It Also Depends on the Client

BIM can bring about transparency and productivity in the construction process, but this requires clients to also be professionally equipped, says Alexander Kramer of Burckhardt+Partner.

Over the past few years, which areas of planning and building have undergone the greatest changes thanks to digitization?
Our work environment has undergone a huge shift. Collaboration and coordination of all involved in planning and at the construction site have changed significantly. We are able to communicate more directly and access information on a given project more quickly. The model-based work approach, enables building operators for example, also later ones, to benefit early on from the transparent digital platform over the entire project life cycle.

Where are things still not working as you would like them to?
As experience shows, retrospective definition of BIM requirements in a more precise way, as at service phase 5 (execution planning), involves higher costs and in some cases is no longer realisable, as model structures are agreed on and the respective data processes created at service phase 2 (preliminary planning) at the latest. For this reason clients are finding it indispensable to have their own BIM Managers, for example concerning Facility Management matters. Only then can also the client accompany the project in a steering function from a very early stage, and safeguard quality.

How has BIM changed collaboration?
In comparison to the past, we are dividing information and tasks in digital processing to a much greater extent, both in-house – which in our case often means on a cross-locational basis – as well as with all others involved in the respective project. Simultaneous collaboration at the coordination model in the digital project space enables us to communicate better and more directly with everyone, meaning we are achieving greater process efficiency in the planning. The size of our office enables us to try out new tools in our everyday work, whereby we set great store on the “snowball effect”, with experienced employees and newcomers working side by side in our teams on a given project. Mixed teams make a lot of sense.

Which mistakes should be avoided in working with BIM?
Not all BIM use cases correspond to project requirements and the client’s objectives, so a careful choice has to be made. As time has passed we have developed a BIM use toolkit that explains BIM applications in simple terms. When the planning begins, the necessary BIM services are defined jointly with the client and the terminology for process and information exchange is standardised. This quickly pays off in the project process.

What are the most important components of a successful BIM strategy?
Two things are essential: enabling and best practice. The involved users on all levels have to be trained and enabled in order to foster acceptance and productivity. And definition of workflows is indispensable for a best practice. For this reason we automate standard processes, as for example concerning use of collaboration tools, data exchange and numerical evaluations such as lists and bills of quantities – after all, clients' requirements are constantly rising, and the time factor is decisive in the realisation of increasingly complex tasks.

Alexander Kramer is architect and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Manager at the Burckhardt+Partner architectural office.