By David T. Biggs, P.E., S.E
Hopefully, by now, you
have heard of the national initiative to develop Building Information Modeling (BIM)
for everyone in the masonry industry. As an industry, we have to recognize that:
a) BIM is being used by
the construction industry
b) BIM is being adopted
by owners and construction managers at an accelerating pace
c) The masonry industry
is not ready for BIM
d) Without BIM
capabilities, masons and mason contractors will lose work or find their
contracts being back charged for not providing BIM services
e) Everyone who
embraces BIM for masonry could benefit.
As previously reported,
an association of masonry groups has combined to create the National BIM for
Masonry Initiative (BIM-M). See “Masonry and BIM: The Next Level,” Masonry, January 2013, for the
background. Since that article was published, the momentum has continued to build.
Significant activity has occurred on many fronts.
One significant milestone
recently was achieved, with the completion of an industry Roadmap to guide us on this multi-year, multi-project venture. The
roadmap was developed with industry input by the Digital Building Laboratory of
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), led by Professors Chuck Eastman
(the Father of BIM) and Russell Gentry.
The entire roadmap text
is available online at www.masonryfoundation.org/pdf/a-roadmap-for-developing-and-deploying-building-information-modeling-bim-for-the-masonry-industry.pdf.
However, we’ll highlight some of the major results here, and provide some
insight to where we are going.
The Roadmap preparation
was officially Phase I of our
journey. Going forward, the Roadmap includes Phase II – Preparation, Phase
III – Specification, and Phase IV
– Implementation.
Phase II has just
started and is scheduled to run through 2014. Phase III begins January 2015 and
runs through May 2016. Phase IV begins June 2016 and runs through January 2018.
The dates are optimistic and highly dependent upon industry funding;
cooperation of volunteers and industry groups; and the willingness of software
vendors to participate.
SUBHEAD: Phase
II comprises four projects:
Project 1 - Masonry Unit Model
Definition
Project 2 - BIM-M Benchmark
Project 3 - Masonry Wall Model
Definition
Project 4 - BIM-M Contractor Input
Project 1 includes a
major industry effort to develop guidelines and a format for suppliers to
specify their materials in a common digital format. The primary emphasis will
be to include masonry unit information and, subsequently, will be extended to
include accessories. Jeff Elder, P.E., of Interstate Brick will lead this
effort for the masonry industry. Georgia Tech will be the prime consultant and will
work with volunteers from the Material
Suppliers Working Group.
Project 2 will be
conducted by Georgia Tech. It includes inviting the major software vendors to
create BIM models of actual masonry buildings using their current software. The
goal is to highlight how BIM-M is underrepresented by current software and to
open a dialog with the vendors for further development.
Project 3 involves yet
another major effort on the masonry design side by the Architectural Modeling Working Group and the Structural Modeling Working Group. This effort is led by Ms. Jamie
Davis, P.E., Ryan-Biggs Associates. These groups are tasked, in 2013, with researching,
developing and detailing 10 masonry wall types that represent commonly used
systems throughout the United States. Once completed, Georgia Tech will take
the information, develop a digital representation of the systems, interface it
with the materials information from Project 1, and feed it to software vendors.
Together,
Projects 1 through 3 develop and document the knowledge required for the “front
end” of BIM-M, so that architects and engineers can produce BIM models that
embed substantial, actionable information about masonry into the design
deliverables.
Project 4 is the first major
project that directly addresses the needs of the mason, the mason contractor,
the construction manager and general contractor. We feel that mason and
contractor involvement are so critical to the success of BIM-M that one-third
of all the projects in the Roadmap are dedicated to educating masons and improving
masonry construction processes. BIM-M can be a tool that raises the bar for all
who embrace it.
Tasks
within Project 4 involve surveying the contractor community for input on critical
issues such as defining best practices and improvement through the use of
BIM-M. In addition, such topics as construction safety, project planning,
material procurement, quantity take off, cost estimating, wall bracing, and
more will be reviewed for possible inclusion in BIM-M software and can help the
mason contractor.
The
Construction Activities Working Group
will be asked to investigate new delivery methods for putting the software
tools into the hands of the mason and the contractor. Today, these tools are
smartphones, laptops and tablets. On the horizon are hands-free headsets and whatever
else the imagination can create.
Another
significant aspect of Project 4 is the mason and contractor education program. A
task is underway to develop educational programs to introduce masons and
contractors to increasing complex digital tools and software, so they will be
prepared to use the coming BIM-M software, once it moves to implementation. The
industry is partnering with the Association of General Contracting to leverage their
educational programs on BIM, and developing additional programs directly
targeted to masons and contractors. Art Theusch of Collaborative Consulting Inc.
is the lead consultant on this task.
Once
Phase II is completed, Phase III will see Georgia Tech take the information
developed and prepare proposals for software vendors to include more masonry capabilities
into their products. Design and construction workflows will be included. Software
vendors will be asked to respond with new or modified products specifically for
the masonry industry.
Then
the wait begins: How long will it take for the software vendors to respond to
our needs? It will be a function of the degree of partnering developed throughout
the process by the Executive Committee, the working groups and with our consultants
at Georgia Tech.
Phase
IV will begin with the implementation of a new era of software for the masonry
industry. What follows will be the forever updating and improvements that accompany
any software and technological advances.
There
is much to be done, and opportunities exist for those willing to volunteer.
David Biggs is
masonry industry coordinator for BIM-M. You can contact him at biggsconsulting@att.net.
Update: Funding for BIM for Masonry
The national groups behind the BIM for Masonry (BIM-M)
project are working to raise dollars to help cover the costs of the BIM-M
program. One part of the contractor side of this equation is working through
the established charitable foundation, “The Masonry Foundation,” a recognized
501(c)(3) charitable organization.
All contributions made to the foundation that are designated
“BIM” will be used exclusively for BIM development. Any contributions to the
Masonry Foundation are tax deductible as a charitable gift, so donors will get
the best available tax advantage permitted by the IRS.
The project is estimated, preliminarily, to cost about $2
million. While that sounds like a lot of money – and it is, our industry is a
large industry, which means a lot of small contributions can go a very long
way. If half the people who receive this magazine committed to give just $50 a
year for five years, we would raise nearly $1 million for the effort.
We ask that you consider giving to this effort today. We
truly feel that without a robust BIM plan, our industry will lose market share
instead of gain it. You can contribute using credit cards online at www.masonryfoundation.org. You also may give over the phone, by calling
800-536-2225 during regular business hours. Thank you in advance for your
support.
~ Jeff Buczkiewicz
