“Knowledge is inherently integrated, and dividing it into separate disciplines only reflects human limitations.” — Sir Halford John Mackinder, 1887. This human limitation remains an unchanging reality. The design and operation of engineering projects typically require the collaboration of dozens of disciplines and specialized experts, including those skilled in BIM.
Mr. Dana Smith, President of the BuildingsMART Alliance in the United States, once stated: The era of relying on a single software to solve every problem is over. Regardless of whether it is technically feasible to develop so-called “super software,” as long as software is created for people—each applying specific disciplinary knowledge to handle particular tasks at various stages of a project’s lifecycle—there will be no need for super software, just as there is no Superman. Even when one person is responsible for multiple tasks, it is generally impossible to address all issues with a single software.
If an architect’s plans, performance analyses, construction drawings, and other work were all integrated into one software, the usability of that software would significantly decline. To use an analogy, if we think of super software as a “Universal Machine” capable of doing everything, the more practical approach is for different stakeholders to use different software tailored to their own needs. Together, they form a production line that creates, manages, and shares information.
However, the current challenge lies in the lack of coherence in the information flowing along this production line, which often leads to errors and inefficiency. The goal of BIM is to ensure that information on this production line is consistent, errors are prevented in advance, and efficiency is improved. It is not about building a universal machine to handle all tasks simultaneously.
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