Building Information Modeling - 21

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION assistance. The advantages of this model include existing knowledge of the company cultur e and e xisting r elationships with fello w emplo yees. Risk for this model is r elatively low (unless the consequences of the lack of BIM capabilities are fact ored in). Subsequently, the reward is long term. Another model for int egration is the acquisition and integration of truly integrated design-build firms with in-house expertise in ar chitecture, engineering, and construction. These organizations have lik ely established man y of the processes nec essary for int egration and may even have some expertise with BIM tools. With the cur rent mar ket, companies not pr esently st ructured in this manner ha ve the oppor tunity t o establish a BIM-enabled IPD fir m thr ough acquisitions and mergers at a r elatively reasonable cost. This model involves significant investment and r equires clearly defined positions, roles and responsibilities, and a clear strategic plan for company dir ection. The ad vantage of this model is a fast track to functional BIM and IPD , thus impr oving mar ket position. Other advantages of an acquisition strategy are the reduction of competition and increased barriers to entry. Conclusion BIM a nd I PD a re c urrently t ransforming the industry. The days of traditional project delivery methods w ith all of the associated waste in the process are numbered. Through BIM and IPD , firms ar e able t o w in and deli ver mor e projects at a decr eased c ost and increased pr ofit. The old sa ying c omes to mind: “There ar e those who mak e things happen, those who wat ch thing s happen, and those who w onder what just happened.” In or der t o sur vive in these t roubled times, it is imper ative that desig n and c onstruction fir ms decide to “make things happen” through BIM and IPD implementation. AGC Bolsters BIM with BIMForum, BIMEducation Building I nformation M odeling is both a technology and a methodology. It deli vers the pr omise that w e ha ve come to expect from new t echnology by incr easing pr oductivity and efficiency. However, it has the potential to go e ven fur ther b y impr oving t raditional w orkflow pr ocesses and demanding closer c ollaboration fr om all project stakeholders. These are changes that can transform the indust ry. The new t ools and the new processes they enable will power builders t o lead int egrated pr oject delivery teams that can eliminate waste and er ror while dr amatically impr oving the task of delivering better products to the owners. AGC has de veloped a tw o-pronged approach to BIM. The first, through the AGC BIMForum, is AEC industrywide and intended to develop the new broad industry practices that ar e necessary to enable full BIM implementation. The sec ond is t o educat e the workforce t hat c an c arry o ut t hese changes and allow contractors to productively and confidently incorporate BIM into their companies. BIMForum: BIM is unique among most industry topics in that, to be successful, it r equires full par ticipation from e very s ector. The B IMForum’s open membership structure is designed to br ing BIM e xperts fr om acr oss the industry t ogether t o c ollectively find practical solutions t o the bar riers that prevent full BIM adoption. The BIMF orum has se ven subforums that r epresent the pr imary stakeholders. The e xisting sub-for ums are: contractors, designers, legal and insurance, academic, emerging leaders, owners and software. BIM Education: AGC of America is in the process of developing a BIM education cur riculum t o be administ ered through the c hapters. This cur riculum will educat e c onstruction pr ofessionals on all relevant aspects of BIM. Although this c urriculum i s s till in d evelopment, and may still be c hanged, it is e xpected that it w ill be c omprised of six courses. Together these c ourses ar e int ended t o give the student a broad understanding of new workflow processes, a basic grasp of the technology, as well as an overview of the legal and insurance issues that are relevant to BIM. The anticipated courses are: • BIM 101: An I ntroduction t o Building Information Modeling • BIM L egal I ssues and Risk Management • BIM Case Studies and L essons Learned • Introduction to BIM Technology • BIM Process and Integration • Emerging Trends in BIM AGC of America e xpects t o c omplete the cur riculum de velopment by fall of 2008 and begin offering courses through chapters late 2008/early 2009. BIM 21

Building Information Modeling

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Information Modeling