There are often challenges when applying BIM during the engineering design phase. Common issues include owners not fully recognizing the design outcomes and BIM implementation falling short of expectations. Today, let’s explore the obstacles encountered in the BIM application process during the design stage, and discuss practical ways to overcome them.
1) Owners Have Unclear BIM Requirements
Currently, most owners have a limited understanding of BIM and struggle to specify reasonable BIM requirements. When requirements are unclear before the project begins, it leads to ambiguous project scopes and often results in owners being dissatisfied with the outcomes. This dissatisfaction prompts change requests after deliverables are completed, trapping both owners and BIM design teams in a continuous cycle of revisions (see the figure).
Analyzing these obstacles reveals that since BIM adoption is still in its infancy, it is unrealistic to expect owners to define clear BIM requirements upfront. At this stage, it is crucial for BIM professionals, who possess deep BIM expertise, to assist owners in articulating clear and precise requirements. This collaboration lays the foundation for owner satisfaction and helps prevent frequent changes later in the project.
2) Lack of Clear BIM Standards Prior to Project Start
During BIM implementation, each BIM team should establish standards tailored to their workflow, reflecting the collaborative nature of construction projects. The construction industry demands seamless integration, cooperation, and coordination among project teams to improve efficiency and avoid redundant work within BIM teams.
BIM team standards typically cover:
- Business standards: bidding and tender templates, service guidelines, personnel allocation, etc.
- Software application standards: types and versions of software used.
- Information model standards: benchmark settings, model detail levels, deduction rules, attribute configurations, family selections, and even pipeline color coding.
Defining and adhering to these standards supports smooth BIM operations, fosters mature standardization processes, and strengthens the core competitiveness of the BIM team.
3) Challenges During Project Implementation
Projects are delivered through team collaboration rather than individual efforts. During BIM practice, issues may arise, such as numerous errors and omissions when integrating information models. Poor overall model quality can hinder its effective use downstream.
The primary causes of these quality problems include:
- Lack of unified standards within the team before modeling.
- Misinterpretation of 2D drawings due to professional limitations.
- Errors introduced due to tight project schedules during modeling.
To address these issues and enhance model quality, it is essential to establish an internal audit mechanism within the team (see Figure 5). This mechanism ensures that produced models meet quality requirements.
The model review process involves both self-inspection and post-integration review. Self-inspection minimizes errors and allows quick corrections because the modeler is familiar with their own work, thereby improving efficiency. Reviewers should be project participants with familiarity of the project and a solid professional background, including software expertise and knowledge in architecture, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Upon completion of the review, collision detection reports should be issued by the reviewers.
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