The Four Approaches to BIM

A good friend of mine by the name of Bruce McCallum who is the National Design Technology Manager for DIALOG recently shared with me this graph of the Four Approaches to BIM. 

Bruce is also a Revit Jedi...

He kindly gave me permission to share this graph with you... :-)
(Copyright DIALOG)



Here is the definition of each "Approach"

Lonely BIM
Singular Disciplines, not sharing the model outside.
Basically the Architect is using Revit to model to create the traditional drawings....

Shy BIM
Multiple disciplines involved sharing models only within the consultant group.

Friendly BIM
Sharing of the morel with the consultants, owner and contractors.However the model is not a contractual document.

Social BIM
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) contracts, the model is a contractual document.
Fill collaboration between owner, consultants, contractor and suppliers. BIM is used throughout the planning, design, construction and operation of the building.

Awesome stuff..... but how often do we see Friendly and Social BIM actually happening?
From what I see (here in BC Canada) it's gaining momentum... doesn't happen on a lot of projects but on the really big projects I see and hear about "Social" BIM. For the most part it's still "Shy" BIM and less frequently "Friendly" BIM.

And do you know why????
I believe it's because Social BIM still falls outside of the comfort zone of a lot of firms. The process is different and affects the traditional design process and contract agreements. Also (understandably) liability plays a huge role.

Standing outside your comfort zone is challenging for anyone....especially if your company is at stake... I'm just thankful that the company I work for is forward thinking and see's the benefits.

This doesn't mean that it happens all at once..., the wheels turn slowly (as they should) but at least they're heading in the right direction ;-)

I hope your wheels are turning and pointed in the right direction as well....

Sc