Collaborative Construction Delivery = Positive Outcomes

 

The AEC and Facilities Management  industry is fragmented and unproductive.  While many have looked towards technology as the “silver bullet”, software simply can’t correct poor business practices, lack of requisite skills, and an industry resistant to change.

One need to  look no further than the stagnation of BIM in the U.S. and the U.K. to see that software is not the compass that will navigate the AEC and FM sector towards a higher percentage of quality outcomes delivered in a timely manner and on-budget.

The core elements required to drive the AEC and FM sector toward better outcomes are listed below.

• Elevated Owner Capability & Leadership
• Best value procurement
• Collaborative LEAN management practices
• Common terms, definitions, and data architectures
• Mutual trust/respect
• Shared risk/reward
• Full financial transparency
• Fully defined and documented roles, responsibilities, deliverables, and processes
• Continuous education, monitoring, & improvement

 

The causal factors for the AEC/FM sector’s problems include…

• No common language.
• Lack of defined and consistently deployed procedures and workflows that benefit all participants
• Obsolete technology… reliance upon monolithic IWMS and/or BIM systems.
• Focus upon “the weeds”…   forced levels of rigid detail versus common understanding.
• Costly, inflexible, and/or untimely revision cycle “standards”..(i.e. “ISO”, “NBIMS” …) versus “open” flexible guidelines and crowd sourced and shared knowledge.
• No minimum level of competency and lack of proper oversight.

The AEC and FM industry lacks coordination due to void of life-cycle based based goals and objectives and an associated lack of focus upon OUTCOMES.  Owners simply lack the capability, competencies, and/or motivation to engage in leadership.

 

Collaboration, coordination, and improved productivity can only occur within a framework of  goals, competent actors, resources, and activities.  The linkage between the built environment and organizational goals is usually taken for granted or simply not understood, and certainly very rarely proactively managed.

Actors and activities are linked by inter-dependencies which must be formally structured, if not mandated via collaborative construction delivery methods.  Similarly competencies in all requisite AEC and FM domains must be required.

Clarity and purpose must be provided by Real Property Owners as well as formal education and ongoing professional training.  While technology has its supporting role, Owner must firmly be in the drivers seat… steering the AEC and FM sectors toward efficient  life-cycle asset management strategies and practices.

BIM Level of Development Specification – LOD

The Level of Development (LOD) Specification as created and presented by BIMForum.org ” is a reference that enables practitioners in the AEC Industry to specify and articulate a high level of clarity the content and reliability of Building Information Models (BIMs) at various stages in the design and construction process. The LOD Specification utilizes the basic LOD definitions developed by the AIA for the AIA G202-2013 Building Information Modeling Protocol Form1 and is organized by CSI Uniformat 2010. It defines and illustrates characteristics of model elements of different building systems at different Levels of Development. This clear articulation allows model authors to define what  their models can be relied on for, and allows downstream users to clearly understand the usability and the limitations of models they are  receiving.  The intent of this Specification is to help explain the LOD framework and standardize its use so that it becomes more useful as a
communication tool. It does not prescribe what Levels of Development are to be reached at what point in a project but leaves the  specification of the model progression to the user of this document. To accomplish the document’s intent, its primary objectives are:

• To help teams, including owners, to specify BIM deliverables and to get a clear picture of what will be included in a BIM deliverable
• To help design managers explain to their teams the information and detail that needs to be provided at various points in the design process
• To provide a standard that can be referenced by contracts and BIM execution plans.

It should be noted that this Specification does not replace a project BIM Execution Plan (BIMXP), but rather is intended to be used in  conjunction with such a plan, providing a means of defining models for specific information exchanges, milestones in a design work  plan, and deliverables for specific function,”

Download 2013 LOD Specification

LOD is sometimes interpreted as Level of Detail rather than Level of Development. There are important differences.
Level of Detail is essentially how much detail is included in the model element.

Level of Development is the degree to which the
element’s geometry and attached information has been thought through – the degree to which project team members may rely on the  information when using the model. In essence, Level of Detail can be thought of as input to the element, while Level of Development is reliable output.

Fundamental LOD Definitions 
LOD 100 The Model Element may be graphically represented in the Model with a symbol or other generic representation, but does not satisfy the requirements for LOD 200. Information  related to the Model Element (i.e. cost per square foot, tonnage of HVAC, etc.) can be  derived from other Model Elements.
LOD 200 The Model Element is graphically represented within the Model as a generic system, object, or assembly with approximate quantities, size, shape, location, and orientation. Non-graphic information may also be attached to the Model Element.
LOD 300 The Model Element is graphically represented within the Model as a specific system, object or assembly in terms of quantity, size, shape, location, and orientation. Non-graphic information may also be attached to the Model Element.
LOD 350 The Model Element is graphically represented within the Model as a specific system, object,  or assembly in terms of quantity, size, shape, orientation, and interfaces with other building  systems. Non-graphic information may also be attached to the Model Element.
LOD 400 The Model Element is graphically represented within the Model as a specific system, object  or assembly in terms of size, shape, location, quantity, and orientation with detailing,  fabrication, assembly, and installation information. Non-graphic information may also be  attached to the Model Element.
LOD 500 The Model Element is a field verified representation in terms of size, shape, location,  quantity, and orientation. Non-graphic information may also be attached to the Model  Elements.
Example – light fixture:
100 cost/sf attached to floor slabs
200 light fixture, generic/approximate size/shape/location
300 Design specified 2×4 troffer, specific size/shape/location
350 Actual model, Lightolier DPA2G12LS232, specific size/shape/location
400 As 350, plus special mounting details, as in a decorative soffit

When is BIM not BIM?

BIM, Building Information Modeling, actually consists of three M’s…. BIM3 if you will…  Modeling, Models, and Management.

Since the “accepted” definition of BIM is the life-cycle management of the built environment supported by digital technology, it’s easy to see that BIM is part process and part technology, with the goal of developing and using current, accurate, shared information to optimize proactive decision-making.

Unfortunately the AECO sector (Architecture, Engineering Construction, Operations) sector is currently “silo” and “first cost” centric, not to mention relatively technophobic.   Major culture change across all stakeholders must take place before BIM can be understood, let alone practiced, on a widespread basis.

Building Information Modeling: A BUSINESS PROCESS for generating and leveraging building data to design, construct and operate the built environment during its life-cycle.  Stakeholders  have access to accurate, shared information  on demand, enable via interoperability between technology platforms and common terms, definition, metrics and benchmarks.

Building Information Model: The DIGITAL REPRESENTATION of physical and functional characteristics of the built environment.  As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility, forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle from inception onwards.

Building Information Management: The strategic vision for ORGANIZATION, COLLABORATION, andCONTROL of the business process by utilizing principles and guidelines for Information  Architecture  (i.e.a digital prototype) to effect the sharing of trustworthy information over the entire life-cycle of a physical asset. The benefits include centralized and visual communication, early exploration of options, sustainability, efficient design, integration of disciplines, site control, as-built documentation, etc.– effectively managing the digital decision support model of an asset from conception to retrofitting to final retirement over the course of a century or more.

Thoughts? Comments?

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The “I” for Information if Building Information Modeling or Life-cycle Facility Management

While articles and discussions continue about Facility Management and BIM, in reality they are virtual synonyms.

Facility management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology. – Definition of Facility Management – IFMA

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility.  A BIM is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle; defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition. – NIBS

In order to achieve either efficiently I argue that Information and Process must be shared in a consistent, mutually understood format among all stakeholders of the built environment: Owners, AEs, Contractors, Sub-contractors, Business Product Manufacturers, Building Users, and Oversight Groups.

The problem remains, however, that many don’t understand the multiple knowledge domains or competencies associated with the life-cycle management of the built environment, nor how to integrated them.  What is even worse, is that some of those that do understand are unwilling to share that information due to perceived issues with doing so.

NBIMS and similar efforts are steps in the right direction.  NBIMS attempts to consolidate and communicate information requirements, models, and associated usage processes, with an “open industry” approach.

Owners must clearly push for BIM and Life-cycle Facility Management.  Why?  Simple…they pay the bills and it is in their best interests to optimize their return on investment (ROI).  That said, Owners can’t do it alone.  By the very nature of the industry, all stakeholders must collaborate.  Unlike an airplane, or car… buildings are around for 50-100 years, have multiple uses, and can be adapted to changing situations.. also a far greater number of suppliers and service providers are involved, as well as a virtually infinite number of configurations.

 

Here’s are quick graphic of just a few of the areas, competencies, and technologies involved:

 

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Building Innovation 2013 Conference & Expo – Proceedings / Presentations – OnLine

Many of the excellent presentations at the Building Innovation 2013 Conference & Expo are available on-line at http://www.nibs.org/?page=conference

buildingSMART alliance Conference Integrating BIM: Moving the Industry Forward – LINK

FEDCon^{® –} The Annual Market Outlook on Federal Construction – LINK

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council Symposium – Fostering Innovation to go Beyond Green^{TM – LINK}

Innovative Technology Demonstrations — Including the buildingSMART Challenge, Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) Calculator and Specifiers Properties information exchange (SPie) Catalog, and introducing information exchanges for Building Programming (BPie), HVAC (HVACie), Electrical Systems (SPARKie), Building Automation Modeling (BAMie) and Water Systems (WSie).  – LINK

BIM Academic Education Symposium Setting the Course for a BIM Educational Strategy – LINK

CULTURE, TECHNOLOGY/SOCIAL MEDIA & BIM

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COBIE – BIM – Life-cycle Facility Managment

After a 3 month period of international review, the COBie Guide has just been published on the buildingSMART alliance website.  The COBie Guide can be considered the “commentary” to the COBie information standard “code”.  The Guide provides enforceable quality standards for the delivery of COBie data. To obtain a copy click COBie_Guide_-.

This version of the COBie Guide will be submitted for United States National BIM Standard balloting in the next round.  The Guide is organized to allow the specification of regional and client customization. As a result, it is hoped, that this document can be applied to accelerate the already rapid use of COBie world-wide. – Bill East, US Army October 9. 2012 – via FMOC

The quality standards identified in this Guide will be built into the bimserver.org COBie checking routines to provide anyone using COBie a free quality control tool.

The COBie Guide: a commentary to the NBIMS-US COBie standard
by Dr. Bill East, PhD, PE, F.ASCE1, Mariangelica Carrasquillo-Mangual 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Construction-Operations Building information exchange (COBie) format is the international standard for the exchange of information about managed facility assets. COBie does not add new requirements to contracts; it simply changes the format of existing deliverables from paper documents and proprietary formats, to an open, international standard format.
While COBie provides the format for the exchange of required asset information, it does not provide details on what information is to be provided when, and by whom. This Guide provides best-practice guidelines for these requirements. This Guide can be considered the “commentary” that accompanies the COBie format specification. To use this guide, customizations reflecting regional practices, specialized project types, and client’s requirements should be documented in Appendix A. The correct application of the COBie Guide may then be reference directly in appropriate specifications.
As of 2012 over twenty commercial software products support COBie. These products cover the entire facility life-cycle from planning, design, construction, commissioning to operations, maintenance, and space management. Software implementers will find the information in Appendix B helpful for low-level mapping of required properties.

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