Priority 6
Building Information Modelling (BIM), Innovation and Project Delivery
- Study on the Development of BIM - DPD Around the World and Relevant Application in Western Canada | By Mohammed Tareq Ali

Study on the the Development of BIM - DPD
Mohammed Tareq Ali
BIM, DPD and VDC are common buzzwords in the construction industry around the globe. This below report provides an extensive and detailed review of BIM implementation in different places around the world including Europe, The United States, South-East Asia and Middle East & North Africa regions. This includes the adoption rates of BIM across these different jurisdictions, as well as the tactics adopted by government or private entities (construction associations and tendering/procurement platforms) to push forward and incentivize the usage of data rich modelling. The main purposes include: increasing efficiency, building higher quality structures, saving on construction costs, and maintaining a much lower cost over the life cycle of the building (the operations and maintenance phases).
Architect
INTERVIEWS
Ian Morgan - Next Architecture
Shaafraz Kaba - Avid Architecture
Engineers
INTERVIEWS
Jeff DiBattista - Dialog
Roddy Handa - Holo-Blok
Owners
INTERVIEWS
Peter Jonkman - Edgar Development
Rafeal Lucero - Alberta Infrastructure
Genral Contractors
INTERVIEWS
Daniel Doherty - PCL
Reed Munro - Clark Builders
Manufacturers
INTERVIEWS
Ian Pinnell - Collins Steel
Consultants
INTERVIEWS
Stephen Prendivile - Ernst and Young
BIM Overall
Workflow
Interviews are executed with local key industry players from different construction industry standpoints that include engineers & architects,
general contractors, owners and fabricators /manufacturers. These interviews had a huge spectrum of point of views that at ce rtain times
can be contrary; however, nearly all the interviewees had supported and emphasized the importance of the presence of a road map that
leads owners/clients (the main drivers of DPD/BIM due to their ultimate control over project requirements) that are not very aware of these
processes to get an understanding of how to employ DPD/BIM in their future projects through a process maps format that are easy to
compute within the industry which acts as the igniter to the spark of Building Information Modeling within our local construc tion community
through Edmonton Construction Association and BuildWorks Canada.
The overall workflow starts simply with 4 generic steps which are applicable to any project of any form, 1 Assessment, 2 Project Pre Planning, 3 Design and Construction and 4 Operations and Maintenance.
These steps are generic to any project regardless of the nature of the delivery method, type of project or deliv erables. The
maps expand on how to apply each step and expands from there on how to apply a full BIM framework in the design phase specially going
through every individual aspect that includes (not in any specific order) cost estimation, 3D coordination, virtual prototypi ng, 4D modelling,
site analysis, structural analysis, energy analysis, site utilization planning, record modelling and maintenance. This guide does not provide a
step by step procedure on how to carry out BIM processes but rather is presented for the sake of understanding that it exists and how is it
integrated into the project delivery systems that are adopted in our projects.
Step by step guides and detailed standards are widely available
and used in the construction industry by professionals and a couple of options would be:
University of Alberta BIM Guidelines
Alberta Infrastructure DPD Standards
Project Pre Planning
Project pre planning has long been the cornerstone of effective project execution. This essential step continues to be paramount for successful
implementation and use of BIM on a project. This section outlines key areas for consideration, frames questions within each area to assist in internal
implementation, and assists in establishing a specific plan for BIM uses and implementation.
Main portions to consider in this stage include, software packages and IT systems, internal qualifications (training and education), project team selections and BIM execution plans.
Resources
BIM
The purpose of the assessment phase it to establish your intent and operation plan for BIM uses and Implementation. The needs of every project and owner are different; there is no “one size fits all all” approach to BIM. Understanding the specific outcomes required from a BIM affects the process and approach. Just as business models differ, so do BIMs.
Review your organization with objectivity, evaluate your companycompany’s position and capabilities, and ask, “Is this organization set up to be successful with BIM?”
Consider willingness of personnel to embrace a different type of project delivery and their tolerance for change. Success with BIM has direct relationships with the participantsparticipants’ level of determination.
Focus on the high value returns of BIM for your business. Different project types and owners derive differing value from BIM. For instance, an owner with
internal maintenance and operations staff may value lifecycle uses of the BIM more than an owner who does not. “Seventy percent of owners who adopt BIM as a standard method for construction delivery perceive a return on investment between ten and greater than one hundred percent. percent.”
Ensure that upper management is fully on board and supportive of the process and Ensure that upper management is fully on board and supportive of the process.
Design and Construction
Integrating the design and construction process using BIM reduces redundant work processes through close collaboration and workflow sharing between the design and construction teams. This is a major departure from traditional delivery methods where each party historically produced a work product in a closed environment and then handed it off to other stakeholders. Each party participates to their highest level of expertise.
Designers may provide conceptual and spatial information to constructors who then add constructability analysis and information to the process. Regardless of project delivery process, designers retain responsibility and control of the design, and contractors retain responsibility and risk for construction means and methods. Main decisions with regards to the building model has to be taken in this stage, regarding integration, level of detail, conceptua l design models, scheduling models, bidding models, construction models and as built models.