Building Information Modeling

Waste" is never good. We are all becoming more conscious of our processes as well as the repercussions on the economy, people, and the environment. The same can be said of the construction industry too. I have been fascinated with the concept of Building Lean for a while and this blog is about that. 'Building Lean', means to eliminate and minimize waste over the construction process, thereby enhancing efficiency and conserving resources. This refers to waste generated by every process, from the ordering of excess materials to duplicating tasks within a workflow. Why should we turn to Lean principles of building? Let me make a comparison, automation has driven a 3.6% spike in global labour productivity in manufacturing over the last 20 years. In contrast, the construction industry has only seen a 1% improvement in the same time frame. How do we embrace the Lean Building approach? And can Building Information Modeling (BIM) help? EFFICIENCY IS EVERYTHING The skil...

Renovating or refurbishing a building or facility is often far more tedious than constructing a new one. Unlike a new construction where the required changes can be easily made in the plan, renovating or refurbishing has its limitations. The renovation and refurbishment projects involve unique risks for the contractors and builders alike. The challenge often is that the drawings for the original project differ, in some cases substantially, from the actual construction. Changes made on the fly to overcome clashes, address challenges between the utilities and other teams, and custom requirements tend not to be reflected in the original drawings. A key task becomes the need to address the issues with the interface to the existing plan to rectify the errors and work within the limitations of the original plan. BIM for Renovation and Refurbishment Projects In the construction industry today,  BIM services  are used often for a new construction project. But the potential app...