Reader response draft 3

In the article “3D building models help bring sustainability into construction”, Jenkins (2015) claims that Building information modelling (BIM) is capable of replacing traditional 2D drawings with advanced digital technology. It mentions that BIM constructs a 3D model of the actual building and has the capability of running computer simulation, reducing the cost of construction and increase the energy efficiency of a building. However, Jenkins, claims that with BIM’s advanced technology it is still not commonly used. According to Coventry University’s sustainability director, Smithson (as cited in Jenkins, 2015), even though one is able to convince others that BIM is better, it is hard for them to acknowledge its worth until they try it using it for themselves. Which is why Smithson and her team run one out of three immersive simulation centre in the world that has BIM technology to allow them to get a hands-on on BIM to prove its effectiveness.

Even though there are still people who are stubborn and does not want to move on to BIM, it is still important for construction projects.

First of all, BIM is able to reduce the time needed for a company to build a building, which every company would want as time use reduced would mean the cost reduced and allows them to increase their productivity. In the article "The Importance of Building Information Modeling"(n.d.), it mentions that Carnegie-Mellon University research has shown that an improvement of just 3.8% in productivity would be able to pay for the construction and sustainability of the building. In the same article, the author also says that BIM able to reduce the time needed for cross-referencing and approval during the building phase. 

Secondly, BIM provides an important feature which is to allow members of the group to provide information to each other accurately and fast. As sustainable building project becomes more and more complex, it is essential that the members of the group provide information to each other accurately. In the article, "Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'"(2015), the author mentions that with the traditional way, group members are given individual task and will then be gathered after each individual has done their part. But this will lead to conflicts and problems later in the design process as each individual task will find itself unable to fit in with others. From the same article, the author also mentioned that with BIM, the task will be uploaded to the cloud so that everyone in the group is able to view and edit it. By doing this, time used to fit all the individual task together will be eliminated and thus cut down the time for the whole project.

Lastly, BIM also allows the client to understand what is being presented to them and able to make changes to it when required. As It is important that the client understand what is being presented to them. BIM is able to show clients an accurately built 3D animated model and allows them to make changes to it, Calvert (2012). This goes to show that BIM is more than just a tool used for designing, it can be used to show important information accurately.

In conclusion, BIM is important as it reduces the amount of time and money used, and it increases the productivity. It is not just a software used to draw and virtually build a 3D model, it is also able to use in other areas like accurate cloud information sharing, presentation, etc.

Reference:

Building Information Modeling: How the construction industry is getting 'smart'. (2015). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.popsci.com/building-information-modeling-how-construction-industry-getting-smart#page-4

Jenkin, M. (2015). 3D building models help bring sustainability into construction. The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/13/bim-technology-design-business-sustainability-construction

Neil Calvert (2012). 10 Points and the Benefits of BIM. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://blog.synchroltd.com/10-points-and-the-benefits-of-bim

The importance of Building Information Modeling. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.indovance.com/importance-of-bim-modeling-services/