...to the steel fabricator two to three weeks before the architectural drawings and paper drawings” generated from the BIM, says Steve W. Hofmeister, a vice president in TT’s Kansas City, Mo., office.

Differences between the BIM and 2D drawings are dealt with as change orders. That’s risky, which is why TT spent six months writing a set of agreements that lay out responsibilities contractually.

For the mechanical-electrical-plumbing engineer, BIM potential also is great. For MEPs using sophisticated software for analysis of natural and artificial lighting, solar loading, energy modeling, heat load studies, sustainability studies and more, the ability to import an accurate architectural and structural database to perform accurate and reiterative modeling in short time frames will provide the owner and architect with accurate alternatives during the important early conceptual stage of design.

But for MEP BIM, the capabilities of current, popular software packages are limited. That prevents real exchange of the model between design disciplines and, at present, the creation of a true BIM, says John V. Magliano, chairman and chief executive of Syska Hennessy Group Inc., New York City.

The BIM transition may be more strenuous for designers than constructors, but those “who fail to embrace this technology will be left behind in ten years,” warns Schwinger.

Sequence Constructors find models useful for sequencing the building’s construction. (Graphic courtesy of Holder Construction Company)

Changing to BIM is not free or easy.  “Even after 12 BIM projects we find that each project is a pilot project,” says Jeff Millett, director of information and communications technologies for The Stubbins Associates, an architect in Cambridge, Mass.

For architects, Millett recommends 40 hours of BIM training followed by 40 hours of nonbillable BIM practice on a real project. “After that their time becomes billable,” he says.

Chuck Whitaker, a vice president of structural engineer John A. Martin & Associates Inc., Los Angeles, says the initial investment in BIM equipment and software along with training could be more than $50,000, depending on the type of software, the size of the job and the number of people trained.

BIM projects are supposed to be less expensive for the owner because there is less coordination and fewer requests for information and change orders. But conventional compensation for designers currently lacks financial incentives to implement a BIM process. The design profes-

sion is still figuring out how to clearly define the added value of BIM within current contracts, says Matthew Jogan, an architect with H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC, New York City. In the long term, there is opportunity for architects to structure contracts to be compensated for added risk involved with building directly from a building information model, he says.

Jud Marquardt, founding partner of Seattle-based LMN Architects, says track records that prove the benefits of BIM are needed to rationalize more fees. “We haven’t been paid more yet for BIM, but clients are open to it,” he says.

“We have been asked to provide, without compensation or any kind of indemnification, documentation that exceeds our contractual obligation and scope,” says Lee W. Slade, executive director of structural engineering at Walter P Moore, Houston. This is a contractual and risk-management challenge that is “fairly easily surmountable” if the owner, architect and builder understand the issues and are willing to participate in a reasonable negotiation, he says.

Logistics. Contractors add construction tasks to design models. (Graphic courtesy of Holder Construction Company)

Rick McElvain, BIM manager for full-service engineer Arnold and O’Sheridan, Inc., Brookfield, Wis., thinks the issue of BIM and liability “needs attention” but sees no clear cut ways to handle it. “The legal, contractual and liability issues surrounding the BIM process remain huge, he says. But so are the current risks and costs of designs that may not be as fully developed as they would be with better tools or miscoordinated documents.

BIM seems to be a no-brainer for constructors. “The real benefit of digital design data is on the built side of the equation for there is much more at stake financially,” says Merchant. Contractors and subcontractors have the most to gain and the capital to invest to find ways to capitalize on BIM, he adds.

Some think full design-BIM is overrated. BIM should only be used if it provides “tangible benefit” to a client, says Lanny A. Flynn, manager of health care operations for structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle. It is most beneficial for odd geometry and for a complex interface of structure, architecture and MEP systems. “What real value is the client going to achieve by having designers model in every shear stud for a composite beam?” asks Flynn.

One developer agrees. “We recognize projects have different needs and unique pain points and it is important to prioritize efforts,” says Bob Sanna, director of construction and design development for Forest City Ratner, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Will a BIM ever replace 2D construction documents? It certainly has the potential, say many. Others think that 2D drawings, even if generated from a BIM, will always enhance the understanding of the model, especially in the field.

Some users think the software is being oversold. “The adoption of technology has a long way to go,” says H3’s Jogan.

H3 should know. The firm is designing one of GSA’s BIM pilot projects—a $90-million federal courthouse in Jackson, Mich., currently halfway through the construction document phase. “The BIM pilot is a constant challenge that began with the adoption of new software tools” by the consultants, says Jogan. “So far the experience has been both positive and negative.”

Once the industry addresses the contract and process issues related to collaborative, BIM-based construction, there may still be limits to full-BIM, if the software is not interoperable, says Mark Holland, chief engineer for fabricator Paxton & Vierling Steel Co., Omaha. “Until we can move data from one application to the next, we will always only have a partial solution to what promises to be the biggest improvement to construction since the tower crane,” he says.