Building information modeling (BIM) has established itself as a pre-requisite to any successful construction project. It is one of the best planning environments which can take into account the complete structural and functional aspects of a building.
You can have a successful development as any issues will be pointed out by BIM beforehand. With fewer chances of error, you can avoid unnecessary expenditures and save on costs.
BIM is also a great collaboration tool where all stakeholders of the project can access complete information from a single model.
But just using BIM doesn’t guarantee a successful project- it must be done in the right way by the right person! Otherwise, mistakes can occur and hamper the outcome of your project.
Top BIM mistakes
Here is a look at some of the BIM pitfalls that most fall into, and what you should look to avoid.
Inefficient communication
BIM can facilitate collaboration only when all team members communicate effectively.
All the parties can access the model and each should communicate any changes instantly to others. For best results, the architects, engineers, contractor and other stakeholders conduct regular BIM meetings where everything is discussed.
For example, if the architect created a great design to save cost and material, the concept should be communicated to the contractor during the same phase. Otherwise, it should give rise to complications and problems.
Unauthorized control
The greatest and most worrisome aspect of BIM is that anyone can change the model without proper permission. Big construction projects involve many contractors and consultants who can alter the model after getting access to it for their own benefits.
The BIM solution will change the related components automatically when a field is altered. It may create errors and unwanted results which are not intended for the project.
Every group member should be instructed to convey any change they want to implement with others. All team members should also be aware of their roles and limitations. It’s also better to have a team leader who is only authorized to make changes to the model.
Unreliable cost estimation
BIM consulting can give you an idea about the cost of the construction project, but you shouldn’t take it as completely accurate.
The accuracy of all predictions of BIM depends on the information provided. So you need to determine the accuracy of the information that you input.
Also, BIM is not going to factor in the actual price variation of materials the market. It will calculate based on the figures that you input.
So don’t take the cost as real, but consider it only an estimate.
Flaw in design
Since a number of parties work on a single BIM model, it may be difficult to hold somebody responsible for design errors. Only a thin line exists between responsibilities because all stakeholders have participated in multiple stages of planning, data input, and revisions.
To avoid such misinterpretations or errors, each member should understand his responsibility clearly. They should stick to the task given to them only.
