June 23, 2010
BIM, or Building Information Modeling, has received a great deal of press coverage over the last year or so and I know that there are many people that are pinning a great deal of hope on this technology to help “modernize” our somewhat ancient industry. However, who’s kidding who?
I submit to you that even if it were possible to produce an absolutely exact model of a building in AutoCAD or software, it would not be worth a flip if the actual construction does not conform to the model.
I will give you two examples:
To my knowledge there were no sophisticated measuring devices or elaborate modeling software available when the building below was constructed:
For those of you not familiar with the structure, it is the Pantheon in Rome. Rome’s ruler, Hadrian, was the Master Builder of the structure about 120 AD.
Let me compare this to a current structure for which we are supplying the walls. The specifics of the participants will not be revealed in this Blog for obvious reasons. This university structure is being built with the most modern BIM software available, yet there is a 4” bust in the structural steel, for which we must devise a solution to be able to clad the errant structure.
Now, I submit to you that no amount of software or technology can substitute for someone paying attention to the dimensions on a building. I would rather have a seasoned building team that takes pride in their work with a plumb bob, a level, and a good set of contract drawings than all of the modeling software in the world. It worked for Hadrian and it will work today.
I am not anti-technology. Our company has continually upgraded to the latest technology available both for production and installation. However, nothing will take the place of proper due diligence or attention to the details.
There are certainly benefits to be derived from Building Information Modeling, such as reducing the conflicts between HVAC Distribution and Electrical Distribution. However, it is a poor worker that blames his tools and conversely, too much reliance on technology in construction is fool’s gold.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller