BIM : Transforming an Industry

In 2009, a collaborative demonstration project called the Architects, Engineers, Construction, Owners & Operators Testbed 1 (otherwise known as the AECOO-1 Testbed) brought together practitioners and software developers from multiple disciplines for the first time, using a development strategy developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The project demonstrated how a practitioner could simulate the manipulation of the exterior skin of the building and in near real time see the impact of that manipulation on the initial cost of the facility and how much energy it uses. This test was all accomplished using Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs). IFCs are becoming an international standard (ISO 16739) under buildingSMART management. This linking of business processes of architects, mechanical and cost engineers was one of the first of its kind, but it clearly identified the level of standardization that is needed throughout the industry to take advantage of the opportunity we have with BIM. This project needs to be expanded to incorporate a building’s geospatial location as well. That way, practitioners can consider alternative energy options and incorporate decision-making tools related to solar gain, prevailing winds, outside air temperature and similar external considerations.  The responsibility of expanding this demonstration project rests with the environmental engineers, the green building champions.

Industry Wide Standards Are Needed
In order to allow the stakeholders responsible for different aspects of a facility to communicate, we need collaboration and interoperability through open standards. We have gone on far too long without accomplishing this task. Ultimately, we need to define the information stream. This will not necessarily be easy; it requires a concerted effort across the many boundaries we have artificially created over the years. The first challenge is to get everyone to think in terms of life cycle. This means that people’s responsibilities on the project do not end when their tasks are complete. Instead, they need to understand how their part matures throughout the facility life cycle—even when their legal responsibility expires, their moral responsibility should continue.

While everyone may want their own corporate enhancements to the business process, there is a need to define a common business process throughout the facility life and standardize it. The information technology (IT) industry did this with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). We need the same standardization strategy developed for the facilities industry.

The buildingSMART alliance is developing such a strategy and needs to fully engage the environmental community. There are various levels being developed in the standardization hierarchy approach—from international standards at the core, to the encompassing of best practices and guidelines (which are not truly standards but do need a level of coordination and agreement).

The buildingSMART alliance is working, with support from experts throughout the industry, to coordinate the entire building industry’s efforts (including sustainability), to standardize the use of BIM. As both a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences and the North American chapter of buildingSMART International, the Alliance is embarking on the National BIM Standard - United States™ (NBIMS-US™) Version 2, the first consensus version of the standard. This version is intended to incorporate existing standards, align software vendors, and provide guidelines/best practices for BIM implementation initiatives. The goal is to have NBIMS-US Version 2 by the end of 2011. The core structure of NBIMS-US will be as international as possible. The intent is that, when completed, NBIMS-US will serve as the basis of other countries’ BIM standards.  Only a few changes will be needed to make the standard country-specific. This means other BIM standards, such as NBIMS-Norway, NBIMS-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and NBIMS-Republic of Korea, will be based on this initial North American effort.

Currently, the only finalized and implemented standard business process promoting building information flow for facility hand off is the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie). There is another notable effort underway, the higher level Life Cycle information exchange (LCie), which identifies information exchanges that flow through the entire facility life cycle. In order to populate these business processes with manufacturer information, the Specifiers’ Properties information exchange (SPie) also is being developed to help manufacturers deliver product information. SPie will include the standard product data, as well as information on energy usage and sustainability, to specifiers and designers in an easy-to-compare, digital format. Information on these projects and many others can be found at the buildingSMART alliance web site under the “Get Involved” tab and “Projects” sub tab.

NBIMS and Your Business Processes
When the industry implemented computer-aided design (CAD) over twenty years ago, it only affected designers and it automated an existing process. BIM, on the other hand, will eventually affect all stakeholders that touch a facility throughout its life. To get the most out of BIM, it means that people must change their business processes. So how does one do that? The approach is in place and tested (when the National BIM Standard Version 1 was developed).

In simple terms, start by determining what process issues are trying to be solved by defining a business case. Next, identify the information needed to be exchanged between the parties involved. Then, this is the best part; request this information in the contract for a project. First, identify where that information might be coming from. Is there an authoritative source (e.g. manufacturer) that has already created the information? If that is the case, then the information needs to be available for access electronically. This is the more difficult part of the task. There is a two-way issue at play. One person has to figure out who has the information and how to get it. Then the other person, providing the information, needs to trust the requestor and the information coming from him or her. This process has already been accomplished in other business practices, such as banking and purchasing, on a rather routine basis, but it is a new concept in the AEC and facilities community.

The focus of the effort should be to see how much information can be gained from others in the process instead of re-creating information. A BIM is intended to be a complete model of a facility, which means there should be more information available than ever before imagined. When this is the case on a project, the number of assumptions needed about the facility will near zero as the design is completed.

Finally….How “Green” Will the National BIM Standard-United States Be?
How green will the NBIMS-US be? That is really up to you. The Alliance is currently seeking your support. If you bring your expertise to the NBIMS Project Committee, then the standard will be green. If you decide not to get involved now, then we will have to wait for future versions to be green. The development of BIM is a journey and the Alliance’s attempt to standardize an entire industry will certainly not be done overnight. The Alliance is in it for the long haul. We hope you are too.

If it’s your desire that green be integrated into the NBIMS-US—in a way that all the sustainable issues are included, such as energy, water, raw materials, waste management, mean time between failure, useful life, operations and maintenance costs—then please get involved. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what it costs to produce, as well as to sustain, a product and its recyclable potential before a facility is built? BIM offers that ability. The bottom line is, where do you want your facility to end up: in a landfill or re-manufactured into another facility at the end of its useful life?

How to Get Involved
The Alliance encourages you to get involved in the NBIMS-US development effort. It is simple to do. First, join the buildingSMART alliance. Then, become involved on the NBIMS Project Committee, which is responsible for developing, reviewing and voting on ballots to be included as part of the standard.

The buildingSMART alliance needs industry experts to develop ballots that clearly describe the specifics of an issue. When it comes to green, we need your help. The NBIMS Project Committee addresses four primary life cycle phases of a facility: design, procure, assemble, and operate, when developing the standard. You have the opportunity to bring the green viewpoint to the table. Make a difference in the future of green and the future of BIM. Become a part of history. Get involved in the NBIMS development process today.

To learn more about the NBIMS effort and how to become a member of the buildingSMART alliance, visit the website. We need both your financial and intellectual resources in order to succeed.

About the Authors
Dana K. “Deke” Smith, FAIA. Acclaimed author, lecturer and presenter Deke Smith is the Executive Director of the buildingSMART alliance™, a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences and the North American chapter of buildingSMART International, a consortium of over 50 countries. He serves on the Executive Committee of buildingSMART International, which affords him a full view of the industry’s business transformation. He is co-author of “Building Information Modeling: A Strategic Implementation Guide,” published in 2009 by Wiley and now the go-to source for strategic thinking in the industry.  www.buildingsmartalliance.org

Birgitta Foster, BSME, MBA, of the Sandia National Labs (Albuquerque, NM) is a Facilities BIM Champion and Assisting Director of the buildingSMART alliance™. She is a leading authority and presenter on BIM for owners. With a focus on uses of BIM after construction, she joined the Alliance to bring the owner perspective and vision to the organization. As a large facility operator, Sandia understands the importance the NBIMS efforts and is getting involved to ensure owner/operators have a voice. At the Alliance, Birgitta’s efforts include serving as Chair of the “Design for Maintenance” Project. This project works to develop guidance for Federal and private building owners on reducing their operations & maintenance (O&M) annual costs. By educating architectural /engineering (A/E) design teams on O&M strategies, they can better design facilities that can be maintained to meet owners’ energy and O&M goals. More information can be found on the buildingSMART alliance web site : http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/index.php/projects/activeprojects/153