Building Information Modeling - 13

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION BIM a Boon to Green Building Beyond the productivity gains and other benefits hailed b y advocates of BIM, the U.S. Green B uilding C ouncil of New York sees another - its complementary role in the advent of sustainability. With BIM enc ouraging a mor e int egrated desig n appr oach early in the pr ocess, it is mor e likely that a pr oject will involve elements necessary to meet g reen standards. Instead of simply creating space in a 2D environment, BIM allows for the analysis of building systems in a 3D model. This allows for the assessment of performance m etrics w ith r espect t o e nergy u se a nd lighting, which ar e c onsidered cr itical in sustainabilit y. It also allows designers to “test” various components of a building, like mechanical systems, before construction to vet a r ange of systems on a specific project. The U.S. Green Building Council of New York considers BIM among the most e xciting oppor tunities cur rently facing the building indust ry. BIM has been discussed at se veral of their events this y ear. During their 1st Wednesday T echnical Roundtable in February, a panel of experts gave a presentation on Energy M odeling as a Desig n G uide. An overview of energy modeling methods,software, industry t rends, examples and ne xt gener ation applications was follo wed b y a question and answer session. However, advocates still for esee c hallenges t o the w idespread implementation o f BIM that r elate to the iner tia that precedes the adoption of any new technology. One of the biggest challenges is getting owners to look beyond the initial costs associated w ith implementing BIM and understand its benefits - not just during the design and construction phase of a project, but over a building's entire life cycle. While it is widely agreed that BIM can enhance the construction of larger projects, some still question whether it is feasible for smaller projects. The U.S. Green Building Council of New York is on the cutting edge of this ongoing discussion. Gordon Holness, ASHRAE P resident Elect, spoke on this t opic at their monthly High Performance Building Salon series. The U.S. Green Building Council will host many more lively discussions on this and other technologies this year. For more information, visit www.usgbcny.org. BIM 13

Building Information Modeling

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