BIM & building simulation

Over the last three years the understanding, adoption and use of BIM has gained international momentum. Industry and Governments are starting to develop policy and resources needed to make this technology & process change be more effective. This year buildingSMART Australasia held conferences in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne responding to a Industry Innovation Council managed BIM Economic Study which shows that the adoption of this innovative digital technology can bring substantial benefits to the construction sector. MESH 2011 focussed on this challenge: if digital technology is so good as predicted how are we as the Built Environment sector going to make sure we ensure a national, whole of industry benefit? What are the blockages that we need to solve and other necessary actions to realise the improvements in sustainability, productivity, quality etc? In parallel, research groups - such as CIB, leading practitioners and Governments are envisaging new ways of simulating and measuring building performance based on multi-disciplinary building models, integrated with GIS based land and infrastructure data. buildingSMART Australasia is negotiating with the Commonwealth Government agency DIISR to develop a formal plan for the implementation of a National Initiative and support for the resources required to deliver this paradigm change successfully. A key priority area for the National Initiative is the development of BIM compatible Building Product Libraries that are needed to move from models that have good geometry to models that also have consistent properties about material, performance and configuration supporting the whole facility lifecycle.  A further complexity is the need to put in place global solutions, since business is already global, products are manufactured globally and we consequently need common standards. Some of these initiatives are in progress already while others will need to be established or encouraged. There has been overwhelming support from Australian Industry with over 70 persons across the country offering personal and organisational resources. Most projects today using BIM are exploiting the advantages of clash detection, which underpins lower risks to contractors and clients. But what about design optimisation, enhanced energy and sustainability performance and product quality?  This paper will elaborate the challenges to the industry in its increasing adoption of BIM and references the general simulation of building performance as examples.