WHAT IS BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (B.I.M)

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Construction is one of the fields that is experiencing very rapid development at this time. This can be seen from the number of construction projects that take place not only in big cities but also in small towns, both accommodated by the private sector and the government. This is also a natural process because Indonesia is a developing country. As a Civil Engineering practitioner, you need to understand that in the construction sector, of course a careful planning, Human Resources (HR), time utilization, the amount of cost required and quality are some of the things that are often the main concern in industrial management. In addition, materials, tools used, and working methods are also included in the main things that can be said to be a foundation or basis that must be considered in construction management.

Illustration of the construction process (image source: pexels.com)

But not only that, other things that also become a concern are problems and errors that occur due to difficulties in communication, coordination and standardization. Besides, a construction project requires the amount of information involved in a construction project from start to finish is something that cannot be taken lightly. You need to know the ins and outs of the place where the project is being carried out, to be able to identify and resolve potential problems that will arise in the future.

Over the past two decades, leading construction companies have adopted functional-based information technology systems in order to support the increasing demands of business efficiency, productivity, quality and competition. Over time, with the development of information technology in the construction industry over the last few years, this raises the hope that the world of technology and information can be used as a reference to solve problems during construction project implementation. One technology that is expected to be a solution that solves problems in the construction world is Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Building Information Modeling technology, or hereinafter known as BIM, is one of the technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction field or better known as AEC. BIM is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building project. BIM is often referred to as a process that includes the creation and management of the physical and functional information of a project. The final result of this process is a digital file that describes every aspect of the project. The BIM model is a parametric model, and is often associated with visual presentations in three-dimensional (3D) form. BIM is not a new technology. Initially, BIM technology appeared in the early 70s. However, the term BIM was first used in the 2000s. Although still in the early stages of development and implementation, BIM is one of the most promising technologies for integrating teams working on a project.

As a civil engineering practitioner, you will often hear the word BIM because BIM is an acronym that appears very often in the world of architecture and construction. Any activity based on BIM suggests collaborative and integrative use by individual designers. BIM also includes creation, collection, updating, archiving, coordinating, and validation information. Since BIM models can include 2D graphics, 3D graphics, parametric and all physical and electronic forms of non-graphical information, BIM can include all types of information.

BIM can provide many benefits for a project if implemented properly and can be applied to all phases of a construction project or only one of them. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, the objectives of BIM implementation are:

1. Increase productivity and efficiency of the construction process
2. Trigger collaboration of all construction stakeholders, including investors, planners, contractors and manufacturers. The stakeholders have a clear understanding of the project because every stage of the design, construction and various other details can be accessed in digital form
3. Better visualization
4. Improve quality, cost control and time management
5. As a regulator that gives approval, monitors and supervises the progress of construction work digitally
6. High level of security
7. Support transfer project data into data management software
8. There is no need for paper ‘interference’, because the process is digital
9. Making the process during construction more effective and efficient

In conclusion, in the AEC world, BIM is indeed reliable because of the various advantages it offers. The usefulness of BIM and its advantages have proven to be of value to construction projects. If you are in the field of Civil Engineering, you will often hear about the advantages of using BIM, one of which is that it is the best visualization tool. Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides aspects of 3D visualization with the aim of being a representation. This visualization can provide a better understanding of the possible final outcome of the project, with details provided in 3D. In addition, using BIM can increase the opportunity to collaborate in teams. These advantages are obtained by the collaboration of the construction team and the utilization of BIM tools. However, this tool is still said to still have a few shortcomings in terms of interoperability that require further attention by the construction industry. Therefore, an understanding of the BIM concept is needed to help the stakeholders in the AEC industry to implement BIM optimally.