BIM use cases

BIM use cases#

Advanced BIM isn’t about changing everything at once, but identifying specific use case then developing or editing OpenBIM tools and proceses to support that use case.

In this way we reduce the potential to overstretch and also provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate the potential business and societal value your tool could offer.

Furthermore by beign explicit about your use cases it provides an opportunity to make connections between the different tools you are using.

BIM Use Purposes#

  • Gather: Capture quantify, monitor and qualify.

  • Generate: Prescribe, arrange and size.

  • Analyse: Coordinate, Forecast and Validate.

  • Communicate: visualise, transform, draw and document.

  • Realise: Fabricate, assemble, control and regulate a project.

In this course we use the above categorisation from the Penn State use cases as defined by Penn State (Kreider, Ralph G. and Messner, John I. (2013). “The Uses of BIM: Classifying and Selecting BIM Uses”. Version 0.9, September, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. LINK)

However we are also keeping a close on on excitign developments with BuildingSmart’s use case management (UCM) tools.

Penn State defintitions#

cases. Use cases enable us to define what the BIM is for. Here a typology of BIM uses and use cases is defined to help us gain an understanding of what BIM is. All use cases have in common that they offer a service of guidance to another stakeholder in the building design team or the asset owner. This section is based on the ‘uses of BIM’ report from Penn State University. It provides a great overview of the uses or what also be described as the affordances of BIM. What BIM enables (affords) the user to be able to do. So they are different from use cases which talk about specific examples of problems that could be solved with by using BIM. This section discusses how we can use BIM to solve those problems. Both uses and use cases are provided in this booklet, but we start with BIM uses. The original document refers to this as the BIM Use Classification System and Structure. It describes a BIM use as

‘a method of applying Building Information Modelling during a facility’s lifecycle to achieve one or more specific objectives.’

Penn State BIM Characteristics#

BIM Use Characteristics are used to more precisely define the BIM Use beyond the purpose and objective alone. The characteristics to be defined, as shown in Table 3-1, include the facility element(s), facility phase(s), discipline(s), and level of development. Adding these characteristics move the BIM Use beyond answering “why” to a more distinct description which could be used in procurement efforts. Additionally, when BIM planning, a team can communicate to all the stake holders who, what, when, and to what degree the BIM Use will be implemented. Depending on the facility’s BIM utilization, it is possible to have multiple disciplines implement multiple BIM Use purposes during multiple phases on multiple facility elements to multiple levels of development. For example, Coordination Analysis can be implemented during design and construction by the designer and contractor to a level of development 300 and 400. Therefore creating two separate instances of a BIM Use.

Penn State BIM Facility Element (OmniClass focused)#

The system of the facility on which the BIM Use will be implemented. It is necessary to determine on which facility elements the BIM Use(s) will be executed. Based on OmniClass Table 21: Elements or other applicable element breakdown structures, the team can determine which facility elements are part of the BIM use. For example, the team may determine that it only necessary to develop a schedule visualization of the substructure and superstructure and not the systems of the facility. The top level of this table include:

  1. Substructure

  2. Shell

  3. Interiors

  4. Services

  5. Equipment and Furnishings

  6. Special Construction and Demolition, and

  7. Sitework

Penn State BIM Facility Phase#

The point in the facility’s lifecycle at which the BIM Use will be implemented.

Penn State BIM Discipline (Construction focused)#

The discipline is also synonymous with the responsible party for the BIM Use. OmniClass Table 33: Disciplines presents standard disciplines. These disciplines could also correspond with the various project roles. At a top level, the disciplines currently in this table include planning, design, investigation, project management, construction, facility use, and support. While the primary discipline may be identified, this does not preclude other disciplines from being responsible for part of the BIM Use. Additionally it is possible to have multiple disciplines responsible for the BIM Use. This would then make for separate BIM Uses.

Level of Development#

The degree of granularity to which the BIM Use will be implemented. For each of the BIM Uses, the level of development should be identified in order to maximize the benefit from the BIM Use. The Level of Development describes the level of detail / granularity to which a Model Element is developed. AIA / BIMForum has recently released a major revision to the level of development specification. This revision further specifies level of development for specific elements of the facility. Table 3-2 shows a description of the Level of Development definitions.