11/23/09
By Allyson Wendt
This article originally appeared on BuildingGreen.com
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) began using building information modeling (BIM) in 2003; by 2007, the agency was requiring basic models for all projects and encouraging more complex models incorporating energy performance and construction scheduling. Now, both Wisconsin and Texas have adopted BIM programs for state construction projects, and other states are considering similar programs.
For GSA and state governments, BIM offers not only a way to get project teams on the same page but also a way to track energy performance, renovations, and other changes over a building’s life.
In Wisconsin, the state began exploring BIM after an executive order signed by the governor in 2006 required all state buildings to conform to high environmental and energy-efficiency standards. In July 2009, after a 13-project pilot program, the state became the first to require advanced models for all state projects with budgets over $5 million and new construction projects over $2.5 million. The state requires building information models from several members of a project team, including architects and structural, mechanical, and plumbing engineers. It does not, however, require the team to work on a single model or even in a particular modeling software—the state accepts models created in five software packages...
...TFC has created a template that allows teams to create a model conforming to the state’s standards with all team members working in that same model. Tisdel says the model will be stored on a state server that project teams can access, and will ensure that all models will be made in the same software—Autodesk’s Revit. Tisdel notes that the agency chose Autodesk products because the majority of firms it works with already have the software, thus lowering upfront costs for complying with the new requirements. If TFC had allowed multiple software packages, he says, “forty years down the road you’d be looking at multiple building models on multiple platforms, and that’s a nightmare.... Continue reading the article...
Wow... I have read thousands of articles similar in the past year, but none actually mentioned Revit. Usually, they mention BIM and BIM software (given the fact that Revit is not the only software that can create a building information model). Very interesting...
