Since its emergence in the AEC Industry, BIM Modeling has reinforced the management of information in the form of a product or process throughout the life cycle of a building. BIM is the digital representation of building geometry in 3D format that helps store information that can give access to up-to-date information about any clash detection or modification required in the construction process. The implementation of BIM allows you to avoid waste management, create value, improve productivity and a better understanding of cost control and the flow of information available at the right time, reducing conflicts and eliminating delays.
SWOT Analysis:
The implementation of BIM in construction brought the well-known marketing concept of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
- BIM can help reduce waste, save time and money incurred during the project.
- BIM provides a 3D representation of a construction project that helps streamline the construction process and make it clear to operate.
- By implementing BIM, it helps to reduce errors and avoid risks that may occur during construction time, while combining work from all disciplines, as conflicts are detected in advance in the software.
- BIM applies to large, medium and small industries, making the construction industry in general flourish and develop fully.
- It can minimize energy consumption in the overall life cycle of the building.
- It can help acquire real-time information data and transfer information related to it.
- Spatial hierarchy is present in the object-oriented data model.
- Stimulates construction sequences.
- Improves 3D design capability
Weakness:
- It focuses and depends more on building than information, and this describes a 3D model representation of the building and its similar structure. Information in terms of material specifications and costs is less frequently used.
- The adoption and implementation of BIM is different around the world, which involves different standards and codes set by the government.
- BIM acquires the need for implementation cost and higher training cost.
- BIM uses local and relative coordinates.
Opportunities:
- It is undoubtedly an incredible opportunity for the construction industry and could prove to be a great future, as it supports all the information on a project before construction begins.
- BIM Implementation helps develop new skills for architects, engineers and contractors in the field through software updates.
- He can evaluate design proposals easily.
- Makes site selection easier.
- BIM can simplify energy consumption and lighting requirements.
- BIM can help with the renovation of existing projects and can check for damage by carrying out an assessment.
Threats:
- Sometimes, with the transfer and use of information in real time, it can overload the flow of information between construction companies and professionals.
- Unauthorized access to building information.
- The implementation of BIM can undermine the conventional method of the construction industry.
- The construction contract with BIM needs to be modified, the implementation of BIM with construction contract is not easy to understand and sometimes it becomes complex documentation that needs to be worked on.
- Limitation in understanding and adopting BIM Technology as a whole means that construction professionals and companies are sometimes unable to understand what the BIM process is, where it should be implemented and how it should be approved.
- Resistance to change and fewer suppliers available.
PESTEL Analysis:
PESTEL Analysis helps to effectively account for all disruptive factors that can result positively or negatively in relation to BIM. We can know how BIM implementation would work here and how it can work properly.
Political factors
BIM Mandatory by the government for different countries:
- Building Information modeling is a process carried out in the construction industry where many countries have started to adopt it and obtain benefits through it.
- It increases productivity and saves time and cost for all professions involved in the construction of any specific project. Governments in countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Scandinavian states and China have mandated the use of BIM in government and private construction projects.
- Whereas countries like the United States, Belgium and Switzerland are still struggling to mandate BIM through adoption, which has been done for a long time.
Environmental law
- Previous companies used to construct a building that could easily become subject to heating loads, experience fluctuations in other components of the building, where the result could be collapse or damage to the structure in the end.
- But with the implementation of BIM, laws and policies have been regulated on the construction profession to keep in mind the environmental factor and make the building design according to it, only then it will be approved by the government so that no life is caused at any point . of time in any calamities.
Read more: How BIM is enabling on-site safety
ECONOMIC FACTORS
Responsibility of construction professionals, such as architects and engineers:
- Countries like the UK and the US force architects and engineers to take responsibility for any damage or mistake made by them while working on the project. As it is not clear at what stage BIM should be implemented due to lack of knowledge about BIM.
- Therefore, due to paying more responsibilities than other construction professions such as contractors and manufacturers, architects and engineers tend to avoid risks and make mistakes.
Social factors
Upgrading skill sets and software knowledge in architects and engineers:
- In many countries, it has been observed that every 2 years Architects and Engineers in the MEP discipline need to take exams to be updated and learn about new regulations that have been revised in BIM.
- For some professionals this has been rigid in relation to working on BIM projects.
Technological factors
BIM dimensions:
- BIM implementation occurs at different levels and dimensions of BIM, such as 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D and 7D.
- 3D BIM serves to visualize the building and its components by preparing a 3D model of the building, helping the client to communicate well with the projects and easily interpret any modifications in the design phase.
- With 4D BIM it is possible to know the construction schedule for the building's components, that is, it is possible to identify the time needed to create a window in the room.
- 5D BIM helps estimate the costs of materials, equipment and general labor of the construction process.
- 6D BIM creates energy analyzes of the building along with its sustainability.
- 7D BIM examines As-Built and analyzes maintenance and technical support plans.
BIM with Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence:
- Besides BIM, few trends follow BIM and can bring milestones in the construction industry. Augmented Reality portrays the model viewed through a real-world environment.
- Virtual reality offers a virtual tour of the building being constructed to enhance the user experience and oversees conflicts and changes if necessary. Machine learning is a subcomponent of Artificial Intelligence that commands a computer to classify algorithms, anomaly detection, and time series.
- The Internet of Things has sensors added to the 3D BIM model to acquire the appearance of patterns of energy use, temperature or movement of people in the building. Artificial Intelligence helps business management manage demand forecasting and scheduling.
Environmental Factors
Energy analysis:
- It strongly influences the building design process. The building offers shelter to occupants, supported by a mechanical heating and cooling system, essential to protect environmental impacts.
- Energy awareness and analysis are important throughout the life of the building as they would help achieve thermal comfort.
Sustainability:
- BIM is becoming accurate and can know the calculations needed in scheduling and cost estimation. This can help minimize waste when purchasing materials and improve building construction.
- Resource depletion will be reduced due to efficient information on construction practices. It makes resource planning more efficient in building construction.
Legal factors
BIM code and standards:
- 55 countries have different BIM codes and standards applicable to project construction. Therefore, it becomes difficult for any designer or engineer from another country to work in that country where he does not know the codes and standards.
- For this reason, companies mostly outsource their work so that this prevents them from causing any obstacles. Even the material to create a building base is different from one country to another.
- Only local designers and engineers well adapted to codes and standards can work on this.
Data protection in BIM:
- Previously, when manual drafting was in effect, data could be easily lost as many writers' printing needed to be taken care of and was not stored properly and incurred a lot of printing and other expenses.
- But with BIM, they can store data on a cloud server or a BIM 360 cloud model that can be viewed later and also reused.
Safety measures for workers on site:
- BIM can enable on-site safety during project completion through drone and GPS technology, smarter risk prediction; hazard stimulation and project safety awareness that helps predict and prevent dangerous situations from the design phase.
- Investing in cutting-edge technology can bring a bright future to the construction industry.
Companies that do not use BIM what problem do they face:
- Companies that are not adopting BIM Implementation in their works are struggling to obtain precision and better productivity in their works, making changes to conflicts detected in the design process itself.
- Incurring more costs in recruitment and not adapting to take safety measures on site. It becomes difficult for them to get government approval for their works and projects without using BIM.
Conclusion
Marketing is vital for every business and that is why it is necessary for the Construction Industry. BIM technology has been emerging since the 1990s and is being successfully implemented around the world and used in construction projects. SWOT and PESTEL analysis is a familiar marketing concept derived from discovering how BIM can help the construction industry and what its disadvantages are.
BIM helps reduce rework as conflicts or any disciplinary interventions are studied before the actual construction work is completed. BIM assists in collaboration between all disciplines involved in the construction process of a given project.
It improves productivity and improves the appearance of the building through the 3D design capabilities it has. Furthermore, the main disadvantage of BIM can be its expensive implementation and the different codes and standards that each country would have, which is a timely process.
Author's biography:
Vishakha Jadhav is a content writer at Tesla Outsourcing Services. Graduated in administration and with a talent for writing any vertical content. She writes content to provide in-depth insight into 3D visualization, CAD and BIM services for the architectural, structural and MEP disciplines. Its aim is to provide complete knowledge to professional architects and engineers associated with the AEC industry.
