Future of BIM for Architects and Engineers

Despite BIM’s slow adoption in engineering and architectural firms, I believe in the next five years more companies will make the change to this modeling system. The main reason this will happen is because architects and engineers will realize BIM offers important rolls in the construction and designing phases of projects. Some of the benefits are:

1.     Decrease time

2.     Cost reduction

3.     Facilitates documentation process

4.     Better visualization

5.     Encourages integrative design

6.     Facilitates transfer of information

7.     Allows energy simulation

            The change from traditional drawings to BIM will happen in this time frame, because many significant projects around the world are already using it. Therefore, this will give smaller-medium firms the confidence that it is a better tool to use in the business. Some of the projects that are currently using BIM are New York’s Freedom tower, The Bart’s and the London Hospital, and Eureka Tower in Melbourne. It will also have a great impact engineers and architects designing green buildings. BIM offers high accuracy and reliability of energy simulations. This serves great tool for designing sustainable and green buildings that will not affect our environment. Everyday there are more companies submitting applications on Green Globes and LEED environmental assessment companies, to certified buildings as environmental friendly.

            Looking further into the future I believe in the next 10 years BIM’s current limitations for architects and engineers will be fixed. Therefore the modeling systems will become more beneficial. Just like CADD has improve since the first version came out this modeling tool will also progress. Some of the current limitations architects and engineers have found are the size and complexity of files, sharing information, need of sophisticated data management, and managing different scenarios. With better technology and advances iall the current problems will be improved or solve.

            I believe classmate Junwah Ng, has interesting comments on his posts. He believe that’s in the future BIM could potentially be use in tablets or phone which would facilitate any last minute change made at the job site. I believe this could happen but would definitely be in a longer time frame, more like +10years. When this starts to happen, then I believe his further comments will definitely be correct that BIM could potentially be integrated with other technologies as GPS, GIS, emergency response and others. 

Sources: 

http://www.laiserin.com/features/bim/newforma_bim.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_information_modeling