There's plenty of confusion in the AEC/O market.  Is BIM something that only architects do, or should builders and owners also get involved?

Vico takes a hard stance: General Contractors and Owners MUST be involved with BIM.  The architect's BIM contains the visualization of the design, as well as the geometry to make it all happen.  However, the GC's BIM adds an incredible amount of information: the means and methods.  From this BIM we can extract construction-caliber quantities to which can be added resource productivity rates, locations, and costs.

The result?  4D schedules and 5D estimates.  These are model-based schedules and model-based estimates.  Why is this important?  If one element of the BIM changes, there is a ripple effect to the crews and the bottom line.  This makes BIM and virtual construction incredibly powerful. 

Now GCs, Owners, and Architects can all work together to ask questions of the model.  What happens if ... ?  If we increased the retail space by XX, how would that impact our monthly rental income versus condominium sales and office space rent?  If we changed the exterior skin to XX material?  If we added bicycle parking how many LEEDs points would we receive?

So, are you getting the most out of your BIM?  2D document management and automatic change notification? coordination and constructability feasibility? construction-caliber quantities versus design-quantities? a knowledge base of cost and time elements? location-based scheduling and production control? conceptual estimating to 5D cost planning? model management to support the most popular BIM-authoring tools? earned value analysis?

If you're not sure, open The BIM Checklist and compare your technology solutions.

And then turn the checklist on your firm.  How many capabilities does your firm offer Owners?  Where and how can you fill in the gaps?

We'd like to recommend these resources:

Vico Services offers the Win the Deal bundle

Fridays with Vico offers The BIM Master Class Series

The Vico Office product offering for 4D scheduling, 5D estimating, coordination, and change management

The Vico Blogging Forum

The Vico User Group on LinkedIn

Let's make true 5D BIM a reality...and it all starts with The BIM Checklist.