ForConstructionPros.com

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a phrase currently being thrown around the construction industry a lot. You might have heard it, but you might not know what it means. Simply put, BIM is a software program that offers a 3D version of a project - a virtual picture of what a building will look like before an excavator digs its first bucket of dirt. Taking a step beyond that simple definition, you'll find BIM is so much more.

The grand idea behind BIM is to achieve one construction document that everyone can work from, including the architects and engineers, the owner, the general contractor, and the various concrete, HVAC, electrical and other subcontractors working on the project. This one document can replace the several sets of building plans a concrete contractor often has to deal with on a job.

There are currently a number of BIM software programs on the market, including Revit Structures, VICO Constructor, Bentley Structures and Tekla Structures. Most of the programs can work in conjunction with each other. For example, a contractor using Tekla Structures can import information from an architect's Revit files and work off that plan.

Find problems before you start building
Aaron Stegmeier is president of A.R. Stegmeier Enterprises, Inc. in Lakewood, Wash. His company primarily works as the structural concrete subcontractor on a variety of commercial projects. Stegmeier started using AutoCAD, which creates 2D building plans, more than 10 years ago. Last year he started seeing things in 3D when he began using Tekla Structures. Stegmeier has used Tekla on five projects since then.

He says the biggest benefit he's seen with BIM is its ability to catch discrepancies when the architect's model and structural engineer's plans don't match up. "If I get on the jobsite and start rolling along with 2D prints and hit conflicts on the job, I have to go through the RFI (request for information) process, and that is a waiting game that costs a lot of frustration and money," Stegmeier says. "With BIM modeling I can draw a model of the concrete ahead of time and put all the architectural and structural information in, and I can see the clash points two or three months ahead of time and deal with them then."