Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/725835
www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation October 2016 19 ALL GRAPHICS PROVIDED BY KEYSOFT SOLUTIONS is unlikely to undertake a new investment in the production of a new vehicle without first creating and testing it in the virtual world. They need reassurance that parts can be supplied and assembled together, they perform to specification, that the body shape is streamlined for efficiency, the color and materials are appealing, and the car can be built at the right price to meet their requirements. This reduces the risk of uncertainty for the company before massive investment is undertaken. A similar approach has been adopted in manufacturing, aerospace, petro-chemical, and even the fashion world with the prototyping and testing of sports shoes. This process of building it in the virtual world before you build in the real world engenders a "get it right the first time" mentality. Being presented with the facts early in the process means you can make better decisions, test options, reduce errors, consider costs, and predict with more certainty. This enables stakeholders to be more certain that the project can be achieved, within the timeframe, and to the agreed budget. If this approach works for other industries, why would it not be of benefit to the landscape industry? BIM relies on a single source of the truth, that is, a data-rich model, often in 3D, from which you can generate many outputs and cost the project, from the earliest to the final stage and handover. By working in 3D from the outset, you can quickly create plan, elevation and 3D perspective views of your model. As it is a dynamic model, any change to a 3D element is instantly reflected in these views. Because it is a virtual model, you can add data to help describe the object, including links to images, product catalogs and manufacturers websites. As such, you and your client have the opportunity to interact with the design in real time, make changes, and quickly review the outcomes. There is a misconception that 3D is BIM. While 3D can help with the coordination and understanding of the design, if the 3D model does not offer productivity savings or provide answers, question why you are doing it. For instance, if tree roots are likely to impact on underground services around a building, modeling the root zone in 3D to avoid potential conflicts may be justified, but do you really need to produce a 3D model of the entire site to solve this? How will BIM affect me? The impact of BIM on you and your firm will depend on the nature of the work you undertake, the clients that engage you, and the business aspirations of the company. Given these factors, it may mean that you do not need to consider BIM for some time — or maybe not at all. For most, by providing a specialist service to the industry there is likely to come a time when you will be asked to engage with a BIM project, whether as part of the design team or as a specialist consultant. If and when that day comes, it would help to be prepared and to understand what is required of you. So, what is required of you to deliver BIM? Many countries, such as the United Kingdom, have sought to define this through government mandates. This has been supported by defining levels of BIM, and publishing standards to help reinforce this. Although this has created awareness, the most significant change has seen the "pull" from contractors, project managers, architects and engineers who seek to benefit from BIM in advance of these mandates. This is forcing landscape and irrigation firms to consider adopting BIM to ensure they retain their clients and not lose out to the competition. How do I prepare for BIM? When you start reading about BIM, you will see many acronyms. The first step in making BIM a much simpler process is to change the way we think about it. Much of the uncertainty and confusion about BIM is caused by thinking of it as a generic software model that apples in the same way to all businesses and all projects. For landscape designers, architects and contractors, what this means is that BIM requirements will differ according to each project, and it is only by sitting down and talking with your clients and design partners that you will find out what you need to be BIM compliant. Preparing for BIM means asking more questions. If a client asks if you do landscape, you would not say yes, and then go away to "do landscape." You would typically ask more questions about the project, the site, the client's requirements, the work you would need to undertake, and who is responsible for managing the project. When assessing this, you would assess what you are required to deliver, and how you are going to achieve this. So when you are asked if you can do BIM, the answer should be, "Yes, but can we agree what you mean by BIM?" Start your BIM discussion by understanding what is required of you, what you have to deliver, when you have to deliver this, and in what format This "wheel" showcases the possibilities with BIM.