This year´s talking point - BIM
New technology generally, and BIM in particular, are undoubtedly the talking points of this year. One of the leading BIM experts, Per Bjälnes, works for Coor, and he explains why.
A word from our specialist
What's BIM?
BIM stands for building information modeling and is an all-new standard structure to code all buildings, rooms, items etc within a building, but also services that can be associated with these items. BIM coding is a systematic digital information structure of the relevant items and services within a facility.
What's it for?
BIM can be used by anyone who homes or works on designing, building or managing a facility or building—architects, builders, administrators, service providers. By everyone using the same information system (BIM) work through the facility's complete life-cycle—from idea to order to finance, building and ongoing operation—gets much safer, more efficient, better and simpler.
But what does the BIM code look like?
The BIM code is an information string containing a number of alphanumeric characters, with each character containing important information on the specific item or specific service. The digital BIM code can be simply linked to a barcode of RFID tag which can then be read off by some kind of mobile PDA like a phone or computer.
And what's the benefit of the BIM system? Who gains most?
Everyone involved in designing, building, administering and servicing a facility gains from a consistent coding system that everyone uses. It gets simpler to draw and visualize, clear faults, monitor, analyze and report. Work gets more efficient and quality increases significantly through all processes—over the plant's whole life-cycle.
Why's BIM so good?
A good and contemporary information system has to satisfy certain criteria. It's got to be digital, 3D, measurable, generic, available and sustainable. BIM satisfies all these standards. When developing the BIM system we also started from accepted sector standards like AFF and BSAP, which means we're building on tried-and-tested classification systemetrics. We've also found an intelligent way to link up items and services, which hasn't existed before.
How far has development got now, and what do you think about the future?
There's unbelievable interest in BIM. It's a standard that Coor and other people working on developing the NKS teaching hospital have developed and that we're using on the project. This development project differs from many others in all parties collaborating back in the development phase of the project and taking a life-cycle perspective on everything we do. In the US there's a similar standard, Cobie, but this isn't anything like as well developed and comprehensive. I think that BIM is the most highly developed information system right now and has all the prospects of becoming the standard on all new construction projects eventually.
Want to know more?
Please contact Per Bjälnes.
