The stakeholders of AEC industry today seek accurate deliverables, more efficient buildings and smarter processes. Off late, BIM has become the tool of choice for many modelers. It provides complete process for creating and managing a building project from start to finish.
BIM is much more than the next generation of CAD. It is a tool for the digital age, both a framework and a methodology with a database at its core. Elements are created in a building model and their position and properties are stored in a structured data vault that becomes a treasure trove for us. Using BIM wisely helps us to serve our clients better, streamline our practices, enter new verticals and add on new capabilities.
TreisTek follows the below steps in order to enrich our BIM standards –
Documentation
BIM Documentation is fundamental to BIM and is needed at various stages with the project lifecycle. It provides the all necessary information and ensures that the plan to execute the project is aligned. This helps our team to understand how the flow and management of data is produced and shared throughout the project lifecycle.
Projects with coordinated documentation have seen more efficient results. This is possible by following a clear and concise set of documents produced at the beginning of the project. With our experience, we understand that it is important for documents to be tailored to the needs of the project and project teams. This is because, without a structured set of documents, the control, management and measurement of information, workflow, providing deadlines and cost estimation become a lot more difficult. Hence, as soon as the project starts, we have our team to document the BIM processes. The right BIM documentation gives a solid structure for ensuring the delivery of a compliant BIM project.
Post project documents are of vital importance to any project though they are generated only after the completion of the project. TreisTek can provide accurate and complete drawings with all changes made on site, off site and in accordance with the design. We store and handle all construction-related information in one BIM model which provides unlimited flexibility for entering and changing the smallest of small deviations from construction documents.
Developing BIM roadmap
Once we have our BIM process documented, we develop our BIM roadmap that enunciates how the software fits into our larger business strategy.
A BIM roadmap is a guide which assists us to document short-term and long-term strategic goals like reducing the duration, improving overall project quality and develop and improve the process workflow. Roadmap also helps us to identify various ways to leverage BIM through building simulation or facilities management services.
TreisTek considers various aspects before developing a road map like process and workflow, tools used to execute the project, any add-ins and automations available, current roadblocks and the ways to clear it out, infrastructure, training provided to our employees, the project start-ups, ultimate project deliverables and project close-out.
Process replication
Once the project is delivered, we don’t let the effort go to waste. We incorporate the non-project-specific aspects like sheet setups, project notes and office standard details into a project template. Once the project template is created, we ensure that it is being updated on a regular basis. The time we sow to prepare the template always reaps long-term rewards.
The BIM models created during the life span of a project are saved into BIM library. Our BIM library is organized in such a way that when a similar project comes up, we save time in searching for content, instead, we spend time in delivering higher quality project.
Taking tools to next level
Once the road map is set and all the process are documented, as a next step, we take our tools to next level. This saves a lot of time when we use repetitive commands for umpteen number of times in a day. We use add-ins or plug-ins from various software that extend the BIM software beyond its out-of-the-box capabilities. Exporting or importing spreadsheets into our BIM software is an example.
Process automation
Most of the tasks that our architects do on a regular basis are repetitive and tedious. A lot of these works can be done more quickly and accurately by computers. So, we use automated process control by analyzing and gathering the data.
In order to automate the process, we use various customized programs which has aided us to gear up our productivity. We also use graphical scripting tools like ‘Dynamo’ to link nodes that reads data from MS excel sheets and then create sheets in the Revit models.
QC and validation
The projects that we execute include buildings with thousands of interconnected pieces. Any minute alteration in one element can have a major impact, especially in energy performance. So, we use various software to estimate building performance and check the design assumptions early in the design phase.
On completion of the project, our professionals inspect, check and confirm that the deliverables meet the set standards. The technical integrity, content and verification of the information are checked during the QC. Once the quality is assured, the project is validated and delivered to our clients.
Data visualization
While architectural rendering is the major role of BIM, it can also be utilized to communicate non-visual data and information clearly. The major drawback of explosion of big data is the difficulty in converting the information into actionable intelligence which includes collection of million data points into a spreadsheet and extraction of value from it.
Better BIM standards
To enhance our BIM standards, we leverage BIM’s capabilities by getting our hands on software’s data and inner workings. This is enabling us to go beyond the traditional scope of design and become a versatile and spatial-problem solver. This ultimately creates a better bonding with our clients, and they look at us as a trusted advisor rather than a mere service provider.