The engineering design phase of construction projects plays a crucial role in cost management. Although design costs typically account for only 1% to 3% of the total project budget, the design phase can influence 70% to 80% of the overall project cost. Currently, cost control during design mainly relies on quota-based methods: preliminary schemes are developed according to investment estimates approved by the client, with design estimates used to regulate budgets. Subsequently, construction drawings are designed based on these preliminary estimates, and the construction budget is controlled accordingly. However, traditional design approaches often complete cost assessments only after design completion, making it difficult to optimize plans during the design process and challenging to achieve effective quota design.
Leveraging BIM for quota design improves this process significantly. Investors first establish quota indicators using historical data stored in the enterprise BIM database. Design teams then select relevant indicators from similar past projects, quickly developing preliminary designs aligned with these quotas. Meanwhile, cost engineers use specialized software to calculate and verify the cost of each design element, enabling design optimization and accurate quota adherence in the preliminary scheme. Following approval, designers proceed with construction drawings, enhancing the BIM model to extract precise quantities. This allows cost professionals to prepare detailed construction budgets, establishing a solid foundation for ongoing cost management.
Additionally, during the design phase, BIM technology integrates multiple disciplines—architecture, structure, and equipment—into a unified platform. BIM’s visual models facilitate clash detection across disciplines, promptly identifying design errors, omissions, or conflicts between components. This proactive coordination minimizes design changes and rework during construction, shortens the schedule, reduces costs, and enhances overall project cost control.
Case Study: The CNOOC Building project in Shenzhen utilized BIM technology for construction drawing design. By developing a comprehensive BIM model, the team conducted collision detection to identify and resolve design issues early. The project employed BIM for 3D pipeline design, ensuring accurate pipeline layouts that met the owner’s clear height requirements. The verification process precisely located the relationship between reserved structural openings and equipment pipelines. BIM enabled fast, accurate design, preventing issues that traditionally only surfaced during construction. The finalized BIM model contained extensive component information, allowing efficient quantity take-offs for pipeline length, equipment counts, and more. This quick and accurate data supported the owner’s bidding process effectively.
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