More than a software tool

In terms of macro deliverables, a Business Information Modelling (BIM) designed and managed project will encompass futureproof sustainability within a healthy building and enhance the immediate and peripheral social environment through the robust delivery of the triple bottom line or "three Ps" principle - profit, people, planet.

From a micro deliverable point of view, from post-occupation back to initial building concept and investment is where true collaboration between all parties with a transparent and agreed performance delivery goal can be delivered only by a BIM managed project.

The social community will benefit from living and/or working in environments that have been carefully planned with the social dynamic taken into account. These may include, but not be limited to, green spaces, internal or external recreation facilities, and commuter-friendly access to bicycles.

The building owner or tenant will have low and predictable running costs and the occupants of the building will be working and/or living in a healthy environment. This should result in higher productivity and wellbeing, thereby reducing strain on social structures.

Owners or tenants would see the energy they consume (via smart meters) and be able to control it. If it is a working environment, they will take these principles home into their private lives.

Virtual meeting spaces
Stakeholders in the delivery of the building from early stage design to handover will collaborate in a real-time virtual meeting space, reducing the requirement for travelling to meetings and lowering carbon footprint impact.

A single virtual project execution forum working from one transparent platform will reduce error and expose, in advance, the effect of any change proposed before execution, thereby eliminating costly remedial work and disempowering random design change. The collaborative forum or hub will expedite "design freeze" and design silos will disappear.

Within the building materials supply chain, products specified will have defined performance characteristics against an agreed holistic system performance specification, eliminating random substitution through whim for a lower cost, less effective product by an uninformed buyer.

Buyers in the supply chain will be accountable for meeting performance parameters, as they are for cost. They will know the holistic impact of the products they are buying. Cost incentivised procurement silos will disappear.

Manufacturers providing off-site manufactured components will engage early in the design stage through an integrated design process (IDP) into which design dimensions can be optimised relative to manufacturing efficiency, based on well-established industry standard norms. This will reduce waste and increase productivity.

No room for error
Through inter-operable software interfaces direct from the original design platform the drawing will be taken all the way through the manufacturing process, optimising every step of the way. There will be no room for error as there will be no duplication or break in the design-to-manufacture link. Appreciating there will be no last minute changes to the specification the manufacturer will be able to plan, and make just-in-time deliveries more accurately.

For the design team, total stakeholder collaboration is achieved through the integrated design process based on the regulatory and sustainable performance parameters demanded (BREEAM, LEED, Greenstar). This would iron out inefficiencies and provide advance visibility of challenges, which can be designed out rather than fixed as a remedial.

Via the BIM software hub all parties will contribute towards the project design, based on maximising efficiencies from each stakeholder's perspective. Stakeholders will have a far greater appreciation of the impact of design changes in this "by default knowledge share" environment. Time-consuming and inefficient meetings will be reduced after a firm structure has been developed through the IDP - all parties will now feed in and feed off the BIM collaborative hub.

From the client's perspective, selling or renting the building will be easier at a higher value or yield per square metre thanks to the quantifiable presentation of clear, definable and predictable performance deliverables. The project would be delivered on time or ahead of schedule and at or under budget.

Reduced investment risk
For the investment community, accurate predictions of performance, build cost and yield will be provided, reducing investment risk and expediting the green light for project investment. This accelerates the project build which, in turn, accelerates the whole commercial engagement of all stakeholders, generating revenue and delivering higher GVA (gross value added).

BIM presents predictability through collaborative design. Predictability reduces risk. Reduced risk encourages investment. Investment leads to projects and so the circle begins again.

This is what BIM aspires to deliver and one day will - and you thought it was just a software tool!

? James Sweet is the managing director of SEMA4c, a newly-formed software business that is a collaborative joint venture between building performance systems specialist C4Ci and leading software CAD specialist SEMA GmbH.

The CAD/CAM joint venture mission is to bring software to the market that enhances their clients business and brings long-term sustainable profit. For more information, email: james.sweet@semac4.com; tel: 44 (0) 7798 676610.