New International Standards to enhance efficiency in building and infrastructure projects

DOKA UK 1 February 2019.- Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been thrown into the spotlight over the last few years for the benefits it brings to the construction industry. Improvements in visualisation, increases in speed of delivery and advances in coordination through every phase of a project life cycle are just few of many advantages of the digitally driven collaboration tool. In this article, we review the new set of International Standards recently published, which will enable BIM to enrich various construction projects, and help contribute to the UK’s long-term infrastructure pipeline.

What is BIM?

Autodesk defines BIM as “an intelligent 3D model-based process that provides architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.”  

The International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) have recently published new international standards to promote the use of BIM in construction projects. Clare Naden, Communications Specialist at ISO, has explained these new regulations: “As populations and economies grow, so too does the need for housing and infrastructure, fueling growth forecasts in the global construction industry of up to 85 % – or USD 15.5 trillion – by 2030 (Source: PwC. Global Construction 2030 report.). More construction means a greater need for efficient ways of working, which is why the 3D model-based approach of BIM in delivering construction projects is gaining traction worldwide.” 

According to the explanations of Clare Naden, Communications Specialist at ISO, “BIM gives architects, engineers and construction professionals the ability to plan, design and manage building projects more efficiently. It is growing in popularity, creating the need for an international framework that allows the industry to work together across projects and national borders. To address this, the first two parts of ISO 19650Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling, have just been published, providing a framework for managing information through collaborative working using BIM.”

Jøns Sjøgren, Chair of the ISO technical subcommittee who developed the standards, said they will enable more widespread use of BIM and thus more efficient building and infrastructure projects. He states the following:

“ISO 19650 was developed on the basis of the tried-and-tested British standard BS 1192 and publicly available specification PAS 1192-2, which have already been shown to help users save up to 22% in construction costs.”

“Taking this to an international level not only means more effective collaboration on global projects, but allows designers and contractors working on all kinds of building works to have clearer and more efficient information management.”

Future standards in the series include a Part 3 on managing the operational phase of assets and a Part 5 dedicated to security-minded building information modelling, digital built environments and smart asset management.

ISO 19650-1 and ISO 19650-2 were developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering workssubcommittee SC 13Organisation and digitisation of  information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM). They are available from your national ISO member or through the ISO Store.

What BIM software must be implemented?

Finances Online have recently published an article, with a ranking of what they believe to be the best 20 Building Information Modeling (BIM) Software available in 2019. Among all these options, we highlight Tekla BIMsight and Revit BIM Software.

Tekla BIMsight

Tekla BIMsight is an easy-to-use construction collaboration software. It expedites how you combine models, check and identify conflicts, and, finally, communicate issues with your team. This solution is designed for advanced BIM and structural engineering. By streamlining your construction workflow, you can easily identify and solve issues even during the design phase to ensure they addressed before construction.

Some of Tekla BIMsight’s main offerings include 3D navigation, automatic clash detection, mark-ups, IFC support, multiple model viewing, and object or model coloring and transparency, among others. It also runs on Windows 7 and 8 tablet computers with a touch-user interface so you can take your models on-site anytime.

  • Mobile-ready. Available on Windows 7 and 8 tablet devices.
  • Academics use. Suitable for students and educational institutions to use for an introduction to model-based design coordination.
  • Free tool. It is available to users for free.

Revit

Revit BIM Software is a building information modeling tool for structural and Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) engineering, construction, and architectural design. It is one of the most popular software packages developed by the CAD giant Autodesk. Designed for MEP engineers, architects, designers, contractors, and landscape architects, among others, the robust platform offers an intelligent model-based approach for planning, designing, and constructing infrastructures and buildings. It is compatible with Microsoft Windows only.

It also minimises the risk of errors caused by miscommunication as all process goes through a single system. Coordination is also achieved through its multiple project contributors features to avoid rework and clashes. Revit also lets you simulate and reiterate designs for systems and structures. 

Documentation in:

ISO

Autodesk 

Finances Online

Tekla BIMsight

The B1M

PwC