Connected BIM as a part of AEC revolution

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Digitalization, rapid development of technologies, new processes, thinking outside of the box pushes industry into not fully known waters, but at the same time stimulates its development. There are no doubts that there are very interesting times for AEC industry.

The recent, rapid development in the construction industry can be connected with the advancement of technologies and new processes. These factors are facilitating the transformation of old workflows to adapt to new reality in the Architectural, Construction and Engineering (AEC) industry. As a result, there are many emerging technologies affecting it. Connected / Social BIM is one of them. It has a special influence on the way of designing, building and operating a project by reducing its cost and improving its quality.

GenieBelt (2017) identified the 8 top emerging trends which are impacting the industry:

  1. Building Information Modelling (BIM) 
  2. Project Management Software 
  3. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
  4. Robotics
  5. Drones
  6. Modular Construction
  7. Green construction
  8. Improved labor

BIM is generally associated with the collaboration and the use of new technologies and processes. What does the Connected BIM mean and what is the value of it for the industry? Following Marchese (2018), BIM can be divided into Lonely BIM and Connected BIM. Lonely BIM (BIM Dictionary, 2016) describes usually the companies that are in early stages of BIM implementation or do not exchange BIM models with others involved in the project. It can also apply to the practices that are creating mono-discipline models. On the contrary, Connected BIM characterizes collaboration between consultants involved in the project, such as exchanging models or creating multidisciplinary models. Mangon (2017) describes Connected BIM as BIM with the power of Cloud and brings the focus to a few key elements of it such as e.g.:

  1. Higher definition surveying and geolocation – high definition photography, 3-D laser scanning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the use of unmanned aerial-vehicles (UAV) help to avoid unexpected geological problems, improve accuracy and save time. Those technologies can be especially useful in historical areas or other sensitive environments (Rajat Agarwal, Shankar Chandrasekaran, Mukund Sridhar, 2016). 
  2. Sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) – their use can be highly profitable e.g. on the construction site for monitoring materials and orders, ensuring necessary materials are in stock or orders and being done on time. Additionally IoT enables monitoring of the equipment sending alerts if the machine detects problems as well as reinforces quality assessment. IoT with attached sensors can support health and safety on the building site by e.g monitoring movements of the workers and be able to detect any unnatural behaviors such e.g. loss of conscious. Sensors and IoT can also give a real time information about the energy use, light or motion allowing to better distribute the resources or services.
  3. Immersive Technologies – using Virtual Reality (VR) can support sales, client meetings or just a simple design review. On the other hand Augmented Reality (AR) is able to reinforce work on the construction site such as construction inspections to detect discrepancies between BIM models and actual work. VR and AR are still not commonly used, however for those who had experienced their potential they became a game changing tool by improving workflows, increasing clients’ satisfaction and saving time on solving problems.

As it can be seen, Connected BIM contains other emerging trends specified by GenieBelt rather than being one of them. Connected BIM is not only about the designers, contractors, manufacturers, but also occupants. It allows to create, access and reuse data anywhere and anytime throughout the whole lifecycle of the project.

Digitalization, rapid development of technologies, new processes, thinking outside of the box pushes industry into not fully known waters, but at the same time stimulates its development. There are no doubts that there are very interesting times for AEC industry, however even the most advance technology will not be fully efficient without collaboration. 

 

References

Akbar, S. (2017). Top 8 construction trends for 2018 – Infographic. GenieBelt.

BIM Dictionary. (2016). BIM Dictionary. Retrieved 04 28, 2018, from https://bimdictionary.com/en/lonely-bim/1/

Chapipis, A. (2017). Future of Making Things. BIM Universe.

Mangon, N. (2017). It’s the End of BIM as You Know It—Are You Ready for Connected BIM? Retrieved 04 28, 2018, from https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/connected-bim/

Marchese, P. (2018). Understanding the possibilities with current emergy technology trends in design, construction and building maintenance. Mircodesk.

Rajat Agarwal, Shankar Chandrasekaran, Mukund Sridhar. (2016). Imagining construction’s digital future. McKinsey&Company.

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