In the past, most BIM research has focused on use by designers and general contractors, but studies have also shown that to gain the great- est benefit from the use of BIM, all key members of the project team, including the major trades, need to utilize the model. To help fill the gap and better understand BIM use across the project team, Dodge Data & Analytics, in partnership with MCAA and Pinnacle Infotech, and with additional support from Autodesk, AMCA, and Innovative Construction Technology, has conducted a major study of the use of BIM by mechanical and HVAC contractors. This study, published in The Business Value of BIM for Mechanical and HVAC Construction SmartMarket Report, reveals that mechanical contractors are enthu- siastic users of BIM who have experienced many benefits from their engagement with it. High Level of BIM Engagement The study consisted of an online survey of 135 mechanical and HVAC contractors, of which 122 reported that they use BIM. In fact, 95 percent report that they are responsible for producing a model of the work they will be installing on at least some of their projects, and 65 percent state that they do so on half or more projects. And among those who are responsible for producing a model, 90 percent use their own internal resources rather than an external third party to produce those models on at least some projects, and the Mechanical Contractors Reap the Benefits of Using BIM By Donna Laquidara-Carr, Ph.D., LEED AP and Sean McGuire
72 percent of mechanical contractors also use the model for special coordination, and 61 percent for constructability evaluation on half or more of their projects. Size of company is still an important differen- tiator for level of use of these practices as well, especially for spatial coordination, where 82 percent of those with revenues of $100 million or more doing so on 50 percent or more of their projects, compared with just 38 percent of those with revenues of less than $10 million. However, there are types of analysis that are still emerging for these contractors, with quantity take-offs for estimating and construction se- quencing currently used by less than half of contractors on 50 percent or more projects. One of the emerging areas with the biggest potential that the study revealed is the use of BIM for estimating. Currently, less than 10 percent of the contractors do so on 50 percent or more of their projects, and fewer than half have any experience with this. These findings reveal that, despite their relatively advanced use of BIM, me- chanical and HVAC contractors are still going to be able to gain even Many mechanical and HVAC contractors first started using 3D model- ing in the 1990s to support their prefabrication efforts, and the study reveals that 87 percent of the participants are using BIM for prefabrica- tion of at least some assemblies, with 46 percent using it for 50 percent or more of them. BIM for fabrication is widely adopted because most contractors are experiencing benefits from its use. In fact, over three quarters report that using BIM for fabrication improves six major ben- more value from BIM in the future. Use of BIM for Prefabrication
vast majority do so on half or more of them. Use of the Model for Analysis and Onsite Mechanical and HVAC contractors are also highly engaged with using the model for analysis. Not surpris- ingly, the top use of the model is for shop drawings, with 78 percent of the mechanical contractors reporting that this occurs on over half of their projects. However, size of company is influential in how commonly this occurs, with over 80 percent of contractors with annual revenues of more than $50 million using the model for shop draw- ings on over half of their projects, compared with just 54 percent of those with revenues of less than $10 million. Over half (51 percent) of the contractors using BIM for shop drawings believe that they produce those shop draw- ings faster because they use BIM, although it is notable that nearly one quarter (24 percent) believe BIM slows the development of shop drawings. Still, among those who report that it is faster, the vast majority (89 percent) believe it speeds up the process by 5 percent or more.
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may 2020
csengineermag.com
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