Building Information Modelling, or BIM, is often portrayed as the saviour of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. On the whole, BIM can be seen as a positive direction for the industry, attempting to address the inefficiencies and waste in the industry. Yet at the same time, numerous fractions of the BIM movement are threatening to hinder its cause.

 

Go into any architectural office in the world today and you’ll find someone ‘doing BIM’. Typically with a technical background, they are known as evangelists, preaching the word of BIM. Listen to them closely and you’ll discover common threads in their arguments – All projects should use BIM;  People in my office don’t understand BIM; BIM should be mandated by governments; and, Software X is better than software Y. While I have no doubt that many of these people’s hearts are in the right place, I can’t help but think we are approaching the problem of BIM adoption all wrong. Let’s dissect each issue first, before discussing a different way to look at things.

 

Issue 1: All projects should use BIM

 

BIM is touted as being more effective at coordination, communication and collaboration. Chances are, it probably is. However, this doesn’t mean BIM should be imposed onto every project from day dot. Its implementation into the project needs to be carefully timed and curated.

 

Despite what software vendors may claim, BIM is slow compared to CAD. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Technology was supposed to save us time and make our lives easier. We can confidently say neither of these things have happened. Many technological innovations, from email to instant messengers to productivity apps, promise to make our lives faster, easier and more efficient. Yet we are as busy as ever.

 

Sure, if you are designing conventional buildings with repeatable elements, BIM will mostly likely save you time. But most architects design custom buildings that a one-offs. Even if an architect specialises in a single typology, say housing, chances are each house will be substantially different from the next. And herein lies the problem. Since no two projects are ever the same, it is not possible to simply ‘arrive’ at an architectural outcome. Each brief will be different, each site different and each budget different. An architect is obliged to go through the schematic design process or they would be doing a disservice to their client. Keeping in mind that the design process is an iterative process of ideation, testing, and refining.

 

Traditional linear thinking vs Feedback Loop, Randy Deutch 2017 1

 

During the design exploration process, BIM can actually be a hindrance rather than a benefit. There are other design methodologies which are more fluid, agile and informative, and therefore better equipped to undertake the design exploration process. Many of these process which we’ll discuss later, do not fall into the traditional definition of BIM and are therefore often considered second-class citizens in the eyes of BIM evangelists. This prejudice is mainly premised on the argument of interoperability – If the project is going to move into BIM anyway, why not just start the project in BIM from the beginning? At face value this seems like a logical argument but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

The AEC industry needs to learn from the software industry. Rather than embarking of months and months of development using ‘text book’ methodologies, software developers create quick proof-of-concepts to test viability. Known as ‘sprints’, they are focused developments of the project which tries something, gets fast feedback, and then rapidly inspects and adapts.2

 

Sprint Cycle, Nate Miller, Proving Ground 3

 

Yet in architecture, there are many BIM managers who want to mandate BIM from day dot. Staff are given Revit templates with countless filters, view templates and office standards to follow. The logic behind this is that of doing it once and doing it right. But this is misguided. Designs are going to change. And not in an incremental, progressive way. They are going to change radically. Why? Because buildings are complex and the problem solving needs to be broken down into manageable chunks, starting with the macro and working to the micro. BIM, which relies on progressive refinement, is therefore at odds with this design methodology.

 

Like it or not, many architectural commissions are derived from architectural competitions. Whether prescribed by fair competition laws, governmental requirements, or clients simply seeking ideas, architects are required to produce resolved designs in a relatively short period of time. Design competitions as a method of ideation is a contentious issue and its appropriateness is beyond the scope of this article. However, what is certain, is that the probability of winning a competition is low. Even the most successful practices only have a success rate of say one in four. Given the volatility of the design process and the low probability of gaining the commission, should BIM be adopted at the beginning of a design competition? Personally, I don’t have a problem with this except for one caveat – Don’t be surprised if the quality of the BIM model is not what you expect. If you win, fantastic. But due to the tight timeframe and the continuous design changes, the BIM model is probably so poorly constructed that most BIM managers will insist on rebuilding it from scratch.

 

Tool vs Toolbox, Chris Mackey 4

 

Wouldn’t it be better to use the best tool for the job, settle on a design trajectory and then embark on your BIM journey? Rather than resenting this as an inefficient design process, BIM managers must embrace a BIM ecosystem. If all you have is a hammer, everything is going to look like a nail.5 But actually what we really need is a screwdriver, or better yet, a whole toolbox. Trying to control the design exploration process is futile. As Randy Deutch points out, “Architecture is a complex undertaking requiring the input of many individuals with varying interests, backgrounds, and expertise. This has not changed – and will not change. What is changing is the way these individuals are working, communicating, and collaborating.”6 Architects and BIM Managers must be flexible in BIM deployment and adopt interoperability as a process in order to ensure continuity of design intelligence. The principle here is simple – Don’t force BIM on a project until it is ready.

 

Issue 2: People in my office don’t understand BIM

 

One only needs to look at the high staff turnover in the design technology field to see that the industry has a problem when it comes to understanding BIM. Time and time again, I see talented and motivated staff become demotivated and disillusioned with the way design technology is being adopted in their office. With the shared belief in technology as an enabler of good design, they come across barrier after barrier to digital nirvana. It might be that there is no BIM deliverable in the contract. Or it might be that senior staff members only see them as a BIM monkey, someone who simply models what they have designed. Or it might be that they were hired as a BIM manager when actually they are doing a Model Managers role. Or it might be that is doesn’t matter how hard they beat the BIM drum, people simply don’t want to change from their old ways of working. Whatever the barrier, the end result is the same – high turnover of design technology staff, which is turn fuels the demand for design technology staff.

 

READ MORE: https://parametricmonkey.com/2017/09/26/putting-bim-in-perspective/

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This a question for a curious mind.

How can columns or pillars be built underwater?

Where is their foundation laid, and how is it even possible to do such a thing?

Today we are going to make a sincere attempt at answering these questions.

 

Columns

Construction over waters is done by employing 3 techniques broadly.

 

These techniques are governed by the pertaining conditions on site.

e.g. Type of Sand underwater, Type of Water, Weather conditions of the area and Depth of water.

 

In case of shallow waters, a temporary foundation is made on which piers (a type of pillar) is constructed to support the upper structure. No rocket science is employed here and things are in general, Simple.

 

What if the water is deep, very deep and the soil conditions are not supportive?

In that case, Engineers employee different techniques to raise the piers.

Here comes the Cofferdam Technique:

 

Technically Cofferdam is a structure that retains water and soil in a particular area. No matter how deep the water is cofferdam can be built.  Now in a cofferdam, an underwater bounded room type structure is constructed which is enclosed with soil and water. Then the water and excess soil are pumped out to make the area dry. It requires constant pumping out of the water and other undesirable materials.

 

READ MORE: https://engineeringinsider.org/bridge-columns-built-underwater/