New technology gives boost to building planners

DURHAM – Sophisticated new software is changing the way construction projects in the Triangle are planned, saving builders and designers time and money. It is becoming the new standard for turning the virtual world into bricks and mortar for both public and private projects.

Called Building Information Modeling, or BIM, the software allows architects to input data into a computer to generate a 3D image of the building as the structure is designed.

Changes in the data are automatically applied to the entire structure, as everyone from the designer to the general contractor can make alterations and reap eventual benefits.

Because of potential benefits, the federal government now requires all new buildings to be designed with BIM software. BIM is also becoming more of a requirement when bidding for major projects in the Triangle, according to industry experts.

“We are being asked more and more in proposals for our use of the BIM technology,” says Keith Kelly, vice president of operations in the Durham office of Skanska USA Building.

Across the Triangle, more architecture and construction companies are making BIM a regular part of doing business.

“We have turned BIM into part of our culture,” says Michael Stevenson, design principal for the Raleigh office of KlingStubbins, an international design firm. “We started training two years ago, and now all of our projects are done in BIM.” While the software has been around in some form for years, it is now gaining widespread use in the architecture industry. Its potential is just starting to be recognized by designers, general contractors, subcontractors and the building’s owners.

California-based Autodesk, a manufacturer of BIM software, estimates that about 15 percent of firms nationwide are using BIM. It is generally regarded as the successor to computer-aided drafting (CAD), which over the past few decades has replaced hand drawing as the architect’s way of creating a building design.



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