BIM technology can be an anti-corruption weapon for Mexico
The collaborative work technology platform known as
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is emerging as one of the most
modern and efficient tools for mitigating corruption in the construction industry.Its use is becoming more common in
Mexico , but it has not yet become a requirement, as it is in the United Kingdom, where it has been mandatory for public works projects since last year.”
The BIM process involves up to 70 software programs, different hardware, equipment and specialists that make up a coordinated and interdisciplinary ecosystem, in which
each of the involved parties has access to all the information in real time ,” explains architect Angélica Ortiz, BIM director of the IUYET Consortium, in charge of developing the engineering of Section III of the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train, which includes the Santa Fe station and the Observatorio terminal, corresponding to Mexico City.This collective effort allows
information on structures, installations, and finishes to be entered into the system simultaneously, streamlining
change management and avoiding errors.In the case of the train, the tender’s terms of reference
required the inclusion of BIM . The platform enabled a high-resolution topographic survey (HDS) of 2,000 scans, which captured a millimetrically accurate and georeferenced reality.This made it possible to pinpoint the exact position of the Cutzamala system’s distribution lines and avoid interference that could affect them, says Guillermo Ortiz, general director of the IUYET Consortium.Using cinema-quality bathymetric drones and ground scanners, a point cloud was created that faithfully depicted the surroundings (1 million points per second). This
allowed for the precise design of the structures erected along the 17-km stretch, preventing them from colliding with Santa Fe’s large buildings or the high-voltage power lines of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).José Luis Sandoval, Vice President of Institutions at the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), an organization that has promoted the
use of BIM since 2011 , comments that in addition to its visualization capacity, which, due to its adherence to reality
, helps the client make decisions more quickly, it is impossible to make changes without justification and it is easy to analyze whether financial resources have been diverted.This makes it an anti-corruption measure. Although José Pablo García, general director of the Construction Industry Foundation for Technological and Productivity Development (FIC), which is part of the CMIC, clarifies that “it has not been promoted as an anti-corruption tool.”Its transparency is evident. Sandoval says that in June of this year, the CMIC was invited by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) to coordinate a three-day seminar with the general directors of various government agencies, to whom they explained what BIM is all about.”One of its main objectives is
to combat corrupt projects , caused by poorly designed projects that leave the door open for improperly filling gaps,” he says.
At the New Airport
In the case of the New Mexico City International Airport, the largest project in the country designed using BIM , Norman Foster’s office carried out the design using the platform, which required the intervention of the CMIC and a topographic study carried out by IUYET using laser beams.
But to reach a moment like the one the United Kingdom is experiencing, “an executive decision by the federal and state governments would be needed to take the initiative to digitize the construction industry ,” says García.
Architect Pablo Lezama, Director of Innovation at Rizoma Ingeniería, who is pursuing a Master’s in Business Innovation in transparency in public works, clarifies that BIM is a very transparent tool , but that does not mean that just because it is used in public works, it is.
“It helps designers do their jobs, it helps construction companies monitor contractors, and it helps the government ensure construction companies perform efficiently, but they’ve forgotten to scale it to the most important user, the end customer, which is the public.”
He adds that until BIM permeates the public , it won’t have a significant impact in terms of transparency. “BIM can generate good practices, but who will monitor the government’s performance?”
Source: http://www.obrasweb.mx/construccion/2018/01/22/la-tecnologia-bim-puede-ser-un-arma-anticorrupcion-para-mexico Like Share (0)