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President's Message — Building
Information Modeling: A Catalyst for Change
AGC brings contractors' perspectives
to emerging design and construction technology
By AGC President Harry Mashburn
Building information modeling is not
a thing of the future; it is the here and now. It is changing
the face of our industry. It is making collaboration the top
priority in execution of a project to ensure that everyone
on the team-from the architect to the general contractor and
the specialty contractor to the supplier-is working from a
real-time, living model of the project. It allows us as contractors
to use technological innovation to realize owners' demands
for optimized results-time and cost savings-that is driving
change in our industry.
In fact, at AGC's 87th Annual Convention
in Palm Springs, Calif., the AGC Building Division focused
on these hot issues facing the industry, including BIM, alternative
project delivery systems, high-level collaboration and construction
productivity.
We had an impressive panel presentation
and discussion on BIM from AGC members Neil Quenon of Barton
Malow Co. (Detroit) and Dave Sandlin, formerly of M.A. Mortenson
(Denver) and owners Tom Brady of Lucasfilm (San Francisco)
and Chris Holm of Walt Disney Imagineering (Glendale, Calif.).
They shared their expertise about the benefits and challenges
of this new way of doing the business of design and construction.
AGC's Private Industry Advisory Council
also has an active work group looking at issues related to
the process of BIM. The BIM work group has four primary objectives,
which include identification of stakeholder responsibilities,
dispelling the myths of BIM, developing a guide to adoption
of the process and leveraging the network of groups and individual
companies leading the industry in BIM adoption.
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| A composite 3-D model of the patient
tower of the Providence Park Hospital project in Novi,
Mich., a joint project by AGC member Barton Malow (Southfield,
Mich.) and White JV (Detroit, Mich.). |
We continue our strong partnership with
the American Institute of Architects through the division's
AIA-AGC Joint Committee. AGC and AIA worked collaboratively
on a successful summit held in early May that aimed to advance
the issues related to collaboration, integration and BIM.
This effort will build on work already being done by the Construction
Users Roundtable with the support of AGC and AIA related to
revolutionizing business practices, roles and relationships,
collaboration and open sharing of information.
How does this affect the average building
contractor? This is a new level of collaboration, utilizing
technology to its fullest. It enhances the means and methods
toward productivity improvement. It means that your association
is once again taking its leadership role seriously to position
contractors as professional service providers offering an
impressive value chain to owners and other construction project
stakeholders.
We must continue to lead by example.
By embracing the BIM process and new technologies, we are
able to provide valuable preconstruction services and other
needed input to the owner before construction begins, taking
collaboration to the next level, whether it is with suppliers,
specialty and subcontractors, design professionals or the
owners themselves. Owners want solutions, and AGC's contractor
members are in the best position to provide results across
the spectrum.
We need help from members, large and
small, to make this new construction paradigm a reality. We
need activists to work on BIM, interoperability, collaboration
and other issues related to these new frontiers. We need the
general membership to embrace the same philosophy and excitement
that AGC and the Building Division have about the future.
This summer, our unique Building Division
meetings in Colorado Springs will bring together AGC general
building contractors, private owners, design professionals,
specialty contractors and service and supply firms. This is
where we will map out the future of these issues. How can
we best collaborate? What do our members need to know about
BIM? Can we make interoperability a reality?
Your participation and input on these
important issues will make it easier to answer these questions,
will provide solutions that owners look to AGC for, and will
continue to make AGC contractors the owners' advantage.
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