BIM... Working without the full picture

by Robert Jackson
Associate, Bond Bryan Architects

Rob Jackson, Associate at Bond Bryan Architects, discusses the importance of interoperability and communication when it comes to BIM.

I recently 'tweeted' a comment I made on an article on the NBS website. One point stood out in the article; it was an opinion piece, and of course everyone has the right to an opinion, but readers also have the right to reply. Although in truth I felt a bit guilty for picking up the writer on one point in an otherwise good article about Building Information Modelling (BIM), in my opinion the particular point was not strictly correct. The comment was designed to inform rather than criticise.

My comment was somewhat born out of 18 months of trying to dispel a number of myths that seem to be perpetuated at various seminars and in certain blogs, articles, etc. on the subject of BIM, so here I am writing my first opinion piece on the subject.

At the moment, most of us don't really have a full picture of what can and can't be achieved by BIM. No one individual or company has the whole picture, and in truth probably never will do, although we should all strive for wider knowledge. We are all parts of a big process that is ultimately aimed at providing better buildings for clients.

We talk about what we know, and this is often informed by our own experiences of using our preferred software or from our own particular point of view, coupled with information we have either read or heard at one of the many BIM seminars that have been created to educate the masses. I have been to my fair share of these events and 99% of the content is useful and interesting. What I have learnt is that you also need to be aware that some of the things that are said or printed aren't strictly true. They may be true if you are using a particular piece of software. The writer or speaker may believe them to be true given what they know and may make these statements with no intention to mislead or (worse) wish to perpetuate the myth for a particular benefit, i.e. to sell a piece of software.

There are plenty of myths about BIM and there are plenty of articles dispelling them. I could list many BIM 'facts' that aren't true and probably tell you why (although, in truth, I do like a good argument). I try to think of myself as understanding BIM and its many benefits, not just understanding what can or can't be done with a particular piece of software.

There are still relatively few leaders in BIM in the UK. We are all learning, even those who could be called 'experts'. By being an expert, people have to educate others but they also have a professional duty to care about what is put out to the wider audience. It's sometimes too easy to take a sweeping statement that isn't strictly correct and let people absorb it as a truth. I personally think I have a reasonable base knowledge about BIM but I certainly would not consider myself an expert. I have been asked to speak at a numbers of events over the coming months, and need to carefully consider the content, including the finer points.

To give you an example, I went to a seminar last year where a speaker stood up and said they would only work with people using one particular piece of software. Now, I knew at the time that the company he worked for used a variety of software solutions within their own organisation. He of course wanted others to only to have to use one particular piece of software as it was his preferred solution but he didn't state that this was a personal preference rather than company policy. I didn't say anything at the time but there were probably plenty of people in the room who returned to their offices with the message clearly ringing in their ears that they should use that piece of software if they weren't already. I went home thinking that it was wrong and vowed to question speakers if I thought they were wrong, given my own knowledge. Of course, my questioning might have also been based upon an incorrect fact I had heard or read. Only by talking can we hope to get to the truth and move forward with BIM.

Of course I could be seen to be suggesting that no one should speak for fear of stating an incorrect fact. Software vendors clearly have a fixed agenda: you should always look beyond the hype. It still amazes me how many people buy software without at least testing it first. Would you buy a car without taking it for a spin or without comparing it to other similar cars?

The 'experts' however should try and give others the bigger picture with a more balanced view. I'm not saying you can't talk about the type of software that you use or even talk about the good points of that software. What I am saying is that if you are speaking or writing on a public stage then you should put the points in context. I also think that if you claim to be a BIM expert then you should talk about BIM, not just the software that you use. If you think BIM is one piece of software and you only want to talk about one piece of software then you aren't really a BIM expert, more of a software specialist in the context of BIM.

So how do we get the full picture? How do we all become experts and return to what we really want to do (in my case, actually being an architect)? Well in truth, we need to talk to each other, as I stated earlier. BIM is about collaboration and we need to share not only our expertise and all the brilliant things that BIM can offer but we also need to educate each other. We need to approach collaboration with an open mind, to disprove the myths and work towards finding solutions that work for us all. There are plenty of issues to work through and plenty of barriers to the perfect BIM workflow. This doesn't mean that BIM is flawed: more that it still needs a little refinement. I have disproved a number of myths recently by demonstrating how a particular point is not in fact true.

Dispelling a myth, proving something possible, finding a solution or even being proved wrong all increase our collective knowledge of BIM. One day we may have BIM experts who understand more of the whole picture rather than just a piece of it. In the meantime, let’s keep talking!

February 2012

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