September 8, 2014

This year’s BIM-MEP^AUS Construction Innovation Forum took place on 7 – 8 August at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Recognised globally to be one of the best of its kind, the forum brought together over 300 local and international experts in the application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to improve design and construction processes.

Warwick Stannus, Technical Director of the BIM-MEP^AUS initiative and A.G. Coombs’ Group Engineering Manager, attended and presented at the forum. Warwick noted that the forum’s theme was strongly centred on BIM beyond construction for building owners and facility managers, with an increasing focus on the “I” in “BIM”. He said that “this marked an important milestone in the BIM-MEP^AUS initiative, with the initiative now focussing on the lifecycle management of data, having resolved many issues associated with coordination and geometry”.

Dennis Rodriguez, BIM Enterprise Manager, Aviation and Transportation at AECOM in the US, presented on BIM from an owner’s perspective and its contribution to lifecycle management. He explored the way by which BIM can be used by large property portfolio managers to drive facility management productivity as well as lowering building renovation and churn costs.

Victor Hoog Antink, Chairman of South Bank Corporation, was excited by how far the BIM-MEP^AUS initiative has progressed around the development of standards. In his presentation, “BIM – What’s in it for the client?”, Victor encouraged property managers to engage the use of BIM in the delivery of new project work and also as a facility management tool.

Interestingly, James Barrett, Director Integrated Building Solutions at Turner Construction Company in the US, believes that, in relation to new collaborative construction processes such as BIM, the scope for productivity gain is limited in the short term yet, over time, is great, stating that “we overestimate it in the short-term and underestimate it for the long-term”. In his presentation, “Head Contractors’ Global BIM leadership”, James said that “while construction in the US has started benefiting from more efficient use of technology and collaborative processes, it still faces problems, such as strict government procurement rules designed to ensure strict probity.” He added “While processes such as integrated project delivery have the potential over time to improve productivity and efficiency in construction, ingrained practices mean any gains are limited”, with his biggest concern for the industry being that “If you don’t see those immediate gains, you risk people dismissing it.”

The forum, presented a number of informative real world case studies that clearly demonstrated the benefits of BIM. One such example related to 120 Collins Street Melbourne. Presented by Michael Alder, Building Services Modelling Leader, ARUP and Nathan Lyon, Facilities Manager, Investa Property Group, the case study demonstrated how BIM could be used to great advantage in a large commercial building. “120 Collins Street is a prime example of a Premium building that has benefitted from BIM”, said Warwick. “Four years into the BIM-MEP^AUS journey, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, we are starting to witness the fact that projects not using BIM are indeed not getting the benefits of low-cost project delivery, or a BIM FM-ready model at project handover.”

The benefits of integrated prefabrication in accordance with BIM were also demonstrated at the forum by Andy Sneyd, Head of Design at Crown House Technologies and President of the Building and Engineering Services Association in the UK. Andy conveyed how prefabrication has become an established practice in the UK, with most major projects incorporating prefabrication strategies to reduce project lead times and improve construction quality and site safety outcomes.

For more on the BIM-MEP^AUS, please visit the BIM-MEP^AUS website: www.bimmepaus.com.au.