Driving BIM adoption through innovative partnership - Modena AEC and Infrastructure - Architecture | Engineering

Driving BIM adoption through innovative partnership.

Building information modelling (BIM) has become the new gold standard in building design, construction and maintenance. As with all new technologies, adoption is taking place at varying rates, with many different factors at play. In this second article in our series about BIM adoption in architecture, we speak to Rob Thane of LYT Architecture and Jay Moolman of Modena AEC about how they have successfully implemented the use of BIM technology using a team approach, and what trends are driving the need for the rest of the industry do the same.

Interviewed by Tony Korsten Written by Claire Cole

Having an advanced BIM capability within its office has meant that LYT been able to streamline its own processes for optimal efficiency…

In conversation with Rob Thane and Jay Moolman

LYT Architecture is a well-established architecture and interiors practice in South Africa, having worked both locally and internationally. Modena AEC provides software solutions, training and advice for the built environment professions, amongst others. The two organisations have been working closely together over many years on advancing the roll-out of Revit and BIMenabling software across operations at LYT Architecture. Having an advanced BIM capability within its office has meant that LYT been able to streamline its own processes for optimal efficiency, positioning it well to work with firms around the globe – but it hasn’t been a simple process.

Overcoming hesitancy about the ‘new’

Rob started at LYT in 2007 when Revit was fairly new on the market. “I have always been someone who loves to push boundaries, especially when it comes to exploring what technology can do for us, so I was keen to start implementing Revit immediately,” he says. However, as with all transitions, people were hesitant to make such a big change – both for what it meant for their immediate efficiency and because of the rather steep learning curve. Progress was slow for a few years, and Rob realised a different approach was needed.

King Shaka Mall, Ballito

LYT seconded one of Modena’s staff members to work in its office full time…

So, in a rather unusual move, LYT seconded one of Modena’s staff members to work in its office full time, to be immediately on hand to assist with users’ queries as they arose. LYT already had a good relationship with Modena and the idea proved to be an inspired one. Although training is always part of the package when new software is acquired, it is often only when people are actually working on it that they really get to grips with it and come up against problems that they need help solving. Modena’s representative ended up being in LYT’s office for five or six years eventually, and played a vital role in implementing Revit and BIM adoption across the office. “The nervousness about new software was alleviated almost immediately. Naturally, there was still a transition as projects that had been started on CAD weren’t able to be moved across into the BIM software. It was in 2010 that we finally did our first complete project in Revit – and it was challenging but fantastic,” enthuses Rob. Since then, more and more projects at LYT have been done in Revit using BIM strategies.

International move to BIM

One of the things that helped drive the process was the international trend. “On an international front, BIM protocols were increasingly being required. If we wanted to work with partners or offer our services to overseas firms, we needed to be able to offer that,” Rob says, and this reinforced the drive towards full BIM adoption within LYT’s office.

It is a mindset change and a different way of working that can be challenging to embrace.

BIM protocols were increasingly being required. If we wanted to work with partners or offer our services to overseas firms, we needed to be able to offer that,” Rob says, and this reinforced the drive towards full BIM adoption within LYT’s office. The main advantage of using BIM is in the coordination that is possible between different consultants and the ultimate creation of what is known as a digital twin – a digitally identical version of a building or facility. While it takes extra time to create initially, it makes the coordination of changes much smoother in the implementation of the project. It also means that at the end of a project, the BIM model can be handed over to the client’s facility manager and used on an ongoing basis. Having reached this level of advancement does come with complications when it comes to local projects, because not all South African consultants and clients are at an equivalent level of development with their own processes – although that is changing. “Rob and his colleagues have actually introduced us to a variety of new clients as they encourage them to adopt BIM models for their own document control procedures,” comments Jay.

Adoption in the South African market is starting to take place. Ideally, one needs consultants right across the spectrum to be using BIM for seamless project coordination, but as with all changes, it takes time, and there are many factors at play. There is the hesitancy about transitioning from CAD to BIM software, which Rob likens to the earlier change from drawing boards to CAD. It is a mindset change and a different way of working that can be challenging to embrace. There are also always budget considerations, especially in the current economic environment.

Lastly, the way training is done at tertiary level still presents certain difficulties. Many graduates do now enter the workplace with software knowledge, but it is difficult to cover all bases for many reasons. Jay points out that most software is proprietary, and tertiary institutions generally need to be software agnostic to avoid prejudice. “Furthermore, even where new learning is included in the curriculum, it often takes time to implement because learning institutions have a lot of red tape to go through before a curriculum can be changed,” he says. Students often self teach, wanting to be on the cutting edge and knowing that these skills will be needed in the workplace. Rob adds that in education, introducing computer drawing too early means that students don’t gain all the necessary design skills that come with the thought process of learning to produce a drawing by hand.

Introduction of ISO 19650 – the next level of technology adoption

One of the latest industry developments on the international front is the introduction of the ISO 19650 standard. This is an international standard for managing information over the entire life cycle of a built asset using BIM. In line with this, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recently published the ISO 19650 Organization and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including BIM – Information management using building information modelling – Part 1: Concepts and principles.

The standard, which is aligned to the built environment industries, consists of a framework which enables BIM practitioners to follow an eight step work flow to ensure standardised information management of BIM tools and processes. This simplifies what can often be a complex process and helps teams to streamline work. “This is an international standard for BIM and represents the next level of technology adoption in the industry,” says Jay. Modena AEC was recently accredited as the first ISO 19650 lead assessor in South Africa, which means that it can conduct compliance audits for ISO 19650 customers in South Africa. The process ensures that building planning, design and construction follow this international standard.

Great benefits for projects

LYT has been involved in a number of interesting and prestigious projects recently, including the High Line at the Courtyard Hotel, Munyaka; the McDonald’s flagship store at Waterfall, and student accommodation for South Point. All these projects were designed on Revit using BIM, with various levels of implementation. Rob notes that many clients are either fully on board with using BIM in their projects,or are moving in that direction as they experience its benefits. McDonald’s, for example, requires that every member of their project team is on BIM and is leading the way in this regard. Other clients such as Balwin have been introduced to BIM and Modena by LYT, and are quickly moving to implement it in their own operations.

Getting acquainted with Revit and BIM may be tough, but Rob believes that it has real benefits for the design process. “For example, a Revit drawing allows you to take a virtual walk through your building model and see where changes are needed to the design in a way that you never could before. Ultimately it creates a far more resolved design,” he says. This isn’t the only benefit, of course. As mentioned earlier, the concept of the digital twin is growing in its applications, and can be used for everything from the design process to the longterm facilities management of a building and – even more broadly – for infrastructure creation and maintenance. Digital twins are being made of entire cities which, in theory, should enable them to be managed more efficiently.

What it means for the future

What it means for the future The application of BIM technology certainly has potential when it comes to meeting world needs at the built level. “The UN has predicted that at current levels of population growth, we will soon need to produce something like 30,000 buildings a day worldwide in order to create the housing and infrastructure that the world needs. That means we have a real challenge ahead,” says Jay.

There are already precinct projects in South Africa that run off the digital twin model…

“Unless we are able to manage work flows really efficiently, we won’t be able to keep up with that. Yet, this is what makes it exciting working with people like Rob and his team, and seeing the way they have adopted the technology,” he adds. into the facilities management side of the operation, creating a full digital twin that can be handed over to the team that will run the precinct once construction is complete. At an industry level, moving to BIM is still a big shift to make, yet the Asset Magazine | Issue 108 Issue 108 | Asset Magazine There are already precinct projects in South Africa that run off the digital twin model – Waterfall City in Midrand being one of them. Rob says that the city model is already updated regularly as the different consultants produce new information. The next level of adoption for the precinct, he says, is taking BIM Waterfall City aerial In conversation with Rob Thane and Jay Moolman Building Information Modelling possibilities are truly exciting and the move is definitely gathering momentum. Finding ways to work in partnership to accelerate it, as LYT and Modena have done, certainly helps to drive things forward into a new digital future.