BIM forum concentrates on
needs of general contractors

 

Most conferences on building information modeling, said Julian Kang, associate professor of construction science at Texas A&M, focus on using the BIM process to aid in the design phase of a project.

"Professionals in the construction industry attended BIM forums in the past and found they were great for architects, but not for general contractors," he said.

The Building Information Modeling Forum held Sept. 17 at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel, hosted by Texas A&M's Department of Construction Science and the Houston chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, was tailored to address the questions and needs of general contractors wanting to know how BIM can help in the construction phase of a project or how to just get started with BIM in the first place.

"We wanted to talk about BIM from a general contractor's point of view," said Kang, co-chairman of the event. He said many general contractors want to know how BIM can help them perform a constructability analysis of a project, or how it can help with clash detection, which is the process of discovering changes that occur to an architect's model or drawing after a subcontractor's work begins.

Other general contractors, said Kang, are eager to begin reaping BIM's benefits, but have basic questions about getting started, such as who's going to build the BIM model, what computers are needed, and what applications they need, among many others.

Co-hosting the conference, said Kang, provided Texas A&M with an opportunity to be a leader in joining BIM with general contractors.

"It was an opportunity to talk with the industry and tell them 'we understand where you're at, and that this is the future,'" he said.

At the forum, attendees heard about a mandate from the state of Texas that all contractors must now use BIM for state design and construction projects.

The requirements were discussed at the conference’s keynote address by Chris Tisdel, director of building information modeling for the Texas Facilities Commission.

Kang told Constructech magazine the address garnered lots of attention. “He is one of the courageous guys in the construction industry who is preaching the benefits of BIM in construction as an owner.”

Jorge Vanegas, dean of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture and forum panelist, discussed challenges and issues facing constructors.
The forum also featured other speakers and breakout sessions relating to BIM issues and trends.
Constructech’s coverage of the event is available online at http://www.constructech.com/news

 

- Posted: Nov. 25, 2009 -



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