To those of us familiar with Building Information Modelling (BIM), we recognise how it adds value in the successful management of an estate. It’s information to be actively used and updated. But not everyone thinks the same way. Some don’t even consider BIM until too late, long after the design consultants have been appointed, sometimes even after the original design work has been agreed. In doing so they effectively relegate BIM to not much more than a tick-box exercise, and the value it can bring is soon forgotten as it lies languishing in a metaphorical ‘digital dusty drawer’.

So, how do we stop this from happening? How do we persuade people to look at BIM differently? And how do we ensure BIM takes pride of place on the estate manager’s desk?

In some ways, the answer is simple: it’s about ensuring BIM is part of the planning process from the very beginning, and not re-engineered as an afterthought or paying lip-service to a supposed need. And when we strip everything back to its bare bones, it’s about delivering structured data that will enable the client to subsequently make better-informed decisions.

The food label analogy

Take the analogy of the food labels we see daily in supermarkets. Comparing one product against another, we may look at the traffic light data on the label regarding its salt and sugar content, calories, fats etc to decide which best suits our needs. This information is presented in a standard format that’s instantly recognisable and understood, making that process infinitely easier.

Now, translate this thought process to the built environment. If we understand the data that we’re trying to collect from the outset and present it in a standardised way which everyone understands, it ultimately enables better decisions to be made about how we manage our buildings’ assets.

If we take this logic further, asking the right questions from the beginning and understanding the client’s objectives is the secret to success. And these can be very specific. Is it important, for example, for the client to quickly and easily understand embodied carbon? Is data relating to static water assets important to address the risk of Legionella? Understanding the objectives and addressing the risks in advance affects the BIM outcome and is better achieved through early engagement than retrospectively or through a vanilla set of standards that aren’t specific to the client’s business.

A past case illustrates the point. Within a client’s estate they retrofitted new data cabling using the existing cable trays but had no record of the types of cables already installed. This meant that new began interfering with old, causing significant operational disruption. Engaging with the client at the early stages of the next project, we were able to understand these operational issues and provide clear cable tray labelling data within the 3D models. This is specific information that was valuable to the client, which they were delighted to receive, rather than screeds of data with no real purpose. This shows how simple the solution can be, and the time and costs that can be saved.

Understanding what adds value

To stop BIM ending up in the ‘digital dusty drawer’, we need to understand what adds value at the very start of a project. We need to know how to capture information that’s business critical to the client and present it in a way that can be easily understood and acted upon. Again, the answer is actually relatively straightforward. It’s about being consistent in how assets are classified and named, so that they can be understood across an entire estate. Their names should match, and the information shouldn’t be stored across multiple, disparate systems, but through a single, common data environment.

Looking at this, it’s easy to see why the data BIM provides can find itself left in a digital drawer gathering dust. But it needn’t be so, and it mustn’t be so.

Some are already doing this. For example, some public sector funding bodies require BIM and a dedicated client-side BIM manager as part of their funding criteria, therefore BIM is part of the discussion from the outset. This enables those all-important questions to be asked up front, ensuring the end data is useful and interesting to the client, so it avoids ending up in that dusty drawer. For the true value of BIM to be recognised, we need more clients and funding bodies to adopt this approach.

But the first step, is to pause and as part of the initial strategic phase of any project, ask ourselves what data we need to capture that will be of most value to the end-client in managing their estate safely and efficiently. This is ultimately what will send us down a road where BIM never gets dusty again.

By Trevor Strahan, Director, BIM, BakerHicks

Trevor is Director for BIM at BakerHicks, where he is focused on pushing forward modelling capability within the business, maximising use of BIM and delivering valuable datasets to clients to allow for more efficient facilities management.

A chartered architect, he has over 20 years’ industry experience as a project architect, design team leader and BIM Information Manager. He sits on the Morgan Sindall Group BIM Steering Group and heads up BakerHicks’ internal task force which is focused on driving forwards the use of technology, providing training across the business, and the company’s systems and protocols. His work has led to the development of a unique ISO 19650-2 certified BIM system and workflows to suit the BakerHicks multi-disciplinary design consultancy business and deliver real tangible results for clients, contractors and other design disciplines.

He presented at the 2024 Digital Construction Week event in London, where he discussed the value of BIM through early client engagement.