BIM DIGEST

Volume One

YOUR GUIDE TO THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE WORLD OF BIM

03 Foreward

04 Facts about BIM

06 Concurrent working challenges & opportunities in BIM - Stephan Jones: Amtech, A Trimble Company

10 Product Data Templates - Carl Collins: Elementa Consulting

16 BIM in the Market - Georg Hewelt: Plancal, A Trimble Company

20 The importance of the BIM4M2 Curve - Matt Crunden: Legrand Electric Ltd

24 Digital Life, BIM Level 2, and the Third Industrial Revolution - John Eynon: Open Water Consultancy

30 Big gaps to fill as government BIM rollout nears - Paul Reeve: Electrical Contractors Association (ECA)

34 2016 BIM Predictions

CONTENTS

Architects, Contractors, Engineers, Sub-contractors

and Quantity Surveyors to Facilities Managers need to understand the

rationale behind BIM and the benefit it brings to all

those working across the AEC Industry.

DisclaimerThe opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, Trimble Navigation Ltd, its subsiduaries and their employees. A breadth of the contributors views and perspectives is a key aspect of creating discussion around the topic of BIM. Trimble Navigation Ltd or its subsiduaries accepts no liability for any errors that may appear in this document, save to the extent that such liability cannot be excluded or limited at law. In no event shall Trimble Navigation Ltd or its subsiduaries be liable for indirect or consequential loss in connection with, or arising from, the use of the information on this document.

2

FOREWARD Building Information Modelling (BIM) is about much more than software and hardware. Instead, it constitutes a revolutionary paradigm shift in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

Forged on the cornerstones of collaboration, consultation and shared information, BIM is essentially a philosophy that defines different ways of thinking and working at all stages in a buildings lifecycle.

As BIM adoption becomes increasingly widespread globally, the AEC industry increasingly understands its value as a process that transforms the way buildings are designed and managed. More and more, BIM is beginning to change the way buildings look, the way they function and the way in which different stakeholders engage in their design and build.

However, for BIM to achieve its full potential as an innovative and highly efficient industry game-changer, it is essential that everyone involved in a projects delivery is able to change their approach and move away from the traditional inefficiencies associated with multiple stakeholders commencing work on projects at different and distinct phases.

In order for this to happen, all parties from architects, contractors, engineers, sub-contractors and quantity surveyors to facilities managers need to understand the rationale behind BIM and the benefit it brings to all those working across the AEC Industry.

For businesses still reeling from an influx of BIM Wash over recent years, BIM adoption can at times still feel like a leap into the unknown. People often find themselves asking how they can differentiate between hard, fast, factual information and exaggerated claims from those with a thinly-veiled yet vested interest in benefitting from being less than wholly frank about the realities of BIM adoption for contractors and sub-contractors.

In bringing together a collection of contributions from knowledgeable, practical and professional sources, from both inside Trimble and out, we hope this book goes some way to answering that question and many more. In publishing a range of informative and diverse pieces looking at a variety of aspects, we hope we have provided a resource full of objective answers and solutions to the questions and challenges faced by anyone interested in learning more about BIM.

We would like to thank each of our contributors for giving their time, effort and insight in bringing this book to life and hope you enjoy reading their opinions and the practical solutions they offer.

BIM DIGEST / FOREWARD

3

Before we look further into the world of BIM, lets take a look at some key facts:

FACTS ABOUT BIM 63%

ITS ABOUT COST REDUCTION.63% of respondents in the NBS commissioned survey believed BIM would result in a reduction in costs.

77%

ITS THE FUTURE.77% believe BIM practices

are the future of the industry.

AND THE ENVIRONMENT.41% think that BIM will help reduce

carbon emissions.

41%4

IT TAKES INVESTMENT.Of people that did not feel confident in their own abilities for BIM, 74% of those surveyed cited lack of in-house expertise and 67% cited lack of training as the reasons. 74%

IT WILL SUPPORT YOUR PROCESSES NOT DESTROY THEM.Of those already using BIM, 92% say they didnt have to make significant changes to workflow, patterns or procedures.

92%

ITLL SOON BE COMMONPLACE.Of those aware of BIM but not yet using it, 83% said theyd adopt it in 12 months time. Of those remaining who are not planning to use it within the next year, 92% percent said they would begin using it within three.

83%

BIM DIGEST / FACTS ABOUT BIM

SOURCE:NBS National BIM Report 2015

5

Using Googles collaboration tools you will notice you

no longer send files to each other.

Concurrency is a property of systems in which several computations are executing simultaneously, and potentially interacting with each other.

CONCURRENT WORKING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BIM

6

As the UK government BIM level 2 mandate April 2016 deadline approaches the UK AEC sector continues to register mixed opinions on the question of cost benefit. This commentator believes that the government BIM level 2 definition has partially contributed by not promoting the central pillar of the standards as originally developed by the IAI (International Alliance for Interoperability) now rebranded BuildingSmart.

I introduce these points as they are inseverable from the subject of this article, namely what I believe to be the biggest prize in the BIM sweepstakes, concurrent working. Concurrency as a principle taken to an extreme, would allow users to simultaneously manipulate the same information; perhaps a CAD model object, a property of that object, an associated cost or other BIM information facet.

Likely youll probably be exclaiming that such a proposition is inherently chaotic and completely undesirable in the construction delivery context, but bear with me.

If you have been exposed to systems such as Google docs or slides and have collaborated in the development of a presentation or commercial proposal then you may never wish to go back to a text editor on your isolated machine. I can attest its happened to me and I wouldnt go back!

Using Googles collaboration tools you will notice that you no longer send files to each other, you dont sit there wondering whether or not you are looking at the latest version, or whether you need to wait to add those other changes that just entered your consciousness. Construction delivery is riddled with the exact same experiences, only they are hugely magnified. Swap out the simple doc and replace it with a highly complex, multi-faceted, detailed and interdependent building information model!

The current management of construction information is file-based, typically using proprietary formats with data schemas that simply dont have the scope required to create a homogenised construction information set. These conditions are prohibitive to the aspiration of greater concurrent working - in more ways than one and which may ultimately prove insurmountable.

Standard data management techniques generally take a pessimistic approach to sharing, if you work on a network and share an Excel file you may have noticed that when it has already been opened by a colleague Excel warns you that you cannot edit information before you receive notice that the other user has closed the file, normally a source of frustration resulting in leaving the task you were going to do undone. Pessimism in this instance however is there to ensure that information is not and cannot ever be corrupted, a principle most of us are generally happy to endorse!

CONCURRENT WORKING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BIMStephan Jones: Amtech, A Trimble Company

@

AUTHOR PROFILE NAME: Stephan Jones

JOB TITLE: Segment Manager

ORGANISATION: Amtech, A Trimble Company

BIOGRAPHY: Having entered the world of construction in 1999, Stephan founded

Start-Global Ltd which went on to become known as Synchro Ltd. From 2009, Stephan had the opportunity to work on the next generation of computer based planning systems for Google

Sketchup and Fulcro Engineering Services.Joining Amtech Group as BIM Development

Manager to work towards product BIM compliance, Stephan now holds a strategic role working as Global MEP Design and Engineering

Segment Manager. An active participant with BuildingSmart and a representitive of Trimble on the BIM Technology Alliance; Stephan is at heart,

a purest BIM evangelist.

7

As you might expect the computing world does offer up a second paradigm characterised as being optimistic. This paradigm allows multiple copies of the same information to be accessed and manipulated by more than one user; when the changes are committed (saved) the system uses techniques to attempt to merge the disparate changes. You can imagine that this can produce some unexpected results; imagine a sentence edited by one user is wholly deleted by another, what results from the merge operation? It would be fairly chaotic if we have no semantic notion of what a sentence is. Understanding what a sentence is, we might conclude that the sentence edits are only relevant in the context of the sentence and should therefore not be kept as a result of the merge process.

The pessimistic approach does suggest that concurrent working can only succeed when a single shared data source exists. We would need to be simultaneously connected and wait for transactions to be serially committed (one at a time). This approach can work quite well in simple scenarios where the transaction length (its size) is small and can be quickly processed. When dealing with interdependent data (BIM) the transaction length quickly becomes a serious bottleneck and renders the approach untenable.

You will now probably expect me to suggest that the optimistic approach is therefore the preferred solution to provide a platform for concurrency. Unfortunately, BIM does not at level 2 = IFC (Industry Foundation Classes - the standard for storing construction information); remember we are happily using our proprietary files and at this stage in our evolution the data objects inside those files do not have semantic meanings. In simple terms nothing allows us to formally distinguish a toilet from a door or a work rate from a window, this becomes a problem as illustrated earlier (semantics). Classification systems are being used to circumvent the problem but they cannot substitute the need for more complete ontologies or semantic definitions that are inherent in the IFC schema. The same conclusion is drawn in relation to the worldwide web as it seeks to evolve and be more useful often described as www version 3.0.

Click here for more information

Whilst concurrency can positively impact the whole construction delivery process it is design production and management where concurrency is perhaps the biggest practical benefit.

When the changes are committed (saved) the system uses techniques to attempt to merge the disparate changes.

CONCURRENT WORKING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BIM/ continued

Click the play icon below to view our video: BIM to Field - Trimble Robotic Total Stations

8

Presently (within the context of PAS1192-1) designers are advised to adopt information segregation strategies, creating innumerable files to logically divide space and disciplines such that teams can function properly, of course its not limited to file names, depending on the system used careful control of layer names also exist. Design managers actually need to consider and manage file names using multi-part codes that are hugely obscure for all but the most frequent of project participants.

The result is characterised in the illustration below. Designers across disciplines receive a common brief, often not co-located, they disperse and work in isolation for a period of time. At an appointed time in the future there is a need to

integrate the design outputs and coordinate. If any margin for misinterpretation or misunderstanding exists, these will be reflected in the designs; the greater the time delay between coordination meetings the greater the extent of design issues, indicated as amplitude of change. The greater the amplitude the greater the level of rework.

Concurrency also plays an important part in enabling change management, or value engineering as it is commonly described. In simplistic terms the greater the cost of operating a design iteration the less benefit and therefore inclination there is to engage in the process. If the costs in undertaking design iterations can be reduced by for instance generating quantity

revisions from a model rather than manually recalculating them, time is saved not just within the cycle but more widely across the supply chain and a projects mobilisation costs.

The final benefit of concurrency is that information is always up to date, you can trust it, you dont have to search for it, what you need is there, what you see is the same as everyone else. Whether you are a designer, a client, a cost estimator, or a planner your calculations and views can be kept up to date enabling you to identify issues and react to change.

GLOSSARY Ontology - An ontology is a

specification of a conceptualization

Semantic - of or pertaining to meaning or arising from the different meanings

of words or other symbols

Amplitude - amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change over

a single period

Amplitude of change

Company B

Time

Company A

9

If you add BIM, as a method of consolidating and passing data through a project, then this usefulness becomes magnified.

PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES

10

Product Data Templates (PDTs) originated in the CIBSE BIM group as a response to UK Governments drive to Level 2 BIM. It was clear that while the project information had been well covered by the pillars of BIM, manufacturers products had not really been catered for outside of the project environment.

The spreadsheet view of COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange), originally by the US Army Corps of Engineers, now specified by BS1192-4, was adopted and adapted to provide this cover.

PURPOSE OF PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES (PDTS) AND PRODUCT DATA SHEETS (PDSS)Even outside of a BIM environment, the ability to describe similar objects in a similar way is a fundamentally useful thing to be able to do. If you add BIM, as a method of consolidating and passing data through a project, then this usefulness becomes magnified.

The over-arching purpose of a PDT and PDS is to allow a manufacturer to pass on the information about a particular piece of equipment or material through the design, procurement, installation and maintenance chains in a simple and consistent manner.

It aims to ask only the relevant questions of a manufacturer, without being too onerous and not exposing the intellectual property upon which a manufacturing company relies. The questions may not be obvious to each player in the construction chain individually, but collectively they form a useful data set.

What the PDTs and PDSs do not set out to do is harvest the project related data, as this is well covered elsewhere and would produce double-handling of information and

potentially introduce errors into the system. As such each product data sheet only tries to understand the product as the manufacturers catalogues would.

The uses to which this data can be put are many and varied, some of which have probably not even been thought of yet, but predominantly it is to provide a single source of the truth about a product or product line, which may be used by any and all actors in the construction and operations chain.

This process is seen as a way of reducing effort and cost at all levels, from the removal of the requirement for manufacturers to complete a multitude of equipment data sheets from various designers and contractors, to pre-populating an operation and maintenance manual with accurate data.

This feeds well into the high purposes of a BIM workflow, which is to reduce time, cost and errors in construction work and to ensure that each project is run at its optimal efficiency, which will further reduce cost and carbon.

When we look at the procurement process, it is often difficult to properly compare products effectively, as the data is all presented in different ways and different formats. So often a product is chosen on capital cost alone, which may not be the best solution, but it is the metric that we can all understand and compare directly.

PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES/ What they are & how they work

Carl Collins: Elementa Consulting

AUTHOR PROFILE NAME: Carl Collins

JOB TITLE: Principal | BIM

ORGANISATION: Elementa Consulting

BIOGRAPHY: Carl works for Elementa Consulting, part of the Integral Group,

specialising in BIM for Engineering, BIM Content and engagement with the

professional institutions, including RIBA, CIBSE, BSRIA and the Landscape Institute. He is Secretary and a founder member of

the London Revit User Group, and has been using Revit since the turn of the millennium,

watching it grow from an interesting Architectural modelling tool to the fully multi-disciplinary suite we have today.

11

ACTORSThe Actors, or participants, in a PDT/PDS workflow are those that have an interest, input or use for a Product Data Template or Product Data Sheet. It may be that they wish to have input into the questions a PDT asks, or have a purpose for the output data; just some interface with the overall process.

ClientA Client, or Employer, will have some input into what is required of the data, as it is harvested from the products selected for the project. Ideally this will be part of the Employers Information Requirements (EIR) document. It may not be driven by the Client directly, but they should be the conduit through which the requests come.

Each PDT is being written with these requirements in mind, among others and should not require any further fields to be added. Hence, a completed PDS will, in most cases, cover all of the product data requirements generated by Client requests.

DesignersThe Designers, be they Architects, Consultant Engineers, Landscape Architects or any other, will have use for the PDS when selecting products that will fulfil the needs of their designs. This may be the first time that actual products are considered for the project and the Designers ability to compare like with like will help them make the right decision.

A Designer may use the data programmatically to embed data into the design model, maybe to drive geometry or performance criteria, or it may be used in a more simplistic way to just look at information side by side. There is no right or wrong in this, just the ability to have consistent data is useful and more efficient.

Tier 1 ContractorThe tier 1 Contractor may use the PDS data to assist in the procurement, comparison and analysis of suppliers products to ensure that the design is made reality in as accurate a way as possible. This data can then be used again to provide operations and maintenance schedules and models and pre-load the Facilities Management systems.

Supply of these PDTs will usually be via the lower tier Contractors who will be responsible for aggregating data for their speciality and passing it up to the tier 1 Contractor, along with the project specific data that they will be generating.

As the format of the PDSs will be predictable, the Contractor will be able to programmatically input this into various databases to assist in their work.

Tier n ContractorThe Contractors working for the Main or Tier 1 Contractor will be the main aggregators of the data harvested from the PDSs and their design, procurement and construction work. How the PDS data is applied to the project is a matter for each project team, but the consistency of format will allow this to be flexible and not a prescriptive approach.

Suppliers and Manufacturers who have not yet completed their PDSs can be prompted by the specialist Contractor to do so, by providing them with the PDT for them to complete. This work will then be done ready for the next time data is requested on this product.

Chartered Institutions and BIM4 GroupsWhere applicable, the Chartered Institutions have been bringing together practitioners, Trade Associations and Manufacturers to write, comment and promote the PDTs. Where there is not Chartered Institution cover for a specific area, BIM4 groups have stepped into the breach.

Members of the Chartered Institutions and BIM4 groups that are driving the writing of PDTs are keeping the collective effort co-ordinated by meeting as a PDT Steering Group. Generally, the PDTs are split by the interest of each institution and BIM4 group, so CIBSE, for example, would be looking at building services related PDTs, the Landscape Institute would look at landscape related ones.

The groups host the issued PDTs on their respective websites and these are aggregated together through the use of the BIMTalk website, which is a collaborative effort to explain BIM by several chartered institutions.

PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES/ continued

12

The Actors, or participants, in a PDT/PDS workflow are those that have an interest, input or use for a Product Data Template or Product Data Sheet.

Trade AssociationsTrade Associations have been critical to the success of the PDT mission to date. They have acted as neutral arbiters, allowing competing Manufacturers to come together and agree the fields that go to make up a PDT. They provide the technical expertise for ranges of product types, bringing the best minds together to cover the entirety of that market sector.

Suppliers and ResellersSuppliers and Resellers are seen as data aggregators, bringing together the information from various Manufacturers whose equipment they supply to Contractors. Where a Manufacturer is based abroad and may not have a set of PDSs, the Suppliers and Resellers can prompt them to supply data by sending PDTs to them.

They have also been very helpful in finding Manufacturers from sectors within the industry that do not have Trade Association representation and ensuring that PDTs exist to cover those pieces of equipment or products.

ManufacturersManufacturers are the most critical of groups within the PDT arena. They supply the majority of the technical expertise to write the templates and the product data to turn the templates into PDSs.

The PDT mission is seen as helping the Manufacturer as much, if not more, than any other Actor. It should help to remove the on-going requirement of completing information requests from Consultants and Contractors alike on a project-by-project basis, repeating the task of filling in equipment data sheets in a variety of formats.

It is essentially only catalogue information that the PDT seeks to answer, so the majority of the data should already exist with Manufacturer organisations. All we are seeking to do is to provide this existing information in a standard way.

13

USES AND PURPOSESThere are many uses and purposes to which PDTs and PDSs can be put, the following is a series of examples but any time that data relating to Products is used in a construction project, the PDTs may have a role to play.

CataloguesAs the data is always consistently formatted, a catalogue of items from a single Manufacturer can easily be sorted and searched by applying their PDS data to a database. Equally, if an Employer or Client has a preferred list of Suppliers, all of their data can be held centrally, to allow quick and easy comparisons between similar products for varying situations.

As the data is machine readable, it removes the need for Designers or Contractors to manually copy information from a PDF catalogue or website, reducing the chance of error and dramatically reducing the time required for such operations.

Operations and MaintenanceCertainly one of the biggest wins for PDTs is their ability to provide data for planned maintenance schedules, understanding the specific requirements for that model, not just averaged requirements for that product type.

It can also demonstrate all the options that are available for the particular product type if it is re-used elsewhere in a site.

ModelsThe everyday working interface for Designers is the model and PDSs can assist here too. Providing overall dimensional data, along with performance criteria, can help the Designer use actual examples, rather than generic data to design buildings, systems and infrastructure.

As the data can be accessed programmatically, gaming of varying solutions can be carried out, finding the best possible product for a given situation.

SchedulesOne of the key deliverables for a Designer and Contractor alike are the equipment schedules. Each of these must contain consistent and accurate data for the products described in the design.

As a PDS has data in a consistent and expected format, they can be used to populate a schedule quickly and simply.

SpecificationsOften aspects of a product are described in specifications, supplied by the Designer to a Contractor. Traditionally it has been a laborious task to copy information from a plethora of Manufacturers into the specification. As this data can now be supplied in an accessible format, much of this effort may be removed.

PRODUCT DATA TEMPLATES/ continued

Traditionally it has been a laborious task to copy information from a plethora of Manufacturers into the specification.

14

Technical SubmissionsA technical submission could be checked for suitability by asking the question of the Manufacturer in a PDT format. Then the PDS response can easily be checked by comparing side by side or programmatically. This will simplify and speed up the process and, hopefully, ensure accuracy and no missed points.

O&M ManualsLong gone are the days of submitting lever arch files full of loose papers, but PDF submissions have only brought us so far. They are still difficult to search and read and data is not presented in a consistent manner. Using a PDS-based system instead could simplify this process and increase the usability.

As maintenance data specific to the product is also supplied, the maintenance checklists can be tailored to suit the actual installed item, rather than the industry average regime. This could reduce unnecessary spares replacement and ensure that the care that the Manufacturer recommends can be communicated to the maintenance team.

Demolitions and RecyclingUnderstanding the bulk materials, components and their constituents is a key part of the planned demolition and recycling of a built asset. The demolition contractor can understand by interrogating a set of PDSs what materials they can expect when deconstructing something. The model could provide the quantities but may not have the major materials embedded so this is where some simple maths and the data from a PDS can complete the picture.

ProcurementIf PDSs have been used in the design process, far more information is available to the Contractor in terms of what things need to be bought to complete the project. If the example of a Landscape Architecture project is taken; it is a common occurrence that for certain plants which may have been specified by the Landscape Contractor might not be available from a nursery. Having a PDS with better detail about the plant requirements will allow for a substitution that could reflect more of the plants properties, such as soil type tolerance, thorns, etc.

COBieOne of the primary reasons that PDTs were developed was to make supplying COBie data a more simple process for Manufacturers. As the data that relates to the Product will exist in a PDS, the Manufacturer can dispense their duty to provide this purely by supplying said PDS.

Further to this, the PDS itself can be a linked document from the COBie file and may provide better and more complete data than if it were just a COBie file that was exchanged during an information exchange (data drop).

Understanding the bulk materials, components and their constituents is a key part of the planned demolition and recycling of a built asset.

15

Customers are now increasingly being met with requests from building owners to apply BIM in projects.

BIM IN THE MARKET

16

Although BIM has been part of our discussions and development for years, it is only relatively recently that our clients in the market have shown a rising interest. Customers are now increasingly being met with requests from building owners to apply BIM in projects. However, at the moment the application of this technology is not yet described in contracts, and is more of an informal requirement.

All project stakeholders are now becoming more and more interested but theres also uncertainty about how the implementation of BIM will change work flows and about how software can help them with all the new requirements they now face.

This means there is a greater need for discussion and consultancy with MEP industry clients and we are committed to ensuring this takes place. In most cases our consultancy focuses on the explanation of BIM as a work process, while the software itself is just a tool within this. Talking to clients also helps us gain feedback and collect more information about challenges associated with the implementation of BIM.

Specific issues affecting MEP businessesArchitects typically create models which are then passed on to MEP designers. Working in models supplied by a third party does have implications. One of the biggest challenges this presents is changes applied to the model based on clients needs. These changes can be either big or small and

have a varying effect on workload. Sometimes its just a door stop that has changed but, sometimes, entire installation voids are modified. Because of this, there is a question mark as to whether the MEP designers are going to rework their designs or not.

Another issue in the MEP industry is that the work flow essentially is based on three different main aspects and equivalent modifications in the planning process. These are:

Areas that are specific and essential to MEP installations (room layouts, ceiling heights, location of voids, risers, and plant rooms)

A need for the design to include thermal calculations such as heat loss and cooling (room layouts, wall constructions, thermal properties)

Dimensions, annotations and other factors influencing interpretability and aesthetics need to be incorporated in the design.

BIM IN THE MARKET/ Application of IFC files in file exchange and resulting requirements for BIM software developers

Georg Hewelt: Trimble International (Germany)

AUTHOR PROFILE NAME: Georg Hewelt

JOB TITLE: Product Manager

ORGANISATION: Trimble International (Germany)

BIOGRAPHY: Georg has a degree in CAD Specialist and postgraduate degree in

mechanical engineering for building services. With over 10 years experience in consultancy

as mechanical engineer and construction manager. Having spent the last 12 years working for the Plancal brand of Trimble

International (Germany), Georg is currently a Product Manager for Plancal nova across the

German and Austrian regions.

Georg has had articles placed in several publications in the area of heat loss and

cooling calculations in Germany.

@

17

First experiences with the implementation and use of BIM modelsWhen we first started working with BIM, both we and our clients thought it was necessary to always import the entire building model from architects. Quickly it became clear that its better to import data floor-by-floor only as its needed. That way, it is easier to track differences to previous versions of the project.

Another thing that soon became apparent is that there is a need to remove IFC classes that are not relevant for MEP designers in order to reduce the file size and increase speed. Because architects provide the same file to every project stakeholder, the data is massive because it may include furniture, trees, and other elements that building services engineers do not require.

In terms of the thermal model used for heat loss and cooling calculations software that factors in the particular needs of the MEP industry can build upon DWG/DXF files, but also on IFC models and qualify these for thermal calculations.

The conversion of existing BIM models from third party project stakeholders into thermal models comes with a number of issues, largely created through unaligned work flows between architects and MEP designers, improper work or unfamiliarity with the requirement of BIM processes. We found the solution in a selective import of intelligent parts of the model, as well as a simplified 3D geometry-only import, without meta data. This allows customers to have a proper model even if there are errors in its structure and then quickly build a thermal model on top of it themselves.

Through working closely with our clients and considering their specific needs, we know that BIM software for MEP companies needs the following features and capabilities:

There should be an option to import the entire building as a thermal model

It should be possible to exclusively import the entire building as 3D geometry only, without meta data, with a proper and detailed representation of the geometry.

There should be an option to exclusively import specific storeys

There should be a function to remove IFC classes from the BIM model if they are not needed

What MEP companies should look for when selecting BIM softwareGiven the unique challenges and needs of the MEP sector, it is important to select BIM software that accounts for them. The following are features that all reflect these specialist requirements and, where available, will help MEP businesses make a smoother transition to BIM adoption.

It should be possible to make an import of the thermal model directly from an IFC file. To keep the data model consistent, the entire building should be imported. Whenever possible and available, technical parameters and general information (such as room numbers and names) should be imported too.

Some software even incorporates a BIM Converter which helps us to import the building as 3D geometry only.

During the import if users can remove storeys (e.g. ceiling voids defined as a separate floor) and IFC classes (e.g. furniture) this is a major bonus. This means only useful data is being imported which results in smaller file sizes and increases speed.

Given the unique challenges and needs of the MEP sector, it is important to select BIM software that accounts for them.

BIM IN THE MARKET/ continued

18

If the number and heights of storeys can be manipulated, it is an advantage. If architects did not define floors properly, or added too many, this is a very useful tool to correct the model.

It should be easy to spot differences between files from different stages. Features such as making it possible for models to be displayed in a single colour only are helpful with this. That way, or using a similar feature, both models can be easily compared, floor by floor. This is much easier than comparing two models in 3D where all floors are visible at the same time because there is just too much information to take on board at once.

Better understanding and analysis of floor plans is always a positive thing. Software with a BIM Converter can display a model either with all 3D geometry details in a storey plan view, or simplify the representation of the objects as a 2D alike object. This means walls receive hatchings and doors are shown as in DWG files as a quadrant. This makes it easier to understand the room layouts.

The geometry of this 3D model and its resulting floor plans could then be used to draw upon, whether its to plan and coordinate MEP components or to create a thermal model for heat loss and cooling calculations.

CONCLUSION Within a planning process its

important to not only consider the first import of a BIM model for the

MEP designer, but also the repeating supply of building containing

modifications. The work flow and software tools must support

the CAD side as well as the thermal model of the project as

best as possible.

19

The Curve is a free to use web based tool which can be used to assess the likely impact of BIM upon a manufacturers business.

In July 2015 the BIM4M2 Curve was launched.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIM4M2 CURVE

20

Manufacturers have often been left to go it alone on their BIM journeys leading to uncertainty and a degree of confusion.

In early 2014 the BIM for Manufacturers and Manufacturing group, BIM4M2 was launched with the support of the Construction Products Association (CPA), but now independent from it, to help manufacturers learn about BIM and to assist and educate with BIM implementation.

In July 2015 the BIM4M2 Curve was launched. Developed by manufacturers & the manufacturing industry to help give support and advice, the Curve is aimed at the manufacturer either making their first foray into the world of BIM or those seasoned manufacturers looking for further support and resource.

The Curve is a free to use web-based tool which can be used to assess the likely impact of BIM upon a manufacturers business and to help them on their way to create, implement and measure a BIM business plan.

The Curve (as in Learning Curve) is a set of three tools: The Compass comes first, followed by How Do I Do It? and finally Learn More.

The Compass allows the user to answer certain questions related to their business and market conditions such as product types, sectors, exports and market developments & the Compass points the way by returning an indicator of BIM guidance based upon the users business. This guidance is individual to the user based upon their answers and will suggest how significantly the user may be impacted if they choose not to act by returning a what is at risk calculation.

This part of The Curve uses the latest data from Barbour ABI to provide an assessment of BIM adoption across sectors particular to the user.

After completing The Compass, the next phase entitled How Do I Do It? consists of a three step process: Plan, Implement and Review. These are then structured into organised sections using simple drop down headings to answer specific questions which make up the resulting BIM business plan.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIM4M2 CURVE Matt Crunden: Legrand Electric Ltd

AUTHOR PROFILE NAME: Matt Crunden

JOB TITLE: Training and BIM Manager

ORGANISATION: Legrand Electric Ltd

BIOGRAPHY: Matt is the Training and BIM Manager for Legrand Electric Ltd UK and

Ireland and has been an active member of BIM4M2 since its conception, working on the

Data Templates & Education groups.

Matt has been involved in BIM for the past 5 years, learning the ropes with the provision of Legrands structured data & 3D intelligent

objects into the Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) markets back in 2011.

Matt is responsible for driving the companys BIM strategy and implementation plan in

the UK and is also involved in the companys global strategies.

@

21

In the Plan section the user navigates through the information contained within the drop down headings to discover what benefits the manufacturer should aim for, what type of solution would be appropriate and what impact this may have on processes and organisation for example.

Implement takes the user through subjects covering data structures and what method of BIM development one should choose. Implement also helps the user to define their chosen solution, validate it and then implement performance indicators.

In the Review phase, the user finds out how to conduct a formal review process and gives an indication of the right questions to ask.

The final phase, Learn More consists of a master collection of useful BIM related information and documentation. It is again structured into a three step process which a user might find mandatory, useful or nice to know.

With various surveys in circulation, its clear that BIM understanding is growing within the manufacturing community, however uptake is perhaps somewhat slow.

The BIM4M2 Compass, built by the industry for the industry, can be a key driver in delivering the knowledge and know-how into the arena. With the ambitious targets set by the Government construction strategy, manufacturers and manufacturing are fundamental to building an innovative construction industry. By mandating the use of BIM in publically funded projects from 2016, this is a real indicator to manufacturers and manufacturing that BIM is not a fad, not going to disappear, not just something for the future. Its here for us to work with right now.

Construction projects can be modelled in the virtual world with generic objects but in order to build these projects, construction needs manufacturer specific parts with real-world data. The Curve gives a great insight into how to make these requirements real and how to potentially become included earlier in the specification which traditionally has often been a difficult issue for the manufacturing community.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIM4M2 CURVE/ continued

22

With various surveys in circulation, its clear that BIM understanding is growing within the manufacturing community, however uptake is perhaps somewhat slow.

Why manufacturers need to be engaged in BIMAs much of the industry is now aware, by 2016, all publicly-funded work in the UK must be completed with a maturity level 2 BIM standard which, put simply, means the provision of structured data that meets the PAS 1192 2: 2013 standards. Demand for this data already exists within the marketplace amongst designers, consultants and contractors, as well as facilities managers.

Manufacturers should be acting now and utilising the tools which are available to them, such as The Compass.

All-in-all this can only be of benefit to the whole industry and is perhaps the key to driving both the creation and the adoption of a structured approach for our industry.

23

We are no longer tied to our desks or offices, or anywhere in particular even. The world is our oyster thanks to 4G and smartphones, and online information 24/7.

DIGITAL LIFE, BIM LEVEL 2, AND THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

24

The Pace of Digital Evolution I am perhaps your typical Baby Boomer, born in the late 50s. All this technology stuff? Ive seen it happen within my lifetime!

Calculators, fax machines, mobile phones, and personal computers; Ive seen the first versions come out and rapidly become obsolete. I got up early to watch the first moonwalk on our black and white TV in 1969. Do you remember the ZX Spectrum? Commodore 64? Amstrad PC? Apple Macintosh? Betamax and VHS? O2? Vodafone? Well I remember Mercury 121! (An early mobile provider in the UK, now long extinct).

And then there is the internet, email, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and the whole plethora of media and information channels we consume daily. Facebook, at over 1.5 billion users and only founded in 2004, is vying in terms of users vs. citizens, for largest nation in the world with China and India. Using the same comparison, Twitter at over 500 million is still larger than the USA.

Feel the speed of change: frightening, exciting!

And then theres the technology. Computers once filled a football stadium. The first Apple Mac I bought had 4MB RAM and a 40MB hard-drive (that was 25 years ago. Ouch!). Nowadays I carry 64 GB in my pocket on my iPhone. The Apollo 11 command module computer had 64KB. And then of course theres the whole migration to mobile from static PCs. Increased use of tablets, smartphones and wearable/implanted tech, the latter that in time will surely catch on. We are no longer tied to our desks or offices, or anywhere in particular even. The world is our oyster thanks to 4G and smartphones, and online information 24/7.

And my point is? The pace of this evolution.

Its getting faster. Transforming our lives as communities, nations, and the whole world, not only just as individuals or industries. Perhaps the most recent example is the advent of MP3s, iTunes and the like have transformed how music is produced, distributed, accessed and sold. Economic models were changed as suddenly musicians were brought much closer to their audience. The middleman could be easily bypassed.

DIGITAL LIFE, BIM LEVEL 2, AND THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION/ Evolution, big data, Generation Z, and why - for our industry - the drivers for going digital and adopting BIM lie more outside than within.

John Eynon: Open Water Consulting AUTHOR PROFILE

NAME: John Eynon

JOB TITLE: Owner/Director/Consultant

ORGANISATION: John Eynon is an enabler, writer and speaker, having qualified as an Architect in 1981, and has worked in the

public and private sectors in architectural practice, main contracting and consulting.

For the last 18 years John has been involved in design management and preconstruction

process for major contractors, with responsibility for design management teams

and also providing functional support and design leadership at all stages of the design and construction process. He now provides

work winning, strategy and process, BIM, design management and training services

through his company Open Water Consulting Ltd.

@

25

What Does It Mean For Us? Other industries have migrated to digital long before Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC). We are perhaps the last major industry to make this journey. Moores Law dictates the doubling of processing power and the halving of cost about every 18 months or so. The computing power at our fingertips and in our pockets is way beyond the wildest dreams of our forebears.

Our lives have been digital for many years, perhaps we just havent really realised it. Take the whole world of Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS), and the handling of our banking, transactions and buying patterns. Travel is another example. Using big data machines, corporations have for years been analysing our digital footprints to profile our spending patterns and lifestyles.

So heres the thing. I believe that the reasons and drivers for our industry to move to digital BIM and Common Data Environments lie more outside than within.

We have seen our whole lives go digital affecting all aspects of what we do and how we live. If youve come across the Internet of Things (IoT) or Everything (IoE) then you will know that all around us machines, objects and sensors of all kinds are communicating and sharing data, in most cases to make our lives better. But not always.

Estimates differ but I have seen figures such as 16 billion devices projected to be connected on the IoT by the end of 2014 (which was 20% up on 2013), 50 billion forecast by around 2020, and one trillion somewhere between 2030-2050. When you bear in mind that over the same period world population is only projected to rise to around nine billion people, thats a lot of devices and information.

The Smart City movement around the world shows how digital life works on an urban or national scale. Sensors embedded in all sorts of things and objects share data about our surroundings, from the weather, environment, traffic queues, people movements, energy and carbon consumption to the time were coming home so that the house will fire up its systems in time for our arrival.

For all of these reasons and more, migration to BIM for our industry and the like is absolutely inevitable. For the AEC industry or the AECO industry as some now call it (Architecture, Engineering Construction Operations), then BIM and CDEs provide the missing link that joins us up to everything else. As the Built Environment moves into the digital age this connects us to all the other digital communities. We can no longer remain an analogue island in a digital sea.

Our industry moving into digital and BIM makes all of the above things possible; joining up buildings, assets and infrastructure, both individually and on an urban, national and even international scale. BIM isnt about a single building or asset. No more than its about just design and construction. Its about how we live in the built environment and share and use information about absolutely everything.

As the Built Environment moves into the digital age this connects us to all the other digital communities.

DIGITAL LIFE, BIM LEVEL 2, AND THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION/ continued

26

As we know information is now ubiquitous, we can have data on anything, anytime.

InformationIn my mind this is the democratisation of our industry. If you have the right skills or the right team with BIM tools in your hands and data at your fingertips you can achieve amazing things. You might be an engineer, or an architect, or a client or a sub contractor... but it wont matter, and you wont have to be... the label will be unimportant.

As we know information is now ubiquitous, we can have data on anything, anytime. The information we need was always there, it was just not as easily as accessible or searchable as it is now. With COBie, IFC and Uniclass, we can have consistent structured validated data on whatever we need. Again something weve never had. Add to this big data analysis engines and we can have aggregated data on whatever we want performance of components or services units, reliability and performance of suppliers, sub-contractors, consultants, perhaps even individual people it will all be out there!

To broaden this out even more we can consider the wider consumer and the general public. As we have seen over the last decade the smart phone and tablet have totally changed our attitudes to data on the move, not only in terms of availability of the information we want but also how we access what we need.

Now that mobile tech is out growing static or desktop, then this will only go one way now. More data, more mobile, but user interfaces, apps, and so on will become more intuitive and easily accessible. This means more accessibility for those that are on the fringes of the industry or even outsiders. This will eventually take us to a new era, where our current professionals will need to look to their laurels. There will never be a substitute for human experience and creativity, but the potential of the technologies being developed, and the data that is and will be available, will in time give us platforms and capabilities that we cant even begin to imagine.

27

RolesWe will see a blurring of roles, moving across the traditional silos and boundaries. As an industry we can get hung up about roles and titles, in the future, this wont be so important. With BIM data and tools easily accessible this will revolutionise our daily work.

Were seeing this happening already, some designers moving into 4D and 5D analysis, contractors using their BIM teams to move up stream into design and downstream into manufacture, particularly off site.

The improvement in laser scanning, now means point clouds enable design process, and this ventures into surveying territory. Add to this 3D printing capabilities, augmented reality for visualization, to mention just a few BIM growth points then we can see that the tools now becoming available to design and construction teams provide previously

unimaginable capabilities. In addition the ability to achieve much more with less resources and smaller teams. BIM can be a big win for SMEs if they seize the opportunities that BIM presents.

The Third Industrial Revolution Do you hear the clock ticking? Or the distant roar of the digital tidal wave approaching? Its inevitable, irresistible and in a way, totally consuming. Analogue ways of living and working will be toast, and so will anyone who tries to resist! For some time I have believed and stated that this is a Darwinian moment for our industry. Those that refuse to get on board with this, or are too slow to adapt, will in time go out of business or just be left behind. Businesses and careers are at stake here.

The First and Second Industrial Revolutions were about the moves towards manufacturing, mass production, and the use of steam for

powering factories, and travel. The Third Industrial Revolution that were living in the middle of, right now is about the information economy. How digital industries and information are changing our lives. It runs from the individual to the global and informs everything in between. We are all trading, consuming and using information and data all the time.

We will see a blurring of roles, moving across the traditional silos and boundaries.

DIGITAL LIFE, BIM LEVEL 2, AND THE THIRD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION/ continued

28

For Generation Z... its as Natural as Breathing Of course as much as we talk about technology, its actually all about people. As a Baby Boomer Im relatively digitally literate but I have my limits and I encounter them everyday! Looking to the younger folk around me, I can see those that have known this stuff all of their lives, because it has always been there for them. And now we have the Gen Zs and beyond growing up in this digitally savvy information soup that we call life. They are the Makers and Coders. They will change our ways of living and working, and our industry as a consequence in ways that we cant even begin to imagine. The whole digital information age thing is just part of their DNA. Its as natural as breathing. Sharing information, trading information, collaborating online, networking, blurring the boundaries between private and public, work and social. It is literally all up for grabs.

Inevitably as a Baby Boomer, or even an ageing Gen Y, you might feel past it or be feeling the heat. Dont give up. Keep up! Run faster! Get ahead!

Like I said I am getting old. But I can honestly say that I dont think Ive experienced a more exciting time in my career. There is so much going on, our industry is under all sorts of pressures and influences to change in all sorts of ways; carbon, energy, technology, climate change, diversity, equality, skills, training, education, institutions and much more. BIM is an important ingredient in catalysing change. Its just like a gripping thriller you cant put down, you want to see how the story unfolds... at least I do anyway! There is so very much more to come, we have barely scratched the surface.

2016 and beyond We must not underestimate the digital impact on our lives, communities and work. This has barely begun. As for BIM in the UK, the 2016 deadline approaches and whilst in theory the target might have been met for some of the leading government departments, outside of Whitehall the picture is very different.

Dropping down a level to Local Authorities, we have a mixed picture. Some forging ahead, building BIM requirements into their tenders and procurement, others have not even started the journey.

The private sector is even more patchy. Several major contractors now have in place BIM processes and teams. Although how much of this is media and PR, as opposed to real implementation, process change and resulting in real benefits remains to be seen. However, there are beacons of excellence out there, and many have at least started the journey.

Supply chain and upskilling SMEs remains high on the agenda, and this is where the action will be for several years to come, in achieving consistency of Level 2 adoption across the industry. If we are simply implementing the 3D aspects of BIM, plus some data transfer in a federated CDE as standard, then in itself this will represent a huge step forward, and the benefits will be obvious in terms of better assets, less waste, higher quality and profitably.

By the time this Paper is published: 2016 will be here or literally around the corner The guidance for UK BIM Level 3 will be published in draft, and we will begin to see how we take this forward and what integrated environments are going to look like. Arrangements for legacy post 2016, beyond the current Taskgroup lifetime will be settled providing certainty for the Regional BIM Hubs, the BIM4 Communities and other supporters, who are all critical to achieving Level 2 general adoption.

29

What stands out from the survey results was that fewer than one in six building services contractors (BSCs) say they are fully ready to use BIM.

BIG GAPS TO FILL AS GOVERNMENT BIM ROLLOUT NEARS

30

Its now only months before the much-heralded UK government deadline for introducing so-called Level 2 Building Information Modeling (BIM) for all centrally procured public sector work. The BIM roll-out may not stop there but, either way, there will soon be billions of pounds of Whitehall procurement at stake.

Its widely held that building services design and installation, and most notably mechanical and electrical activity, can typically account for nearly half the cost of a building project. So, with vast sums of public sector contracts in the offing, the ECA embarked on a major BIM readiness survey to find out how prepared the building services sector is, and what the remaining issues are.

The survey, developed with major partners CIBSE and BSRIA and with active support from 11 other sector organisations, asked 30 key questions, and the results are in.

Noting that, even now, there are various takes on what Level 2 BIM means, we asked survey respondents if they agreed with our working description of Level 2 BIM: the process of working with digital building information, including data-rich objects, effectively shared between those who are building and/or maintaining the building and its services. We were pleased to find that 2 in 3 broadly agreed (67%) with our working description, and only 12% thought we were off-piste.

What stands out from the survey results was that fewer than one in six building services contractors (BSCs) say they are fully ready to use BIM. Over 30% of BSCs say they are in good shape, right now, to deal with BIM. Similarly, 54% of BSCs believed that BIM is the future for building services, while 47% thought BIM was the future for project information. However, despite all that has been said and written about BIM, over two-thirds of BSCs (67%) told us there is not enough practically useful and publicly available information on using BIM.

Of course, contractor size and capability plays a big part in BIM engagement. Our survey confirms that most of the larger building services contractors are in good shape- or expect to buy in what they need, should they need it but the picture changes dramatically for smaller contractors. Some BSCs feel that BIM is not coming their way any time soon: yet contractors will soon be receiving BIM project tender documents if they want to work on centrally funded projects in the near future.

BIG GAPS TO FILL AS GOVERNMENT BIM ROLLOUT NEARSPaul Reeve: Electrical Contractors Association

AUTHOR PROFILE NAME: Paul Reeve

JOB TITLE: Director of Business Services and External Affairs

ORGANISATION: Electrical Contractors Association

BIOGRAPHY: Paul Reeve joined the ECA in 2002, and has since held various senior policy

and business roles within the organisation. Pauls role as ECA Director of Business and External Affairs includes commercial, legal, public relations and public affairs. Paul has

an extensive track record in public affairs and media relations, having held senior roles at

the EEF and Chemical Industries Association. Paul has previously also worked for Shell and

ICI, and is a fellow of both IOSH and IEMA.

@

31

We are working with our key partners, such as CIBSE, B&ES and others in the industry, to address the survey findings, and to produce targeted outputs to help ECA members and the wider industry better understand and become engaged with Level 2 BIM.

The first practical output is a BIM readiness checklist for ECA members, available since November 2015. Also in the pipeline is a BIM jargon buster to help firms navigate the maze of terminology, and case studies to help broaden understanding of what is required to engage with a BIM project. Efforts will also be made to develop a common approach towards the use of BIM objects.

There are some big gaps to fill as the governments BIM roll-out approaches, but we are determined to help building services contractors be in good shape for when their first BIM tender document arrives.

To find out more about the ECAs BIM readiness checklist, please email bill.wright2@eca.co.uk

We are determined to help building services contractors be in good shape for when their first BIM tender document arrives.

BIG GAPS TO FILL AS GOVERNMENT BIM ROLLOUT NEARS/ continued

32

The first practical output is a BIM readiness checklist for ECA members, available since November 2015. Also in the pipeline is a BIM jargon buster to help firms navigate the maze of terminology.

33

Take a look at our contributors predictions for BIM in 2016.

2016 BIM PREDICTIONS

CARL COLLINS, ELEMENTA CONSULTING

2016 is the year in which the UK Government mandate takes effect, so expect more enquiries and requirements to work to the seven pillars of BIM, even though there are eight.

I think that we will move away more from the geometry of the model and further into the data and how that data can be used and manipulated to help us in our work and provide better and instant answers.

As we are on a boundary akin to that of the Stone Age to the Iron Age, I think we will start to see those that are not adaptable to change start to either fall away, or scramble to catch up. BIM really is a Darwinian moment.

MATT CRUNDEN, LEGRAND ELECTRIC LTD

In 2016 I think two areas of growth will be laser scanning and the use of drones to capture point cloud data for example.

Manufacturer data will also become a key factor in BIM 2016 and a common data environment will begin to emerge to support this need.

34

GEORG HEWELT, TRIMBLE

In the German and Austrian market, I anticipate that the implementation and use of BIM technology in consultancies and contractors will increase and intensify in response to demand from building owners and architects.

JOHN EYNON, OPEN WATER CONSULTING

Increase in the use of mobile technology including more wearable technology, possibly moving towards chip implants. Regional BIM Hub membership climbs to over 500,000 people in the UK.

Digital Built Britain strategy develops and pure information technology companies from other sectors enter the AECO industry, sparking increased competition, and increased quality.

There will be more overlap between professional disciplines, leading to turf wars, enabled by digital tech.

If you would like to offer feedback on this publication, or contribute to a forthcoming edition, please click here to email us.

35

BIM DIGEST

Amtech Group LimitedBank House, 171 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 1EB

Tel: 0800 028 2828 Email: sales@amtech.co.uk Web: www.amtech.co.uk

Button 1: Button 49: Button 6: Button 2: Button 50: Button 44: Button 53: Button 51: Button 52: Button 37: Button 54: Button 36: Button 55: Button 46: Button 57: Button 38: Button 56: Button 64: Button 65: Button 63: Button 66: Button 68: Button 70: Button 67: Button 69: Button 72: Button 74: Button 71: Button 73: Button 76: Button 77: Button 75: Button 78: Button 80: Button 82: Button 79: Button 81: Button 84: Button 85: Button 83: Button 86: Button 88: Button 90: Button 87: Button 89: Button 96: Button 97: Button 95: Button 98: Button 100: Button 102: Button 99: Button 101: Button 104: Button 106: Button 103: Button 105: Button 108: Button 109: Button 107: Button 110: Button 1010: Button 1012: Button 111: Button 1011: Button 43: Button 61: Button 42: Button 60: Button 32: Button 62: