Leveraging BIM to Mitigate Construction Risk and Avert Delays
BRG and the Society of Construction Law North America hosted a session to discuss how effective project planning is key to successful execution from design through construction. Ben Nolan and Jonathan Perry took part in the webcast.
Technological advancements in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and information management have evolved and progressed rapidly. However, adoption has been slower among key stakeholders such as project managers, construction superintendents, and owner/operators. The potential of technology is considered with hesitation due to concerns about risk in deployment and questioning of actual return on investment, resulting in a “let’s wait until the next project” approach. But any technology that improves the capability to plan, communicate, and troubleshoot is one of great value to all stakeholders, regardless of their appetite for technology.
4D BIM, referred to here as 4D Scheduling, is one such technology. 4D Scheduling involves the integration of critical path method (CPM) schedules, design models, and operations elements that enable a detailed visual representation of sequencing for construction activities. Unlike other established and emerging technologies populating the construction landscape, 4D scheduling enables a workflow that—when applied effectively—enriches the process of project management and enables an agile and sustainability robust delivery approach that can be understood, validated, and implemented reliably by the project delivery team.
Topics included project-delivery complexity as a derivative of technology, best practices regarding 4D implementation strategies to keep pace with the speed of the project, common challenges and barriers to success, and review of emerging technologies that are influencing the capabilities and value of 4D.