Term paper on BIM Theory

E BIM and time and costs representation of the building

In addition to 3D representation of the building, BIM involves two more dimensions, time and costs (Boehmler, 1998). In fact, the time and costs of the construction project are very important, especially today, when the construction industry is in some decline. BIM helps to save time of designers, contractors and customers because they can plan all details of the project beforehand and they start the construction only when the plan of the building is completed and the customer agrees to accept the plan. The time is crucial for the successful completion of the project and the customer satisfaction. As a rule, customers want to have their buildings constructed fast and, at possibly, lower costs. BIM provides both of these options. The application of BIM prevents considerable changes at the stage of the construction because all issues are agreed upon at the stage of planning and development of the project. Therefore, customers can expect to have their buildings constructed within the timeline determined by the project.

The role of the costs of construction is also extremely important in the contemporary business environment, especially if complex buildings are constructed (GSA, 2006). Naturally customers are interested in saving costs on construction without any compromises with the quality of the building. In other words, customers want their buildings to be constructed fast but at a low price. Conventional construction models are more expansive compared to BIM (Arayici, 2008). BIM allows customers to save costs due to accurate planning of the construction. Moreover, virtually all attributes of the buildings are taken into consideration while applying BIM. Therefore, customers do not normally require changes in the building, when the construction has started. Instead, conventional models often require changes being introduced at the stage of the construction that naturally leads to the rise of costs. In addition, BIM saves time and time is closely intertwined with costs of construction. The longer the construction lasts the higher are its costs. Therefore, BIM saves time and, thus, saves costs. Hence, BIM is beneficial for contractors and customers.

F BIM and benefits of designers and contractors

At this point, the question concerning benefits of designers and contractors arises since one may wonder why the construction that costs less is beneficial for designers and contractors. Low costs of the construction and development of the project seem to bring lower profits to designers and contractors. However, in actuality, BIM allows designers to save their time that allows them to decrease the costs of the construction because they can complete more projects and, thus, increase their revenues. For instance, using conventional modelling, a construction company can complete three projects in a year and earn 450,000 Euros with each project bringing 150,000 Euros. At the same time, the same construction company can complete five projects in a year using BIM. Even if each BIM project will bring the company 100,000 Euros, the total revenues of the company will be 500,000 Euros that is more than the total revenues of the company using the conventional model. Consequently, BIM is efficient financially and attractive for both construction companies and their customers.

G BIM and spatial relationships and physical characteristics of the building

BIM takes into consideration spatial relationships, light analysis, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components. These issues are extremely important and are not fully taken into consideration while developing construction projects. Conventional models developed by construction companies and designers fail to provide such detailed information and take into consideration such issues as geographic information, quantities of properties of building components, light analysis and spatial relationships. Instead, BIM models provides the wide information on these issues that help customers to explain their needs and wants better to designers, while designers can take into consideration environmental impact and other issues related to the construction of the building.