Enabling Efficient Life-cycle Managment of the Built Environment supported by Digitial Technology – BIM – 2014

Technology is not the primary obstacle to efficient life-cycle management of the built environment!

1. Technology limitations/issues – come from people
2. Different meanings for the same parts
3. Economic impacts – based on people
4. Different values and attributes for same processes
5. Social Impacts – outcomes for people
6. Stakeholders (Owners!!!, AE’s, Contractors, Oversight Groups, Business Product  Manufacturers, Users) determine the uses of technology, economic value and environmental impacts

The roadblocks to increased collaboration, transparency, and productivity within the AECOO sector are as follows:

1. Lack of a robust, shared Ontology.

2. Refusal to adopt collaborative construction delivery methods such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) for new construction, Job Order Contracting (JOC) for repair, renovation, sustainability, and minor new construction projects.

3. Current focus upon first-costs vs. life-cycle costs.

Standardized terms, definitions, metrics and the deployment of “best practice” business process is not rocket science.  Unfortunately too many AECOO participants and stakeholders need build their level of awareness of the above vs. ad-hoc and antagonistic processes such as design-bid-build, or even design-build.  The latter is a good attempt to be IPD-like, but is not IPD.

 

 

The development and  application of robust standardized terms, taxonomies, hierarchies, etc. will enable BLM/BIM.  We need to move faster to deal with critical global Economic and Environment realities (global warming, diminishing natural resources, new competitive landscape …).

 

• Terms – language
• Syntax – make deductions from language
• Semantics – interpretation of languages
• Taxonomy – classification system
• Ontology – meaning-making system
• World Theatre – social system

Proactive Facility Maintenance and Budgeting – RSMeans Facilities Maintenance and Repair

The FMR  (RSMeans Facilities, Maintenance, and Repair Cost Book) is primarily for owners and facility managers who must be proactive in planning their budgets for building maintenance.  More than 1,600 maintenance and repair assemblies covering many facility components, along with costs for general maintenance such as lawn mowing, shrub and tree care, general cleaning, and window washing.  Over 500 preventive maintenance assemblies, listing tasks and frequencies and the number of labor hours to perform each item. Costs are broken down, making it easy to compare using in-house staff to hiring an outside company to perform the tasks.

Three distinct sections of information are included:

• Maintenance and Repair
• Preventative Maintenance
• General Maintenance

The RSMeans Facilities Maintenance and Repair Cost Data is now available electronically within e4Clicks Project Estimator.   Create, estimate, procure, and implement maintenance and repair project within a collaborative environment.  Our goal is to provide you with enough information to plan your maintenance work and budget for the life of the building.  www.4Clicks.com

 

Climate Change Adaptation for Built Infrastructure

Attend a presentation titled Climate Change Adaptation for Built Infrastructure.  During this presentation, Kim Magraw (US Department of Interior), Bridget Deemer (Washington State University), John Hall (US Department of Defense), and Ann Kosmal (General Services Administration) will provide the latest update on the preliminary results on research and information needs identified in the FY 2013 Agency Adaptation Plans.

The details for the meeting are as follows:

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Room 109

Keck Center of the National Academies

500 Fifth Street NW

Washington, DC

If you are planning to attend in person, please register on-line at the following website to ensure that your name is on the security guard’s sign-in sheet.

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/EventRegistration/public/Register.aspx?event=9785CA5B

For those that will not attend in person, you can view the presentation via WebEx; please register on-line at the following website:

http://sgiz.mobi/s3/4fa1bf9badb3

Above is from the Federal Facilities Council and shared via 4Clicks.com – leading provider of cost estimating and efficient project delivery software and services for JOC – Job Order Contracting, SABER, IDIQ, MATOC, SATOC, MACC, POCA, BOA, BOS and more.  Featuring an exclusively enhanced 400,000+ RSMeans unit price cost database and integrated contract, project, and document management, as well as visual estimating and electronic quantify takeoff (QTO).

Why Revit is NOT BIM !

If you think Revit is BIM, please stop now.

Revit is a BIM tool, as are similar products from Graphisoft, Bentley Systems, etc. etc.  These tools provide the basic 3d design/rendering/engineering components of BIM (and, yes I know, some additional functionality) and associated object technologies. 

BIM on the other hand is a business process enabling cradle-to-grave life-cycle management of the built environment supported by a variety of techologies, of which Revit is  just “one”.

Those who have spent ten to thirty plus years in the AEC sector know how much a  laggard our industry is versus others when it comes to efficient business processes and supporting technologies.  As a result, the adoption of BIM will REQUIRE fundamental “cultural changes” in AEC business practices.  The basic business foundations of the AEC community must adapt to enable BIM and it’s resulted added value to flourish.

Sure, the risks that come with change are ever present, however, the reward, a productive AEC industry, will benefit everyone… owners, users/occupants, contractors, architects, engineers, software providers, business product manufactuers, and the community at large.