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ex-BIM Engineer here. Can confirm that major construction companies are not adopting new technologies as quickly as they should be. These companies run on lega

ex-BIM Engineer here. Can confirm that major construction companies are not adopting new technologies as quickly as they should be. These companies run on legacy networks, so I can tell first hand - developing your own software tools is only possible at private companies. Any of the major public companies have such old networks that no engineer can innovate. Suffolk Construction in Boston is a great example of the future of the industry.

jmcmahon443 11y ago
I am also very hopeful for organizations like AEC Hackathon, which goes around the world trying to get people to adopt stuff like drones to scan 3D as-builts.
petra 11y ago
How much savings can be had from optimal use of BIM ? and why aren't we seeing new companies start to operate to reap/share those savings ?
- jmcmahon443 11y ago
  It's tough to say for sure, it depends heavily on the project and the company and people building it. My estimate though is that proper use of BIM (not just design & engineering, but also accounting and time management... 5D) would save anywhere between 40-70% on their projects. So, why isn't it happening? Because the construction industry is always the last industry to adopt new technologies. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the mentality. Also, if you're 40-65 years old and been building forever, it's not so fun to listen to 25-30 year olds tell you what's what. But that's what needs to happen. The older guys in firms don't listen (the ones that do save a bunch of money...), and so the young talented people leave for better industries like software engineering, where they are actually respected and valued. We are started to see SOME private companies, like Suffolk, really adopting new stuff. The big guys like Turner and AECOM are trying to adopt, but like I said earlier, their technology infrastructure is a JOKE! Try writing BIM automation scripts when your network admin won't even let you have root access. What a sad, sad joke it is.
  - jmcmahon443 11y ago
    I should add - BIM automation is HUGE market opportunity right now. For example, if the architect can design the building, then the engineering optimization is automated (plumbing is well-understood...), and the accounting, BOMs, and fabrication documentation are all automated. This idea removes the time-consuming and pointless conversations between architects, engineers, and the construction team. This is the potential of BIM that I see.
  - petra 11y ago
    Am i understanding this right: i can build a building in half the price if i use BIM ? Because if that's true, who cares about old companies - start a new company ,raise money(there's plenty for good opportunities ), train some people, and start offering everybody 30%-40% discount on their building. You'd kill the market and make ton of money , right ?
    - troisx 11y ago
      Then try to get a bid approved as a newcomer. With all of the language in the bids, you'll never get a contract unless you've done a lot of these over cost, underperforming jobs and greased enough hands along the way. If you ever want to get a good dose of anger, read some government requests for bids. They're totally geared towards existing large companies.
      - jessaustin 11y ago
        I thought GP was speaking about the construction industry in general, not just government work?
      - jmcmahon443 11y ago
        This is very true. Which is why I think this sort of BIM automation needs to spawn from a large AEC company, or from a startup partnered with a large company. We are basically talking about applying AI cost functions to the AEC industry (optimize design, time, cost).
    - jmcmahon443 11y ago

jmcmahon443 11y ago

I am also very hopeful for organizations like AEC Hackathon, which goes around the world trying to get people to adopt stuff like drones to scan 3D as-builts.

petra 11y ago

How much savings can be had from optimal use of BIM ? and why aren't we seeing new companies start to operate to reap/share those savings ?

jmcmahon443 11y ago
It's tough to say for sure, it depends heavily on the project and the company and people building it. My estimate though is that proper use of BIM (not just design & engineering, but also accounting and time management... 5D) would save anywhere between 40-70% on their projects. So, why isn't it happening? Because the construction industry is always the last industry to adopt new technologies. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the mentality. Also, if you're 40-65 years old and been building forever, it's not so fun to listen to 25-30 year olds tell you what's what. But that's what needs to happen. The older guys in firms don't listen (the ones that do save a bunch of money...), and so the young talented people leave for better industries like software engineering, where they are actually respected and valued. We are started to see SOME private companies, like Suffolk, really adopting new stuff. The big guys like Turner and AECOM are trying to adopt, but like I said earlier, their technology infrastructure is a JOKE! Try writing BIM automation scripts when your network admin won't even let you have root access. What a sad, sad joke it is.
- jmcmahon443 11y ago
  I should add - BIM automation is HUGE market opportunity right now. For example, if the architect can design the building, then the engineering optimization is automated (plumbing is well-understood...), and the accounting, BOMs, and fabrication documentation are all automated. This idea removes the time-consuming and pointless conversations between architects, engineers, and the construction team. This is the potential of BIM that I see.
- petra 11y ago
  Am i understanding this right: i can build a building in half the price if i use BIM ? Because if that's true, who cares about old companies - start a new company ,raise money(there's plenty for good opportunities ), train some people, and start offering everybody 30%-40% discount on their building. You'd kill the market and make ton of money , right ?
  - troisx 11y ago
    Then try to get a bid approved as a newcomer. With all of the language in the bids, you'll never get a contract unless you've done a lot of these over cost, underperforming jobs and greased enough hands along the way. If you ever want to get a good dose of anger, read some government requests for bids. They're totally geared towards existing large companies.
    - jessaustin 11y ago
      I thought GP was speaking about the construction industry in general, not just government work?
    - jmcmahon443 11y ago
      This is very true. Which is why I think this sort of BIM automation needs to spawn from a large AEC company, or from a startup partnered with a large company. We are basically talking about applying AI cost functions to the AEC industry (optimize design, time, cost).
  - jmcmahon443 11y ago