
BIM: Should it be mandated in Australia? (Part 1)
Preface
Adopting Building Information Modeling in the design and construction projects requires fundamental changes in all its process right from conceptualization to execution. This demands a change or addition in the roles and responsibilities of the existing workforce. The construction industry, as a whole, is prone to inertia and any such challenges deter companies from taking a step forward towards the implementation of Virtual Design and Construction. Champions, on the other hand, vouch on VDC for bringing about better efficiencies in a project and keep the costs under control. They are the early adopters and stress on the need for its implementation in the complete lifecycle of all infrastructure projects. They have advocated the development of uniform standards across the industry to reap the full benefits of virtual design such as the UK. This has grabbed the attention of many players in the industry. Now, the million dollar question is: Should Australia mandate BIM on the lines of UK to accelerate its adoption in the construction industry? Let us find out.
The National BIM Debate
UK has set an example when it comes to setting standards and implementing BIM Modeling in its projects. In order to accelerate its adoption, some organizations in Australia have called for mandating it in Australia on the lines of the UK citing the benefits it has reaped in its projects. Many state governments have recognized the importance of utilizing Building Information Modeling in the delivery and management of infrastructure projects.
Taking the initiative, the government of Queensland has set a target to implement BIM for major government infrastructure projects by 2023 in a stage-wise approach. The first mandate is to implement BIM from July 1, 2019 on all public infrastructure projects that are valued above 50 million dollars. It has released a document on “Digital Enablement for Queensland infrastructure – Principles for BIM Implementation (the principles)1” which can be used by departments, statutory authorities, and agencies within the Queensland Government. This will provide a level of confidence to the AECO industry that the government of Queensland is committed to stage-wise BIM adoption over a period of five years. The government is convinced that the information-rich models that will be generated for the projects will enhance the design, construction, governance, and operation of the facilities.
Key take-away
We can’t agree more with the principle as the benefits of implementing virtual design and construction in some of the large and complex projects in Australia have been well documented and evident. Let us consider the case study of Perth Hospital2 that was built in Western Australia to replace the existing Princess Margaret Hospital as Western Australia’s children’s hospital.
For this project, BIM was used for the entire asset management right from design to maintenance stage for all disciplines such as architectural, structural, MEPF, landscaping, etc. The entire project was planned to be executed in two phases. During the conceptual design and final design configuration stages, BIM innovation and procedures were to be utilized to create and set up the building performance and the basis of design as per the customer’s specifications. The final model was to be generated by linking individual models that would be created based on the work breakdown structure provided by the contractor. The final submittals (2D and 3D) had to be extracted from these models.
To be continued…
References:
- © State of Queensland, Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, November 2018.
- NATSPEC BIM