B3: Current Issues with BIM- Grigorios Papadourakis

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT PROBLEMS WITH REVIT/BIM?

There has been a large increase in the use of BIM in the last decade. It has become very common for those in the AEC industry (architecture, engineering, and construction) to use BIM for projects instead of the old standard softwares like AutoCAD. The premise of BIM is incorporating as much information into the model of a project to make construction of it as efficient as possible. As each update is released, BIM softwares like Revit become increasingly easier, thus increasing its popularity. Although it has a multitude of uses, several industries are finding it more difficult to transition as quickly to BIM as those who deal with the structural components of a building.

 The electrical industry is one that is currently slow on the adaptation of BIM. In his article, Beck Ireland suggests that the reason for this is the lack of electrical components in the out-of-the-box program. In order for an electrician or electrical engineer to properly use BIM, additional electrical content must be bought and installed separately. AutoDesk’s explanation for this is that electrical systems require much less space in buildings in comparison to structural components.

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) polled electrical contractors as to whether or not they use BIM. Of the ones that responded no, several reasons were given as to why. These reasons included unfamiliarity with BIM, lack of technological experience, non-compatible existing software, the expense, and a lack of requirement from the client.

The article referenced above was published in 2010, and there have been many advances in BIM technology since then. I believe that existing softwares will develop as BIM becomes more and more popular in all aspects of the construction industry. Eventually programs like Revit will come pre-programed with more components and be more compatible with electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems.

SOURCES: 

Ireland, Beck. "Growing Pains." Electrical Construction & Maintenance. March 2010. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. <http://ecmweb.com/design/growing-pains>.

RESPONSES:

Lenny Knittel: I think you're right about the issues with uploading Revit projects to the cloud and having multiple people working on them simultaneously. In the past, when a revision (no matter how small) would be made to a design, it would be brought up in a meeting between the parties involved. Now one company might make several changes and they might fly under the radar. Even though the process itself is more efficient it could lead to loss of communication and issues down the road when the actual structure is built.

Young Lee: I think you touched on an important topic when you brought up the fact that skilled designers with enough experience with the technology are needed for a BIM model to be efficient and worth the effort. It doesn't make sense to have the architectural firm invest countless hours in a BIM model just to find out that the engineering firm doesn't have anyone to work on it on their end. 

Rikki Moore: Being a bit unfamiliar with Revit, I was unaware of the fact that newer models are not compatible with older versions of the software. While I understand this is probably a business strategy on the part of Autodesk, hopefully they address this issue in the future. The point of BIM is to make the design process as streamlined as possible, and the issue that you raised prevents that.