Hearing catch phrases like ROI or Life Cycle has limited use if the design and building management opportunities do not coincide. Design costs are ~2% of the 30 year cost of a building, 2016, Whole Building Design Guide. Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). Facility management assets and maintenance are typically the 2nd highest cost to a building, behind staff. The ability for Owners to capitalize on building data is here now and accessible, if you look in the right locations and ask the right questions. Over the past few years, we have had the privilege to speak at national conventions regarding technology and BIM utilization in the industry for better results. Our firm is driven to address these issues on the front end with Clients. BIM utilization can be addressed before, during or after a project; what we are saying is, it can be done during routine maintenance and does not have to coexist with a building project.
It is a tough sale though, as the new car smell of the catch-phrase ‘we use BIM…’ has worn off on the industry and can be quite a big bite to take on. And if you are an end-user and you’re looking for an answer regarding exact savings, look no further because there isn’t one. Why? Because every Client, end user, project, team, assets, etc. are unique and different in its approach. On top of that, you cannot run the same project twice, one with BIM and one without to gauge savings. However, “…84% agree (or strongly agree) that BIM has the potential to deliver significant added value to FM and most people agree that BIM should help to improve data transfer into CAFM systems.” and “72% disagree that BIM is only for new builds.” Issue Five, BIM Journal. There are solutions out there and people that can achieve them. That is why we are flexible and confident in our approach early-on, we believe in starting small, with BIG picture thinking, and aligning necessary outcomes.
Our approach has a greater tendency to lend more efficient and better results. We have collaborated with other future thinkers across the industry, from Owners and Users to Contractors, discussing best practice and potential scenarios / outcomes for building management across ALL phases of its use.
Our team enjoys clumsy…wait, did I say that right? Yes, we enjoy clumsy. Clumsy can lead to the best questions and solutions. We also enjoy the problem-solving aspect of integrated technologies and absolutely see the benefit in utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) geared toward to the downstream end users, we have seen it first-hand! Those who have entered this journey early are beginning to see the benefits; positioning their building for future success and SUCCESS NOW. Our team is encouraged to push limits and lead on this topic from our point of view in the industry, which from the Architectural view, we see and have experienced potential savings across all parties involved. Our goal is to continue to drive beneficial outcomes to our Clients at any scale project. Takeaways are start early, start small, stay engaged and flexible.