Technical Area | Articles

Life Cycle Analysis and sustainability
Bhushan notes that one of the main advantages of BIM, is that it has the capacity to capture detailed information, along with specifications of each asset like price, material and performance.

“Buiding Information Modeling helps us understand a building through a model twice: first digitally in the design phase and later physically. This means each part of the building can be optimized in various stages, which results in a greater whole life value of the building”, he says.

The information in a BIM model provides specifiers and builders with a whole new level of predictability, both in terms of costs and environmental impact.

“These details, that are incorporated in the model, allow the sustainability of the building’s design to be accurately forecasted and managed”, he says.

Bhushan also notes that BIM allows the owners to both predict and plan for the life of the building once it is built.

“The information in the model include things like lifecycle running costs and waste management. This allows the design team to compare the costs and environmental impact of various construction materials and products”, he says.

A competitive edge with digital products
Bhushan believes that even if manufacturers still don’t have to provide digital replicas in order to operate, the ones who don’t will soon be left behind.

“Manufacturers can perhaps do without being BIM compliant, but on the other hand, many of their contractors or designers do need to comply to be able to participate in building projects”, he says.

Bhushan observes that if design teams are well informed about product data and geometry, they are likely to use them within their projects. The same goes for construction teams involved in procurement, in other words the specifiers who make the purchase decisions.

“If it’s easy for them to find information about things like ’fire rating’ or ’U value’, it will also be easy for them to match the products against the requirements and provisions. This way, providing the digital replicas of products give manufacturers a competitive edge”, he says.

BIM in India – a growing industry
According to Bhushan, BIM in India is still largely in the initial phase, as compared to other countries who have already been implementing BIM for years.

“Most BIM users are in the real estate sector, with only a few in the infrastructure space. But BIM is really picking up in India, especially in the metro cities where the large-scale projects are being built.”

Bhushan notes that with primary benefits like increased coordination, improved visualization and a quicker construction cycle as main advantages, BIM is also increasingly being practiced by large organizations.

“Cities like Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, and Bangalore are leading in initiating and implementing this technology. Now we are waiting for the government to come up with some concrete suggestions and guidelines, like in other countries”, says Bhush