B3 - The Future of BIM

The future of BIM, like any technology is uncertain, any little change could lead to new ideas. In all however I think BIM will remain relevant and continue to be a standard well into the future. BIM is an idea, one which has only been possible to realize with current technology; it allows for simple visualization of otherwise complex data in a way that is easy to understand by everyone including those not involved in STEM fields in a way that old techniques like orthographic drawings can’t match. A BIM model has uses throughout a building’s life cycle: it serves as a powerful tool in design and construction planning facilitating integrated design by allowing multiple teams to work on the model and avoid redesign for clashes, during the building’s life the model could act as a baseline for how the building should operate and could form a basis for maintaining the building. From a legal standpoint it’s an exact model of the building and can be used to verify the exact design of the building if necessary. Going forward the model could be used to expedite new construction projects. There are still many potential opportunities to expand BIM and turn it into a much more powerful design tool: interoperability improvements will allow BIM to better interface with other programs and act as a central model for large complex projects, different methods of visualization such as AR and VR are becoming reality and could change the way BIM is used, robotics and AI technology may be able to use BIM as a starting point for distant future automation of construction, quantum computing could allow for significantly more advanced modeling. BIM is no different from any other technology, it’s continually changing, today there is a push towards visual programming, it’s quickly becoming the standard for design by architects and engineers alike; this helps to bring the AEC community closer together and facilitates an integrated design approach. Although the tools and the specific design of the BIM interface and approach may change, the idea is there and will continue to be, BIM isn’t going to go away, but it may look different in the future.

Comments:

Hanyan, I agree with you completely the application of AR and VR technology present new opportunities for BIM which haven’t been implemented yet. This advanced visualization technology will help all parties involved on a complex project better understand the design and should facilitate construction.

Aaron, I agree it will likely take more than 10 years to truly adopt and integrate BIM into project workflows. There’s a lot of potential for BIM, but it’s something that’s not actively taught in many programs; consider this class, it’s ultimately an elective (save for digital building concentration), there’s no direct teaching of how to use BIM until students get into industry. This slows down the overall adoption of BIM. As a personal example I walked out of high school already knowing the basics of CAD and BIM (Revit), but most in my freshman class hadn’t even learned anything about CAD and it wasn’t until AE 390 (a 4^th year class) that there was any specific assignment to learn the basics of Revit.

Gabe, I agree with you, the industry is still in a data gathering phase; even the programs used are still being developed, there are lingering interoperability issues with Revit, the mainstay of BIM programs. The industry isn’t ready for full implementation of data based design, like you said there is significant need for training in coding and understanding of how to work with code before this becomes reality. Considering Drexel as an example, it’s only this past year that the decision was made to teach freshman Python rather than MATLAB like we learned; the former is a marketable skill and has significant use and potential (Dynamo for example is based in Python), it presents a needed skill for the future considering changes expected in the AEC industry.