The roles and benefits of BIM in construction management

BIM in construction management fosters efficiency in the construction phase. Find out all about its benefits

If you are involved in the construction phase of a project and the management of its relating activities, you will certainly be wondering on how and wich software can take full advantage of the potential of BIM. In fact, it is always necessary to create a digital BIM information model to manage more efficiently and smoothly the construction phase. In this way, you will have all the necessary information to be able to address all the issues that may rise through specific construction management software and deliver your project successfully and on time too.

Let’s have a closer look at what role this methodology plays in the construction management phase and what benefits brings to the entire construction process.

What are the functions of BIM in construction management?

It is known that, the term BIM, acronym of Building Information Modeling, doesn’t refer to a software or a tool, but to a working methodology capable of returning a digital model’s geometry and containing all its life cycle’s phases information – from planning to demolition.

But how does this methodology fit into construction management?

In a construction management phase, the BIM methodology facilitates communication between the various professionals involved in the asset’s life cycle, thanks to its multidisciplinary and interoperable nature. This collaborative and communicative process helps to efficiently monitor and manage the various project activities.

To better understand the role of BIM in the construction management phase, we need to remember that this methodology can be applied from the planning phase allowing you not only to virtually reproduce the model itself but also to carry out interference control, evaluate the economic and energy aspects supporting the construction site management phase. At the construction stage, BIM provides construction manager with an informative project that can be used in specific construction management software.

Thanks to the BIM model, during the construction management phase it will therefore be possible to:

• monitor the various construction activities;
• track the progress of works on site;
• identify and manage any issues;
• produce documents and change them;
• communicate in an interoperable way with the various professionals in the industry;
• save time and costs.

Functions of BIM in Construction management

What are the advantages of BIM in construction management?

It is now easy to imagine how BIM applications entails a series of benefits in the construction management phase. Let’s explore them together:

1. verification of the constructive feasibility of a project: especially when we are involved with a complex project, BIM allows us to evaluate a priori the feasibility of design choices. Thanks to the BIM methodology’s application it is possible to envisage different project scenarios, proceed with the federation of models and with BIM clash detection, plan the construction site phases, etc.
2. improved financial project estimate: a BIM model also contains all the information about facilities and materials – performance, type, quantity, etc. Thanks to this information it will be easy to make an accurate estimate of project costs;
3. planning of construction activity: Another key advantage of BIM for construction management is the ability to digitally plan and simulate the succession of various construction activities. The possibility of simulating construction process’ various scenarios  allows to select the most efficient both from the point of view of time and costs, always taking into account also the risks associated with the various activities and safety on site. BIM, therefore, greatly increases the productivity of this phase and provides the perfect basis for a Lean Construction.
4. support for prefabrication and off-site construction: construction techniques change and advance over time, adapting to design needs. Especially for large works or public projects, the use of prefabricated and modular elements that reduce construction times and material waste is increasingly taking hold. Having the as-built model of the work to be carried out is an essential source of information also for the realization of these modular construction sections;
5. better process for completing and bringing the project to the next phase: during the construction phase the BIM model is updated with any changes made during the process. In this way, when the construction phase is completed, it will be easy to extract any drawings or documents on a virtual and updated model that will be delivered to the professionals of the subsequent management and maintenance phases on which to plan the Operation&Maintenance activities.

What is the future of BIM in construction management?

BIM is gradually becoming AECO sector’s reference. If until some time ago there were still few professionals who implemented BIM it in their project workflow, today, BIM thanks to the gradual mandatory nature of public projects is becoming an increasingly widespread methodology in design.

The same applies to BIM applied to the construction management phase. Although the scenarios in which this methodology is applied to the construction phase are still few and limited to large public works, its advantages are becoming increasingly evident.

A BIM approach to the construction management phase guarantees a reduction in construction costs, better efficiency and accuracy for projects and an overall higher final product’s quality. At this point, you just have to try a construction management software to manage the construction phase efficiently and smoothly!