Construction Managers: A Slow-to-Change Industry Takes Small Steps Toward BIM
Excerpt from “Super Modeling”.

Taken as a whole, the construction management(CM)industry in the U.S. is a long way from integrating building information modeling (BIM) into its business. Few CM firms keep people on staff who know how to use CAD, let alone the myriad 3D modeling software that fall collectively under the moniker BIM. Fewer still know what BIM is or how it might aid the construction process. In part, this is because BIM has yet to become the standard of the AEC industry in general, and many in the business have only just gotten used to the evolution that led us from hand drawings to CAD.Is it time for something new already?

Laura Handler thinks it is. Handler is a building information modeler at Tocci Building Corporation, a mid-sized CM firm in Woburn, Massachusetts, that has been actively implementing and promoting the use of BIM. “With BIM, you can build a building virtually as a 3D model before you build it on site,” she said, “which means you can find out if it is constructable and what it is going to cost earlier.”

In the bottom-line driven business of construction management, understanding cost and constructability early in the process offers the distinct benefit of allowing CMs to generate more accurate schedules and estimates. BIM also allows CMs to run clash- detection tests and MEP coordination long before work begins in the field, which can lead to real savings in construction costs.

In addition to streamlining construction preparation, BIM could have its uses in the field. “The labor force isn’t as skilled as it once was and there is often a language barrier between supervisors and workers,” said Handler. “With BIM you could show the labor force what they were going to do that day in a movie.”

Getting building information models to perform optimally, however, requires a high level of detail in the models themselves. And getting a high level of detail in the models requires a high level of coordination between architects, engineers, building owners, construction managers, and subcontractors. “Ideally,” said Handler, “everyone from the architect to the building super would be working with a 3D model.”

But not everyone is ready to jump on the BIM wagon and this, in addition to the cost of its implementation, may be the biggest roadblock for the process’ widespread adoption. Skanska USA and Gilbane currently use BIM for visualization, safety/logistics plans, visual schedules, and constructability reviews, but most large CM firms haven’t made it a priority. And why should they when there is still resistance from clients who aren’t ready to sign checks for a building model whose benefits they can’t readily see? Many architects fear that BIM will strip primary authorship of a building out of their hands while pushing more of the liability for the finished product upon them. And many subcontractors, whose businesses thrive from the additional fees they receive from errors in the quantity of materials ordered and delays in schedule, are hesitant to adopt a process that may potentially eliminate those bumps altogether.

Nonetheless, BIM seems to be inevitable. Predictably, Europe, Australia, and much of Asia are far ahead of the U.S. in integrating BIM throughout its AEC industry. “I predict it will take six to eight years before BIM is standard in the construction business,” said Handler. “Some CMs are jumping on BIM now, others are waiting for architects to lead the way.”

Aaron Seward is a New York based writer and regular contributor to AN.

For Immediate Release. December 7, 2006. Tocci Building Corporation, Woburn, MA. Mohammed Aboulezz, Planning/BIM Modeler, recently earned status as a LEED Accredited Professional with a concentration in new construction and major renovations. Mr. Aboulezz, a specialist in construction cost and time management using Building Information Modeling (BIM), will merge his project control experience with knowledge of sustainable design and construction methods and standards to leverage affordable, eco-friendly commercial and institutional projects for Tocci clients.

Mohammed Aboulezz practiced healthcare-oriented architecture in Egypt for eleven years. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt and an M.S. in Construction Management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester, MA. He is a current Ph.D. candidate in Project Dynamics at WPI. He co-authored and presented The Use of the Building Information Model in Construction Logistics and Progress Tracking in the Worcester Trail Courthouse, which was presented at the Joint International Conference on Computing and Decision Making in Civil and Building Engineering in Montreal, CN in June 2006.

Link to Paper

He co-authored an analysis of engineering management best practices articles published in the ASCE Journal of Management Engineering between 1985 – 2002 that tracked trends and improvements in the industry. ASCE published the analysis in July 2005. Mr. Aboulezz is a member of the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) and served as the President of the DBIA Student Chapter at WPI from 2004 – 2006.

Tocci Building Corporation is a premier construction services firm providing turnkey development, design/build and construction management services to national and regional clients building throughout the Northeast United States. The firm, operational since 1922, is a leader in implementing building information modeling to improve project quality and delivery for commercial, residential and institutional projects.

For further information please contact Amy Thompson West, Director of Marketing.