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This document discusses the status of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the South African construction industry based on interviews with architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and contractors. It finds that while BIM is becoming more commonly known, it has not been widely implemented. The interviews aimed to understand perceptions of BIM among industry professionals. BIM offers benefits like reduced errors, time savings, and more accurate cost estimates. However, transitioning from 2D drawings presents challenges for contractors and requires understanding new software. Widespread BIM use could improve collaboration between designers and contractors.
This document discusses the status of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the South African construction industry based on interviews with architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and contractors. It finds that while BIM is becoming more commonly known, it has not been widely implemented. The interviews aimed to understand perceptions of BIM among industry professionals. BIM offers benefits like reduced errors, time savings, and more accurate cost estimates. However, transitioning from 2D drawings presents challenges for contractors and requires understanding new software. Widespread BIM use could improve collaboration between designers and contractors.
This document discusses the status of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the South African construction industry based on interviews with architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and contractors. It finds that while BIM is becoming more commonly known, it has not been widely implemented. The interviews aimed to understand perceptions of BIM among industry professionals. BIM offers benefits like reduced errors, time savings, and more accurate cost estimates. However, transitioning from 2D drawings presents challenges for contractors and requires understanding new software. Widespread BIM use could improve collaboration between designers and contractors.
The status of building image modelling in the South
African construction industry
Derick Booyens Department of Construction Economics University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa derick.booyens@up.ac.za Henk Bouwman Pretoria, South Africa Michelle Burger Department of Construction Economics University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract Building Image Modelling (BIM) is a concept that is attracting more attention on the international scene. Therefore, this study is conducted to understand where South Africa currently stands in the walk towards a BIM compliant construction industry. This research was driven to see if BIM is a commonly known phrase by various participants in the construction industry and if so why it is not implemented throughout the whole construction industry. To get an understanding of the mind-set of the people involved in the built environment towards BIM this research is aimed at getting the opinions of all the parties involved in the built environment with regards to BIM. In this research study interviews were conducted with all the relevant participants in the built environment that are involved in the construction process, namely: Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Contractors. Based on their experience in the built environment they were asked questions on the current status of BIM and what they see as the road ahead. With these questions the research aimed to understand what the status of BIM in the South African construction industry is. Keywords- Building image modeling; construction industry; South Africa I. INTRODUCTION BIM is not one program; it is a concept, intelligent drawing, information model and a set of processes. It is defined as a modelling technology and associated set of processes to produce, communicate, and analyse building models [1]. Currently the construction industry mainly works with a paper-based system where the design is communicated in paper format from one stakeholder to another. That is a system with many faults as it results in human errors when translating designs or where certain interpretations are made. With a project that issues a revision every week, the amount of drawings issued is immense. A building model produced by a BIM supported tool can provide multiple different views of the data contained within a drawing set. A BIM design captures all the information applicable to the every object in the design. BIM is moving the industry forward from the current processes: 3D CAD, spread sheets and 2D drawings to an information model. BIM captures all the design information and processes and combines it into one manageable process that will reduce the risk and increase the quality of built environment. [1] II. LITERATURE A. Advantages of BIM The key benefit of BIM is its accurate representation of all the components of a building in an integrated data environment. It offers the elimination and control of unforeseen changes, saves time, estimates compiled within a 3% variance of actual costs and reduces project time [2]. B. BIM Potential Return on Investment Data from 10 selected US based projects was collected and findings presented. The conclusion was that the AEC industry is still very much reliant on two dimensional drawings. At the same time, AEC professionals also realize the power of BIM for more efficient and intelligent construction. BIM as a technology is still in its adolescence stage. The needs and requirements of the customer must be studied and further incorporated to ensure that BIM is desirable to all [2]. C. BIM and the Design team What does BIM mean to the design team members such as the Architects and Engineers? Architects use BIM more efficiently to model their designs, to generate the documents that are required of them, and to perform a host of other tasks all in a much shortened time span. Architects can by using BIM, communicate the project much better to the owner or client. Engineers can model mechanical and electrical designs to evaluate how a system will perform [3]. 1) BIM and the contractor Utilizing BIM technology has major advantages for construction companies with the potential to save time and money. An accurate building model benefits all members of the project team. It allows for a smoother and better planned SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 422 - construction process that saves time and money and reduces the potential for errors and conflicts [1]. The transition from the more traditional paper centric systems to BIM is not an easy one. The contractor has to understand the software and how it will affect him. This is a time consuming process that has made the contractors resilient to BIM. Important application areas that apply to most contractors[1]: 1. Construction methodology and early clash detection 2. Quantity take-off and cost estimating 3. Construction reporting and planning 4. Integration with cost and schedule control and other management functions 5. Shop drawings and offsite fabrication 6. Verification, guidance, and tracking of construction activities 7. Ass-built drawings, handover and commissioning The contractors construction manager should be considered a member of the design team, allowed not only to manage construction but also to help manage the information that is being communicated in order to build the facility. This does not imply that contractors takes the place of architects or engineers but rather that they be considered just as valuable a member of the design team as the architects and engineers. The main purpose of construction documents is to communicate the design intent to the builders from the architect. In the past this process has been linear; in this new type of process, the information is sequential. It allows the contractor to determine the means and methods of how the contractor will go by constructing the building to the needs of the design team and the client. Contractors can draw up a detailed method statement of how the building will be constructed. This gives the client an idea if the contractor is capable to do the work [3]. The fact is that the contractor is the one who in the end has to erect the building and is appointed according to his experience. The contractor can provide valuable input in the design process in terms of cost savings by using different methods than what the architect might have in mind. Potential construction problems can already be identified during the design phase and therefore avoided. An example of these savings can be seen in Table 1 - BIM Economics [2]. BIM for the contractor is not just the contractor looking at the BIM design of the architect. There is BIM software available to contractors to assist them with tendering, planning and ordering of materials as well. Based on the design of the architect the contractor can extract the exact amount of materials needed for construction. This allows cutting back on his waste and giving accurate valuations of work done to the QS. The other big factor is construction itself. The site representative could show the sub-contractors exactly what has to be done. A visual representation helps in showing the finer details of the work to be done. Sometimes something small on a plan can be easily overlooked. BIM help minimise human error and help with the correct construction of the project [4]. The image below shows exactly how all the services fit together. It helps the contractor to ensure that all his sub- contractors work together and construct the services as per the correct specifications. 2) BIM and the QS Extracting quantities, areas, and volumes from a model is one of the most useful functions that BIM technology has to offer. Estimating takes place during preconstruction. The Quantity Surveyor would start by gathering square footage data and then begin to link the data with estimating software for future updating [3]. In South Africa the most commonly used program is Dimension X. This product has a BIM option built into the program. If the Architect or engineers supplies the drawings in DWF format they can be used in Dimension X by using the BIM option. One of the great values of BIM estimating is the ability to assign a cost to every item in the model. Items which do not have costs assigned to them can be easily isolated. (Hardin, 2009) One of the greatest fears of any QS when measuring by hand is that not all items have been included in the costing. The Quantity Surveyor might miss something. How less detailed the drawings how higher the contingencies allowance. BIM will remove this concern. Selections can be made on the type of material and the software will highlight all the components in the building with the same material. The measurements will also be performed. Although the BIM estimate is a very useful tool to use for the QS it does not take over his profession. Without a knowledgeable operator the estimate will be flawed. Also the BIM estimate does not take into consideration the economic environment or other variables that will have an impact on the project. The QS can use the estimate as a detailed tool to ensure that his feasibility study is very accurate. A detailed building model is a risk-mitigation tool for estimators that can significantly reduce bid costs, because it reduces the uncertainty associated with material quantities [1]. The most important advantages that BIM gives the QS is the time saved by doing an estimate with BIM compared to as to measure it by hand. The other advantage is the accuracy of the quantities and the fact that all the items will be measured by the estimating tool [9]. 3) BIM and the Engineer Many engineers are of the opinion that BIM is not an option, but a requirement for the future. In addition to the clash-detection and construction time saving BIM brings in time, better accuracy in the structural engineering office, there is little doubt that soon clients will demand that all parties, including the engineer, take a full part in the BIM process for a project [5]. Engineers are in the privileged position of working with design software on a daily basis. The transition to BIM software is therefore not a difficult one. This is due to the SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 423 - numerical analysis requirements of the discipline - analysis which is often impossible to quantify without a computer [5]. In most projects the engineers are responsible for the nominated/selected sub-contractors that are relevant to their profession. The mechanical engineer will be in direct contact with the air-conditioning sub-contractor, the electrical engineer will be responsible for the electrical sub-contractor etc. It is important that these sub-contractors has all the relevant information required to perform their work on time, more important is that the information distributed by the different engineers do not contradict each other.
Figure 1. Service reticulation through the proposed building. The above figure 1 shows the different services running through a building. This shows the number of services that must be organised between the different trades. The Navisworks BIM software was specifically used in this project to ensure trade navigation and clash detection. With the number of services the implementation had to be planned to ensure that the trades do not clash and that there was sufficient space for all the relevant trades to install their services. That reduces the amount of Requests for Information (RFI`s) greatly. It also reduces down-time, meaning when the sub- contractor could not proceed because of lack of information of clashes with other sub-contractors. At the completion of the project the team shall deliver the updated as-built drawings to the client. This allows the client to have detailed documents available for when there has to be maintenance or alterations in the future. Those engineers ready to use and learn how to use BIM will not only save time and improve accuracy - they will also have a significant business advantage over their competitors. Engineers can benefit greatly from BIM, as can the whole design process [5]. 4) BIM and the Architect Design tools must balance the need to support the creative thinking process with the ability to provide fast assessment and feedback based on a more informed design. To find a tool to do all the tasks that the client asks is problematic [6]. This is however becoming plausible with the new BIM software being developed. Construction is entering a new era. In the competitive economic environment that is currently ongoing the developers of today will take risks, but they want to see the calculations and returns that will result from the project. The margin for error is very small. On top of a financial risk there is also the expectation of green building that arises. However a building must be measured on the amount of energy it will use to calculate the operational cost. BIM allows doing this calculation with great time savings. The generation of drawings is an important BIM production capability, and is likely to remain so for some time. At some point, drawings will stop being just the design information of record and instead the model will become much more, as it will become the primary legal and contractual source of building information [1] & [8]. The architect is seen as the first entry point from the client and they need to ensure that all the client`s requirements are incorporated in the design. The challenge for the architect is to understand the demands of the client and to put that into drawings. For the client to fully understand the design on 2D drawings is difficult. It is also time consuming to alter all the drawings every time there is a revision. In the following case study the architect decided to move away from the standard AutoCAD drawings and implemented BIM 3D software. The project was for the Ohio state university. For people who work daily with construction drawings it difficult to understand how hard it is for people with no previous experience with 2D drawings to fully understand the end product. All the 2D drawings were converted to BIM models. This was done to apply BIM facilities management and planning for all the renovations required [8]. 5) BIM and the client The client has the possibility to increase the implementation of BIM based on the advantages it will provide during the design and construction phase as well as the after project benefits. The client is in the unique position where he can make it a requirement that BIM software is to be used. This ensures that at the design stage it will be clearly visible what will be delivered and at the end of the project accurate as-built models will be delivered. Currently, one of the largest problems in dealing with end-of-project information is the huge amount of documentation owners are left to deal with. The larger and more complex the project, the more submittals and thus the more information owners have to deal with. Some of the biggest headaches for clients are the acquiring of maintenance information and making sure that it complies with the manufacturers instructions. If the information does not comply the situation may arise where the warranty is voided due a lack of maintenance and that an entire system must be replaced. This will result in the shutting down of the facility which may be a big problem for a hospital or other similar institutions. With BIM the necessary information is imbedded into the design and readily accessible. It will provide instructions as to how to proceed [3]. This begs the question, why wouldnt Clients/Developers want a BIM delivery for project execution and closeout if it better equipped the operations team? Some believe that the costs involved with developing a BIM is the main reason. Others are of opinion that it is the fact that BIM only helps when it is done in detail and that the professional teams don`t always adhere to the correct amount of detail [3]. SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 424 - The fact is when comparing BIM deliverables to CAD deliverables there is a difference in the end product that the client receives. The well know saying echos this: you get what you pay for. The fact is for a better deliverable there will be additional cost, but if the project demands it then the client will have to consider paying that premium [3]. D. BIMs potential return on investment (ROI) from the clients point of view Data from 10 selected US based projects is presented in Table 1 to illustrate the financial advantages of using BIM in terms of the ROI: TABLE I. BIM ECONOMICS [2] Year Cost ($M) BIM Cost ($) Direct BIM Savings ($) Net BIM savings BIM ROI (%) 2005 30 5,000 (135,000) (130,000) 2600 2006 54 120,000 (395,000) (232,000) 140 2006 47 4,288 (500,000) (495,712) 11560 2006 16 10,000 (74, 120) (64,120) 640 2006 88 1,440 (15,000) (6,850) 940 2007 47 90,000 (800,000) (710,000) 780 2007 58 3,800 (200,000) (196,200) 5160 2007 82 20,000 (67,500) (47,500) 240 2007 14 5,000 (2,000,000) (1,995,000) 39900 2007 32 1,000 (330,000) (329,000) 32900
The above table indicates throughout a positive ROI on all the projects utilising BIM should clients choose to implement BIM. E. What is the future of BIM BIM is appealing to a number of stakeholders in the entire construction profession. From the contractors perspective, there is an opportunity for reduced risk in constructing the project. As a result, this could reduce the contractor waste or fat in his allowances. The suggestion is that BIM should replace CAD. BIM will continue to be refined and improved. Some companies are developing BIM servers and networks that begin to offer single model working strategies [3]. Multiple users from different companies can share a single BIM server as the platform to work from. As a result, the ability to build a structure based completely on parametric information will become a reality over the next 57 years, just as models and the automation of construction will become a reality for more building components and potentially entire buildings within the next 710 years [3]. Hence the future of the construction industry will continue towards a more integrated direction. Meaning all the different professions working together to acquire the required deliverable. BIM will play a bigger role in the coming years. Currently BIM does take a lot of pieces of different software that take additional time and might or might not be able to be updated. This will continue to change, particularly as the different companies continue their work and refine their products [3]. III. METHODOLOGY A qualitative research method was used with mostly semi- structured interviews. Given the fact that BIM works with the entire industry it is imperative that interviews where held with representatives of various the professions. The interviews were broken up into the following categories: architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and building contractors. The research aims to answer why given the advantages of BIM it is not being implemented in all Architectural, Engineering and Construction firms. It also aims to determine whether it is advisable for a construction company to implement BIM software and to furthermore investigating the advantages for Quantity Surveyors. IV. DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION The research asks why BIM has not taken the South African construction industry by storm? Furthermore, given the advantages of BIM why is it not implemented in all the Architectural, Engineering and Construction firms, is it advisable for a construction company to implement BIM software and is BIM attractive for the quantity surveyors. Using the above stated problems as a guideline the researcher made contact with various professionals in the AEC industry. The above mentioned problems are all applicable to the different parties in the construction process. During the interviews the relevant questions to the relevant parties was asked to get an understanding of the thinking off the different parties involved in the construction industry. Interviews were conducted with Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Construction companies. These interviews will be discussed separately under their respective headings. A. Quantity Surveyors The first question asked: Do you make use of BIM compliant software? Three of the four companies make use of BIM compliant software. Three of the four companies use Dimension X to compile estimates. DimX is fitted with a BIM option. 1) Not using DimX The quantity surveying respondents do not make use of DimX or any other type of BIM compliant software. They did however conduct research about the specific software. When asked why they decided not to use DimX, the reply was that the software is great, but they decided that for the moment the advantages did not quantify the expense. When asked to elaborate the reply was that due to the fact that DimX is dependent on a BIM compliant drawing tool such as Revit and the fact that Revit is still relatively unknown in South Africa and that the architects have not completely mastered it as of yet. This implies that Revit is not used to its full potential and that mistakes are still made in the design. With the way that DimX works is that it extracts all the quantities and description from the Revit model as received from the architect. This means that if the architect makes a mistake with a description that mistake is carried over to the estimate or BOQ. The respondents currently make use of WinQS that has been in the market for a long time. To them this software is sufficient. The other factor leading them to decide against SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 425 - DimX is that not all the architect companies make use of Revit or ArchiCAD. The nature of the Built Environment is of such a nature that for every different project there is a different professional team working together. Having DimX but not being able to use it for its BIM advantages on every project is not cost effective enough for this company. When asked what the interviewee thinks of BIM and the future of BIM the reply was that it will grow in the years to come and that companies will have to adapt to it. As the process gets perfected, more and more companies will implement BIM supportive software. The following figure illustrates QS firms utilising DimX in Gauteng, South Africa.
Figure 2. QS firms utilising DimX. The above graph shows the amount of QS companies that implemented DimX. This shows that only 19.25% of the QS companies in Gauteng have implemented a BIM compliant system. It should be noted that this only portrays companies using DimX as it is the industry leader in South Africa according to the companies that were interviewed. This data shows the trend of BIM in South Africa. If only 19.25% of the QS companies find it necessary to implement a BIM supporting system and the fact that the QS is the middleman between the contractor and the architect it shows that BIM is not at the moment taking over the market. 2) Using DimX The responses received from the companies that use DimX varied quite a lot. They make use of DimX, but they do not make use of the BIM option in DimX as that would cost them additional fees. They use DimX for the quantity take off and the function that allows you to isolate certain items to ensure that they measure accurately and don`t miss any items. When asked what he thought of BIM and the fact that Revit makes their job much easier. The response was that at the moment perhaps 20% of the architects make use of BIM compliant software. The effect of Revit is not that big on them as a company. The interviewee pointed out that even with DimX it is not always utilised to its full potential. For example, when an architect designs a building and they draw a standard 220mm brick wall. They sometimes fail to capture that item as a brick wall. They only draw to lines where the 220mm brick wall is supposed to be. That results in a scenario that when the quantity surveyor wants to select all the 220mm brick walls to measure them, the brick walls that were not captured do not get highlighted. Revit ensures that when you draw something you have to choose the component from a catalogue. The above mentioned scenario can be minimised by applying correct principles. If a Revit catalogue item only has a code as description that would not make any easier for the QS. The interviewee is of the opinion that even with the new BIM compliant software available the architects do not use it in the intended manner. The technology is there, but the knowledge and the skill required operating these BIM software is lacking. The interviewee mentioned that even with quantity take-off it just gives you a lot of numbers that is difficult to sort and use. Respondents 3 & 4 were full of praise for DimX. They confirmed that DimX is of great value to them and that it simplifies their work with a significant amount. With the one interview an in depth explanation was asked of how DimX works and how the process works of getting the BIM model from the architect. The fact is that when you are drawing in AutoCAD you get a DWG file. This DWG file can be used in DimX for estimating etc. Highlighting the component etc as was discussed in the above paragraphs. If you want to make use of the BIM function in DimX you must get a DWF file. This allows you to do a complete quantity takeoff. At the moment the interviewee`s company is only using these quantities as a checking mechanism to check the quantities in their BOQ. This results in less risk for them as quantity surveyors. The reason for only using it for quantity takeoff and estimating is that DimX as of yet does not measure according to the standard system of measuring as compiled by the ASAQS. For example the program does not measure formwork for different height classes. This is something that will have to be rectified in the future to ensure that BIM is attractive to everyone. The interviewee made it clear that when construction begins they make sure to ask the consultants for DWF drawings. This allows them to check all the quantities and do their valuations accurately. This ensures that they can start directly with the final account once the trade is finished. When asked what they thought of BIM in the construction industry, the unanimous reply was that BIM is the future but that time is not right as of yet. This question was asked at the end of each interview. When the question was raised, how they implement BIM in their company half of the interviewees did not know what exactly BIM is, they know about DimX and Revit, but they did not know about the concept of BIM. 3) Statistical data on Quantity Surveying Companies The above graph shows the amount of QS companies that implemented DimX. This shows that only 19.25% of the QS companies in Gauteng have implemented a BIM compliant system. It should be noted that this only portrays companies using DimX as it is the industry leader in South Africa according to the companies that were interviewed. This data shows the trend of BIM in South Africa. If only 19.25% of the QS companies find it necessary to implement a BIM supporting system and the fact that the QS is the middleman between the contractor and the architect it shows that BIM is not at the moment taking over the market. SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 426 - The information regarding the amount of companies using DimX was acquired from DimX themselves. They also gave their insight on the exposure of BIM compliant software in South Africa. They estimate it to be between 10% - 20% or even a bit more. The biggest problem according to them is that the professionals do not know what type of package the engineers or architects are using due to the fact they export their drawings to a standard 2D DWG format when they are delivered. According to Dimension X, Revit is the most used package in the architectural industry due to the fact that it supplies structured information and details with regard to BIM drawings. They have however experienced an increase in the uptake of Dimension X as electronic takeoff software in the last two to three years. B. Contractors For the information on the contractors the focus will be on the interviews with the construction companies and the computer software that they primarily use. In this industry it is mainly Candy (CCS). Currently Candy is not a BIM compliant program. Candy is in the process of upgrading their software by adding additional quantity take-off features and combining it with their Bill writer division. This implies that all the construction companies that currently are in possession of Candy will be able to create their own BOQ by importing a DWF file. The DWF file is the BIM compliant file format which contains the required information to support data exchanges between users. This also means they can use it to check quantities with the purpose of ordering materials end keeping up to date with the valuations they have to supply to the QS. 1) Interviews a) Construction Company working outside South Africa The director of a construction company that does construction in the United Arabic Emirates was interviewed. He shared his experience with regards to BIM. Completing the kind of projects that they construct in the required time frame takes a lot of good planning and coordination. They use BIM on their projects. He further more added that due to the high temperatures in Dubai, Oman and ABU DHABI that they make use of very large HVAC systems that need to be installed. Services play a big role in these size projects and they in fact try to force the implementation of BIM as much as possible where they can. It is not an easy task and his recommendation was that there needs to be a driving force that steers BIM implementation under the different companies. He recommended that the clients must request that BIM be used on their projects. One of the first projects that they were involved in they worked with an all-South African team with a very large architect firm. The management of the construction company originates from South Africa. South Africa is getting valuable exposure to the BIM process that can be used to drive BIM in South Africa. According to the director interviewed, Revit is the most commonly used architectural software in the construction industry. However there are about 5 other software packages available, but that Revit is the preferred package. b) Large Construction Companies in South Africa But what is the status of BIM in the current market of South Africa? The other interviewees consist out of one very large construction company that deals with ArchiCAD on one of their main projects, namely Kusile power station. One of the computer software programs that they make use of for their estimating and planning purposes is Candy. The other large firm with whom an interview was conducted is currently busy with a project on which a large architect company are the architects. They make use of Revit for designing the building that they work on, this is also the case for this project. The construction company makes use of Revit to view the models as supplied by the architects. These construction companies will follow the example of the architects and the engineers. They will comply with anything that the client specifies. If the client specifies a BIM system the contractors will include the cost in their tender amount and take the necessary steps to implement BIM in their companies. The contractor is the most flexible party to the BIM system. He is in the unique position where he has to adapt or die. c) Medium Construction Companies in South Africa The medium sized construction company does not have any previous experience with BIM software on a project. They implement Candy, but not as effective as they can. To use Candy to its full potential which is not even a BIM program is already quite hard for them. To ensure effective implementation personnel has to be sent for training, something that takes time and costs money and once that has been done that person has to be appointed full time to Candy otherwise it is not cost effective. Also monthly utilisation fees must be paid for the use of Candy. One cannot just buy it and use it on all of the computers at the office. Each computer as to be registered and a fee paid per month. For the bigger companies with more than 20 licenses that can amount to quite a high amount. This just shows the amount of effort that is needed for the correct implementation of these programs. BIM is new to the industry and it takes time for the companies to get used to the new technology. When asked if his company would buy a BIM package applicable for contractors? The response was that he would not be able to buy such a package, train his personnel and implement the BIM package in his company. He is a builder, that is what he knows and that is what he is good at. If the industry changes in such a way that it becomes a necessity for the contractor to make use BIM then his company would make that change, but for now that company will stay with what it knows. His viewpoint is that the younger generation will have to make these types of changes as they are more familiar with the technology and systems. 2) Data Analysis From the data collected it shows that the small to medium contractors would find it more difficult to make the change to BIM. They do not have the financial and human resources to make the change quick and efficiently. It would simply cost SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 427 - them too much and they would lose the competitive advantage they had over their rivals. The larger South African construction companies such as WBHO, Murray & Robberts, Basil Read and Group Five have the financial capacity to make the move to BIM. Which includes training their personnel and acquiring the necessary software. The effect of them making the move will be that there will form a division between them and the rest of the market. This however will increase the overheads for these companies which will result in them being less and less successful in winning medium sized tenders unless the client demands BIM to be used on the project. Only if BIM is prescribed by the client there will be a level playing ground on which all the tenderers will tender. The largest 8 construction companies in South Africa make up 60% of the total amount of money spent on construction [7]. This means that if these companies can push the industry to make use of BIM it would affect a lot of architect, engineering and quantity surveying companies. These big 5 construction companies work with varies different professional teams on the various projects that they work on. These companies have the influence to push BIM into the right direction in the construction Industry. The research showed that to the participants in the construction industry it is obvious that BIM is not feasible for the small to medium companies. This may change in the years to come as the exposure to BIM becomes more. People will then start to understand what BIM is. The cost of BIM programs is a major factor keeping companies from implementing BIM. These programs need software support to help the users when they need it. Those support teams will cost money and again keep people from buying BIM software. A comment made by one of the interviewees: BIM was designed in a first world country; we are currently living in a third world country. BIM may reduce the construction time significantly in America and England, but when the workforce decides to strike BIM is not going to stop them from striking. This holds true for all construction related entities when the transport industry strikes or when there is an under supply of steel in South Africa, BIM is not going to help much. C. Architects 1) ArchiCAD vs. Revit ArchiCAD is a BIM compliant software program developed by the Hungarian company Graphisoft. The three companies interviewed for the research study all make use of ArchiCAD in their offices. The opinions of the different users differ from each other. Respondent 1of the interviewees using ArchiCAD believes that it is more user friendly than Revit and they prefer using ArchiCAD and not Revit. Respondent 2 is of the opinion that ArchiCAD is more limited in its functions compared to Revit. This company is currently doing research on Revit and they are in the process of switching over to Revit. The reason for this switch is mainly due to the new building regulations. According to the interviewee the new building regulations require certain energy usage requirements that all new designs need to comply with. Revit allows the user to do such energy usage calculations during the design stage. According to the interviewee it is these kinds of regulations that might push the build environment towards BIM. Respondent 3 uses ArchiCAD because the director of that company had a bad experience with Revits predecessor. He does not want to buy any product that is supplied by Autodesk. The interviewee working for that particular company is however a Revit fan. According to him ArchiCAD is more limited than Revit. The interviewee has experience with working on both software programs. 2) Financial implications One of the main reasons for not implementing Revit according to the respondents is the cost of Revit or any BIM type software. It is not something that can be bought over a period of time. The suppliers do not assist you with financing and it comes down to the buyer to produce a big amount of capital to acquire one licence. For a small to medium sized company this is an obstacle. The clients will still pay the standard architectural fees as it has always been calculated by the architectural institute. The only advantage is that if the client is impressed with the presentation of the design model the architectural firm might be involved in future projects for the client or get a good recommendation. The larger companies have the financial backing to buy multiple licences and ensure that the future users get the necessary training needed to use Revit to its full potential. The opinion of the respondent is that due to the high cost of these BIM packages it is a scarcity in architectural firms. According to the interviewees not just knowledge of BIM compliant software, but also designing capabilities is part of the job description when hiring new personnel. This puts pressure on Universities and other tertiary institutes to revise their teaching curriculum. One of the companies interviewed have one person employed who only trains the BIM users. They have a one month training period before they start designing on the BIM software. This is all extra costs for the architectural companies. The IT system that needs to be in place is quite expensive. There has to be a BIM designated server that stores all the projects models. Each user can then log on to the server with his unique username and password. 3) The effect of BIM on the industry During the interviews the following negatives about BIM in the construction industry arose: a) The fact that the art of design is disappearing. Everything is done by the program and the operator does not understand the reasoning behind certain decisions. b) Everything has to be done by the computer and the architect cannot even give a rough sketch to the client by hand. c) To produce a complete model with all the specifications takes a lot of time to create. Certain companies only start designing with BIM after design stage 2. They have 7 design stages. They only start compiling a BIM model once the project is deemed feasible. This saves time and money if a project is cancelled after it is deemed not to be feasible. SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 428 - The interviewees stated that BIM is dependent on a good communication channel between the entire professional team. The fact is that according to the respondent they have not as of yet had a request from the engineers to supply them with a 3D model. The engineers are satisfied with the 2D drawings as received. This shows that regardless of them using BIM compliant software the whole team do not seem to be interested in the BIM process. This was confirmed by another respondent. The positives according to the architects are that the design team can prevent clashes before they happen. For example a scenario where the engineer designed a beam over a staircase later on and when constructing it the architect only becomes aware of the fact that the beam is exactly head height and a safety hazard. Another reason for using BIM according to the interviewee`s are the fact that the BIM software will automatically generate sections, elevations, door and window schedules as you are busy designing. It also is aesthetically pleasing for the client, it is colourful and there is the option of including virtual people and cars etc. 4) BIM integration between the different role players Respondent 3 have a United Kingdom branch. On the UK projects that they do the structural engineers make use BIM models to design. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineers are not BIM compliant as of yet. The problem is that they design their own model and they do not use the model as provided by the architects. This is due to time constraints, they cannot afford to wait for the architect to provide a model before they start designing. When both models are completed they integrate the models and resolve the clashes. Even this partial use of BIM has not been present in their South African based projects. For this research both the architect and the quantity surveyor were interviewed working on the same project. The architect did not design the model with the QS in mind. The result is that the QS cannot link quantities with specific items. The items are listed as codes and not as description. The BIM technology is there, but it is not being used as it is intended. The communication between the different role players is non- existent. A scenario arose were the architect needed a design from the engineer. The architect has a BIM model, but the engineer had to compile his own design from scratch as to the alternative of just designing the detail on the architects model. The sharing of information which is instrumental to the successful implementation of BIM does not take place between the professional parties involved. D. Engineers 1) Usage of BIM in engineering companies After receiving information from three engineering companies the results show that two of the three companies do not own or use BIM compliant software. Respondent number 1is focussed on civil type projects for example roads. They do not see the use for acquiring a BIM compliant program at those costs as they are satisfied with using AutoCAD. They are also normally the project leaders/principle agents and do not receive any pressure from architects etc. to implement BIM compliant software. Respondent 2 was a structural engineering company. They make use of caddie software which is a CAD system. This company has been sending its personnel on 3D modelling seminars. The fact is that at this moment they are still satisfied with caddie as it has served them well over the past years. They are not ready to make the move as of yet, but they are monitoring the progression of BIM in South Africa and when they feel it to be necessary and viable make the move to BIM compliant software. Respondent 3 is a very large engineering company that possesses 26 Revit structures programs in their office. About two to three years back they made the decision to switch to Revit. This decision was made according to the advantages that BIM gives. Included by Auto Desk in the Revit package is the AutoCAD package. The viewpoint of the respondent is that in an ideal world BIM should be implemented by all and that is why they made the switch to Revit. Something that the respondent pointed out was that real time coordination between all the parties involved is needed for BIM to be effective. Due to certain circumstances this particular company has reverted back to the old AutoCAD 2D model space/paper space environment. These circumstances are: To build a Revit model is very expansive if your only purpose is one simple drawing. Too much time was being spent on building the model and too little time on the details. In the respondents office setup they are normally finished with the structure before the architect has finished his/her model. The end result for the respondent was that at the moment it is not feasible for them as structural engineers to design with Revit. The respondent is however of the opinion that Revit would be more effective for the mechanical engineers involved in the MEP services. 2) Financial implications According to the responses from the interviewees the construction market is of such a nature that they have to give clients 25% - 35% discount on their normal tariffs to be competitive. Clients want their project as fast as possible and as cheap as possible. Any normal client will not pay additional moneys for a BIM model except if it is a big corporate client. V. CONCLUSIONS The data received from the interviews shows it is quite clear that the different companies realise the need of keeping up to date with new technology and that is why they implement BIM compliant software, but they do not realise the full extent of what BIM exactly is and how it should be implemented. The different professions do not communicate with each other about sharing BIM information to simplify and accelerate SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 429 - designing. It is a scenario of; everybody for themselves. The coordination and communication between the project team needs work. Standard BIM systems needs to be created for example: creating a BIM server for each project. All the participants who are BIM compliant will be able to have access to the server resulting in the whole team using the correct and most up to date drawings. The client needs to understand the extra cost by implementing BIM will be saved by avoiding clashes. The clients also get a virtual representation of their building once the project is finished. The research shows that BIM is growing, but that is still far away from realising its full potential. The construction industry participants need a BIM education to understand how BIM needs to be implemented. It does not stop by purchasing BIM compliant software. That is only the beginning. REFERENCES [1] Editorial - Case studies of BIM in use (2008) Olofsson, Thomas; Lee, Ghang; Eastman, Charles. [2] Azhar, S., Hein, M. & Sketo, B., 2008. BIM: Benefits, Risks & Challenges, Auburn: Auburn University. [3] Hardin, B., 2009. BIM in construction management: proven tools, methods and workflows. s.l.:Sybex. [4] Suermann, P. C., 2009. Evaluating the impact of Building Image Modelling (BIM) on construction, Florida: University of Florida. [5] Wyatt, G., 2007. Maintaining BIM integrity in the structural engineering office. Design productivity journal, 4(3). [6] Attia, S., Betron, L., De Herde, A. & Hensen, J., 2009. Architect Friendly: A comparison of ten different building performance simulation tools, Glasgow: s.n. [7] Cloete, C., 2013. Introduction to property development. Pretoria: s.n. [8] East, W.E., 2010. BIM for construction handover: NASA. [9] Eastman, C., 2011. BIM Handbook: A guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors. Hoboken: John Wiley
SECTION Industrial and Civil Engineering
A R S A - Ad va nced Res e a r c h in S c i e n t i f i c A r e a s - V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E - The 2nd year of Advanced Research in Scientific Areas http://www.arsa-conf.com Advanced Research in Scientific Areas December, 2. - 6. 2013 - 430 -