Summary: |
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) may require the submission of an IFC based Building Information Model (BIM) at the end of schematic design in the foreseeable future. The driving force behind this possible requirement is GSA need to obtain much more frequent and reliable cost and energy performance estimates from building design projects they fund. This, and similar initiatives that may be forthcoming in the U.S. and elsewhere, will force architectural and engineering firms to use model based CAD software in their work. Cost estimating and building energy performance simulation and analysis, done with interoperable software tools, will draw some of the data needed for its work directly from a BIM. Direct import and reuse of building data will inevitably cause process change in practice. Some design decisions will have to be made (much) earlier in the design process: greater emphasis will have to be given to multi-disciplinary work earlier in a project. A need for new skills will arise in practice. A ""new generation"" of software tools will be deployed and project staffs will have to learn how to use them competently and effectively."" |