When discussing the relationship between BIM information and the construction industry chain, numerous topics come to mind. Today, I’d like to take the opportunity to explore this important subject with you: BIM and its role in the industry.
BIM software is often described as a “build-oriented parametric modeling tool,” where its fundamental independent components are referred to as “objects.” To fully understand this, it’s essential to clarify the connection between these components and the materials, building parts, assemblies, and overall building structures involved in typical construction projects, as well as the hierarchical information contained within them.
A building entity consists of materials derived from various raw sources such as soil, stone, wood, steel, and plastic. These building materials are then crafted into objects like columns, beams, slabs, walls, doors, windows, equipment, and furniture. These objects come together to form structural frames, exterior walls, floor slabs, and other grouped components known as assemblies. Ultimately, a complete building project comprises foundations, floor frames, exterior walls, roofs, interior decorations, equipment, and other grouped components.
The construction approach is heavily influenced by the local construction industry chain. For example, in some regions, reinforced concrete is poured on-site, while steel mills are responsible solely for producing steel bars of various diameters, which are then bent and tied at the construction site. In such cases, the BIM model must accurately output the quantities of concrete and the different steel bars required at various stages of construction.
Conversely, in areas where the precast reinforced concrete industry is well established, structural elements like columns, beams, slabs, and walls can be manufactured in a factory and transported to the site for assembly. Here, the BIM model primarily needs to provide quantities and details of the precast components produced by the industry.
Therefore, the information embedded within a BIM model is closely aligned with the local construction industry chain, as illustrated in the figure. The lower part of the figure highlights that a building consists of three major components: the main architecture, interior and exterior decorations, and equipment pipelines. The upper section represents materials from the upstream construction industry chain, midstream products like tiles, flooring, and coatings, as well as downstream home decoration and furniture.
It is essential that the information input into the BIM model corresponds closely with the product information from the industry chain. For instance, currently, most concrete is pre-mixed, and steel bars are typically bent by steel mills. Thus, the modeling input must include quantities of concrete and steel bars by diameter and shape. For materials like red bricks, quantities are converted based on the area, and doors and windows are treated as mature prefabricated products. By aligning BIM input with the types of products available in the industry, the application of BIM becomes much more efficient.
Through this explanation, readers can gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between BIM information and the industrial chain. Although BIM adoption began relatively late in China, its growth has been rapid. I believe that as BIM applications deepen in China, its influence on and optimization of the construction industry chain will become increasingly significant and impactful.
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