This article explores the key values of BIM (Part 1):
5. On-Site Integration and Collaborative Work
BIM technology serves more as a management process that differs from traditional engineering project management methods. Its application spans collaboration among multiple parties, including owners, design institutes, consulting units, construction teams, supervision units, and suppliers. Each party has unique requirements and approaches for managing, using, controlling, and collaborating with BIM models.
Throughout the project lifecycle, the BIM model acts as the central hub, enabling all participants to collaborate on modeling, data management, and operations. To facilitate this collaborative environment and boost work efficiency, a unified integrated information platform is essential. This platform allows direct data exchange among various construction departments and stakeholders, reducing communication delays and eliminating information silos.
Centralized system deployment and data management enable efficient acquisition, aggregation, and analysis of vast datasets, supporting project management decision-making. This integrated platform fosters seamless communication, decision-making, approvals, project tracking, and collaboration among all involved parties.
Leveraging BIM models, project operation control is strengthened on this unified platform. Cost estimation and budgeting are performed based on BIM analyses, forming the foundation for bidding, progress tracking, settlements, and change management. The BIM model integrates scheduling by linking Gantt charts to project components, enabling planning for upcoming funds, bidding, and procurement phases.
Actual progress updates automatically generate reports on engineering quantities. During subcontracting and procurement bidding, cost and budget analyses centered on the BIM model help produce bid documents with supporting evaluation systems. Additionally, the platform facilitates analysis, comparison, extraction, and storage of cost data for future reference.
Based on bidding contracts, funding plans are declared in line with progress tracked via the BIM model. The system supports design modifications, engineering changes, project settlements, and overall cost management.
6. Digital Processing and Factory Production
Industrialized construction combines factory prefabrication with on-site assembly, representing the future direction of the construction industry. Integrating BIM with digital manufacturing enhances production efficiency in contracting projects, enabling automation throughout the construction process.
Many building components—such as doors, windows, prefabricated concrete elements, and steel structures—can be fabricated offsite and later transported for assembly. Digital processing ensures accurate prefabrication, while advanced factory machinery reduces construction errors and significantly increases manufacturing productivity.
This comprehensive delivery method lowers construction costs, improves quality, shortens project timelines, minimizes resource waste, and demonstrates advanced construction management practices. For parts without existing BIM models, advanced 3D laser scanning technology can quickly capture accurate models of existing structures or components.
7. Visual Construction and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
Traditional project management often suffers from poor integration among construction participants, with design and construction operating independently. Long-term cooperative relationships between designers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and owners are lacking. This leads to frequent design changes, errors, prolonged timelines, low productivity, slow coordination, communication gaps, and cost overruns.
These issues stem from conflicting interests, cultural differences, and information protection concerns among project participants. Members tend to prioritize their own enterprise’s benefits, resulting in low collaborative decision-making and local optimizations that fail to benefit the project as a whole.
As BIM technology matures, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) emerges as a comprehensive project delivery model. Based on BIM, IPD combines project information technology with innovative management practices developed through research and industry experience. It aims to enhance production efficiency and technological advancement in the construction sector.
IPD transforms project management by maximizing integration among construction professionals, enabling information sharing, and facilitating efficient collaboration across functional, professional, and organizational boundaries.
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up