Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 22

companies to understand and incorporate into their market strategies, says Brian Moura, global product marketing manager at B I M s o f t w a re “By creating provider Bentley Systems, Inc. a very exact, “Rapidly growvirtual model ing worldwide of a project, demand for highwe are able to performance design the most buildings means efficient building the ability to accurately predict footprint and energy consumpenvelope.” tion, CO2 emisJohn trIMBle sions, operating C&S EnginEErS inC. costs and occupant comfort is now critical to the success of projects ranging from the small and simple to the very large and highly complex,” Moura says. “The adoption of BIM gives stakeholders a way to work collaboratively on performance issues throughout the design lifecycle. It also means architects, MEP and building services engineers, and energy assessors need the right tools to effectively and productively design, analyze and simulate building energy systems.” The industry slowly embraced BIM and sustainability. Firms were well entrenched in older design methods—and change was not easy. “BIM brings the project team together much earlier, much the same way Design/ Build brought engineers and contractors together at the onset, unlike the traditional design-bid-build process,” says Moura. What’s more, existing computing technology needs to advance to the point where modeling tools could be used optimally on regular desktop computers. “Four or five years ago, most firms were still focused on drafting as the final output,” Bennett says. “Now there are better tools for visualization and simulation, and we’re starting to see a transition where they’re switching more to modeling tools.” Desktop computing power that didn’t exist even a few years ago—coupled with higher network bandwidth—enables firms to share large files as part of the collaborative development needed for sustainability.ENGiNEEriNG iNc. March / april 2010 Early industry adoption of BIM also proved difficult because of interoperability issues between the technology’s two primary software providers—Bentley and Autodesk. To address these issues, the companies agreed to expand interoperability between their portfolios of architectural, engineering and construction software. Hurdles still exist to greater industrywide adoption of BIM. Perhaps the biggest challenge is changing people’s perception, Bennett says. “For the last 100 years, we’ve focused engineering design on delivering a set of plans that allows contractors to con- struct” a building or piece of infrastructure. Slow start notwithstanding, the growing adoption of BIM and the increased focus on sustainability are profoundly changing the way facilities are designed, constructed and operated. “We’re going to see people rethink how to approach projects from the beginning to make infrastructure more sustainable and resilient as a desired outcome,” says Bennett. “But it takes time.” n Bob Violino is a business and technology writer based in Massapequa Park, N.Y. Resources that matter Your practice is at risk every day. Your reputation is always on the line. That’s why you need a professional liability risk management program specifically designed for A/Es and customized to protect your practice. With XL Insurance as your partner, you benefit from unparalleled resources that help you make good decisions and improve your firm’s risk management practices: – Expert claims handling by professional liability specialists who go to work for you from pre-claims situations through ultimate resolution. – Specialty underwriting. We gain a thorough understanding of your firm so that we can deliver customized insurance solutions. – Industry leading education backed by 30 years of front-line claims experience and resources like The XL Insurance Contract Guide for Design Professionals. – Specialized agents who deliver training, contract reviews, and XL Insurance’s loss prevention and education programs. We understand the intricacies of protecting your practice, assets and reputation. You can be confident in our knowledge. For free risk management tools, visit www.xldp.com/tools. For an agent near you, phone 800-227-8533, ext. 2102508. “XL Insurance” is a registered trademark of XL Capital Ltd. XL Insurance is the global brand used by member insurers of the XL Capital Ltd group of companies. Coverages are underwritten by Greenwich Insurance Company, Indian Harbor Insurance Company, XL Specialty Insurance Company, and XL Insurance Company Limited – Canadian Branch. Coverages not available in all jurisdictions.

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010

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