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practicalBIM
PracticaltipsonmakingBIMwork.
29January2016
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HowtodefineBIMUse
Forthosethatdon'tknow,aBIMUseisatask,outcomeordeliverablethataBIMmodelis
usedfor.ForexamplewhenaBIMmodelisusedforstructuralanalysis,ortocreateadoor
schedule,orprovidedataforanFMsystem.
WhentalkingaboutBIMUsewemean"BuildingInformationModels"(actualdigitalmodels),
notasin"BuildingInformationModelling"(BIMprocesses).Becauseofthissomecallit
ModelUse,butIshallsticktoBIMUse,asthereisaworldbeyondBIMwithothertypesof
models.

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BlogArchive
2016(1)
January(1)
HowtodefineBIMUse
2015(8)
2014(6)
2013(16)
2012(18)

BIMUseisatthecoreofBIM.ThebasicconceptofBIMisthatdatacreatediscapturedina
formandformatthatcanbedirectlyusedasaresourceforotherpurposes.
Sodoorsarecreatedinsuchawaythatadoorschedulecanbeproduceddirectlyfrom
thosedoors.Thatmodelledstructuralelementsbehaveinawaythatallowsforstructural
analysis.
YetthereseemstobemassiveconfusionaroundBIMUse.Whatshouldbesimpleismade
incrediblycomplicatedbyBIMstandards,BIMcontractclausesandBIMtheorists.
I'vewrittenbeforeaboutBIMUseandhowitisbeingappliedtoLOD,inmypostsLOD,are
wethereyet?andWhatistheuseofBIMUse.Butthosepostsdon'tofferasolution.
Unfortunatelywhenconfrontedwithsomethingunintelligibleandunworkablewetendto
avoidthewholething.ButBIMUsecannotbeignored.IfwearegoingtoreallydoBIMwe
havetohaveaworkablewayofmanagingBIMUse.

ThepurposeofaBIMUse
Letusstartwiththebasics.WhyhaveaBIMUse?
AparticularBIMUsemusthaveausefulrealworldoutcome.Itshouldonlybelistedasa
BIMUseforaprojectifthereisaspecificreasontodoitaspecificpartywhowilldoita
specificpartywhowillreceivetheresultsaspecificoutcomethataidsthedesign,buildingor
operationoftheprojectfacility.
ThissoundssoobviousyetismissingfrommostdefinitionsofBIMUse.Discussionalways
seemstobearoundwhatispossible,ratherthanwhatisrequired,letalonepractical.

WhoemploysBIMUses
BIMUseisinvariabletalkedaboutastheusesofexternalparties.TypicallyusesbytheBIM

AboutMe
AntonyMcPhee
Registeredarchitectsince1986,I
havebeenaprojectarchitecton
projectsrangingfromlarge
commercialandculturaldevelopments
tohouseextensions.DevelopingCAD
systemssince1988,involvedinBIM
since2001.Nowrunningasmall
architecturalpracticeandconsultingto
architecturalpracticesonIT,BIMand
practicemanagement.Myparticular
skillisbridgingITbasedprocesses
withpracticedeliverables.
Viewmycompleteprofile

modelauthorareignored.
Apparentlyifastructuralengineerusesthearchitect'sBIMmodelforstructuralanalysisthat
isaBIMUse,iftheyusetheirownitisnot.
Isuspectthisisbecausenocrossorganisationagreement(ordemand)isrequireditisnot
consideredpartof"BIMProcess".
TheproblemistheseinhouseBIMprocessesarethennotconsideredwhenagreeingon
otherBIMUses.ThiscancreateproblemswhenexternallyrequiredBIMUsescompromise,
orcompletelyprevent,anauthor'sownBIMUses.
TocapturewhoisdoingwhatitisusefultodefineBIMUsesagainstwhotheyarebetween:
1.Withinadiscipline
e.g.schedulesfrommodel
2.Betweendisciplineswithinateam(e.g.architect,engineer,QSetc.)
e.g.energyanalysis
3.Betweenteams(e.g.design,construction,operation,etc)
e.g.assetmanagement
4.Acrossdisciplines
e.g.estimates
5.Acrossteams
e.g.clashdetection
DoingthisnotonlyensuresallBIMUsesareconsideredbutalsorevealswhatcontractual
requirementsmightbeornotbeneededfortheproject.

LODisnotBIMUse
ForaparticularBIMUsetobeachievabletheBIMmodelmusthavecertainrequirements.
CurrentlytheserequirementsaredescribedviaLODdescriptions.TypicallyanLODhas
certainBIMUsesassociatedwithit.ThisistheAIA[US]approach.FromtheirE203guide:
"TheE202'sModelElementTableprovidesavehiclefordefiningAuthorized
Uses,ModelelementbyModelelementandmilestonebymilestone."
Butinpracticehowdoyoudefine"AuthorizedUses,ModelelementbyModelelementand
milestonebymilestone."?
Consideringthereareliterallyhundredsofdifferentpossible"AuthorizedUses"arewereally
expectedtolistthemnotonlyagainsteachModelElement,butagainsteachModelElement
ateachMilestone?
ThemostpracticalLODguidecreatedthusfar,BIMForum'sLODspecification,hastriedto
dealwiththisstipulationbykindofwhitewashingit.Fromtheir2015edition:
"BecauseBIMisbeingputtoaneverincreasingnumberofuses,thegroup
decidedthatitwasbeyondtheinitialscopetoaddressallofthem.Instead,the
definitionsweredevelopedtoaddressmodelelementgeometry,withthreeof
themostcommonusesinmindquantitytakeoff,3Dcoordinationand3D
controlandplanning.Thegroupfeltthatintakingthisapproachthe
interpretationswouldbecompleteenoughtosupportotheruses."

ButtheAIA[US]approachisfundamentallyflawed,itisthewrongwayround.
BIMUsesshouldbelistedwiththerequiredLODagainstthem,notLODwithallowedBIM
Uses.
WhatLODtablesactuallydoistodefinethelevelofdevelopmenteachelementistohaveas
theprojectprogresses,ateachmilestone.
Thisisareflectionofrealityprojectinformationprogressesattherateitisgathered,
decidedandcreated.Youcan'tmakeinformationanddecisionsmagicallyappearbecause
youneeditforaBIMUse,andhaveputitagainstanLODtableinacontract.
LODspecifications,matrices,tables,whateveryouwanttocallthem,needtoremove
referencestoBIMUse.Itjustconfusesandcomplicatesthem.
AproperLODtableisanindicationofmodelprogression,whenwhichpartswillhavewhat
informationavailable,basedonwhatisrealisticallyachievable.
BIMUseshouldbeacompletelyseparatelist,referencingLOD'stodescribewhatis
requiredforthemtobedone.BycomparingBIMUserequirementswithLODinclusionsand
progressionarealisticassessmentofwhatBIMUsesarefeasible,andwhentheycanbe

undertaken,ispossible.
ThecurrentprocessofusingLODdefinitionstodeterminewhat"AuthorizedUses"are
possibleisdelusional,itwillneverworkinpractice.

WhodecidesBIMUses?
AnotherproblemwiththeAIA[US]approachisthatitdefineswhatBIMUsesare"permitted",
notwhatusesarenecessaryorevendesired.AgainfromE203:
"ThetermAuthorizedUsesreferstothepermittedusesofDigitalData"
Wouldn'tabetterapproachbetodefineBIMUsesonaprojectbywhatusesparticipants
wanttoperform?NotwhataBIMauthorsaystheyarepermittedtoperform?
IntheE203guideitstatesthatthe"usualapproach"istotaketheposition"becausesomeof
theinformationisnotreliabledon'trelyonanyofit".AndthattheirintentinE203isto
changethatto"becausesomeoftheinformationisnotreliableyoucanonlyrelyonthe
informationthatIexplicitlysayyoucan."
Nowthatseemsasensibleapproach.Ifanarchitecttellsyouthewallsintheirmodelare
LOD200thenignoreanymaterialsinthosewalls.
TheproblemiswhenLOD200alsomeansthearchitectissayingthesewallsaresuitablefor
aparticularBIMUsebysomeotherdiscipline.Becausethenwehavegonefromthe
traditional"weprovideourinformationtoyouatyourownrisk"to"wewillprovideyou
sufficientinformationforyoutoperformyourprofessionalresponsibilities."
TheresultofthiscanbetheBIMauthorallowsnoAuthorizedBIMUsesatall,whichisno
betterthanprovidingitatreceiver'srisk.
OrtheauthorclaimsinformationisadequateforanAuthorizedUsebutitisnot(andthey
refusetorectifyit),becausetheyhavenoideaofwhatisactuallyrequired.
OrathirdscenariowheretheBIMauthorispenalized(orsued)becausethemodelthey
providedwasdemonstrablynotsuitableforanAuthorizedUsetheypermitted(orwere
forcedtopermitundertheircontract).
EitherwaythoseattemptingtousetheBIMmodelforalegitimateBIMUseareleftinthe
lurch,andBIMauthorsareleftatrisk.

AsbadaslettingBIMauthorsdecidedwhocandowhatis,thereisanother,worse,(and
verycommon)approachtodecidingBIMUses.Thatistheassumptiontheownershoulddo
it.Notonlythat,buttheownershoulddoitattheverybeginningoftheprojectbeforethe
variousexpertsrequiredareengaged.
OfcourseitislegitimatethattheownermakedecisionsontheirownBIMUsesfacilities
management,buildingcontroletc.,andBIMUsesthatmayeffecttheirdecisionmakingand
builtqualitycrowdflowsimulation,3Dvisualizationetc.
ButaskingownerstolistallBIMUsesfortheirprojectisabsurd.Therealityisthemajorityof
BIMUsesarebythedesignandconstructionteams,toassistthemperformtheirwork,the
worktheownerhasengagedthemtoberesponsiblefor.
Normallyyouwouldexpecttheownertoselectdesignandconstructionprofessionalsthat
havetheskillstodothethingstheywouldlikedone.Idon'tunderstandwhywhenitcomes
toBIMtheexpectationisthatbysimplylistingaBIMUseinadocumentiswillmagicallybe
donebywhoevergetsengaged,nomatterwhattheirskills.
Iknowownersaretheonesthatpayeveryone,andsocantelleveryonewhattodo,butthat
doesn'tbydefinitionmakethemthebestqualifiedtomakedecisionsaboutallBIMUsesona
project.Expectingthemtodosoisdelusional.

WhataboutStandards
Forsomethingsofundamentalthereisasurprisingdearthofstandardsthatdirectlyaddress
BIMUse.MaybeitistoomuchlikehardworktobesospecificaboutparticularBIMUses.
BIMExcellence.orghasstartedalistofBIMUsedefinitions,125listedsofar,althoughnotall
haveactualdefinitions.Agoodstart,toavoidduplicationandstandardizeterminology.
AtfirstsightCOBiecouldbeconsideredakindofBIMUsestandard.Althoughitsetsoutthe
requiredoutputitdoesn'tdirectlydescriberequiredmodelprogression,andittakesno

accountoftheLODconcept.Forexampleitmakesnodistinctionbetweendatanever
applicableorjustnotavailableyetanyemptyfieldsmustcontain"n/a"inaCOBie
deliverable.
ArealBIMUsestandardwouldsetoutwhatLODrequirementsareformodelelementsto
achievetheuse.
TheBIMforumLODSpecificationisprobablytheonlyrealBIMUsestandard.Itclearlysets
outLODrequirementsforquantitytakeoff,3Dcoordinationand3Dcontrolandplanning.
ButitshouldberenamedtheBIMforumBIMUseSpecificationfor:Quantitytakeoff3D
coordination3Dcontrolandplanning.

(withapologiestoBIMForum)

AsBIMUseisinvariablyperformedbysoftwareyouwouldthinksoftwarevendorswould
haveaninterestinestablishingstandardsthatoptimisetheirsoftwareperformance.
Althoughcompetingsoftwarespecificstandardsarenotnecessarilythebestapproach.
IFCiskindofinthisspace.MVD(ModelViewDefinitions)defineelementsrequiredfor
specificviewsofamodel,whichcouldthembeusedforaBIMUse.ButIFCisreallyabout
softwarestandards,notsoftwareuseorBIMprocessesperformedbyhumans.
IbelievesomestandarddefinitionsaroundBIMUsewouldbereallyuseful.Currentlybeyond
askingspecificpeopleonmyprojectsIhavenowayofknowingwhatisrequiredforaBIM
UseIdon'tparticipatein.
Althoughstandardscanbepartofthesolutiontheycanneverbetheonlysolution.The
expectationthateveryBIMuseforeverydisciplineorteamforeveryprojectwillbecovered
byastandardisdelusional.Andwhatdowedowhilewaitingforstandardstobeauthored,
discussedandagreed?
WhatweneedareprocessesthatestablishBIMUseprotocols.

CurrentBIMUseprocess
Theprocessdoesn'thavetobecomplicated.Let'sthinkaboutitfromfirstprinciples:
1.Someonewantstousesomethingforaspecificpurpose.
2.Theysaywhatthatisandwhattheyrequireforthemtodoit.
3.Whoeverisbestplacedtoprovidethatisidentified.
4.Negotiationsoccurbetweentheprovideranduser.
5.Agreementisreachedonwhatprocesseswillbefollowed.

ButintheworldofBIMplanningtheprocedureis:
1.AnauthorityfiguredecideswhatBIMUseeveryonewants.
2.TheyguesswhatisrequiredtoachievetheseBIMUses
(orusea"BIMexpert"toguess).
3.Theyimposetheserequirementsoneveryone.
4.BIMauthors,nottheowner,decidewhatspecificinformationtheywillprovidefora
BIMUse.

WhenconfrontedwiththeobviousimpracticalitytheusualsnakeoilresponsefromBIM
evangelistsisthat"theBIMExecutionPlanisalivingdocumentthatcanbechanged."That

mightbeamethodtofiximpracticaloutcomesbutitdoesn'tjustifywhythereisan
impracticalprocessinthefirstplace.

AbetterBIMUseProcess
Thatsaidnegotiationisstillthebestmethod.Itnotonlyensureseveryoneisdoingthings
theyarehappy(ish)about,itprovidesanopportunityforeveryonetohavetheirsay.
Butnegotiationshavetooccurinaframeworkthatisrealistic.Pretendingtheycanoccur
beforeeveryoneisappointed(orthateveryonebeappointedattheverybeginningofa
projectasinIPD),orthatpartieswillagreewhenthereisnoincentivetodoso(whenonly
authorsdecidewhat"AuthorizedUses"arepermissible),isdelusional.
Theownershouldbetheonetosetuptheframework,projectparticipantsthenegotiating.
Thereforetheprocessforowneris:
1.TheownerliststheBIMUsestheyintendtodo.
e.g.FM,budgetmanagement,etc.
2.TheownerlistspossibleBIMUsesthatothersmaydo,andaredesirableforthe
project.
BIMUsesthatmayormaynotbeusedontheprojectthatparticipantsmaybecalled
upontoprovideBIMmodelscapableofbeingutilizedfor.
3.Theowneractsasarbitratorinparticipantnegotiations.
Thenaseachprojectparticipantisengagedtheymusthaveshowntheabilitytosatisfythe
relevantowner'sBIMUses,andthecapabilitytosatisfythetherelevantpossibleBIMUses.
AstheexactrequirementsofthepossibleBIMUsesareunknown,andmaynotevenoccur,
feesdonotneedtospecificallyallowforthem,ensuringownersarenotpayingfor
somethingtheymayneverneed,orthatsomeoneelse(theBIMUserecipient)maypayfor.
Aseachprojectparticipantbecomesinvolvedintheprojecttheyarerequiredbeinvolvedin
aBIMUseidentificationandnegotiationprocess:
1.BIMUserequest.
AparticipantnominateswhattheyintendtouseBIMmodelsfor(includingusesthat
theownermayhaveengagedthemspecificallytodo).
2.Defineandcommunicatedatarequired.
ForeachoftheirBIMUsesclearlydescribewhatdatatheyrequireandatwhat
stages.
3.Identifysource/authorofdata.
Basedondatarequired,andthroughnegotiation,identifywhowillbegeneratingthe
data,orwhoisbestplacedtocreatethedata.
4.Agreeonextent/format/formofdatathatwillbeprovided.
Negotiatewiththatpartyonwhatdatatheycanprovide,and/orarewillingtoprovide.
5.Agreeonprocesstosupplydata.
Negotiatetiming,degreeofreliance(LOD)andchecking&rectificationprocedures.
Theownermaybecomeinvolvedatpoint3ifthereisdisputeoverwhotheappropriate
authoris,andatpoint4ifagreementonextentofdatacannotbereached.
Ifitisdeterminedextradataisrequiredtheproviderandrecipientcanexchangeservices
(youscratchmyback,I'llscratchyours)therecipientpays(becauseitsavesthemmoney)
ortheownerpays(itaddsvaluetotheownerand/orproject).Oritisnotdoneasthereisno
measurablebenefit.

Thereyouhaveit.
Thereisobviouslyalotofnuancearoundthedetailbuttheaboveprocessis,tome,amore
realisticwayofapproachingBIMUsemanagement.
Itisnotaradicalproposal,nothingunfamiliarisintroducedtoBIMExecutionPlanning.
IndeedmostcurrentBIMPlanningguideswouldonlyrequireslightadjustmenttoformalize
thisapproach.
Let'stakeBIMfromthetheoristsandmakeitgenuinelypractical.

PostedbyAntonyMcPheeat16:50

Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

Labels:BIMPlans,Management,Standards

30October2015

ShouldOwnersaskforBIM?
ThereisthisideaintheBIMevangelistcommunitythatowners,theoneswhocommissiona
facility,shouldspecifywhatBIMistobeusedonaproject.NotjustwhatBIMwillbe
deliveredtothem,buthowBIMwillbeusedbyeveryoneinvolvedintheproject.
Tomeitmakesnosense.Doyoutellyourdentistwhatinstrumentstouse,youraccountant
whichsoftware(orcalculator)touse,yourlawyerwhichcaselawtotakeheedof?
AndIsuspectownersarejustasperplexed.Whyaretheybeingaskedwhetherthe
structuralengineershouldusetheBIMmodelforstructuralanalysis,whetherthecontractor
shoulduse4D,5D,fieldBIM?Aren'ttheypayingtheseexpertstomakethosedecisions?
ActuallyIknowtheyarejustasperplexed.I'vesatinmeetingsandworkshopswherethe
owner'srepresentativesarebombardedwiththesetypesofquestions,andnotsurprisingly
theydon'twanttoanswerthem.They'resmartpeople,itnotthattheydon'tunderstandBIM,
itisthattheydon'tseethemselvesastheonesresponsibleforit.
YetthatishowBIMevangelistseeit.Intheireyestheproblemisownersdon'tunderstand
BIM.Afteralltheowner,astheonewiththemoney,istheonlypartywhohascontrolover
thewholeteam.Therefore,theevangelistssurmise,theyaretheONLYoneswhocan
enforceBIMonaproject.Thefacttheyareunqualified,uninterestedanddon'tseewhythey
shouldtakeonthatriskarewilfullyignored.
Besidestheabsurdimpracticallyofit,whatalsobothersmewiththisapproachistheidea
thatBIMmustbeenforced.ThatBIMisonlypossibleifallparticipantsarecoercedto
engageinit.IfthatisthecaseitsuggestsBIMisonlybeneficialtoafew,thatothershaveto
beforcedastheygainnothing.Thisissofarfromthetruth.BIMprocessesimprove
efficiencyandeffectivenessofallparticipants.Sureittakesmoneyupfronttoinvest,timeto
learnnewways.Butafterthatinvestmentyoucandomorewithlesseffort.Astheysay,work
smarter,notharder.
Soifyouareanowner,shouldyouaskforBIM?

APPROACHESTOASKINGFORBIM
ThereareanumberofwaysanownercanapproachBIMonaproject.Theapproachused
willinformwhatprocessesneedtobeputinplacefortheprojecttobesuccessful(inaBIM
sense).
IgnoreBIM
TotallyignoreBIM,assumeitdoesn'texistandmakenoconcessionsforittooccur.
AllowBIM
AcceptBIMcanoccurandnotstandinitsway.Makeconcessionsforittohappen.
EncourageBIM
AppreciateBIMisworthwhileandactivelyencourageitsuse,butnotdirectlyengageinBIM
processes.
ParticipateinBIM
IntegrateyourownBIMprocessesintotheBIMprocessesofothers.
DemandBIM
EnforceBIMofyourowndesignonallprojectparticipants.
Allarevalidapproachesanddependontheparticularcircumstancesoftheprojectandthe
availablepeople.Butwhatiscriticalisthatthereishonestyintheapproachtaken.Don't
pretendyouareencouragingBIMwheninfactyouareignoringit,don'tdemandBIMwhen
allyouneedistoparticipateinit.
Beforedecidingwhichapproachseemsrightlet'sdebunksomemythsaboutBIMforowners.

BIMISNOTJUSTFM

Oneofthemisunderstandinggoingaround(sometimesIthinkwilfully)isthatBIMis
equivalenttofacilitiesmanagement.ThattheonlythingBIMmeansistheuseofa3Dmodel
connectedtoadatabasetomanagethemaintenanceofafacility.
Attheextremeendofthisviewyouhavepeoplewhothinkthatifyougetthedesignand
constructionteamstouseBIMyouwillhaveafullyfunctionalBIMFMsystemattheendof
theproject.
Idon'tunderstandhowanyonecouldthinkthiswastrue.WhywouldaBIMmodelcreatedto
design,analyse,andcoordinateabuilding,oronetocostandprogramitbesuitablefor
facilitiesmanagement?YetIhavehadclientssaytheywantourRevitmodelprovidedto
them,completewithpaintmodelled,sotheycanuseitdirectlyforfacilitiesmanagement.
Alessor,butnonethelessjustasmistakenview,isthattheBIMdoneduringdesignand
constructionisjusttheretoprovidethedatafortheFMsystem.Andfurther,thatifBIMisnot
usedduringdesignandconstructionitisnotpossibletohaveaBIMbasedFMsystem.
Letsthinkaboutthisabit.TouseBIMforfacilitiesmanagementyouneedagraphical3D
modelandadatabaseofinformation.Youcouldpaysomeonetocreatethemodeland
populatethedatabasewhenyousetuptheFMsystem.Oryoucouldgetthewholedesign
andconstructionteamtochangetheywaytheydotheirworkjustsotheyproducea3D
modelandpopulateddatabaseatthecompletionoftheirwork.
Doesthatsecondmethodreallysoundsensible?Whywouldyoucompromiseamuchbigger
process(thedesignandconstructionofafacility)toreducetheeffortofasmallerprocess
(populateanFMdatabase)?BIMevangelistsgoonabouthowmuchlargerthecostof
runningafacilityiscomparedtobuildingit.ButdesignandconstructionBIMcanonlyever
contributetotheinitialsetupoftheFMdatabase,ithasnothingtodowiththeongoing
operation.
ButBIMisnotjustFM.Itisusedformuchmorethanthat.Andoncethatisrealisedthe
benefitscanbecaptured.
IfdesignprofessionalsuseBIMfortheirprocesses,theywillhavealotofdata,including3D
graphicaldata.Thecontractorcanutilizethisdatafortheirpurposesandadddatatheyuse.
Thisdatawon'tbestructuredtosuitFM,afterallithasbeencreatedforotherpurposes.But
thereisafairbitthatcanbeusedforFM.ThecostofrestructuringthisdatatosuitFMis
theoreticallylessthancompletelyrecreatingit.ThatisthebenefitofBIM.

Sodon'taskforBIMiftheonlyreasonistoprovidecompleteddataforyourFMsystem.
Theremaybecheaperwaysofdoingit.
Anddon'taskforBIM,orBIMdeliverables,ifyouhaveapaperbasedratherthanBIMbased
FMsystem(Iknow,kindofobvious,butsurprisinglycommon).
DoaskforitifyouwanttoaccesstoBIMdatacreatedforotherpurposesforyourFM
system.

DON'TKILLTHEGOLDENGOOSE

OfcourseyoumaynothaveaBIMbasedFMsystem,norintendtoimplementone.That'sa
commercialdecisionfortheowner.
Ifyoudon'tneedBIMforFM,whyhaveBIMontheprojectatall?
BIMisatool,atooltodorealworldthingsmoreefficientlyandeffectively.Itisusefulfor
anyonewhousesitproperlyandfortherightreasons.
IfyourdesignandconstructionteamsuseBIMonyourprojectthereisanopportunityforthe
projecttobedonemoreefficientlyandeffectively.You,astheowner,benefitsfromaproject
thatislesslikelytosufferdelays,islesslikelytospringsurpriseadditionalcosts,andwill
resultinabuildingwithahigherqualityofdesignandworkmanship.
SoifyouwantawellrunprojectyouwillwantBIMtobeused.
Buttheownerisnotresponsiblefortiming,costoverrunsandbuildingquality.Thedesign
andconstructionteam,viatheircontracts,havetheseresponsibilities.Andiftheowner
instructsthemonhowtodotheirjob,howtoundertaketheirresponsibilities,theownertakes
onsomeofthoseresponsibilities.

ENCOURAGINGBIM
ThebestwayanownercanensureBIMisusedistonotdictate,notenforce,butto
encourageBIM.Howmightthisbedone?

SELECTION
ThefirststepinencouragingBIMistoengageBIMcapableprofessionals,toincludeBIM
capabilitiesinbidrequirements.
BythatIdon'tmeanadescriptionofwhatBIMprocessesabiddermustundertake,buta
requestthebiddersprovideadescriptionoftheBIMprocessestheyalreadydo.Inthisearly
periodofBIMtakeupyoumayextendthistoincludeBIMprocessesbiddersintendorare
preparedtoimplement.
Theaimistogetthemtomakeanoffer,fortheuseofBIMtobetheirresponsibility.
ButkeepinmindBIMisbutoneaspectofwhyyouselectaparticularbidder.Professionals
areprimarilyengagedfortheircapabilitiesintheirareaofexpertise,andservice
performance.BIMisonlyatool,itwon'tcompensateforlackofexpertiseorpoorservice.

AGREEMENTS&CONTRACTS

ThesecondstepistoensureagreementsandcontractualarrangementsallowBIM
processestoworkfreely.AsmentionedaboveallBIMprocesses(exceptfacilities
management)arebetweenthedesignandconstructionteams.Thisisachallengeforthose
drawingupandapprovingagreements.Traditionallycontractshavebeendesignedtobe
betweenthepersonpayingandtheonedoingthework.BIMcapableagreementsrequire
additionalclausesthatsetouthowthosebeingpaidwillinteractwiththirdpartiesother
projectparticipants.
Obviouslythereareawholeraftofissuestoconsider,andthetypeofBIMprocesses
undertakenwillinfluencewhatspecificrequirementswillbe.Whichisanothercomplication.
TheownerisnotaparticipantintheseBIMprocesses(withtheexceptionoffacilities
management),noraretheexactBIMprocessesknownatthebeginningofaprojectbefore
everyoneissignedup.
TheBIMevangelist'sansweristoignorerealityandassumetheownerHAStobeaBIM
participant,andthateveryoneHAStobesignedupattheverybeginningofaproject(as
evidencedbythepushforIntegratedProjectDeliverytypecontracts).
Butitdoesn'thavetobethisway.Contractsneeddonomorethanensurethefreeflowof
informationinBIMtypeformat.Thatis,BIMinformationcreatedbyprojectparticipantsmust
befreelyavailabletoallotherprojectparticipants.Soundssimplebutthereisaparanoia
abouttheftofintellectualpropertythroughouttheindustry.Thedefaultpositionistowithhold
information.Contractsneedtospecificallyoverridethisposition.
Tiedinwiththisisthatallinformationindeliverablesmustmatch.Thatinformationon
drawingsandschedulesmatchinformationinBIMmodels.AndthatrecipientsofBIMmodels
canrelyontheinformationinthosemodels.Itmustalsobespecifiedthisonlyappliesto
informationaparticipantwouldordinarilyprovide.Ifanarchitectincludessomeductsintheir
modelforcontext,thatdoesn'tmakethemresponsibleforthecompletenessandaccuracyof
thoseducts.
ContractscouldbefurtherextendedtobeBIMfriendly.Forexampleallowingforproject
participantstodomodellingforothersparticipants,whilstresponsibilityisretainedbythe
requestingparty.Sothearchitectsmightmodelductworkforthemechanicalengineers(or
subcontractor)buttheengineersorsubcontractormustcheckandapprovethatmodelling
work.
BIMcapableagreementsandcontractsareintheirinfancyandnoonecanpredictwhattheir
eventualformwillbe.ButIbelieveifweapproachthemwithaviewtoencouraging,or
allowingBIM,ratherthanenforcingBIM,wewillendupwithmuchmoreusefulagreements
andthereforeBIMworkflows.

EVIDENCEOFBIM
RatherthandemandingdirectBIMdeliverablestheywillneveruseownersshouldlookat
requestingevidenceofBIM.RequestingevidencealsomeansthatevenifspecificBIMisnot
definedbyownerstheycanstillinfluencetheuseofitontheirproject.
ThereisnothingwrongwithrequestingevidenceofBIMprocessesasdeliverables.The
ownermaynotparticipateinthecreationofaBIMManagementPlan,buttheycanincludeit
asadeliverable.Theymaynotattendclashcoordinationmeetingsbutminutesofoutcomes
canberequested.
HoweverevidenceofBIMshouldneverbeprovidedfor'approval'.Notonlydoesthispass
someresponsibilitybackontotheapprover(theowner)buthasthepotentialtoholdupthe
project.
Thepurposeispurelytoensurewhathasbeenpromised(seeSELECTIONsectionabove)
isbeingdone.AnownermayrejectaBIMManagementPlanasbeingincompleteor
inadequate,butshouldnever'approve'it.

REMUNERATION
BIMisoftentoutedas'costingmore'.ButresearchhasshownoverallaprojectusingBIM
processesismorecostefficient.Itmaybedirectlycheaperand/orquickertobuild,oramore
complexresultisachievableforthesametimeandmoney.
Theproblemisthatnotallparticipantssharethesecostsavingsequally.Whichiseasyto
seewhenyoulookathowBIMworks.BIMmodelsarecreatedearlyinaprojectandpassed
ontoparticipantsthroughthetermoftheproject.Thearchitectmodelsthebuilding,the
mechanicalengineerusesthatmodeltodoenergycalculations,themechanicalengineer's
modelispassedontothemechanicalsubcontractorwhousesitasabasisforshop
drawingandCAM,thismodelispassedtothefacilitiesmanagertopopulatetheirenergy

managementsystem.Thefurtherupthechainthemorecompletethemodelisandgreater
thesavingsintimeandeffort.Andofcoursetheownerisatthetopofthischain.
Anotherissueissomeparticipantsarerequiredtodomorethantheyhavepreviouslydone.
Engineerstraditionallyproducediagrammaticdrawingsandperformancerequirementsfor
equipment.WithBIMtheyhavetomodeltheirworkaccuratelyandselectspecific
components(otherwiseyoucan'tmodelthem).Ofcoursepayingthemextratodothiswork
isnottheonlysolution.Butsomeonehastodoit,andnooneisgoingtodoitforfree.
BIMalsorequiresmoreworkupfront.Themechanicalengineercan'tdoanenergyanalysis
onahalfmodelledbuilding.IfthepointofBIMistocreateacompletevirtualbuildingtotest
itsbuildabilitythenithastobecompletelydesignedandmodelledbeforeconstructionstarts.
BIMmay'costmore'forsome,butoverallitdoesnot.Soitisnotnecessarilyaboutspending
more(althoughthatwillcertainlybolsteruseofBIM!).ToencourageBIMthereneedstobe
arethinkofwhereandwhenmoneyisspent.Moremoneyisrequiredatthepre
constructionBIMmodelcreationstage.
Thismaybeintheformofextrafordesignprofessionals,theappointmentofadditional
professionals,orbringingforwardengagements(e.g.servicessubcontractors).
Andwithinthoseengagementspaymentschedulesneedtoberevised.Feesarenormally
brokenupintostages.WithBIMmoreworkisdonemorehoursexpendedinearlystages
thantraditionalworkmethods.
Idon'tbelieveasimilarconcessionisrequiredatconstructionasBIMprocessesbring
enormouscostbenefitstocontractors.InfactIbelieveownersneedtobecarefultheyare
notpayingforBIMefficienciesthatthecontractorwillpocket.AnyBIMfromthedesignteam
shouldbetreatedasanassetthatbenefitsthecontractor.

DIRECTENCOURAGEMENT
AndofcourseownerscandirectlyencourageuseofBIM.Notbydemandingit,butbyhaving
astrongexpectationthattheteamwilluseBIMprocesses.Ownersdon'tneedtohave
intimateknowledgeofthoseprocesses,buttheycanexpecttheirdesignandconstruction
professionalsdo.

CONCLUSION
Sowhatistheanswer,shouldownersaskforBIM?
Asisthecasewithmostquestions,thatdepends.Butherearesomerecommendations.

IgnoreBIM
Notrecommended.Ifyoudon'tunderstandBIMordon'twantitdon'tstandinthewayof
thosethatdo.Thefactothersuseitwillnotcostyoumore,norwillitincreaseyourworkload.

AllowBIM
Ifyouareunsureanddon'treallyunderstandmuchaboutBIMthisisavalidapproach.It
providesanopportunitytolearnfromothers.

EncourageBIM
EncouragingBIMisthebestapproachiftheownerdoesnothaveaBIMbasedFMsystem.
ItallowsthedesignandconstructionteamtomakebestuseofBIMfortheirpurposes.Italso
createsawealthofBIMdata.ItisnotstructuredforFMuse,butcanstillbeminedforuseful
FMdata.

ParticipateinBIM
AtrulyBIMprojecthaseveryoneparticipatinginBIM,includingtheowner.Ownerscan
participatebyhavingtheirownproperlysetupFMsystemthatusesBIM.
Havingskininthegame,sotospeak,meansBIMdeliverablescanbeproperlyvaluedasto
theirworth.AndifeveryoneisaparticipantBIMplanningcanbeundertakenwithconfidence,
andresultinevengreaterbenefitsthanindividualuseofBIMbrings.

DemandBIM
Notrecommended.Unlessyouareaconglomeratewitharchitects,engineersand
contractorsallunderthesameroofyoushouldnotbedictatingwhatBIMisdone.Eventhen
caremustbetakentoensuresomeparticipantsarenotworkinginefficientlyforquestionable
benefitselsewhere.

PostedbyAntonyMcPheeat10:48

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Labels:BIM,Management

29August2015

EverydayBIM
Thismonth3yearsago,August2012,IstartedthepracticalBIMblog.
MyoriginalintentionwastoblogaboutpracticalwaystomakeBIMwork.ButwhenIstarted
reviewingtheliteratureonBIMIbecamealarmedatthemisunderstandingsanddirection
BIMwasheading.Itsoonbecameapparentthataswellasthingsthatshouldbedoneto
makeBIMwork,therearealsothingsthatshouldNOTbedonetomakeBIMwork(orat
leastnotmoreworkthanitneedstobe).
ItseemstomethemisuseofBIMstemsfromsomebasicconceptualmisunderstandings,(or
intentionalmisconstructions)ofBIM.IfIbelievethesepeoplearemistaken,whatismy
conceptionofBIM?Howandwhyisitdifferent?
SoonthisanniversaryIthoughtittimelytodoapostsettingoutmyviewsonBIMnot
special,worldchangingBIM,justordinaryEverydayBIM.
FirstsomethoughtsonwhatBIMisnot.

BIMisnotAUTOPIA

BIMisasetofprocessesthatmanagescertaintechnologies.Itis,andalwayswillbe,
changing.Asnewtechnologiesbecomepossiblenewprocesswillevolve.Anditwill
eventuallybesupersededbyanewacronymforadifferentapproach,justasBIM
supersededCAD.
Thereisnoend,nopointinthefuturewhereBIMwillbeperfectedandstabilized.
Whyisthisimportanttoappreciate?IfyouareadoptingBIMundertheassumptionitisaone
offexercisethatleadstoanamazingoutcomeyouwillbesorelydisappointed.Ifyouare
waitingforBIMtoreachperfectionbeforeadoptingityouwillbewaitingforever.
Therewillbeimprovements,buttheperfectionpromisedwillneverarrive,andtheneedfor
furtherchangeswillnotevaporate.
BIMisnotanendinitself.Itisaprocessofcontinuingimprovement.

BIMisnotANEXCUSEFORSOCIALENGINEERING

ThereisamythaparticulartypeofcontractualarrangementisrequiredforBIMtowork,so
calledIntegratedProjectDelivery.Thisisalliedwithaworkarrangementbeingcalled
"ProjectTeamIntegration".
ThereisnothingwrongwithIntegratedProjectDelivery,itsaimsofsharedresponsibility,risk
anddecisionmakingislaudable.Butjustasyoudon'tneedtouseBIMtoachievethese
aims(e.g.TheNationalMuseumofAustraliausedCAD),usingBIMdoesn'trequireIPD.
TheinsistencethattheconstructionindustrymustmovetoIPDtypecontractsandwork
arrangementsforBIMisanakedattempttouseBIMasadrivertoimprovethewaytheway
theindustryworks.ThisisgreatforbetteringtheAECOindustrybutdetrimentaltoBIM
adoption.BIMisnottheonly,andcertainlynotthemostcritical,driverintheselectionof
contractualarrangements.MakingtheassumptionIPDisnecessaryforBIMleadstoBIMnot
beingconsideredforprojectsthatrequireothercontractualarrangementsforreasonsother
thanBIM.

BIMisnotRESTRICTEDTOALLINONESOLUTIONS

ThereisanunderlyingassumptionthataBIMmodelmustbecomeasingleunified'thing'
("IntegratedDataEnvironment"),andthatallBIMprocessesmustbeunderthecontrolof
oneentity.
ThisviewispromotedbytheUKLevelsofBIMMaturity(aspertheBewRichardsdiagram),
where'Level3'BIMisanintegratedwebbasedsolution(socalled'iBIM').

Theonlyrealisticwaythiscanhappenisifallparticipantsusethesameplatform,orall
rigorouslycomplytothesameStandards,(assumingmultipleplatformswillbeableto
communicateviadatathatadherestoStandards).
Whilstitistruegreaterefficienciesaretheoreticallypossiblebytightintegrationofallaspects
ofdesign,constructionandoperation,thereareconsequencesofthisapproachthatare
beingignored.
Forcingallparticipantsusethesameplatformwillleadtoinefficienciesamongstindividual
parties.Eachofusmakechoicesabouttechnologiesandprocessesthatarethemost
efficientatfulfillingourresponsibilities.Andbecauseofcompetitionthebestavailablecomes
intocommonuse.Theseindividualactionsadduptoanefficientandcosteffectiveoverall

process.Any'allinone'platformwillnevercontainthebestinbreedacrossalldisciplines.
Theresultofthisapproachwillbethedominanceofproprietarysoftwaremonopolies,a
situationallthesoftwarehousesarecurrentlyscramblingtotakeadvantageof.
Therequirementforsuchtightintegrationwillalsoencouragetheascendancyoflargemulti
disciplinaryfirmsandverticalintegrationintoAECOconglomerates.Saygoodbyetothe
bespokearchitecturaldesignfirm,mediumsizecontractorsandspecialistsubcontractors.
TheexpectationthatiBIMwillbepossiblethroughtheuseofStandardsisjustafantasy,
moreonthatbelow.
ThewholeideaofiBIMisanalogoustoacommandeconomy.Intheoryafullymanaged
economywithcentralizeddecisionmakingshouldbemoreefficient.Butinpracticeamarket
whereindividualsmakethedecisionsismoreefficient.Blatantlydemonstratedwhenthe
USSRcollapsed,andmorerecentlytheproblemsinVenezuela.
BIMisasetofprocessesthatmanagescertaintechnologies.Thereisnoreasonthose
processescannotbetailoredtosuitwaysofworkingthatmaintaintheefficienciesofa
marketapproach.
ThatisnottosayiBIMisnotarealisticprospect,northatitwillneverhappen.Theproblem
iswhenitisassumeditwillbetheONLYfutureforeffectiveBIM.

BIMisnotABUNCHOFSTANDARDS

ThereisanenormousexpectationthatStandardswillmakeBIMnotjustmoreefficient,but
inthemindsofmanyBIMwillnotbetrulypossibleuntilStandardsareinuniversaluse.
Now,IbelieveStandardsareagoodthing,whichiswhyIfollowtheirdevelopmentso
closely.Buttheyarenotthepanaceatheyareportrayedtobe.Andthemainreasonsare
inherentinhowStandardsarecreated.
Standardstakealongtimetobedevelopedandagreed.MostworkonStandardsaround
theworldisdoneforfreebyvolunteers.TheprocessforapprovingStandardsisalsounpaid
andrequiresmanypeople,oftenfromwidelydispersedplaces,tocometogether.Thisis
particularlypertinentfortechnologydependentprocesseslikeBIMwhereStandardstrail
currentpracticenotbyyearsbutbydecades.
BecauseStandardcreationandagreementislargelyunrewardedthebestandbrightest,
mostexperienced,arenotattractedtoparticipate.Althoughitdoestendstoattract
academics,wheretheirparticipationdoesbringreputationalrewards.Theymaybethe
brightest,butlackpracticalexperienceandtendtocreateobtusedocumentsnooneelse
butfellowacademicscancomprehend.
SoStandardsinvariablydocumentoutofdatepracticesinamannerthatcannotbe
understoodbythosewhoaresupposedtofollowthem.
Idon'tseehowitwilleverbepossibletoentirelyrelyonStandardsandtheiradherenceto
deliverBIM.Processesandconventionsdevelopedbyindividualpeople,firmsandproject
teamswillalwayspayamajorroleinBIM.Justasproprietarysoftwareandformatswill
alwaysbeattheforefrontofBIMtechnology.
StandardsdevelopmentshouldfocusonsupportingmarketdrivenBIM,notbeputforward
asBIMitself.

BIMisnotAWAYTOGETOTHERSTODOYOURWORK

BIMisoftenportrayedasaprocesswheresomeonewillprovidesomeoneelsewitha
productthatreducesthatpersonswork.Forexampleafacilitiesmanagerwhoreceivesa
BIMmodelwillgainarecordoftheconstructedbuildingthatcanbeusedtomanageit.
Whilstthisisbroadlytrue,thisisinterpretedtomeanthattheproviderwilldotheworkofthe
receiver.Thatifthefacilitiesmanagercan'tdirectlyusetheBIMmodel,useBIMdatato
populatetheirFMdatabase,theproviderhasnotdonetheirjobproperly.
ThisispropagatedbythemyththataBIMmodelcanbeusedforanypurpose,evenif
createdforaspecificpurpose.AnarchitectcreatesaBIMmodeltocommunicatewhatisto
beconstructed,nottomanageabuiltfacility(inanycasetheywouldn'tknowhowto
architectsarenotfacilitymanagers).
AndifaBIMmodelcanbeusedforanypurpose,thereisnorequirementtopaysomeone
tomakeitfitforparticularpurpose.Sothereisanexpectationthisworkbeingdoneonthe
receiver'sbehalfisfree.
Icanseenojustificationforthisbelief,yetissurprisinglycommonamongowners.Itisoften
aroadblocktoBIMadoption.AnownerwantsBIM,butdoesn'texpecttopayforit.Whena
costisputonitbytheAECOparticipantsBIMgetsdroppedinitsentirety.Theproject
becomesa'nonBIM'projectandBIMisactivelydiscouraged.

SowhatisBIM?

BIMisACONCEPT

AtitscoreBIMisaconcepttheideathatthephysicalbuilding,systemswithinitand
processesusedtorealizeitaremodelledbeforeabuildingisbuilt.
Thissoundssimplebutisaparadigmshiftfromhowmostarchitectsandengineersview
theirdeliverables.Thenormistoprivilegedrawingsthatthefirm'soutputaredrawings.Of
coursetheirrealoutput,andwhateveryoneelseexpects,isinformation.Drawingsmerely
communicatethisinformation,theyarenothingmorethanatool.
WhentrainingCADuserstouseBIMsoftwarethebiggesthurdleistogetthemto
understandthatthedrawingisnotthemostimportantaspect.Togetthemtostopobsessing
overlineweightsandconcentrateonensuringwalldefinitionsreflectwhatthewallistobe
constructedfrom.
Oncepeoplegetitthattheirjobistomodel,nottodraw,everythingbecomesmucheasier.
Andifyoudon'tunderstandthis,youwillneveruseBIMtoitsfullpotential.

BIMisTECHNOLOGY

ThedegreeBIMispossibleisdependentonavailabletechnologiessoftwareandhardware.
WhenIfirststartedusingAutoCADinthe1980'sIgotexcitedwhenIsawyoucoulduse
layernamestodescribewhatelementsrepresented.Backthenthatwasallwehad
available,butitwasstillaformofBIM.
ItisoftensaidthatBIMisprocess,notsoftware.WhilstthisistrueBIMisprocessthat
managessoftwares.ThereforeBIMprocessesarelimitedtowhatsoftwarecando.
ItispointlessdevelopingBIMprocessesandStandardsthatareindependentofavailable
technology.Pointlessbecausenoonecanuseactuallythem,orareforcedtoinvent
elaborateandtimeconsumingworkaroundsthatmimicthoseimpracticalprocesses.
BIMisinpracticaltermstechnology.Ignorethisfactandyouwillsoonpaintyourselfintoa
corner.

BIMisPROCESSES

BIMisasetofprocessesthatmanagesAECOtechnologies.Individualprocessesthatcan
belinkedtoandlinkedfromotherprocesses.Processesthatworkinparallel,branchoffand
havedifferentoutcomes,abitliketheywayamoleculeisstructured.BIMisnotonesingle
linearprocessthatwillonlyworkifallpartsareinuse.
Anypartofthedesign,constructionoroperationsofabuildingcanuseBIM.Itdoesn'thave
tobeusedallthetimeforeverytask.
Whileitistruesomeprocessesaren'tpossibleifotherprocessesarenotbeingused,itdoes
notnecessarilyfollowthatoneprocessjustifiestheimplementationofallitsprecursor
processes.
NoristhefactaparticularBIMprocessisnotbeingusedreasonenoughtonotuseother
BIMprocesses.
BIMentailsmultipleprocesses,eachofwhichshouldbejustifiableforitsownsake.

BIMisOPPORTUNITY

TheoriginalintentofBIMwasthatbycapturingworkinadigitalformatitwouldbemore
usefultothosethatutilizedtheresultsofthatwork.
ItwasneverintendedtomeanthatBIMisanew,additionaltaskthatproducestherawdata
requiredbyotherstodotheirwork.ThatBIMdataprovidedwillbestructuredtosuitthework

processesofothers.
TheworkflowenvisagewasthatsomeoneprovidedtheirBIMmodeltosomeoneelse,who
thenextractedandrestructuredtheinformationtheyrequired.Theproviderremains
responsiblefortheirdatathatitrepresentstheirareaofexpertiseanddeliverables,but
theyarenotaccountableforitsusebyothersforpurposesoutsideoftheirresponsibilities.
AservicesengineerprovidesaBIMmodelofductworktothecontractor,whichthe
contractormayusetocreatefabricationBIM.Ifthereisanerrorinthefabricationmodelitis
nottheservicesengineer'sresponsibility,butifthereisanerrorinthecapacitysizing
provideditis.Ifarchitectsmodelabuildingin3D,andthestructuralandservicesengineers
dothesame,thenthisprovidessufficientinformationtousesoftwaretocheckforclashes.
ProvidingsomeonewithBIMdatagivesthatpersontheopportunitytouseitfortheir
purposes.Itmayrequirevalidationandadjustment,butitisstillusableanduseful.
WhatBIMdoesisprovideanopportunityforimprovedefficiencyandqualityofoutcome
throughtheavailabilityofdata.Andthisisbestdonethroughfosteringcooperationand
collaboration,notrigiddemands,especiallyfromthoseoutsidetheimmediateprocess.

EVERYDAYBIM
Howmightthisapproachbeusedeverydayforrealprojectsintherealworld?
Somegeneralsuggestions:

OWNERS:
RestrictBIMdemandstothingsyouneeddirectly(e.g.assetmanagement),andtoensure
generalBIMproficiency(e.gwithindisciplineexpectationslikedrawingandschedules
generatedfromBIM).
Don'tmakeBIMdataadeliverableifyoudon'tneedityourself,insteadincludeengagement
contractclausesthatallowfortheexchangeofdatabetweenprojectparticipants.

DESIGNPROFESSIONALS:
UseBIMcapablesoftwareinthewayitisdesignedtobeused.
Documenthowyoustructureyourdataandmakeboththedescriptionanddataavailableto
others.

CONTRACTORS:
TakeadvantageoftheBIMdataavailableonaproject.
FosterBIMprocesses,alongwithcooperationandcollaborationacrossprojectparticipants.

TRADES:
EmbodyBIMprocessesinsupplychainandworkmanagement.Tailorthoseprocessesto
takeadvantageofavailableBIMdata.
Allowotherstousethedatayouproduce.

FACILITYMANAGEMENT:
DevelopFMsolutionsthattakeadvantageofavailableBIMdata.
Becomeinvolvedbeforefacilityhandoversoyoucanmakeyourrequirementsknownto
others.

NoticeIhaven'tmentionedStandards.ThatisnotbecauseStandardsareneverusefulor
don'thaveaplace.ItisbecauseStandardsshouldonlybeusediftheyarebeneficialifthey
assistinachievingtheunderlyingaims.ThedecisiontouseStandardshastocomefrom
projectparticipants,theoneswhocreateanduseBIMdata,theonlyoneswhocanassess
theirusefulness.

Ihopeyoufindthesegeneralsuggestionshelpful,eveniftheyareperhapstoobrieftobe

trulypractical,somethingIwillaimtoameliorateinfutureposts.

PostedbyAntonyMcPheeat13:14

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Labels:BIM,Management,Standards

28July2015

ProcuringBIMPAS11922andacifPTI
IfeelsorryforownersandmanagerswhoneedtomakedecisionsaboutBIMonaproject.
Theinformationavailableisvagueitishardtoextractpracticaladvicethatcanbeacted
upon.Andconfusing,mixingupBIMissueswithmanagementpracticesthathavenothingto
dowithBIM.

PAS11922
IrecentlyworkedmywaythroughtheUKPAS11922:2013.Fulltitle:Specificationfor
informationmanagementforthecapital/deliveryphaseofconstructionprojectsusing
buildinginformationmodelling.
Itisa"PubliclyAvailableSpecification",whicharedocumentscreatedforasponsorby
theBritishStandardsInstitution(BSI).InthiscasethesponsorwastheUKConstruction
IndustryCouncil(CIC).NotthattheBSIdoallthework.ThePASisdoneviaconsultation
andanumberorganizationshavebeeninvolved(24areacknowledged).Itwaspublishedin
February2013andis68pages.
Itsaudience"includesbusinessesandthoseresponsiblefortheprocurement,design,
construction,delivery,operationandmaintenanceofbuildingsandinfrastructureassets."
WhatinterestedmeisthatPAS11922isanattempttoholisticallycaptureBIMprocesses
frombeginningtoendofaconstructionproject.Itisoneofthefewexampleswhichtriesto
proscribehowtocommenceaBIMproject,howtocreateaBIMbrief.

acifBIM&PTI
TheotherdocumentsIrecentlysloggedthroughwereaseriesonBIMbytheAustralasian
ConstructionIndustryForum(aciftheypreferlowercase),apeakbodyofpeakbodies,
includingthelikesofThePropertyCouncil,EngineersAustralia,MasterBuilders,Facilities
ManagementAssociationtonameafew.TheBIMdocumentsareauthoredbytheStrategic
ForumfortheAustralasianBuildingandConstructionIndustry,abodywithintheacif
thatthat"bringstogetherkeystakeholders".

Documentsinclude:
AFrameworkfortheAdoptionofProjectTeamIntegration&BIM,publishedDecember
2014,acknowledges11participants,andis60pages.
BuildingandConstructionProcurementGuide:ProjectTeamIntegrationandBuilding
InformationModelling(BIM),publishedJune2015,acknowledges8participants,56pages.
Thesedocumentsessentiallycoverthesameground,withthelateronecontaining
marginallymorespecific'advice'.
Thefirst"isdesignedtoguideandassistindustrystakeholdersintheadoptionand
implementationofPTIandBIM."
Thelater"istoprovideassetownersandprojectprocurerswithanoutlineofpotential
procurementpractices,processesandstepswhichmightbefollowedindevelopingeffective
procurementstrategiesforimplementationofBuildingInformationModelling(BIM)and
ProjectTeamIntegration(PTI)onspecificprojectswithinthebuiltenvironment."
TherearealsotwodocumentsonProjectTeamIntegration(PTI):TheCaseforProject
TeamIntegrationandProjectTeamIntegrationWorkbook
DespitetheirtitlesandselfdescriptionsalloftheacifdocumentsaremoreBIMandIPT
salespitchesthanpracticaladviceorstructuredworkflows.

ItisinterestingtolookatthesedocumentssidebysideastheUKisheadingformandatory
BIM,whereasAustraliais,well,onitsown.Thecurrentfederalgovernmentdoesn'tbelieve
anythingneedstobedoneaboutglobalwarming,soBIMiswaytooavantgardeforthemto
evencomprehend,letalonemandate.
Butgovernmentschange,andwhattheacifisspruikingmayendupintheformthatPAS
11922takes,orindeedthewholesaleimplementationofanunchangedPAS11922.
Sohowdotheystackup?

ANEASYREAD?
Inaword,no.
PAS11922isacronymcity.Ihadtospendalotoftimememorizingthemyriadof
abbreviations:
BEP,TIDP,MIDP,RM,PlM,PIP,SCCS,SMP,CPix,EIR,Capex,Opex,CDEgates,RACI,
WIP,AIM,CDM,andnotonlyLODbutalsoLOI.
AlthoughPAS11922hasaglossary,noteveryacronymislisted.Itwasn'tuntilpage13that
IfoundoutwhatPASstoodfor.

Terminologyvariestoafrustratingextent.Youkindofexpectsomevariances,particularlyas
PAS11922isfromtheUK,acifdocumentsfromAustralia.Buttheauthorsseemtorevelin
creatingtheirownuniqueterms.TheOwneriscalled"Employer"inPAS11922,"Project
Sponsor"inacifdocuments.acifhaveinventedanewtermforIntegratedProjectDelivery
(IPD)"ProjectTeamIntegration"(PTI).TheyexplainthatPTIisamoregenericterm,IPD
beingaformofcontractratherthanadescription.Idon'tseeit.IPDisalreadyaterminuse
inAustralia,andperfectlyadequate.Whyinventanewone?
PAS11922isadocumentyoustudytakenotes,rereadsections,drawyourown
diagrams,googlealot(tofindoutwhattheacronymsmean).Justreadingitwillleaveyou
confusedandbeofnopracticalbenefit.Alotofthoughthasgoneintoit,butgolly,doesBIM
havetobethiscomplicated?
Theacifdocumentsareeasiertoreadifyoucanstayawake.Thesamethingsare
constantlyrepeated,notjustwithindocuments,alsoacrossdocuments.Thereisreallyno
pointreadingtheFrameworkdocument,thesameinformationisrepeatedintheBuilding
andConstructionProcurementGuide.
Buttobefairalldocumentsofthesetypesaretedioustoread.Bothsetsofdocumentsare
extremelywellstructured,havegoodcontentspages,glossariesanddefinitions.And
unfortunatelyrepeatinginformationisderigueurforthesetypesofreferencedocuments.

REALISTICWORKFLOWS,OBJECTIVES?
PAS11922describesworkflows,theacifdocumentsreallydescribesobjectives,andnow
andagain,ifyouknowwhattolookfor,actionstoachieveobjectives.
GenerallybothhaveagoodgraspofBIM,withinklingsofevidencethereareatleastsome
peopleinvolvedwithdirectexperience.ButtherearesomeareasthatIbelievepushthe
boundsofpracticality.

PRETENDERBIMPLAN
TherequirementforapretenderBIMplaninPAS11922isunrealistic.Idon'tseehowthis
isevenpossibleunlessthetenderprocessisseverelylimitedtoonlyseekingbidsfrom
consortiums.ABIMplanneedsallpartiestogettogethertoagreeonaplan.Howcanthis
bedoneattenderorRFTstagewhenmultiplepartiesarebiddingforthesamework?Ifitis
enforceditsetsupanenvironmentwherecollusioncouldrunrife.Allthosetendersgetting
togetherandjustdiscussingBIM?
Unless,thatis,PAS11922reallymeanssomethingotherthanatraditionalBIMplan.I
searchedforthispossibilitybutcouldfindnothingthatsuggestedotherwise.
ButIsmellarat.AlthoughPAS11922explicitlystatesitissuitableforallcontracttypesthe
underlyingassumptionthatcomesthroughisthatonlyIPD(IntegratedProjectDelivery),
AllianceandothercombinedriskcontractsaresuitableforBIM.
Thisassumptionisalsoexplicitintheacifdocuments.Theirintroductionofanewacronym
IPT,(IntegratedProjectTeam),andthetimespentextollingitsvirtuesbelietheirunderlying
intent.Moreonthatbelow.

GATEWAYSORBLOCKAGES
PAS11922includes"Gateways",whereBIMdataisapprovedbeforethedataisreleased
forusebyothers.ThisisnotanewinventionbroughtaboutbyBIM,manyQAprocesses
alreadycontainsuchprocedures.
Holdandreviewpointsaregoodintheory,butifnotstructuredandmanagedcarefullycan
endupbeingblockagepointsinstead.Inmyexperiencetherealitydoesnotalwaysmatch
theintent:
Addingreviewpointsshouldextendtheprogram,butthisneverseemstohappen
(whatownervolunteerstoextendthecompletiondateforthesakeofa
technology?).Insteadworkprogramsarecondensedtounrealisticlevelstothe
pointthatworkcontinuesintothereviewperiod,leadingtopoorworkand
inadequatechecking.
Owners,ormoreusuallythepoorsodstheyappointtooverseeallthischecking,
don'twanttotakeanyadditionalresponsibility(norworkload)sorefuseto,or
dragtheirfeetinofficiallysigningoffonanything.Soworkcontinueson,asithas
to,usingunapproveddeliverables.
Yourbossseescheckingasanonproductiveuseoftime,soifsomeoneelseis

doingitwhyareyoudoingit?Leadingtouncheckeddocumentsleavingthe
office.
Anyreviewpointisanopportunityfordesignersto"tweak"thedesign,leadingto
rushedreworking.
Theseproblemscanbeaddressed,butPAS1192seemsambitiouswhenitcomestosign
offatGateways(whichitadmitsmaybedifficultfor"somecontracts").
TheprobleminPAS11922issignoffisassumedtomeanashiftofresponsibilityfrom
authortoapprover.Anymistakesbecomethefaultofthecheckerfornotpickingthemup.
Whichmeansthecheckermusthaveexpertiseintheareatheyarechecking.Soanowner
needstoappointasecondarchitecttochecktheprimaryarchitect'swork,structural
engineer,servicesengineeretc.Notveryefficient.
Thereisatradeoffbetweenmistakefreedocumentsandprojectprogression.Toensure
comprehensiveandmistakefreedocumentstakesconsiderabletimeateachcheckpoint.
Amorepracticalapproachwouldbetocheckonlyforcompleteness,theprofessionalrisk
stillbeingcarriedbytheauthor.

VOLUMES
PAS11922hasaconceptitcalls"Volumes".Theideaisthattheprojectisbrokenupintoa
numberofvolumes(3Dspaces)thatareallocatedtodifferentprojectteammembers.The
exampleofarailtunnelisillustratedwithlinearvolumesfordifferentservices.

ThismayworkforsimpleinfrastructurebutIdon'tseehowitworksonaevenmoderately
complexbuilding.Differentservicesoftensharethesamespace(e.g.ceilingspace).
Allocatingspecificspacefordifferentpurposesispossible,butisgenerallynotthemost
efficientwaytodesignabuilding.
Further"allmembersofthedesignteamshallagreevolumesasfullyaspossibleatthestart
oftheproject".Howcanyoudothisbeforedesigningthebuilding?Theallocationofspaceis
ahugepartofdesign,mostofwhatanarchitectdoes.DoesPAS11922assumethe
architect'sworkiscompletebeforeBIMisstarted?
Itwouldn'tsurpriseme.ThereisapervasivebeliefthatBIMonlystartsonceacontractor
getsinvolved.PartoftheabsurdpushforIPD(akaPTI):thatBIMisonlypossibleifthe
contractorisinvolvedduringdesign.
Howabouttheacifdocuments?
Thesedocumentsaremostly'motherhood'statementswithasprinklingofusefuladvice.
Forexampleonpage31oftheFrameworkdocumentoutof15objectives
3aregeneralstatements("thedismantlingoftraditionalbarriersorsilosofeffort")
3arenotrelevanttoaprojectbuttotheindustryasawhole("further
developmentofnationaltemplates,contentandStandards")
2arerepeatsofissuesalreadystated.

Sojustoverhalfarenotuseful.Onewonderswhytheydidn'thavetwolistsofobjectives,
oneforindustryandoneforpractitioners.
Recommendationsmadeyearsagoreappear,like"undertakingpilotprojectstodisplaythe
benefitsofBIM."Notmorepilotprojects!HowmanymoreBIMeventsmustwesitthrough
whereallyougetaresyrupypresentationsof(apparently)extraordinarilysuccessfulBIM
projects.
Andtherearecontradictions.UnderAssetManagement"ProposedActivitiestodeliveron
Objective"one'activity'suggestsanotherisnotpossible.
Howcan:
"Acontractualobligation(clause)bindingonallpartiesfrominitiationofabuilt
projectforthedevelopment,transferandmaintenanceofanassetregister
acrosstheassetlifecycle."
beachieveduntil:
"Theasset/facilitiesmanagementindustrymustdefinedatasetsand
informationassetregisteroutcomerequirementstoenablethetransitionfrom
designandconstructiontooperationinaBIMenvironment."
Itisaclassicchickenandeggsituation.HowcanAECteammembersprovidesomething
thatisundefined?

THECOST
Thereisquiteabitofextraworkforowners("Employers")inPAS11922.Frombeing
responsibleforproscribingtheentireBIMprocesstocheckingithasbeencompliedwith.To
followPAS11922ownerswillhavetobeefuptheirprojectmanagementteams,notjustin
trainingandexpertise,butinbodiesonthegroundtodotheadditionalwork.
PAS1192alsointroducesaraftofextrarequirementsfortenders.Althoughtheownermay
notdirectlypayeachtenderersfortheadditionalwork,theindustryasawholewillneedto
recoupthoseaddedcosts.
COBiedeliverablesandassignationofUniclassclassificationcodesaremandatory,even
thoughtheremaybenooneusingtheseontheproject.WhyprovideCOBieifanFM
solutionispartoftheconstructioncontractanddatacanbeplaceddirectlyintothechosen
FMsystem?Sure,preferenceCOBieandUniclasscodingwhereFMdataandcostcoding
arerequired,butonlyifteammembershavenoviablealternative.
AsIhavewritteninearlierposts,bothoftheseimpostscreateadditionalwork.Workthat
needstobepaidfor,whetherdirectlypaidforbytheownerorasacosttotheindustryasa
whole.
SureBIMmaybringsavingselsewhere,butstrictcompliancetoPAS19922willbean
additionalcost.Thereforebewaryofstatementslike"mustcomplywithPAS11922".
Ownersmakingstatementslikethisareaddingpossiblyunnecessarycoststotheirprojects,
otherswithitintheircontractsneedtomakesuretheyhaveallowedfortheextraworkin
theirbids.
Theacifdocumentsarenotproscriptiveenoughtoidentifywheretheremightbeadditional
costs.AstheyareprimarilyaboutintroducingBIMthemostobviouscostisineducationand
training.Althoughtheimplicitassumptionthroughouttheirdocumentsthatownersmusttake
abiggerroleinBIMisapotentialadditionalcostforowners.

DOESBIMDRIVETHEFORMOFCONTRACT?
Buildingcontractsarestructuredtoachievemanyoutcomes,andattempttocreate
agreementonmanyissues,BIMisonlyone,andisbynomeansthemostimportant.Yet
bothPAS11922andtheacifdocumentsassumethatBIMprocessescanonlybeachieved
underonecontractualarrangement.
InterestinglybothPAS11922andtheacifdocumentsspecificallystatethattheyare
contractneutral,acifdocumentsevenwarningthatowners("ProjectSponsors"):
"...needtobecarefulthatchangingcontractualarrangementsforBIMdoesn't
leadtoadegradationofotheraspectslikedesign,innovativeconstruction,
innovativeengineeringsolutions."
Butwhenyoureadthedocumentsasawholeitbecomesobvioustheonlywaythe

requirements(PAS11922)andobjectives(acifdocuments)canbemetiswithanIPDtype
contract.
Intheacifframeworkdocumentthereisagooddescriptionofdifferentcontracttypes,
includingexisting"traditional"contracts.Thenthereisatablecomparingcontracttypeswith
theireffectonBIMImplementation.Excepttheylumpedallexistingcontracttypestogether
andcomparedthemtoalliancing("partnering")andconsortium("financing")contracts.What
wouldhavebeenfarmoreinteresting,andactuallyuseful,wouldbetocompareBIM
implementationbetweeneachoftheexistingcontracttypes(Construct,D&C,Managed
Contract,ConstructionManagementetc.).
ldon'tunderstandwherethisideacomesfromthatonlycertaintypesofcontractsare
suitableforBIM.AnycontracttypecanuseBIM.Thetruthis(asmentioned,but
contradictedelsewhereinacifdocuments)theformofBIMissetbythetypeofcontract,not
theotherwayround.

BIMASSOCIALENGINEERING
AsmentionedPTI(ProjectTeamIntegration)isasubstantialpartoftheacifdocuments.
ThereistalkofPTIProtocolsbutIcouldn'tfindanywherethatlistsordescribeswhatthese
protocolsare.Thereisalistoftheirpurpose,andwhytheyareimportantbutnotwhatthey
are.Aretheytalkingaboutspecificexistingprotocols,futureprotocols,aprotocol,oraseries
ofprotocols?
IgotexcitedwhenIfoundtheacifProjectTeamIntegrationWorkbook.Aworkbook,
somethingpractical,somethingthatshouldtellmewhatPTIis.
SadlyIwasmistaken.Itisaseriesof18tablesofgenericprojectmanagementtopics,like
"EnvironmentandCulture","ProjectLeadership","WastedEffort".Eachisdividedinto5
colourcodedcolumns,redisbad,blueisexemplary.

Youguessedit,existingcontracttypesonlyappearintheredcolumn,PTItypecontracts
dominatestheblue.Amazing,doingPTI(whateverthatentails)willmiraculouslymake
everyoneabettermanager!
ChoosePTIandyourprojectgoes
from"ThisistheworstprojectI'veeverworkedonin30years"
to"ThisisthebestprojectI'veeverworkedon."
from"We'reatwar.Theclient'stheenemy"
to"Wehavethegreatestrespectandadmirationforourclient.Heleadswithout
interfering."
Hallelujah,praisetothegodofBIM.Allmanagementsinswillbewashedawaybyaccepting
thewisdomofPTI.

WHATISTHISPTI?
IntheacifFrameworkdocumentsectionheaded"AgreeddefinitionofPTIandBIM"itstates:
"PTIisaprocesstofacilitateintegrationandencouragecollaborativebehavior..."
Butwhatisthisprocess?Italsostates:

"PTIisaprojectdeliveryapproachthatencouragesclientstoengageateam
(includingdesignconsultantsandbuildingcontractors)attheearlieststagesof
aprojecttoenhancethelevelofintegrationbetweenthem."
OK,theteamgetstogetherearly.Butwhatexplicitlydotheydothatisdifferent,tomakeit
PTIinsteadofbusinessasusual?Besidesmoremotherhoodstatementslike"reducewaste"
and"optimiseprojectoutcomes"thereisnothingaboutwhatspecificproceduresconstitutes
a"process".
Thegiveawayistheword"collaborative".Thisisnothingmorethananotherversionofthe
"wemustcollaborate"mythIhavewrittenaboutinotherposts.Idonotknow,andhave
beensearchingfor,whatIshouldbedoingbeyondwhatI,andthepeopleIworkwith,
alreadydotoachievethis"collaboration".TheonlylogicalthingIcangetafirmgriponisthe
ideathatweshouldbeprovidingadditionalinformationforotherstouse,whichIcallforwhat
itis,exploitation,notcollaboration.
ButIdon'tbelievethatiswhatisbehindtheacifdocuments.Ithinktheyareunderthe
impressiontheycanfosterarevolutioninthequalityofconstructionprojectmanagement
throughtheadoptionofBIM.MysuspicionswerereinforcedwhenIreadthe
acknowledgementsintheacifPTIWorkbookdocument.TherearenopractitionersofBIM
mentioned,anditisbasedona2001publicationbytwoacademics:"ProjectsasWealth
Creators".
I'msuretheirideasforbetterprojectmanagementarefantasticandworthadopting,butthey
aretryingtohijackBIMtopushforunrelatedissues.Usinganewtechnologytojustifyacall
forsocialchange,otherwiseknownassocialengineering.
BIMisnotgoingtochangethewaypeoplebehave.Anownerwhotriestosqueeze
everyone'spricesandgoadthemintoextraworkisstillgoingtodothat.Thisisalready
happeningwithBIMintheattemptsbyownerstogettheAECteamtoprovideFMdataina
formatoftheirchoosingatnoadditionalcost.
Anditsimplywon'twork.Nomanagerthinkswhattheydoispoorpractice.Whentheyread
somethinglikeBIMrequires"awellinformedclientwhoknowswhattheywant"theynever
thinkitappliestothem.Statementslikethatachievenothing.
WhatshouldbeexplainedisthatanyonecanutilizeBIM,itisjustthatbettermanagerswill
reapbetterrewards.Thatthosewhoareopentoadjustingtheirmanagementstylewill
benefitmorethanthosethatdon't.Tosaytoamanageryoumustthrowouthowyouhave
donethingsinthepasttouseBIMisnotonlyuntrue,butcounterproductive.

SUMMARY
Tosummarizemymaincriticisms:

PAS11922
EMPLOYER(Owner)
Assumesallisknownabouttheprojectbeforeitstarts.
Expectsemployertodefinehowprofessionalsconducttheirbusiness.
Expectsemployertohaveexpertisetocheckandapproveprofessionalswork.
PROCESS
Assumesdesignteamallengagedatsametime.
AssumesRFTfromconsortiumhowelsedoesa"precontractBEP"getdone?
AssumesIPDtypecontracts(eventhoughsaysitdoesn't).
Assumesbuildinghasbeendesigned(e.g.expectationof"volume"definitions)
DELIVERABLES
InsistsUniclasscodesallocatedtoBIMobjectsevenifnotusedbytheprojectteam.
InsistsonCOBieevenwhentheremaybenoreasontouseCOBie

acifDOCUMENTS
Doesn'texplorehowBIMcanbeusedonexistingcontracts.
Mixesprojectspecificobjectiveswithindustrywideobjectives.
Manyobjectivesarenotactionable.
NodecisivedescriptionofPTIprotocols.
Inconsistent:adviceisoftencontradictedbyotherpartsofthedocument.

CONCLUSION
Youmay,bynow,havenoticedthispostisnotaprecisofthedocumentsreviewed,buta
criticalreviewthatcarefullyavoidsspoilers(sorry,youaregoingtohavetoreadthem
yourself).
ButhavingreadthemIbelievebothPAS11922andtheacifdocumentsareworthwhile
additionstoBIMliterature.
Mycriticismsarebornofafrustration,thattheyaresoclosebutmissthemark.
Mybeliefisthatthereisenoughknowledgeouttheretocreateuseful,practicalBIMguides.
Thereasonswhythisrarelyhappenslieelsewhere.Youcanliterallyseethetusslebetween
theBIMpractitionersandBIMevangelistsasyoureadtheacifBIM&PTIdocuments.
Agoodeditcleaningoutthemythsandrearrangingthetruthswoulddowondersforthese
documents.
IbelieveallPAS11922needssometimeintherealworldgettingpracticalexperienceto
seewhatworksandwhatdoesn't.Somepartsprobablyneedtobewatereddownbutthe
underlyinglogicandworkflowsaresound.
SomyadviceistomakeuseofPAS11922forguidanceonsettingupaBIMprocurement
process,andtheacifdocumentsforanoverviewofpossibleBIMprocurementmethods,
withsomegemsofpracticaladvice.
Justdon'tevermandatethatPAS11922'shall'befollowed,andapproachtheacif
documentswithadoseofskepticism,mineitforthegemsandleavethetailingsbehind.

PostedbyAntonyMcPheeat16:14

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Labels:Management,Standards

26June2015

ClassificationnotsoEasy
IhavewrittenaboutaddingclassificationnumberstoRevitbefore.BackthenIthoughtit
goodpracticetoincludethem,evenifyoudidn'thaveaspecificneedforthem.
ThatwasbeforeIdidsomediggingandfounditisnotassimpleasitsounds.
BeforeyougetboredandgobacktolookingatkittensonYouTubeorBIMporn,Iappreciate
youareprobablynotinterestedinclassificationsystems.Icertainlyamnot.SoI'llputthe
practicalinformationfirst,thenatleastyoumightknowsomethingusefulbeforeyoureyes
startglazingover.

HOWTODEALWITHCLASSIFICATION
QUESTIONTHENECESSITYFORCLASSIFICATION
Classificationcodes(seehereforadescription)arepromotedbysomeasapanaceaforall
BIMuses.Thetruthistheyaremostlyusedforcostingandspecifications.Theyarenotthat
usefulforFacilitiesManagementasaclassificationcodemighttellyouathingisadoor,but
itdoesn'ttellyouwherethedooris.
Ifyoudoestimatingandwilluseclassificationcodes(theyarenottheonlymethodtoidentify
components)thenyes,theyarenecessary.Ifyouusethemforspecificationpurposesthen
theyarealsonecessary,althoughagain,theyarenottheonly,orevenmostcommon,way
ofmanagingspecifications.
Ifyoudon'tdoestimatingandarerequestedtoincludeclassificationcodesinyourmodels
askwhy.
Areyoudoingitsothecostconsultantorcontractordoesn'thaveto?Ifsowhyareyoudoing
itandnotthem?Whowillpayyoutodotheirwork?

Ifthereisnospecificreason,ifitisexplainedas"necessaryforBIM",orsimply"good
practice",putapriceonitandseeifitisstillarequirement.
Orposeaseriesofquestionsaboutthespecificsofwhatitistheyrequire(readtothe
bottomofthispostforammunition).
Asalastresort,iftheystillinsist,becomfortedinthefactthattheyhavenoideawhatthey
willbereceiving,willneveruseit,andwillneverknowifyouhavedoneitproperlyornot
(whatever"properly"means).

DEFINEYOURSCOPE
Ifyoucan'tgetoutofprovidingclassificationcodes,andyouhavenocleardirectiononwhat
isexpected,youneedtodefinewhatyouwilldeliver.
1.Whichclassificationsystemwillbeused.
IfyouareintheUSAorUKtheanswerwillbeobvious,possiblyevenmandated.Inother
countries(likeAustraliaandmanyAsiapacificcountries)itmaynotbesoobvious.
Ifitisnotclearusewhicheveroneiseasiestforyoutoaccessanduse.
2.Whichversionwillbeused.
Classificationsystemsareprettymuchconstantlyunderreview,andeverynowandagaina
newversionisreleased.
Astherearelegacyworkpracticesandsoftwaresthatrelyonoldversionstheseoldversions
tendtostillbeinusewellafteranewversionisreleased.
Alsodraftversionsexistforyearsandmaybeusedonrealprojectsastheyaretheonly
optionavailable(asAutodeskdidseebelow).
Keepinmindwhoeveryouareprovidingclassificationcodestomaynotnecessaryrequire
thelatestversion,ormayrequireyoutouseadraftversion.
Youcouldoffertoprovidetheversionmostconvenientforyoutoaccomplish,whichisnot
necessarilythelatest(moreonthatbelow).Howeverifwhoeveryouareprovidingittohas
notstatedwhattheyrequireyoumayhavetroublearguingthatanoldversionis'fitfor
purpose'.
Bestpracticeistoaskwhichversionisrequired.Ifthatisnotpossibleexplicitlystatewhich
versionyouwillprovide.
3.Whichtableswillbeused.
Omniclasshas15tables,Uniclass2015has11,youdon'twanttocommittoproviding
relevantcodesfromeverytabletoallobjects.
Offertoprovidecodesfromonetable:OmniclassTable21Elements,orUniclass2015
TableSsSystems.
4.NumberofCodesperobject.
Classificationtablesdescribedifferentthingsthatmightapplytothesameobject.Alsoour
BIMobjectsoftencontainmultiplethingsthatmightattractaclassificationcode(e.g.adoor
hasmanycomponentslocks,handles,closers,hingesetc).
Restrictyouroffertoasinglecodeperobject,thatis,asingleclassificationparameterper
object.
5.DepthofCodes.
OmniclassTable23is7levelsdeep,Uniclass2015TableSsis4levelsdeep.Thedeeper
thelevelthemorespecifictheinformation.Themorespecifictheinformationthemore
objectsrequiredinyourmodel.Ifyouprovidecodesdowntothelevelofdoorlocks,youwill
needanobjectforeachlocktoholdthecode(asopposedtoadoorparameterthat
describesthetypeoflock).
Onlyoffertoprovidecodestothefirstleveloftheclassificationsystem.

Now,allthissoundscomplicated,butcanbecapturedinonesentence:

Omniclass:
We[normally/can/may/offerto/will]provideasingleclassificationcodetoeachappropriate
objectinourmodelsconformingtoOmniformat2012,Table21Elements,toalevelof
detailequaltoLevel2.

Uniclass:
We[normally/can/may/offerto/will]provideasingleclassificationcodetoeachappropriate
objectinourmodelsconformingtoUniclass2015,tableSsSystems,toalevelofdetail
equaltoSubgroup.
Youcanofcourseprovidemorethanthis,thatisyourcommercialdecision.My
recommendationsareabaseline,aminimumthatisreasonable.Thepointistoplacea
valueonprovidingclassificationcodesforotherstomakeuseof.Classificationdataentry
takestimeandeffortandshouldbepaidfor.

WORKOUTHOWYOUAREGOINGTODOIT
Beforeembarkingonthetaskofassigningclassifications,includingprepopulating
componentfamilies,establishthemethodsyouwilluse.Poorchoicesanddecisionscanturn
thetaskintoajobthateatsuphundredsofmanhours.
Don'tassumeanything.Testeverystep,andverifyeveryresult.
Inparticularmakesureyouareawareoftheabilitiesandlimitationsofthesoftwareyou
intendtouse.
I'veonlyinvestigatedRevit(whichIwillgointomoredetailbelow).AmongstotherthingsI
foundthat:
ThedefaultOmniclassTable23ProductsdatainRevitisWRONG(kindof,seebelow).
ThedefaultOmniclassTable21ElementsdatainRevitisOUTOFDATE
Thisdoesn'tmeanyoucan't,orshouldn't,useRevit.Theseissuescanberesolved.Butonly
ifyouknowaboutthem.Softwarevendorsnevertakeresponsibilityfortheresultstheir
softwareproduces(readanyT&Cs),sodon'ttrustfilesprovidedbyvendorscontaining
datayouareresponsiblefor.Checktheyarecorrect.

THEBORINGDETAILS
Ifyoureallydon'tcareaboutclassificationsystemsyoucanstopreadingnow.Perhaps
comebackwhenyourclientorbossrequiresyoutobecomeadataentryoperatorplugging
inclassificationcodes.

WHATARECLASSIFICATIONSYSTEMS?
ByclassificationsystemsImeanOmniclassfromtheUSA,andUniclassfromtheUK.There
areothernonenglishclassificationsystemswhichIamnotfamiliarwith,noreverhopeto
be.Therearealsovariousstandards,butI'mnotgoingtogothereeither.
Classificationsystemsarehierarchicalnumberingsystems(althoughsomecontainletters)
thatattempttoprovideauniquenumberforeverythingthatneedstobedescribedinthe
buildingprocess.
AnexamplefromOmniclassTable21Elements:
21031030InteriorDoors
2103103010InteriorSwingingDoors
2103103020InteriorEntranceDoors
2103103030InteriorSlidingDoors
AnexamplefromUniclass2015TableSsSystems:
Ss2530Doorandwindowsystems
Ss253020Door,shutterandhatchsystems
Ss25302016Collapsiblegateandgrilledoorsetsystems
Ss25302025Doorsetsystems
Ss25302030Frameanddoorleafsystems
Ss25302032Framelessglassdoorsystems

Bothsystemsaremadeupofanumberoftables.Uniclasshas15,althoughUniclass2015
has11(maybe10nowseebelow).Icounted15inOmniclassbutthelastoneisnumbered
49.Idon'tknowifthisisbecausethereareyettobereleasetables,existingtableshave
beendeletedorthenumbersarejustnotsequential.

Sometablescomefrompreexistingclassificationsystems,OmniclassTable21from
Uniformat,OmniclassTable22fromMasterFormat.
Oh,andtherearetwoUniformats,plainoldUniformatandUniformatII.
AndthereisUniclass,Uniclass2andUniclass2015.Uniclassistheoriginaldevelopedbefore
BIM,Uniclass2wasgoingtobethenewversionwithbetterintegrationbetweentables.That
partiallycompletesystemhasnowbeenrebrandedasUniformat2015bytheUKNBSwho
areworkingonitaspartoftheirgovernmentcontracttocreatea"BIMToolkit".
Whichclassificationsystemisbest?Whoknows(orcares).IfanarticlefromtheUK
NBS:Omniclass:acritiqueisanythingtogobyUniclass2isbetterstructuredforBIMthan
Omniclass.
ExceptUniclass2015(remember,Uniclass2isnowcalledUniclass2015)isincomplete,only
fourtablesareavailable(Ihesitatetosay'published',theyarestilldraft),somayormaynot
beusable,dependingwhetherthebityouneedissufficientlycompletetobeuseful.
Itseemsthatmosttablesgrewfromcostestimatingrequirements,withtheexceptionofthe
WorkResulttableswhichseemtocomefromspecificationssystems.OmniclassTable22is
basedonMasterFormat,andUniclassTableJ(TableWRinUniclass2)isbasedonCAWS
(CommonArrangementofWorkSectionsforbuildingworks)classification.
ExceptthatUniclass2015TableWRhasnowbeenwithdrawn.Apparentlyisisredundantas
"ithasbecomeclearthatthistableisconfusing(whyhaveobjectsgottwonearidentical
codes?),redundant(objectsonlyneedonecode)andunnecessarilyrestrictiveontheother
tables(thenumberoflevelswaslimitedineverycase)."
Isupposetheyknowwhattheyaredoing.

WHOUSESCLASSIFICATIONCODES?
Asmentionedabovehistoricallyclassificationcodeshavebeenusedforcostestimatingand
specificationwriting.
Sometimestheyareusedforclassifyingproductlibraries,ornamingsystemsinCADand
BIMsoftware.Attemptsatthelatterarerarelysuccessful.Notmanypeopleknowthat2103
1030meansinteriordoor,buteveryknowswhat"DoorInterior"means.Ihaveseenthesad
remnantsofmisguidedattemptstointroducenamingbasedonopaqueclassificationcodes
inanumberofarchitecturaloffices.
Soitisthecostestimatorswhomainlyuseclassificationcodes,workingfortheowner,the
contractororasaconsultanttoowners,designprofessionals,orcontractors.
Classificationcodesmaypossiblybeusedforspecificationsbuttheyaretheprovidenceof
designprofessionals,thereisnoneedtopassthatinformationontootherswithinaBIM
model.
Classificationcodesarehardlyinformationthatisrequiredbyallparticipantswithinthe
AECOworkchain.

ARECLASSIFICATIONSYSTEMSNECESSARYFORBIM?
Whencomputersstartedtobeuseditwasfoundclassificationcodesandtheirtableswere
notaslogicalaseveryoneassumed,henceallthisreworkingandnewversions.
Butthereseemstohavebeenakneejerkreactionthatclassificationsystemsarenecessary,
evencritical,forBIMtowork.
Idon'tseeit.BIMsoftwarebringsitsownstructuringofdatathatcanbeutilizedforcosting
andspecifications.Idon'tseethatitisabsolutelynecessarytoaddanotherlayerof
informationthatduplicatesexistingdata.
Particularlywhenexistingclassificationsystemsdonotprovideenoughcoverage.The
UniformatcodesproducedforAutodesk(seebelow)haveanextra3levelsofnumbers.
PresumablybecauseUniformatdidnothaveenoughcodestocoverallthethingsthatRevit
canmodel.
AndwheredoesIFCfitintoallthis?
IFCisa'schema',itnotonlyidentifiesobjectsbutalsolocatestheminrelationtoother
objects.SoIFCnotonlyknowssomethingisadoor,itknowswhichwallitisin,whichrooms
arearoundit,whichlockithas.
WhichraisesthequestionofwhyhaveIFCandclassification?Orwhycan'tclassification
codesbebuiltintoIFC?MatchIFCattributestoclassificationcodeswithinIFCsoftwareso

usersdon'thavetomanuallyenterthem.
Ofcourseitisnotthatsimple,ormoreprecisely,practical.
WhilstUniclass2015hasawholelotofcodesfordoorhardware,therearenodefinitionsfor
doorhardwareinIFC.Bothareincomplete,butindifferentways.
Andthelogicalstructureisdifferent.Classificationsystemgrewfromasystemdesignedfor
humanstouse,IFCisforsoftwaretouse.Istheefforttomakethemalignworthit,willit
produceapracticalresult?Somethingthatwillactuallyachieveusefuloutcomesinthereal
world?
I'mnotadvocatingthatclassificationsystemsbeabandonedaltogether.Itisjustthatthey
are'nicetohave'ratherthananecessity.Don'tbefooledintothinkingtheyarecriticalpartof
BIM.

ADDINGCLASSIFICATIONCODES
Apparentlyitisreallysimple.Youjustaddtheappropriateclassificationcodetoparameters
attachedtoobjectsinyourBIMmodel.
Toputthisinperspective,theappropriatecodefromachoiceof6,905codesinOmniclass
Table23achoiceof6,470inUniclass2015TablePr.Addedtoparametersineachofthe
thousandsofobjectsinatypicalBIMmodel.
But,Ihearyousay,weuseBIM,thesoftwarewilldoitforus.Yesandno.
I'llrestrictmydiscussiontoRevit,becausethatiswhatIuse.AndbecauseIcouldn'tbe
botheredrespendingthetimeIwasteddiscoveringhowthingsdon'tworkinRevitonother
softwares.
Revithastwobuiltinplacesforclassificationvalues,andathirdthatcanberepurposedto
doit.Thefourthwayistomanuallycreatecustomparameters.
Eachfamilyfile(componentslikedoors,furniture,etc)hasafilebasedparametercalled
OmniclassNumber.ThisisforOmniclassTable23Products.Whenthisparameteris
selectedRevitprovidesadialogueboxwhereyoucanselecttheappropriatecodefroma
dropdownlistthatcanbesortedbyRevitcategory.SoifyouareinaDoorfamilyonlycodes
appropriatetoDoorsareofferedforselection.RevitalsofillsintheOmniclassTitle
parameterautomatically.Nice.
AlltypesofobjectsalsohaveaparametercalledAssemblyCode.Thisisnotfilebasedso
categoriesthatdon'texistasseparatefiles,likewalls,floors,ceilings,roofshavethis
parameter.ItworksthesamewayastheOmniclassparameters,theuserisoffereda
selectionfromOmniclassTable21Elementsthatonlyappliestothecategoryoftheobject.
RevitautomaticallyfillsintheAssemblyDescriptionparameter.
ThethirdwayistousetheKeynoteparameter.Alltypesofobjectshavethisparameter.
WhenKeynoteisselectedauserdefinedtabdelimitedtextfileisreadthatliststhecode
oppositeitstitle.Theuserselectsfromthelist.SomeorganisationshavecreatedKeynote
filesforusewiththeirclassificationsystems.InAustraliaNatSpechasdonesofortheir
specificationcodes(getithere).NotethattheonethatcomeswithoutoftheboxRevitin
Australiaisnotthelatestversion.

TheOmniclassNumberandAssemblyCodevaluesalsocomefromtabdelimitedtextfiles
(althoughformatteddifferently).
OmniclassNumbervaluesareinOmniClassTaxonomy.txt.Thisfileislocatedinbowelsof
windowsoneachuserslocalcomputerat%APPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\<productnameand
release>.
AssemblyCodevaluesareinafilecalledUniformatClassifications.txt.Acopycanalsobe
foundinthebowelsofwindows,butyoucanchangethepathtothisfile,andevenpathtoa
differentfile.
ThecommandtodothiscanbefoundundertheManagetab>AdditionalSettings>
AssemblyCode.Inthiscommandthereareanumberofwaysthedefinitionfilecanbe
pathed,oneofwhichisrelativetheLibrarysetinOptions.ItseemsAutoDeskassume
AssemblyCodevaluesmaybeassociatedwithparticularcomponentlibraries.
ThepathandfiletotheAssemblyCodedefinitionfileissetineachfile.Soindividual
projects,andindividualfamily(component)files,canbelinkedtodifferentAssemblyCode
definitions.

TheautomaticassigningofAssemblyDescription(andOmniclassTitle)onlyhappensifthe
correctfilesareassociatedwiththefileyouarein.
RevitalsoprovidesakeynotefilebasedonOmniclassTable22WorkResults(aka
Masterformat).
BecauseRevitusesseparatetextfilesitispossibletoreplacethosefileswithdifferentones
adifferentclassificationversion,orcompletelydifferentclassificationsystem.Aslongasthe
filesareformattedcorrectly.Whichissortofgreat.
ExcepttoreplaceOmniClassTaxonomy.txtyouneedtoreplaceitforeveryuseronevery
individualcomputer.AnditwillthenapplytoALLprojectsandfamilyfilesusedbythatuser
onthatcomputer.Itisanofficewidechange,notanindividualprojectchange.Andyouwill
needtodoiteverytimethereisanewversionofRevit.Youcan'tchangethefilename
either,ithastobeOmniClassTaxonomy.txt,whichmakesithardtoidentifywhatthefile
contains.
UniformatClassifications.txtisalittleeasier.Asdescribedaboveyoucanchangethepath
andfilenameviaamenucommand.Althoughitisabittediousifyouwanttoassociatea
differentdefinitionfiletofamily(component)files,asyouhavetoopen,makethechange,
andthensaveeveryindividualfamilyfile.

ALTERNATIVECLASSIFICATIONFILES
Whywouldyouneedtochangethefiles?ObviouslyifyouneedtouseUniclass(moreon
thatbelow),butalsoifyouintendtouseOmniclass.

OMNICLASS
AsmentionedabovethedefaultfilesthatcomewithoutoftheboxRevitarenotcorrect.
ThedefaultOmniClassTaxonomy.txtisbasedona2006draftversionofOmniclassTable
23Products.Therearevalidhistoricalreasonsforthis,Autodeskarenotbeing
belligerent.TheyintroducedOmniclassforfamiliesfilessotheycoulduseittoclassifythem
intheirwebbasedcomponentlibraryAutoDeskSeek.Itwasnevertheirintentiontosupport
Omniclassforgeneralusers.
AnewerversionbasedonOmniclass2012isavailablefromAutodeskatUpdateOmniClass
TaxonomyFile.Howeverthenewfiledoesn'tassociateOmniclassvalueswithRevit
categories.I'mnotsurewhy,thereisnotechnicalreasonitcouldn't.I'malsonotsurewhy
Revit2016stillshipswiththedraftversionofOmniclass.
IfyouusetheOmniclassNumberparameteritisimportantyoumakeadecision,because
Omniclassvaluesforthe2006draftareDIFFERENTfromOmniclass2012.
DefaultOmniclassInteriorDoors:23.30.10.00
Omniclass2012InteriorDoors:23.15.11.15

ThedefaultUniformatClassifications.txtfileisamodifiedversionofUniformatII.Itwas
createdforAutodeskbyRSMeans,aUSAcostingdataprovider.Theymodifieditbyadding
uptoanextra3levelsforamaximumdepthof7levels,whereasUniformathasamaximum
of4levels.
AutodesknowalsoprovidewithoutoftheboxRevittheUniformatClassifications_2010.txt
file.ThisisanupdatedversionofUniformat.
Again,therearedifferencesinthenumberingbetweenthetwoversions:
UniformatClassification.txtInteriorDoors:C1020
UniformatClassification_2010.txtInteriorDoors:C1030
YoucouldalsomakeyourownOmniClassTaxonomy.txtorAssemblyNumberdefinitionfile
frompubliclyavailableexcelfilesofOmniclasstables.Althoughyouwillhavetoreverse
engineerthefilestructurefromRevit'sfiles.

UNICLASS
Icouldn'tfindanyUniclassequivalentsofOmniClassTaxonomy.txtor
UniformatClassifications.txt.Ididfindsomepeoplewhohavecreatedtheirown,soitis
possible,althoughyouwillhavetoreverseengineerthefilestructure.

SomeUniclass2015tablesareavailableasexcelfilesfromtheNBSBIMToolkitsite(scroll
tothebottomofthearticle).
Butthereisadeeperproblem.Uniclass2015isnotcomplete,itisstillbeingdeveloped.
Admittedlythetablesyouaremostlikelytouse,SsSystemsandPrProductsaremore
developedthansomeothertables.Butnoonewillguaranteetheywon'tchange.Infactthe
downloadableexcelfileshaveasuffixof'latest'.Doesn'texactlyinstilconfidence.Iwonderif
theydon'tfinishthisyeartheywillstillcallitUniclass2015.

CONCLUSION
Classificationsystemsareprobablyuseful,tocertainpeopleincertaincircumstances.But
theyarenotarequirementforBIMtowork.
Althoughmycommentsaboutthelackofcompletenessmayhavecomeacrossascaptious,
myviewisthatitisalwaysworthwhilemakingimprovements.Theprocessisdisruptivebutif
wedon'tconstantlystrivetoimprovewewillbestuckwithimpracticalsystems.Imagine
havingtousetheRomannumberingsystem!Iencouragethoseworkingonupdating
classificationsystemstocontinuetheirgoodwork.
Butthereappearstobequiteawaytogo.Notonlydoweneedthetheclassification
systemstobeBIMfriendly,completeandstable,theyneedtobeavailableinaconsistent
anddurablewaysothatsoftwarehousescanaccessthemforintegrationintotheir
softwares.
Tobehonest,Idon'tseehowanyonecantakethemseriouslyuntilthishappens.The
journeyIhadtotakejusttoidentifywhichcodesIshouldapplytoourinhousecomponent
libraryhasbeenridiculous.TimeinmylifeI'llnevergetback.

Ifyouhavemanagedtogetdowntohere,welldone.Younowknowabitmoreabout
classificationsystems.Noteverythingmindyou,thereareevenmoreboringthingsyou
couldbeabreastof.
AndofcourseeverythingIhaveexplainedmaynotbe100%correct.Ifyouseeanything
wrong,ormisinformed,pleasecomment.I'mquitehappytobeprovedwrong,butdon't
expectmetocare.

PostedbyAntonyMcPheeat13:46

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