BIM Recap

The recent SMPS program featured a panel of team members who worked together using BIM software on the Emory Psychology Building project. One glance around the room, filled with technical staff – architects, engineers, contractors – revealed that this topic was definitely a pace setter in our building community.

The panelists included Craig Bullock from Emory University, Paul Hedgepath from Holder Construction, David Nilsson of HOK and moderator Kurt Swensson of KSi engineering. Together they discussed how everyone worked collectively using BIM to reduce change orders, alleviate potential for costly mistakes and show the end-user their spaces in an understandable format.

One of the most interesting aspects was that, using BIM, the team was able to come together and look at the 3-dimensional model right there on the job site. This allowed them to resolve issues in real time and move forward at a substantially faster pace.

All in all, the biggest take-aways from the discussion were the following benefits of BIM:

1. Ability to visualize. Owners see their product in a consistent and easy to understand format and view changes as they occur;
2. Conflict resolution. Use of BIM reduces change orders and errors; and,
3. Cost estimating. The software assists in material cost predictions and gives the contractor an opportunity to back check their pricing.

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Caroline K. Slaten
Randall Paulson