BIM4Housing Working Groups Identify Key Issues and Solutions
The residential construction industry has experienced many challenges over the years, including poor-quality building standards, high levels of wastage, and a lack of transparency across the construction process. To address these issues, BIM4Housing was formed to facilitate collaboration among the various stakeholders and promote the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology in residential construction.
BIM4Housing is a collaboration between over 100 experts from different disciplines in the residential construction industry. They have formed specialist working groups that identify the issues affecting their specific discipline. These issues are then passed through to workstreams for analysis and solutions. This approach creates an environment where experts can share their ideas with other experts and develop solutions that benefit everyone.
In most cases, individuals who are passionate about change know what needs to be done to improve things, but they cannot achieve that within their own “silo”. The BIM4Housing working groups provide a platform for these experts to share their ideas and collaborate with others in the industry.
BIM4Housing also hosts events and participates in independent industry events, some of which are brought under their umbrella. An example of such an event is the upcoming Digital Construction Week (DCW) 2022, where BIM4Housing is hosting five Round Table workshops to discuss what information should be included in the Digital Record for the Golden Thread.
Given that most fire-related deaths result from smoke inhalation rather than burns, the working groups will discuss which asset types form a smoke control system and what needs to be done to ensure each asset is installed, commissioned and maintained correctly. A specific asset type, a fire door, will be taken as an example, and cross-disciplinary delegates from different working groups will discuss what information is essential, how they will receive it, what they will do with it, and who they will share it with.
The BIM4Housing Working Groups consist of the Owner/Developer, Design, Construction, Manufacturing, and Operations groups. Each group focuses on their specific area of expertise and works to identify the challenges and opportunities within their discipline.
The Owner/Developer working group focuses on identifying the challenges faced by residential landlords and exploring ways to provide better information to help them. In November 2018, BIM4Housing held their first workshop on “Reducing Risk and Improving Outcomes with BIM,” where 100 experts in residential development shared their experiences and discussed how things could be improved. The second workshop was held in November 2019 and looked at the state-of-play in the BIM journey, the challenges that lie ahead, and how to overcome them.
The Design working group focuses on BIM compliant procurement and greater client input at the design stage. They work to ensure that BIM is used to its full potential during the design phase of residential construction projects.
The Construction working group focuses on challenges faced during construction and works to promote the adoption of BIM technology on-site. They also work to ensure that BIM is used throughout the construction process to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and improve quality.
The Manufacturing working group focuses on identifying challenges in the manufacturing of residential construction products and explores ways to improve quality, reduce waste, and increase efficiency. They also work to ensure that manufacturers adopt BIM technology to improve the manufacturing process.
The Operations working group focuses on identifying challenges faced during the maintenance of residential properties and explores ways to improve maintenance procedures. They work to ensure that BIM technology is used to its full potential during the maintenance process.
BIM4Housing is a collaboration between people who want to transform the way residential properties are designed, delivered, and maintained. The core objective is to reduce the risk of designers specifying products that are swapped during “value engineering” with inadequate change control and to promote the use of BIM technology to improve the overall quality and efficiency of the residential construction industry. By bringing together experts from different disciplines, BIM4Housing is able to identify key issues and work together to find solutions that benefit everyone.
One key issue that the BIM4Housing working groups have identified is the need for greater collaboration and information sharing across the construction process. Many problems arise due to a lack of transparency and communication between different stakeholders, and BIM technology can help to address these issues by providing a shared platform for collaboration and information exchange.
Another issue that the working groups have identified is the need for better quality control and assurance across the construction process. BIM technology can help to improve quality control by enabling the use of digital tools to identify errors and inconsistencies before they become costly problems.
Overall, the BIM4Housing working groups are working to drive innovation and change in the residential construction industry. By identifying key issues and working together to find solutions, they are helping to create a more efficient, sustainable, and high-quality built environment for everyone.