The following is an excerpt from End-To-End Collaboration Enabled by BIM Level 3: An Architecture, Engineering & Construction Industry Solution Based on Manufacturing Best Practices.
Click to tweet this article: “How Traditional AEC
Processes and BIM Level 2 Reinforce Silos”
Siloed Collaboration with BIM Level 2
Construction project contributors can be categorized into teams:
- Design Team: Architects, engineers, and special consultants
- Supply Team: Building product manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers
- Construction Team: General contractors, sub-contractors, and trades
- Operations Team: Owners, operators, and facility managers
Feedback loops, task management, design coordination, and other limited collaborative elements certainly exist within each team; however, the ambiguity, rework, and RFIs that persist between teams are symptomatic of broken collaboration across the extended project delivery team.
Research by the U.K. Construction Industry Council indicates the benefits sought by owners—reduced costs, increased value, increased sustainability—are not achievable by BIM Level 2 only.
The inherent handoffs and rework processes prevent integration among the teams and lock value within silos:
Traditional Design, Construction, and Operations Process
BIM Level 2 Benefits Are Locked in Silos
Collaboration on documentation and deliverables exists within each silo, but a lack of collaboration between teams causes errors, rework, RFIs, and inefficiencies.
