The state of the art in BIM design is
changing how we manage projects. But where does all that information
come from in your Building Information Model? What BIM can do for you
is only as good as the information it gives you. Remember the old
saying, “Garbage in. Garbage out.” Your model must be a true
representation of what will actually be constructed by tradesmen. In
plumbing, state of the art BIM ain't all that!
The standard package BIM software comes
with elbows and tees—fine if you are modeling small size pressure
pipe for water distribution, but that's not where you need it most.
As a plumbing contractor, what you need is a realistic sanitary
system for coordination and take-offs. That sewer line is worthless
with tees and nineties. As tradesmen we know there is a big
difference in the area a long radius sweep or a combination takes
than a quarter bend or a sanitary tee.
To design a true to life model that
represents field conditions in coordination and real world materials
for take-offs you need one of the guys who install plumbing systems
for a living—someone who knows what pipe and fittings those
tradesmen are going to use. An engineer may throw in a standard elbow
for the design drawings, and that works fine for a blueprint, but
your man in the field needs a sweep and you need to count the sweeps
and quarter bends separately on your take-off.
BIM can streamline your work and make
the whole job flow more efficient, but you need some work on the
front end to create a realistic model that will provide you and your
men accurate information. You need a plumber! Someone needs to sit
down with the model, check all the fittings, streamline the design,
and key in all the data for schedules so your take-offs represent
what your actually want to prefab or order. Then your tradesmen in
the field can use the model to make their job more efficient and make
you more money!
BIM is a fantastic tool for the
construction industry, that is why so many contractors are moving to
it. As a plumbing / piping contractor you need to make sure the
information you need is in there so it can work for you. I've been
told the plumbing/piping technology in the average BIM software is as
much as ten years behind the architectural/mechanical technology. It
is up to us to plug in that expertise that hasn't been programmed in
yet. Plumbing codes and practices are complicated. There is no
replacement for the experience of a plumber in pipe design.
You Need a Plumber!
