B2 - Justin Hileman - Group E

The topic of this blog post is from the BIM Handbook, Chapter 6 - BIM for Contractors.

The initial understand of what this chapter will discuss is how contractors are able to benefit through the use of BIM and how this process can change construction time and costs.

One of the key points that was established was being able to use computer-aided programming for all tasks related to construction. Through the use of BIM, contractors are able to account for processes such as: "estimating, construction planning and scheduling, cost control, accounting...". This is a significant improvement from having to calculate all of this manually. This could provide better accuracy for costs and materials and time, providing that the program is used properly and effectively.

An interesting point of the chapter while reading was Section 6.4: Process to Develop a Contractor Building Information Model. This is obvious for some reasons because it is very specific to the topic being addressed by this chapter. Figure 6-4 is a great way to get an understanding of how the process is established. The figure addresses how the model starts as a 2-D drawing, then a contractor produces a 3-D model/BIM  and how that is used for the construction planning and scheduling. The flow diagram represents the process and is a great visual tool.

Overall, Chapter 6 - BIM for Contractors is a very insightful and descriptive chapter on how the use of BIM can and should provide ease of design and construction for the contractor. Using a 4-D model, connecting the building process and design with scheduling/cost will mean that the contractor can have a better grasp on the whole project. This allows the contractor to have better control over the subcontractors and the design and how long they take which goes with how much money they are allowed. With the help of BIM, projects will hopefully be completed with more accuracy, on time, and on budget.

Comments

In response to the post supplied by Hang Wang, it was very detailed and provided great insight to the reading as well. I am in agreement with is idea of BIM being a very practical solution because it provides the specific information necessary. Using numbers and facts provided in the text assured the understanding of the reading and allowed me to better relate to what I was thinking when reading the chapter.

In response to the post supplied by Liang Jinhao, I appreciated the use of referencing the chapter and figures presented. This was useful when reading because it allowed me to go back to the text and read exactly where this information came from. I agree with the idea that BIM allows for a 4-D model that connects the 3-D structure with cost/time/scheduling.

Reference: Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide To Building Information Modeling For Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers And Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 20 Jan. 2015.