibri, Bentley Project-Wise Navigator) is an effective IPD ac-tivity, particularly as a starting place forless-experienced BIM teams. Firstlybecause of their ease of use and pow-erful visualization capability; but alsobecause they offer the opportunity tocollectively resolve what are often con-tentious, expensive and time-consum-ing conflicts in the field in anon-confrontational, collaborativeprocess during design, while they arestill relatively inexpensive to correct.

This productive engagement aroundclash detection sets the stage for im-proved collaboration among teammembers. For example, the structuraldesign team can provide its structuralmodel to the steel fabricator, who de-tails directly in the same model. Thefabricator then utilizes the detailedmodel both for approval by the designteam, thereby reducing the slow andwasteful process of shop drawings,and to drive its fabrication equipmenton the shop floor.

Overall, it is the powerful combinationof modeling and analysis tools with in-tegrated, collaborative processes that iscreating the sea change related to BIM.And as adoption of these tools andprocesses spreads, teams will continueto find new productivity-enhancingways to leverage the power of BIM forbetter projects.

THE IMPACT OF BIM

BIM will forever change the way proj-ects are designed, built and operatedfor everyone. As traditional inefficienciesbecome things of the past, many currentroles, tasks and responsibilities will become obsolete. Reward will alwaysfollow value, and current models forscope, compensation, risk and projectdelivery will change to adapt. Amongthe changes we predict are the following:

� Ecosystems will form of companiesthat have learned to effectively pro-vide integrated solutions, and theywill compete together for new workbased on demonstrated past successes. This will include designprofessionals, construction compa-nies, manufacturers, suppliers, fabricators and specialty consultants.

� Certification initiatives underwayfrom AGC and elsewhere will helpto separate qualified practitionersfrom those merely promoting“BIMwash”. Academic institutionswill incorporate collaborative mod-eling into their core curriculum tomeet the demand for BIM-savvygraduates. And training programs,internal and external, will proliferate.

Structural models are widely used for design, coordination, analysisand fabrication.Source: Tekla

23

Modeling of construction logistics is growing in popularity because of its contribution to cost avoidance and site optimization. Source: Turner Construction


� Although current BIM usage is fo-cused on buildings, innovative firmsare already applying it to civil andengineering projects, and its usewill continue to expand rapidly asthe benefits for all project types become more widely recognized.

� As with aerospace and automotive,modeling will enable prefabricationof larger and more complex por-tions of construction projects.Lower labor costs, safer conditions,reduced raw materials and moreconsistent quality will provide com-pelling economic, workforce andsustainability incentives to drive thistrend. Project sites will shift fromlabor intensive construction to highlyskilled assembly, and manufactur-ers will adopt flexible productionprocesses to facilitate more productcustomization.

� Owners will expect much more clar-ity about cost, schedule and qualityfar earlier in the process. This willfacilitate increasingly earlier en-gagement by manufacturers, sup-pliers, fabricators and tradecontractors and expand the use of4D and 5D analysis tools.

� Contracting methods will emerge tosupport integrated project deliverybased on principles of mutual re-spect and trust, mutual benefit andreward, collaborative decision mak-ing and limited dispute resolution.The AIA and AGC are currentlylaunching initial versions of thesedocuments.

� As more completed models are in-tegrated into ongoing operations, awhole new source of in-place per-formance data for building systemsand products will become available.This “living laboratory” of operationsmodels will create a feedback loopthat will directly influence future de-sign solutions and product selec-tions. This will help green design tobecome mainstream, by carefullymonitoring building performanceagainst sustainable goals.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT BIM

If your firm has not yet become engagedwith BIM, there are steps you can taketo start the process.

Owners, Design Professionals andConstruction Companies

� Establish and maintain senior man-agement support. BIM transition requires both funding (software,more powerful hardware and training)and time. Designate a BIM Cham-pion and support that person tolead the change process.

� Build momentum by starting small.It may take two or three projectsbefore you see net positives, so setappropriate expectations and staycommitted. Small successes will bethe best driver for wider adoption.

Building Product Manufacturers

� Begin creating intelligent BIM ob-jects of your most popular products.Your organization already has therequired product data and there area growing number of qualified content producers. McGraw-Hill research shows many BIM usersare more likely to specify productson BIM projects if the BIM objectsare available, and they don’t have tobuild the objects themselves.

Everyone

� Talk with peers and companies youregularly work with to determinewhere they are in the process. Collaborate on BIM to accelerateeveryone’s progress.

� Get smarter about BIM. There are agrowing number of print and onlineresearch resources, and industryorganizations are all gearing up tohelp members make this transition.Leverage those resources.

CONCLUSION

Although it can be said that we are still inthe “wonder years” of this industry trans-formation, one thing is clear, we are notgoing back. Your career and the prosper-ity of your company depend on becomingfamiliar with the tools, processes andvalue propositions of BIM.

The BIM revolution is happening fromthe bottom up, driven by individuals andcompanies who see the potential anddevote their energies towards buildingthe bright new future of the construc-tion industry. If you have already begunthe journey, congratulations, you havemore fellow travelers every day. And ifyou are still waiting to take the firststep, don’t wait too much longer. Yourcompetition isn't.

24

Model of mechanical system produces bill-of-materials and directly drivesfabrication equipment for exceptional accuracy and productivity in pre-fabrication. Source: ViewByView


Autodesk has been at the forefront of2D and 3D design software develop-ment for decades—from its introductionof AutoCAD in 1982 to the first versionof Revit in 2000, which today is its BIMplatform. Phil Bernstein, vice presidentat Autodesk, offers his view on howBIM has evolved and how its influencewill continue to grow in the future.

BIM has reached a tipping point asimplementation is gaining signifi-cant momentum. How would youcharacterize the evolution of BIM?

I started working on this more than sixyears ago and the theory has alwaysbeen that transformational processchange in the A/E/C industry takesabout 10 years before you get to ac-celeration. The fact that we’re seeingserious acceleration in Year 7 is a goodthing. It’s happening very fast and in aslightly different way than I would haveanticipated. Rather than it just being animprovement in the means of produc-tion, we’re in a very profound discus-sion about the A/E/C process—whatwe do and why we do it. It’s a muchmore interesting problem set than weoriginally anticipated. I spend moretime talking about things like the futureof the process, the role of the architect,integrated project delivery and the im-pact of digital fabrication—implicationsof the tools rather than the little tech-nological improvements we need tomake.

How do process challenges affectanalytical tool capabilities, such asscheduling and cost?

Cost and timing are analytical capabili-ties that are relatively straightforwardin how they are derived from a BIM.The problems have more do with a lackof clear process definitions aroundhow things work and how you wouldbe able to do the analysis. The issueshave more to do with worldviews ofhow estimating works across the

bridge between design and construc-tion. The rules of engagement aboutwho is responsible for the cost estimateand what level of detail is needed.

By definition, design professional infor-mation falls under the rubric of designintent. The contractor needs construc-tion execution insight. An architectwants to see a continuous piece ofconcrete that’s represented as a singlefloor in a model. The contractor wantsto see where to put the pump or the dimension of the concrete forms. In aworld of deep process integration withdesigners and contractors working together, the contractor could tell thearchitect how he would like to seesomething represented. Right now wehaven’t worked out that process. We’recapable of making those types of representations, but there are processquestions in the way.

There are limited ROI metrics aboutBIM to prove its value. On whatbasis are firms adopting it?

The discussion about implementationis caught in this twilight zone right now,where part of the firms are doing thisbecause they want to be ahead of thecurve and part are doing it becauseeveryone else seems to be doing it. Iwent through the hand-drafting-to-CAD transition [as an architect]. Wedidn’t do a lot of math about ROI—youcould just feel it coming. The thing youhear is that productivity significantly increases. One ROI question is, ifyou’re working more efficiently, whatdo you do with that time? Do you fold itback in and do more design or do youkeep it as profit? The other metric Ihear is the dramatic decrease in thepercentage spent on change ordersrelative to coordination errors. We hearfrom firms that consistently say it’sbelow 1% [with BIM], when normallyit’s 3% to 5% [without BIM]. There area lot of ways to capture value.

What are the big developmentalsteps that BIM needs to take now?

The main problem has to do withcross-disciplinary integration—movinginformation that’s created in a series ofadjacent models smoothly. A secondbig issue for us right now is analysis,meaning taking information from themodel and being able to reason aboutthe design. At Autodesk, right now ourtwo main emphases are around sus-tainability and structural engineering.

Who will lead the charge towardwide-spread BIM implementation?

We’re seeing this very interesting dy-namic where you have young archi-tects who are extremely digitallyskillful, but they don’t know anythingabout putting a building together, alongwith baby boomer architects who knowa lot about putting buildings togetherand have no digital skills whatsoever.It’s changed the mentoring structure.The generation of architects who aregoing to shepherd this through are notthe baby boomers. It’s the next genera-tion of more digitally facile and moreintellectually flexible architects who de-fine the problem set differently than mygeneration did. They are the ones thatwill figure out how this whole thing willhappen.

Interview:with Phil Bernstein, Vice President, Autodesk, Inc.

25


Value of Using BIM

Measuring Value Some users are making in-roads towardmeasuring ROI. Half of current users(48%) measure ROI on at least a mod-erate level. Results from companies whoare actively tracking BIM ROI (see PCLConstruction Case Study and HolderConstruction interview) are showing initial BIM ROIs of 300 to 500% onprojects where BIM was used.

A follow-up McGraw-Hill Construction on-line survey of AGC BIM Forum membersfound their average perception of ROI onBIM to be between 11% and 30%. Butthose making the effort to measure ROIperceive a higher value. Among those notmeasuring ROI, almost 10% perceive anegative ROI, only 7% perceive an ROIgreater than 100%, and none perceive ROIgreater than 300%. Whereas among thosethat do measure it, less than 2% perceive anegative ROI, almost one third report anROI greater than 100%, with severalgreater than 1,000%. So, it appears thatmeasuring ROI establishes greater benefitsfrom BIM than mere intuition suggests.

26

Perceived Value of BIMBIM offers valuable benefits to users, help-ing drive expanding investment in the tech-nology. Half of users say BIM has a verypositive impact on their business practices(see the section “Adoption of BIM”), whichhelps drive its rapid near-term expansion.

Benefits cited by users include:

� Easier coordination of different softwareand project personnel

� Improved productivity

� Improved communication

� Improved quality control

However, quantifying some of these benefits can be challenging. Some BIMusers are tracking their ROI, but many aren’t.Establishing better metrics for measuringROI could help users prove its value todoubters and increase future use.

Interview with Michael LeFevre, AIA, NCARB, LEED© APVice President, Planning & Design SupportHolder Construction CompanyHolder Construction Company today is actively measuring return on investment onmany of their BIM projects. Michael LeFevre, Vice President of Planning & Design discussed how his company is gathering and using BIM metrics:

How long has Holder been using BIM on projects and how long have theybeen tracking BIM ROI? We have been using BIM since 2005. During the first yearwe were still developing the modeling skills and deciding on what metrics to track, somost of our tracking data is from 2006 forward.

On how many projects have you been able to track BIM ROI so far? Some ofour BIM projects span multiple years. We are actively tracking 20+ projects and haveprobably tracked a total of 30 or more projects since we began to collect and analyzemetrics.

What aspects of BIM ROI do you track today? We are primarily tracking direct collision-detection cost-avoidance savings. We have also tracked some planning-stagesavings and some value-analysis options savings where the model helps bring us backinto budget.

How do you calculate the value of a collision detection? There is a certain sci-ence to the way we approach this. Our approach is to have our project team look at thecollision, analyze what is colliding, assess the level of severity, and then multiply it bythe unit-cost crew-hour rates that are effected. Most of the collision costs we haveused fall between $1000 to $3,000 per collision — a very conservative number.

What are your overall ROI results? Most of what we have done is model geometrycreation and collision detection. The cost of collision detection is only a fraction of apercentage of the overall construction costs. When you just focus on this one directcost we are easily seeing a three to five times return vs. the model costs and we thinkthat this is a very conservative number.

What BIM ROI metrics will you be measuring in the future? There are so many different categories of indirect costs that we would like to analyze. This includes construction team time savings, general conditions cost avoidance due to schedulecompression, the value of better decision making and savings related to better building performance.

52%

23%

25%Low Effort(1-4)

Moderate

High Effort(8-10)

Involvement in Measuring ROI of BIM by Respondent Type

All Respondents



Importance of Tracking ROI BIM can provide wide-ranging benefits: however users who measure ROI focus pri-marily on areas that involve communication and personnel coordination.

Key Aspects

� Improved project outcomes such as fewer RFIs and field coordination problems. Contractors and architects place the highest emphasis on this benefitas these are the areas that impact them more directly compared to others. An example is the cost savings associated with clash avoidance.

� Better communication because of 3D visualization. Contractors and ownersplace the highest emphasis on this benefit. Visualization is key to keeping ownersinformed and bringing workers in the field up to speed on construction tasks. Savings can also be identified during the planning stage.

� Productivity improvement of personnel. Architects and engineers place thehighest emphasis on this benefit. Once input, BIM data is available to be used formultiple purposes, offering more opportunities to design rather than draft. Contractorscan also utilize BIM onsite to adjust personnel to changing schedules due to siteconditions.

� Positive impact on winning projects. Contractors and engineers place the highestemphasis on this benefit. Firms that regularly bid work need to know that BIM cangive them a competitive advantage.

� Lifecycle value of BIM. Architects and engineers place the highest emphasis onthis benefit. The data created during their early involvement in BIM projects can liveon long after their work is complete. Energy modeling can be used during designwith results analyzed after completion.

� Initial cost of staff training. Architects and engineers place the highest emphasison this challenge. The initial costs of BIM can be onerous for some of these users,particularly for smaller firms.

Most Valuable Aspects� Easier coordination of different

software products and project personnel (28% of all users). Archi-tects are most likely to see this benefit (35%).

� Improved efficiency, production andtime savings (11% of all users). Ownersare most likely to see this benefit (18%).

� Communication (8% of all users). Ar-chitects and contractors are both mostlikely to see this benefit (11%).

� Improved quality control/improvedaccuracy (8% of all users). Engineersare most likely to see this benefit (10%).

� Aids with visualization of the project(7% of all users). Architects and contrac-tors are both most likely to see this benefit (9%).

� Advantage of 3D modeling and coor-dination (5% of all users). Architectsare most likely to see this benefit (11%).

� Keeping pace with advances bycompetition and others in market-place (5% of all users). Engineers aremost likely to see this benefit (10%).

� Advantage of 3D modeling and coor-dination (5% of all users). Architectsare most likely to see this benefit (11%).

� Clash detection and avoidance (4%).Contractors are most likely to see thisbenefit (11%).

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Experience Pays OffAs with many BIM-related issues, thelevel of involvement in measuring re-turn on investment increases as theuser gains experience.

At face value, this is a logical progression.BIM experts are more likely to have agrasp of the BIM-specific factors atplay in tracking ROI. However, this alsomeans beginner and intermediateusers must trust that BIM is benefi-cial since they are not likely to beable to measure their ROI yet.

� Forty-four percent of experts frequently track ROI compared to only 10% of beginners.

Requirement for new hardware to

Initial cost of software

Ability to secure plan approval and

Ongoing costs of software and training

Initial cost of staff training

Disruption to implement new processes

Life cycle value of the BIM

Positive impact of winning projects

Productivity improvement of personnel

Better communication because of

Improved project outcomes such as fewer

0% 30% 60% 90%

79%

79%

62%

66%

35%

30%

29%

26%

33%

24%

22%

Users ReportingLeast Important

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingMost Important

(8-10)

8.49

8.31

7.78

7.77

6.20

6.19

5.97

5.81

5.46

5.39

5.38

RFIs and field coordination problems

60% 30% 0%Percent of Importance

3%

4%

8%

7%

25%

23%

28%

27%

41%

37%

37%

3D visualization

(asked of all except Owners)

construction permits faster

keep up with the software

Importance of Aspects for Measuring ROI



Case Study:Crate & Barrelby Bruce Buckley

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When billion-dollar companies likeNorthbrook, Illinois-based Crate & Barrelspeak up about building informationmodeling, the design and constructionindustry can’t help but notice. Crate &Barrel is among a growing number ofowners who preach the benefits ofBIM and require it on projects. Throughuse of BIM, the company is seeing re-duced costs, improved communicationsand shorter schedules that contributeto greater productivity.

With more than 160 stores, Crate &Barrel has established a reputation foravoiding prototypes and giving each loca-tion a distinct neo-modernist design. Inorder to ease the challenges of rolling outso many unique buildings, Crate & Barrelfocuses on maximizing efficiencies.

Through the use of BIM, Crate & Barrelhas been able to take advantage of integrated project delivery (IPD). Themethod allows greater exchange of information and ideas among teammembers by bringing them togetherearlier in the process when they canoffer more benefit. By orchestratingcollaboration and rethinking traditionalroles, John Moebes, director of construction at Crate & Barrel, saysIPD allows the company to optimizeschedules and eliminate redundant orlow-value steps.

The cornerstone of that effort is BIM.In recent years, the company has required use of BIM to facilitate infor-mation exchange and, in turn, improveproject results.

Part of the company’s drive to mandateBIM stems from its own place in theprocess. The company has an in-housedesign group and a construction department that acts as a construction-manager-at-agency.

“It creates a unique position for us as anowner,” says John Moebes, director ofconstruction at Crate & Barrel. “We’re notjust sitting on a tall seat like a tennis

referee watching the back and forth on thecourt. We’re on the court with a racquet.”

On its IPD projects, the company hasstarted to find its rhythm. Most projectshave a 6-week conceptual design phase,a 24-week document schedule, a 32- to42-week construction schedule and a 4-week commissioning period.

“In the past, some projects would goover a year in construction while otherstook 36 weeks,” he adds. “It was com-pletely unpredictable.”

Among its greatest recent successes isthe early integration of prime subcontrac-tors into the team. Steel subcontractorsare brought in to help influence design elements in the model such as columnlines and beam penetrations with an eyeon economizing the design. Once thestructural engineer is finished, informa-tion from the model can be used to generate a mill order.

“The process is remarkably smooth,” says

Rob Rutherford, project manager withCharlotte, North Carolina-basedSteelFAB, who has worked on eightprojects with Crate & Barrel. “It makes allthe difference in the world when theowner is driving this. All of the tradesgive it attention.”

The payoff has been considerable. Theaverage project weight has dropped from190 tons to 140 tons. Steel scheduleshave been cut roughly in half with fabrica-tion reduced from six weeks to twoweeks; shop drawings down from sixweeks to three weeks; and erection timesof three weeks instead of six.

“By getting in early, we can throw outframe options and save weight,”Rutherford adds.

Team integration and BIM use are alsobeginning to pay off with MEP subcon-tractors. On a recent job in Skokie, Illinois, the team was able to share datawith Hill Mechanical of Chicago,

28


29

helping Hill speed up its schedule forfabrication and installation.

“We already use 3D, so even if it wasn’tin BIM we would have had to do thatourselves,” says Andrew Yonkus, a sen-ior project engineer at Hill Mechanical.“Having that information come fromCrate saved us a lot on the coordinationprocess.”

By using BIM and prefabricating mate-rials, Yonkus says the company wasable to install all of the rough-in workin two and a half weeks—nearly halfthe time it would normally require.

General contractors are seeing thebenefits as well. Tocci Building ofWoburn, Massachusetts, is used tobuilding its own models on jobs, sostaff was pleasantly surprised to learnit would receive models from the archi-tect and engineer on a Crate & Barrelproject in Natick, Massachusetts.

“We worked at the beginning of theproject with the design team about theways that we model and the ways thatthey model so that we could figure outthe best ways collectively to build theproject models,” says Laura Handler,virtual construction manager at Tocci.“They were very receptive and agreedto adopt some of our strategies. Theywere willing to meet us halfway onsome things. That’s less effort we putin, which creates more value.”

In addition to coordination, Tocci isusing the models for scheduling andlogistics planning.

“One thing we’re doing is using [soft-ware] to do construction layout fromthe model,” she adds. “We think that’simportant on a project like this be-cause clean lines are very important toCrate & Barrel. We’ll be able to deliverthat much better when we can layeverything out and we know preciselywhere things should go. The modelgives us much more accuracy.”

Across all contractors, Moebes saysone the biggest savings of time and

money has been a drastic reduction inrequests for information. Unlike pastprojects, Moebes says that now hesees only a small number of RFIs, andin some cases there are no RFIs dealingwith rework.

“We don’t see RFI published regardingthings like pipes [routed] throughbeams anymore,” he says. “Those aregone, which is good since those arethe hardest RFI to deal with becauseyou have to go back to rework some-thing that was poorly understood tobegin with. You end up spending timefixing content versus adding content.”

BIM will continue to serve as a criticaltool for Crate & Barrel as it looks to pur-sue additional strategies such as prefab-rication and modularization. In the comingyears, Moebes can’t predict exactlywhere the technology may lead the com-pany. Based on history, it’s difficult toknow where innovation will take you.

“It’s like the early days of airplanes,” hesays. “The first aircraft didn’t look thesame or act the same as the onesbeing used 10 years later. We’re onthat same path now. Where we’reheaded in the future is very differentfrom where we are now.”

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Impact of BIM on Internal and External ProcessesProcess Paradigm Shift Among BIM’s strongest advocates, it represents a paradigm shift in processes for design and construction.

The ability to create a model that combines data which was traditionally spread acrossmultiple documents along with the ability to share information between different modelspresents an opportunity for greater collaboration. This in turn produces betterdesign solutions.

Internally, this can result in a rethinking of roles, workflow and, in some cases, creatingnew positions tailored to virtual design and construction. A majority of current BIMusers recognize this need and have made the necessary changes in-house toreap the rewards.

Externally, this paradigm shift can break down traditional barriers between team mem-bers and promote a more integrated delivery team. BIM facilitates greater exchangeof project data between team members, which can impact how teams work to-gether. In many cases, having this data early in the process can help improve qualityand cost effectiveness. Rather than the traditional handoff of one team member’s workto the next in line, an integrated environment allows more decisions to be made collab-oratively early in the process. Two-thirds of current BIM users have changed howthey work externally as a result of BIM. As more firms adopt BIM in the comingyears, its impact on external processes will be even more profound.

Impact of ExperienceWhile average users view BIM as having a moderate impact on their internalprocesses, users tend to make increasingly dramatic changes in practice asthey gain experience with BIM.

Only one in five beginner and intermediate users says BIM has had a significant im-pact, while nearly half of advanced users and three in five expert users say it has hada dramatic impact.

This shows BIM’s potential to promote the paradigm shift in process. It also suggeststhat, as more users gain experience over the years, the technology could have a far-reaching effect on the industry and help redefine the way it works.

30

Internal Process Change Regardless of whether a companyshares its BIM-related data with otherteam members, BIM is significantlychanging the way companies workinternally. Seven in 10 users say thatBIM has had at least a moderate impacton their internal project practices.

Given the decades-long traditions ofmany firms, this is a profound finding.Companies develop their own bestpractices over years of project experi-ence, yet a large percentage of usersare willing to rethink those processeswhen using this still nacent technology.

� Architects are more inclined to seean impact than others. This couldreflect the advanced rate of adoptionby architects relative to other users.

� One-third of contractors who useBIM say it has had a dramatic impacton their internal practices. However,one-third report little impact. Ascontractors realize a projected dra-matic increase of BIM adoption in2009 and beyond, internal impacton them will likely follow the patternset by architects.

� Owners see the least impact onaverage with one-quarter reportinghigh impact and one-third reportinglow impact. Currently, most processchanges related to implementingBIM during design and constructionare experienced by contractors anddesigners. As BIM-enabled facilitymanagement advances, ownerscan expect to experience moreimpact internally.

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

60%30%10%

44%44%12%

17%48%35%

21%34%45%

Low Impact (1-4) Moderate High Impact (8-10)

Impact of BIM on Internal Project Processes by Experience Level



31

External Process Shift Along with changing how users executetheir own work, BIM is changing howbuild team members interact witheach other. New ways of using projectdata coupled with the opportunities toshare that data with other team mem-bers can create more integrated teamsthan traditionally seen.

Two-thirds of users say that BIMhas had at least a moderate impacton their external project processes.This is only slightly less, on average,than the impact reported on internalprocesses. Some of this differencecould be related to companies who“silo” their use of BIM, employing itonly for their own purposes. However,the fact that the difference is relativelysmall (around 5%), suggests that siloingis not as pervasive as might be expected.

User Differences� Architects are most likely to say

BIM has had little impact on exter-nal processes compared to otherbuild team members. Two in five report it at that level. In fact, archi-tects report the greatest impact ofBIM being more time designingand less time documenting, whichis primarily an internal benefit.

� Nearly half of engineers reportthat BIM has had a moderate impacton their external process. Civil,transportation and environmentalengineers report utilizing BIM to facilitate regulatory approvals significantly more than architects,owners and other engineering disciplines, possibly foreshadowingthe emergence of another high-valueapplication of BIM. Conversely, civilengineers only utilize the 3D visual-ization capability of BIM to commu-nicate at half the frequency ofarchitects and contractors. This islikely to increase as integratedteams compile more aspects of aproject into collaborative models.

Impact of ExperienceJust as with internal processes, average users report that BIM has a moderate impact on their external processes. Likewise, the tendency to make thosechanges increases significantly as users gain experience with BIM.

Only one in 10 beginners says BIM has had a dramatic impact, while more than twoin five experts say it has had a dramatic impact.

Again we see that as more users gain experience with BIM, the technology ischanging how teams interact.

Notably, experts do not say BIM has had nearly as much of a dramatic impact on external processes (43%) as they do on internal processes (60%). This could reflect siloing, whether it is intentional or not.

Many users have made the decision to embrace BIM and make it a significant partof their practice regardless of its use by others. This outlook could change over timeas more team members get up to speed on BIM and can offer data that can beshared with others.

Civil engineers again take the leadamong all design disciplines inleveraging BIM for cost estimates,and fall only slightly behind generalcontractors in that practice.

� Contractors are most likely to seea dramatic impact to external prac-tices compared to other build teammembers. One-third report it at thatlevel. Contractors lead all otherproject team members by 50% intheir utilization of BIM’s clash detection capabilities, and by nearlythat margin in conducting BIM

reviews in collaborative environmentswith multiple project participants.This data suggests that contrac-tors are the driving force in moving BIM from an internaltool to a team-wide process.

� Owners are evenly split betweensaying BIM has little, moderate ordramatic impact on externalprocesses.

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Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

43%40%17%

39%46%15%

22%36%42%

10%39%51%

Low Impact (1-4) Moderate High Impact (8-10)

Impact of BIM on External Project Processes by Experience Level



How BIM Is UsedBIM is being developed with a broadrange of users in mind. As such, its usesare extremely varied and in many casescan differ significantly among build teammembers.

Still, there are some areas where teammembers agree on its appropriate level of use.

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visuali-zation capabilities to communi-cate with all parties is thehighest-ranked use reported by eachteam member.

� BIM reviews in collaborative envi-ronments with multiple parties isused moderately by each team member.

� Eliminating shop or field drawingsby having parties work within ashared model is still emergingamong all team members.

User Differences

The top uses of BIM among architectsinclude:

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visualizationcapabilities to communicate with allparties

� Increased time spent on design

� Reduced time spent on contractdocumentation

The top uses of BIM among engineersinclude:

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visualizationcapabilities to communicate with allparties

� Increased time spent on design

� BIM reviews in collaborative environ-ments with multiple parties

The top uses of BIM among contractors include:

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visualiza-tion capabilities to communicate withall parties

� Meeting with key disciplines forclash detection analysis


The top uses of BIM among owners include:

� Routinely using BIM’s 3D visualiza-tion capabilities to communicate withall parties


� Meeting with key disciplines forclash detection analysis

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Using BIM to facilitate regulatory approvals

Eliminating shop or field drawings by having disciplines

Developing cost estimates from the BIM model

Hiring trade contractors early to participate in design

Using the BIM model for site, infrastructure or facilities

Reviewing models or deliverables generated from

Integrating schedule with BIM model

Reducing time spent on contract documentation

Meeting with key disciplines for clash detection analysis

BIM reviews in collaboration environments

Increasing time spent on design

Using BIM on the job site to guide construction activities

Routinely using 3D visualization capability to

0% 20% 40% 60%

47%

39%

25%

33%

31%

25%

25%

23%

21%

16%

16%

16%

10%

Users ReportingLeast Frequent

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingMost Frequent

(8-10)

6.52

5.80

5.69

5.50

5.26

5.05

4.88

4.33

4.13

3.97

3.92

3.64

3.37

to communicate with all parties

80% 60% 40% 20% 0%Percent of Frequency

25%

31%

29%

40%

42%

39%

45%

59%

59%

60%

61%

65%

67%

assist role

models as part of the review and approval process

with multiple parties

management and renovations

work within a shared model environment

Frequent BIM-Related Activities



Risks When Using BIMAs BIM changes the way that firms work internally and externally, many questionsloom about its potential risks and liabilities.

� Errors and accuracy issues concern owners far more than other users. Errorscan result in significant future costs and possible safety issues for owners.

� Liability and legal issues are of equal concern to architects, engineers and contractors. As BIM allows the exchange of data between team members for theircommon use on projects, there is often a concern among these users about thereliability of this data. An integrated environment offers considerable advantagesto productivity, but team members must hold a greater level of trust in each other.Resolving liability issues early is a key to a successfully integrated project team.

� Inexperience of end users and learning curve concern to architects and own-ers more than other users. Because BIM is an emerging technology, levels of ex-pertise can vary greatly within a project team as well as within one’s owncompany. Architects are early adopters of BIM compared to other users and oftenhave more experience than their counterparts. Because data can be frequentlyexchanged among team members using BIM, there is a perceived risk that the“weakest link” in the chain could jeopardize the project as a whole.

� Ownership of the model after distribution and taking responsibility forchanges made by others is of much greater concern to architects and engineers.The debate over who “owns” a project model has been particularly heated amongthese users in recent years. Firms that “silo” their BIM work in-house— not sharingdata with others—largely avoid these issues. However, as teams become more integrated there is the potential to open up more liability questions.

Contract LanguageAlthough there are some perceivedrisks unique to BIM projects, little is being done to mitigate those liabilities in contracts.

� All users are most likely to useconventional contracts withoutany modifications to accommodateuse of BIM.

� Very few users are adopting newkinds of contracts on BIM projects.

� Contractors are the only userslikely to modify conventional contracts when using BIM.

Many users (42%) are aware ofefforts to develop BIM contractforms. A portion of those respondentswere able to identify AIA and AGC asworking on BIM contract initiatives.

AGC launched its ConsensusDOCSinitiative in September 2007(www.agc.org/cs/contracts).

The October 2008 release of AIAContract Documents includes agree-ments for BIM and integrated projectdelivery (www.aiacontractdocu-ments.org).

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Integrated Project DeliveryIntegrated Project Delivery (IPD), according to the AIA, “leverages early contributionsof knowledge and expertise through the utilization of new technologies, allowingall team members to better realize their highest potentials while expanding thevalue they provide throughout the project lifecycle.” The AIA California Counciland the AIA’s Contract Documents Committee developed an Integrated ProjectDelivery Guide to “assist owners, designers and builders to … utilize IPD methods to achieve enhanced design, construction and operations processes.” Markku Allison, AIA, resource architect for AIA Strategy and Business Development, articulated the critical need when launching the IPD Guide. "Project delivery models must change to increase the quality, cost effectiveness and sustainabilityof the built environment. We understand that this model is still in its infancy andhave worked to provide a resource that aids the industry in the paradigm shiftfrom current fragmented processes that focus on the short-term to value-basedservices with high outcome long-term results for all parties involved in the construction project." The IPD Guide is a valuable resource for architects, engi-neers, consultants, contractors and owners to envision the potential of collaborativeprocesses and implement them on their projects. See www.aia.org/ipdg.

Use by ExperienceMany of BIM’s uses only gain favoramong team members as users gainexperience. The greatest divide between more-experienced and less-experienced users can beseen when:

� Reviewing models or deliverablesgenerated from models as part ofthe review and approval process.

� Using the BIM model for site, infra-structure or facilities managementand renovations.

� Meeting with key disciplines for clashdetection analysis.


3434

Case Study:UCSF Cardiovascular Research Instituteby Bruce Buckley

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On the campus of the University ofCalifornia San Francisco, build teammembers are using BIM to find har-mony. In constructing the university’snew $254 million 236,000-squarefoot Cardiovascular Research Institutelaboratory, team members are adoptingBIM as part of a strategy to breakdown traditional barriers betweenfirms and deliver the project on timeand on budget.

“This is a job where rules had to bechanged and people had to be willingto look at things in a new way,” saysLuminita Ruva-Ciupitu, principal atSmithGroup.

The project, which SmithGroup wasawarded in 2005, represents the SanFrancisco office’s first large-scaleforay into building information modeling.

“This is one of the most efficient labswe’ve ever designed,” Ruva-Cuipituexplains. “We were interested in doinga major BIM project and this was theright opportunity.”

Thanks to the owner, that decisioncame easy. Michael Bade, director ofcapital programs in UCSF’s CapitalProjects and Facilities Managementdepartment, was also eager to putBIM to the test. After spending 12years working on construction projectsin Japan, Bade wanted to foster amore cooperative way of working onpublic projects.

“When I came to work for the university, Isaw projects run into difficulties be-cause of the lack of cooperation andproblems happening because of a lackof complete information,” Bade re-calls. “Since I became responsible forUCSF’s project delivery processes in2004, I’ve been looking for ways to usecutting edge tools and processes toimprove that situation and allow proj-ects to benefit from improved informa-tion flow and management processes.”

Early on, SmithGroup’s use of BIMhelped set the stage. Starting in November 2006, the firm got up tospeed with BIM during the schematicdesign phase. Once design develop-ment began in April 2007, the largerprocess change that BIM promotesbecame more obvious. Architects,structural engineers and MEP designersall fed information into the model.Many of the details that traditionallyweren’t expressed until later had tobe addressed.

“In BIM you input elements and youhave to know a lot more details sothat the software can draw it for you,”Ruva-Cuipitu says. “You have tospend the time at that point to inves-tigate what you need, which takesmore time to input.”

As a result, instead of spending theanticipated four months in the DDphase and eight months in the con-struction documents phase, SmithGroupdevoted six months to each phase.

But those early design details paid offin other ways. Thanks to the additionalproject data, UCSF could bring other

team members on earlier and acceler-ate portions of the work. Steel orderswere running at a 10-month lead time,so the team was able to sequence thecreation of bid packages from themodel to get a steel order placed inthe mill queue while design was at 30%.

Contractors were also brought onduring design development, a movethat required avoiding the traditionaldesign-bid-build delivery methodused on projects. With approval fromthe state legislature, UCSF experi-mented with a best value system.When contractors submitted bids,they also answered questions in fivedetailed areas laid out by law, includingquestions about each firm’s expertisein BIM.

UCSF scored the answers and dividedthe score into the dollar amount ofbids to get a cost per point. With thelowest cost per point bid, Rudolf andSletten of Redwood City, California, wasawarded the job.

The same process was also used withawarding major subcontracts for theMEP and building envelope work.


35

Although the bidding process tookplace during a time of major price esca-lations in the Bay Area, bids came in asprojected, keeping the project on budget.

“BIM helps take out a lot of theguesswork,” Bade says. “Doing designsin BIM and showing ahead of timethat you have a coordinated jobmakes it desirable for contractors.Suddenly you have more bidders,prices come down and risk premiumsevaporate. It’s a virtuous circle.”

Leading up to the start of foundationwork in January 2008, use of BIMwas well underway among contractors.In addition to using BIM for clash detection, Rudolf and Sletten did advanced 4D (schedule) simulationsof the structural steel system, site logistics and the building’s highlycomplex skin system.

“We took the model, revised the or-ganization and added model elementsin order to have all of the componentsin place to do week-by-week simulations,including showing the equipment thatwould be used for lifts,” says MichaelPiotrkowski, director of technical de-velopment at Rudolf and Sletten. “Bydoing that, you can see instantly anyobject or component that hasn’t beenincluded in the schedule. You quicklylearn what’s missing.”

While BIM facilitates the frequent ex-change of data between team mem-

bers, UCSF is pushing for evengreater teamwork. Bade instituted aproject management method amongkey team members and prime subcon-tractors that rewards cooperationthrough incentives. Each team memberhas a weekly work plan, but instead ofpaying out incentives for individual performances, the results are judgedcollectively. If the team doesn’t reachits goal together, no one receives a bonus.

“The key is anticipating issues,” Badesays. “The team works to anticipate issues, clear constraints and developthe information needed to build andmeet goals. It uses peer pressure andrewards people for cooperating.”

To help lower communication barriers,representatives of every key firm arehoused in the same site trailer.

“The benefit is that people developrelationships by working in the samespace,” Bade adds. “You can go andask questions on an informal basisand solve problems before theybecome RFI.”

With completion scheduled for December 2010, Bade is confidentthat the strategies which have keptthe project on budget and on scheduleso far will keep the project on courseto the finish.

“The information we have is really goodso we have confidence that the build-ing can stay on target,” he says. “We’llavoid a lot of rework, avoid a lot ofdowntime and improve our overall pro-ductivity. It’s all about information flow.”

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BIM Infrastructure Technology ChoicesBIM users are generally savvy about thesoftware choices on the market. Mostare highly aware of the primary BIMsoftware platforms available andhave a moderate awareness of othersoftware tools that are used in conjunction with BIM.

This understanding of software choicescan prove critical on jobs that use inte-grated project delivery. Although everyuser does not need a working knowledgeof every tool outside the user’s specificarea of practice, it is helpful to knowwhat software is available to other teammembers and how those tools can affectone’s own work. For example, while ateam member may not use fabricationsoftware, it can be useful to know howone’s data can work with that software.

In an integrated team environment, thelimitations of a piece of software canhave implications far beyond its primaryuser. As such, the decision by one teammember to use a particular piece ofsoftware can be influenced by others.As users gain experience with BIM andtackle the barriers of non-interoperability,this level of joint understanding will grow.

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Opportunities for ImprovementBIM users want to improve their experience with BIM technology as it relates to theirown data and the data generated by other team members.

� One-third of users cite the need for software to be more interoperable.

� Only a small portion of users (1 in 5) want the software to be more user friendly.

� Although many users could not name ways to improve BIM software, few (13%) donot believe it needs to be improved or have no opinion.

User Differences

� Architects do not see a great need to improve training.

� Contractors are far more likely to see the need to improve interoperability.

� Owners are much more concerned about improvements to training and standardization of the BIM process than others.

Understanding BIM InfrastructureGetting up to speed with BIM requires a varied set of tools and skills. Although it stemsfrom traditional processes and principles, BIM represents a new way of achieving proj-ect goals.

The transition to BIM is analogous to the transition from riding a bike as transportationto learning how to drive a car:

� BIM technology—such as software, hardware and connectivity—represents the ve-hicles you use and the roads, bridges or tunnels you travel.

� BIM content is like the fuel for your vehicle, which needs to be plentiful and easilyaccessible.

� BIM standards represent the rules and regulations for all aspects of the infrastruc-ture that allows you to travel efficiently and consistently.

� BIM education, training and certification are like the learning and licensingprocesses for operating your vehicle.

These are all key components to BIM, and without them you won’t get far.

Autodesk AutoCAD Archicad Digital Bentley Bentley Vectorworks RAM CS2 Tekla Autodesk Vico0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

30%

64%71%

89%

10%

35%

9%

38%32%

52%

10%

65%

17%

67%

36%

83%

5%

41%34%

86%

38%

89%

67%

93%

Revit Civil 3D Project Architecture NavisWorks Triforma)

A/E/C/O E/C/O A/C/O A/C/O E/C A/O A/O E E E C CN=302 N=220 N=201 N=201 N=181 N=121 N=121 N=101 N=101 N=101 N=80 N=80

A = Architect; E = Engineer; C = Contractor; O = Owner

% Aware % Used

Awareness of BIM-Related Tools



Project Analysis ToolsOne of the drivers of BIM expansion as a project process is the increasing ability of specialized analysis tools to extract data from design models and perform valuable analysis. Data standards initiatives are helping facilitate the exchangesrequired for these activities. This holds considerable potential to significantly increasethe value of BIM for all users.

Quantity takeoff is the leading example of this functionality. Overall, 57% of users saythey extract quantity information from BIM, with contractors leading at 71%.

Data related to cost and schedule is critical to all parties on a project. The potential benefits of 4D (schedule) and 5D (cost) capabilities rank high among BIM users, although use of these is still emerging.

User Differences� Nearly half of architects commonly use energy analysis or other tools related to

sustainability rating.

� One-third of contractors say they use BIM data for quantity takeoff, scheduling andestimating. General contractors and construction managers report performing thesetasks with BIM 20 to 30% more frequently than trade contractors. Conversely, tradecontractors are using sustainability rating system analysis tools with BIM one-thirdmore frequently than general contractors and construction managers.

� Half of engineers use BIM data for quantity takeoff. In general engineers gravitatestrongly toward BIM analysis tools that support their specific practice area, with 82%of civil, transportation and environmental engineers reporting use of tools for stormwater analysis and 61% for vehicle turning analysis. Similarly, two-thirds of MEP engineers report using energy analysis tools with BIM.

� Half of owners use BIM data with project management software. Owners focus farmore on BIM analysis during design and construction then in facilities management,where only 19% report activity. This is likely to increase as models become more integrated with operations-oriented software.

� Use of BIM data with analysis tools rises with experience. In some cases, it’s a dramatic increase. Experts are twice as likely to use BIM data for quantity takeoff,scheduling and estimating compared to beginners.

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Object DataAlthough BIM promotes a new way ofworking, many of the traditional de-mands remain. As with working inCAD, architects still prefer to begina BIM design with generic objects,substituting them with manufacturer-specific objects later. Nearly half of ar-chitects agree strongly with this view.

Contractors, however, need details.Logically, nearly half of contractors feelstrongly that they need as many manu-facturer-specific objects as possible.when starting a model. While contrac-tors may get some object data fromother team members, many contrac-tors build their own models andcreate objects themselves in theprocess. As more contractors emergeas significant users, the pressure toprovide manufacturers’ information forBIM could rise.

Object Sources

� Creating objects in-house is themost popular option for users as awhole with one-third reporting theydo so most or all of the time. Onlyowners say they rarely do this.More experienced users are farmore likely to create their own ob-jects than others.

� Manufacturer websites are thesecond most popular choice for object data with more than a quartersaying they use such tools most ofthe time. Architects are slightlymore likely to pursue this optioncompared to others.

� Free object libraries or onlineuser group sites are the thirdmost-popular option with one-quarterusing these sources most of thetime. Architects and contractors areslightly more likely to use thesesources than engineers or owners.

� Paid subscriber services are rarelyused by any build team member. Other

Vehicle Turning AnalysisFacility Management

Storm Water AnalysisLEED Or Other Green Analysis

Structural AnalysisProject Management

Energy AnalysisEstimatingScheduling

Quanity Take Off

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%Percent of Use

57%45%

44%38%

35%32%32%

19%18%

15%15%

Use of BIM Analysis Tools



Content DemandAs capabilities and content continue to be developed for BIM, users see gapsthey need filled. Although many have demands that are specific to their practices,areas that all users agree need to be further developed include:

� Structural elements

� Mechanical equipment

� Building envelope and windows

User Differences

Architects see the greatest need for additional content. The top BIM content demandedby architects includes building envelope and windows; structural elements; stairs and rail-ings; and objects that work with analysis tools for evaluating sustainability.

Engineers report the lowest need for additional content. The top BIM content demandedby engineers includes structural elements; mechanical equipment; and sewer, water anddrainage system components.

Contractors and owners both demand the same top-three areas of BIM content: struc-tural elements; mechanical equipment; and building envelope and windows.

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Establishing BIM StandardsThe development of building informa-tion modeling is bigger than any onecompany, industry group, software plat-form or practice area. Because of itsbroad impact, players throughout the in-dustry are contributing to its evolution.

This broad-based approach has created a very dynamic environment in whichnew pieces are regularly added to thepuzzle. The greatest pitfall is that anyadded piece might not exactly fit intothe big picture with the others. As a result, build team members might notbe able to share data across the various technologies used on aBIM-related project.

With so many players working todevelop BIM, many are calling forstandards that will make these di-vergent platforms and applicationsinteroperable.

Under this mission, the building-SMARTAlliance was founded in 2006 as anexpansion of the International Alliance for Interoperability to definestandards of data interoperabilitywithin the building environment.

Among its efforts, the group helpedestablish Industry Foundation Classes(IFCs), which electronically define elements of a building design in a format that can be shared between applications. Players throughout the industry are experimenting with implementing IFCs.

Other standards are also at play, includ-ing XML, which stands for ExtensibleMarkup Language. This format is usedfor exchanging data via the Internet.

0% 25% 50% 75%

60%

53%

50%

39%

33%

35%

34%

32%

34%

23%

22%

18%

17%

23%

18%

9%

16%

Users ReportingLow Need

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingHigh Need

(8-10)

7.33

6.91

6.83

6.06

5.95

5.89

5.82

5.78

5.51

5.25

5.08

4.85

4.66

4.44

4.35

3.67

3.52

Electrical Equipment

Doors

Roof Accessories

Casework

Construction Equipment

Basic Furniture

Road design components

Sunscreen/shading devices

Landscape Design Element

Bridge components

75% 50% 25% 0%

15%

18%

18%

29%

29%

31%

31%

31%

36%

36%

39%

44%

45%

53%

53%

62%

62%

Structural elements

Mechanical Equipment

Building envelope and windows

Stairs & RailingsAnalysis tools for evaluating

Plumbing FixturesSewer/water/drainage systems

sustainability

components

Use of BIM Analysis Tools



39

Interview with Dana “Deke” Smith, FAIAExecutive DirectorbuildingSMART Alliance

Data standards represent a possible solution to problematic interoperability is-sues among collaborating firms in the design and construction industry. Despitealtruistic goals, getting players from the various disciplines to find commonground is no easy task. Dana "Deke" Smith, executive director of buildingSMART Alliance, brings us up to speed on his organization’s efforts to bringeveryone to the table.

Where do we stand in terms of getting industry-accepted standards forBIM? When you talk about industry acceptance of BIM standards, it’s impor-tant to acknowledge that BIM is not just about technology, it’s a significantculture change issue. In order to have successful standards we need to engagea wide variety of industry players who have worked somewhat independentlyfor many decades. I’m told we have over 10 million people in our industry, andthe way I see it only a couple of hundred thousand of them currently recognizethat there is an opportunity for major transformation on the horizon. The primaryfunction of the alliance is coordinating international industry efforts to mostefficiently develop workable standards, both for defining the types of informa-tion that need to be exchanged among stakeholders and the data structureand format of those exchanges. The pioneers at work now will be tapped asthe subject matter experts as they gain knowledge. That way we don’t need tohave everyone reinvent the wheel. Instead we can identify best practices andmake those available to others quickly and broadly.

What’s working? Standards efforts are enabling better connections all thetime, certainly between designers and with contractors, but newer initiativeslike Construction Operations Information Business Exchange (COBIE) arenow defining standards so that models and their information can flow fromconstruction to owners and sustainers of facilities. The vision of informationflowing through the entire facility lifecycle is beginning to be realized, albeitnot on a single project quite yet.

What are the challenges? The culture of fragmentation must be overcome. Weneed to get people comfortable with sharing. We must overcome the fear factor.As more people succeed, more will put their feet in the water. Technology andstandards are not the problem. They will develop as we identify the businessrequirements of the practitioners and all stakeholders for increasingly effort-less data exchange.

What’s the prognosis? We have a long way to go to truly realize the vision ofeveryone working together seamlessly. But I think we will see a dramaticchange in the way the industry does business within five years, and thatprogress will beget further progress. It’s an amazing time to be in this industry.

Impact of InteroperabilityInteroperability is a cost issue for technol-ogy users. In 2007, McGraw-Hill Construction released the Interoperabilityin the Construction Industry SmartMarketReport which showed that users attrib-uted 3% of project costs to software non-interoperability.

Major contributors to cost included:

� Manually reentering data from application to application

� Time spent on duplicate software

� Time lost to document versionchecking

The report also showed that concernsover interoperability increased amongBIM users as they gained expertise withthe technology. With more users rapidlygaining BIM experience, the need forinteroperability solutions is more pronounced.

These issues can significantly affect userdecisions. For example, research for thisreport shows that 58% of users say interoperability would factor into adecision to purchase project management software.

Solving the ProblemAlthough standards are being devel-oped as a means of improving interop-erability, only half of users are awareof these efforts. Data standards are atechnical aspect of the issue that manybuild team members don’t understandor deal with directly, and may be a reasonwhy they don’t recognize these initiatives.

� Two-thirds of users say that their respective professional industry organizations should develop stan-dards. Owners are the least likelygroup to agree with this.

� One in 10 say software companiesshould lead standards development.Contractors are the most likelygroup to agree with this.

� One in 10 say government agenciesshould lead the effort.


Training MethodsBIM users as a whole draw from a diverse cadre of training resources.Users are almost evenly split onthe decision to bring in externaltrainers, train at off-site locations,use internal trainers, or teachthemselves.

User Differences

� Architects are least likely to beself-taught and most likely to useexternal trainers at their offices orat outside locations. Engineers aremost likely to be self-taught.

� Contractors are most likely to useinternal trainers and least likely totrain outside the office.

� One in ten owners outsource BIMand therefore don’t need training.

� A majority of expert users rely oninternal trainers. The use of internaltrainers rises steadily as the companygains experience. This suggeststhat as users become more investedin BIM, they see the benefits ofstaffing trainers.

� Beginners and small firms arefar more likely to be self-taughtthan all other users.

Another solution to quicken theBIM learning curve is for firms toencourage colleges and universitiesto train students in BIM tools andto recruit ready-made BIM expertswhen the students graduate.

40

Demand for TrainingAs more BIM adopters significantly expand their use of the technology togain a competitive advantage, manycompanies can expect their trainingneeds to increase as well.

Since BIM is still an emerging technol-ogy in the industry, users express thestrongest immediate need for basicskills. However, as they gain experience,it can be expected that higher levels of training will be needed in the coming years.

Architect

Engineer

Contractor

Owner

0% 15% 30% 45%Percent of Respondents

8%26%24%

18%24%

23%40%

17%20%

30%25%24%

21%

16%28%27%29%

Outsource BIM

Each is Self-Taught

Internal Trainers

Outside Locations

External TrainersVisit Office

BIM Training Methods


Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

0% 20% 40% 60%Percent of Respondents

18%51%

12%19%

19%33%

27%

21%

19%33%

24%24%

40%

8%24%

28%

Each isSelf-Taught

Outside Locations

Internal Trainers

External TrainersVisit Office

BIM Training Methods by Experience Level



Training NeedsMore than anything, BIM users arelooking for basic skills. Seven in 10users rate basic skills as very important.This is true regardless of company sizeor experience level. This demand reflects, in part, the ongoing adoption ofthe technology by additional users.

Specific Needs

� Engineers express the highest demand for basic BIM skills.

� Training related to working collabo-ratively with other firms is mostimportant to contractors.

� Sending and receiving BIM fileswith outside clients, working withparametric objects, and renderingare the training topics ranked highestby architects.

Proficiency and AdequacyMost BIM users still have a lot to learn,and they are looking for better ways toget educated.

Levels of Training

Half of companies see their users ashaving received moderately adequatelevels of training. This holds true amongall build team members.

� One-third believe they are very adequately trained.

� Contractors and architects aremost likely to see their BIM users as very adequately trained.

� One in ten owners report that theirusers are very adequately trained,while 40% are inadequately trained.

Insufficient Training Methods

On average, users do not rate the levelof training available to them as highlysufficient.

� Nearly half of architects believethey have highly-sufficient resourcestraining. Two in five contractorsbelieve this too.

� Most owners do not believe thelevel of available training is adequate.

AGC BIM Training andValidation ProgramValidating a company’s ability to work in theBIM environment is important. The Associ-ated General Contractors of America (AGC)is preparing a six-unit training and validationprogram for contractors to become fullycompetent in BIM and help owners, archi-tects, and others in the construction community distinguish the truly competentBIM contractors.

The program will cover: Introduction to BIM;BIM Legal Issues and Risk Management;BIM Technology; BIM Process and Integration; BIM Case Studies and LessonsLearned; and Advanced BIM.

“At the conclusion of this process, a contrac-tor can validate to a prospective client thatthey are BIM ready,” says Leonard Toenjes,president of AGC of St. Louis.

41


20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Per

cent

of L

evel

11%

49%

40%

44%

42%

14%

29%

52%

19%

41%

49%

10%

Less Adequately Adequately More AdequatelyTrained Trained Trained

Level of BIM Training


Rendering

Working with parametric objects

Sending and receiving BIM

Working collaboratively with

Basic BIM skills

0% 40% 80%

68%

57%

53%

43%

28%

Users ReportingLeast Important

(1-4)

Meanscale(1-10)

Users ReportingMost Important

(8-10)

7.97

7.39

7.07

6.39

5.44

other firms

40% 20% 0%Percent of Importance

5%

11%

15%

25%

37%

with outside sources

Importance of BIM Training Needs



Conclusions2009 Will Be the “Year ofthe Contractor” in BIMContractors are predicting an accelera-tion of BIM usage that significantly outstrips the other groups surveyed, andpaves the way for 2009 to be “the yearof the contractor” in BIM.

Most contractors using BIM are notwaiting to receive BIM files from designers but are doing 2D-to-BIMconversion from whatever CAD files orpaper documents they can get theirhands on. The tangibility of the benefitsthat contractors can extract from BIMmakes a compelling business case for investing.

This trend mirrors the traditional lifecycleprogression of a project, where the architect is initially responsible for theformat of information and shares itjudiciously with a small group of consultants. Then contractors assumeresponsibility, using their own tools and processes to interpret, divide and distribute that information broadly formultiple purposes through to completion.

BIM has now evolved from a focusedtool set for design to a more compre-hensive platform for design and construction integration, driving majorchanges in the ways all the players interact.

BIM-Driven Prefabricationon the HorizonFollowing the project process, it is natu-ral to predict that fabricators will be thenext group to embrace the power ofBIM. As in other manufacturing indus-tries that have integrated virtual designwith automated production to reducecost and increase quality, innovativefirms in the construction industry are already finding these efficiencies.Larger and ever more complex portionsof projects will be created in ideal fac-tory conditions for assembly at sites,rather than being more wastefully anddangerously constructed from parts andmaterials in the outdoors. This will havea direct impact on the workforce chal-lenges faced by the construction industryby making working conditions safer andmore appealing for a new generation ofindustry workers.

Owners’ Lifecycle FocusEnhanced by BIMUltimately, as thousands of completedmodels are turned over to owner/sustainers along with their physicalcounterparts, applications will emergeto integrate their rich data with robustmanagement systems for all aspects ofnetworked lifecycle operations.

The current work being done to standardize property sets and data exchanges will bear fruit for decadesof productive utilization of these “digitaldoubles.” And the in-place perform-ance data will cycle back to inform better design for the entire industry.

“There’s this surgewave of interest inBIM right now. Ifyou’re not on thefront end of it, you’refalling far behind.”

—Linda MorrisseySenior

Preconstruction ManagerMortenson Construction

42

Expertise Breeds PositiveExperienceThe research clearly shows that asusers become more expert with BIMthey enjoy proportionately greater benefits and have an increasingly positive experience with BIM. Thispowerful alignment between skillsand rewards augers well for expandedimplementation within firms andbroader adoption across the industry.

Strategic Advantage in aChallenging EconomyAs recognition of the benefits of BIMgrows, the ability of design profession-als, contractors, fabricators and suppliersto work effectively in this new environ-ment will increasingly become a competitive differentiator in winningwork. In challenging economic timesthis kind of edge can be critically important to survival. Also, ownerscompeting for scarce capital resourceswill find an advantage in being able todemonstrate the ability to more accu-rately control costs, quality and schedulethrough implementation of BIM.

Imag

es c

ourt

esy

of M

orte

nson

Con

stru

ctio

n


BIM Drives IntegratedProject Delivery As contractors and design profession-als continue to accelerate BIM adop-tion, the benefits of collaboration andintegration of information will becomeincreasingly compelling.

Efficiencies achieved by firms deploy-ing BIM solely within their own spherewill be multiplied when they begin inte-grating with other modelers.

This will shift the focus of the entire in-dustry from technology adoption toprocess reinvention, and the tools willadapt to support this perspective.

Discipline-Specific Evolution PathThe path to adoption and implementa-tion is developing unique patterns bydiscipline.

As 3D visualization was the initial attraction of BIM for architects, clashdetection is emerging as the gatewayfor contractors.

Once on board, design professionalsadvance into aspects of BIM that support their practice needs, such asenergy modeling, and contractorsmove into quantity takeoff, estimating,schedule integration and constructionlogistics and sequencing. Each playerfinds their “BIM sweet spot” where thevalue is most tangible and relevant.

Collaborative Silos Increasingly, users are adopting discipline-specific BIM applications,especially to perform analyses on dataextracted from design models thatsupports their workflow and uniqueproject responsibilities. But this appar-ent fragmentation is less of a problemwith BIM applications than it has beenwith previous discipline-specific ITtools. That is because applications thatcan work with multiple BIM formats toperform tasks such as clash detectionare providing the benefits of interoper-ability even if the data structures of thecore tools aren’t truly interoperable. Soeach discipline is applying modeling toits own part of the project, and thebenefits can still be leveraged acrossthe entire team.

Steve Cook of Kristine Fallon Associ-ates described this well in the February2008 issue of Midwest Construction,saying “[BIM] seems the most efficientand effective way to get all partiesaround the table and make decisionsabout any issues that come up. We’renot really creating a master model.Everyone owns their own informationand does their own [model]. It’s just away to briefly bring these together,identify needed changes, and then leteach party go back and make itschanges until the next time we meet.”

Faith-Based BIM AdoptionMost users report that although theyare not yet quantitatively measuringROI, they can definitely tell that theyare working more productively and effectively with BIM and have completefaith that it is a better way of working.

This is logical because many of thebenefits of BIM center on cost avoid-ance rather than cost reduction, andthus are more challenging to measurebut are clear to experience.

This will certainly change as teams collect and share more consistentlymeasured results.

Research efforts, such as the ongoingstudy of completed BIM projects bythe Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) at Stanford University, sponsored by the GSA,will continue to examine and compare results to find the meaningful trendsand give shape to the appropriate expectations for value by BIM teams.

Workforce DemographicsSenior management buy-in is reportedas the second greatest challenge toadoption, while resistance from juniorstaff is last on the list of issues.

This follows a familiar pattern for tech-nology adoption across U.S. industries.People in their twenties are ready willing and able to adopt digital tech-nologies in the workplace.

According to a McGraw-Hill Constructionwhite paper on workforce, the construc-tion industry will need to fill12 millionnew jobs by 2012. And an estimated95,000 new craft workers will beneeded each year for the next decadeto replace those leaving the industry.

For construction, the widespreadadoption and implementation of BIMhas the potential to help reverse thedecline of the industry’s image and attract more talented young people to replace the rapidly retiring ranks of experienced workers.

“Leveraging BIM expertise to differentiate your firm in the crowdedconstruction market-place is critical.”

–Leonard Toenjes, CAE, President

AGC of St. Louis

43


Resources and MethodologyResources that can help you get smarter about BIM

McGraw-Hill Construction• Main Website: www.construction.com• Research and Analytics:

www.analytics.construction.com• Architectural Record:

www.archrecord.construction.com• Engineering News-Record:

www.enr.com

• Construction Owners Association of America www.coaa.org

• Construction SpecificationsInstitute www.csinet.org

• Construction Users Roundtable www.curt.org

• Design-Build Institute of America www.dbia.org/pubs/

• International Code Council www.iccsafe.org

• Mechanical Contractors Association of America www.mcaa.org

• Society for Marketing Professional Services www.smps.org

Government Partner• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

www.usace.army.mil

Premier Corporate Partner • Autodesk

www.autodesk.com/bim

Corporate Partner • CMiC www.cmic.ca

Corporate CollaborationPartners

• Barton Malow www.bartonmalow.com

• HOK www.hok.com• Mortenson Construction

www.mortenson.com• Skanska www.skanska.com• Walbridge www.walbridge.com

Association CollaborationPartners

• American Council of Engineering Companies www.acec.org

• American Institute of Architectswww.aia.org/ip

• American Institute of Steel Construction www.aisc.org

• American Society of Civil Engineers www.asce.org

• American Society of Professional Estimators www.aspenational.org

• Associated General Contractors of America www.agc.org

• buildingSMART Alliance www.buildingsmartalliance.org

• Charles Pankow Foundation www.pankowfoundation.org

BIM Survey MethodologyMcGraw-Hill Construction conducted the 2008 Building Information Modeling Study to assess the understanding, perceptions and usagepatterns of BIM software among knowledgeable users in key player segments. The research in this report was conducted through a surveyof 82 architects, 101 engineers, 80 contractors, and 39 owners (total sample size of 302) between June 18th and August 8th, 2008. The“total” category displayed throughout the report represents the four respondent groups combined as the total build team. In addition, MHCfurther segmented the Engineer’s category, gathering additional information on civil, structural and MEP engineers.

The use of a sample to represent a true population is based on the firm foundation of statistics. The sampling size and techniques used inthis study conform to accepted industry research standards expected to produce results with high degree of confidence and low marginof error. The total sample size (302) used in this study benchmarks at a 95% confidence interval with a margin of error of less than 6%.For each of the architect and contractor respondent groups, the confidence interval is 90% with a margin of error of 9%. The owners hada confidence interval of 85% with a margin of error of 11%. Further, within the engineers category, the confidence interval is 90% with amargin of error of 8%.

Engineer33%

Contractor27%

Owner13%

Architect27%

Civil Engineers

Structural Engineers

MEP Engineers

0% 20% 40%Percent of Respondents

39%

34%

28%

Engineer (n = 101)

Respondent Profile


44


45

McGraw-Hill Construction President: Norbert W. Young, Jr., FAIA

McGraw-Hill Research & Analytics/AlliancesVice President, Industry Analytics, Alliances & Strategic Initiatives: Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE,LEED© APSenior Director, Research & Analytics: Burleigh MortonDirector, Green Content & Research Communications: Michele A. Russo, LEED© APDirector, Market Research: John DiStefano, MRA, PRCDirector, Industry Alliances: John E. Gudgel

BIM SmartMarket ReportBIM SmartMarket Report subject matter expert, Senior Director, Stephen A. JonesEditor-In-Chief, Director of Industry Alliances, John E. GudgelBIM SmartMarket Report Research Project Manager, Dana S. Gilmore, MRA, PRCBIM SmartMarket Report consultant, Bruce Buckley

Reproduction or dissemination of any information contained herein is granted only by contract orprior written permission from McGraw-Hill Construction.

For further information on this SmartMarket Report or for any in the series, please contact McGraw-Hill Construction Research and Analytics.1-800-591-4462, 34 Crosby Drive, Suite 201, Bedford, MA [email protected]

Copyright © 2008, McGraw-Hill Construction, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Acknowledgements: The authors wish to gratefully thank our partners who helped support the BIM

research. We would like to thank our premier corporate sponsor, Autodesk, our corporate partner CMiC, and our

corporate contributing partners including HOK, Mortenson Construction, Skanska, Walbridge, and Barton Malow.

We would also like to thank the following industry associations and government partners that helped review the

survey and encouraged members to participate: The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Associated General

Contractors of America (AGC), Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), Construction Specifications

Institute (CSI), buildingSMART Alliance, Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), American Council of

Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Society of Professional

Estimators (ASPE), Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC),

Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Construction Owners Association of America (COAA),

International Code Council (ICC), and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The authors would also like to thank all of the people who agreed to be interviewed for this report including

RobertA. Bank (USACE), Ed Hoagland (PCL), Derek Cunz (Mortenson Construction), Mathew Rooke (Burt Hill),

Michael Corb (Burt Hill), Phil Bernstein (Autodesk), Michael LeFevre (Holder Construction), John Moebes

(Crate & Barrel), Andrew Yonkus (Hill Mechanical), Luminita Ruva-Ciupitu (SmithGroup), Michael Bade (UCSF),

MichaelPiotrkowski (Rudolf and Sletten), Dana “Deke” Smith (buildingSMART Alliance), Leonard Toenjes (AGC of

St.Louis), and Linda Morrissey (Mortenson Construction). They would also like to thank Miles Walker (HOK) for his

assistance in securing images for the table of contents page; and to PCL Construction, Burt Hill, Solibri, Turner

Construction,Tekla, ViewByView, Crate & Barrel, and SmithGroup for providing photos and BIM images for case

studies and features.


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