How often do you want to say?
“Hey Google, what is the cost of occupancy for this site by department, city and floor?” or, “Alexa, how much will my profit be if I lease Suite B for $20/square foot?” or
“Siri, what is my projected occupancy rate looking forward 12 months?”
If you employ BIM, you could!
BIM is an acronym for “Building Information Management”. It is as much about “Building” as it is “Information” and “Management”. It is not just about walls and doors. It can store, extract and parse any data set including historical expenses and profit, projected expenses and profit, age, vendor, and maintenance schedules of anything – in, around, or related to your building.
The BIM idea is a by-product of 3D modeling. The move from AutoCAD 2D and 3D to the 3D product, Revit, has accelerated in recent years. Benefits include:
- Better visualization
- Real time updates
- Lower costs
- More options leading to better decisions
- Better coordination and fewer change orders
- A free place to store numbers and evaluate profit.
For many years AutoCAD was the CADD (sometimes CAD, “computer aided design and drafting”) standard. In its infancy it was little more than an electronic pencil that made drawings easier to read, but not necessarily more accurate. It did not automate anything and it could barely calculate areas. Over decades it became robust and some tasks were automated. It even made advances towards 3D.
Revit was the next big step. It is a native 3D program that allows the designer and client to see the building in real time as design decisions are being made. It is an integrated solution that also exposes the impact of changes across all aspects of the building. The virtual building can be provided to the contractor so they can see behind every wall, trace every pipe and duct, and look around any corner to see the entire building before they build it. Schedules are all coordinated and visually represented. Equipment and finishes have areas, model numbers and dates of installation. Departments have areas, names, locations, and cost factors. Most of all, the data is correct, consistent and justifiable.
Consider this scenario: You manage 900,000 to 1,000,000 square feet of office space built in stages from 1972 through 1987. The approximation of area is the problem. The chances that you know exactly how much leasable space you have is very slim. Every time a new tenant comes along the building area is measured and changes. The potential impact is well over $2,000,000 per year! Maybe you have a great archive full of drawings, manuals and catalogues to be searched to find out what is in any room or building. If you are lucky, the drawings have been scanned and can be viewed on your computer, but they are static and only reflect the building, not the information.
Here is the solution: Let us scan the building. The result of the scan is a Point Cloud and full dome photos of every space. From that we can see, search and view every room and hallway. We can compile information that is tied to the graphical interface (building drawings), and is a complete and living database fully integrated and accurate to a fraction of an inch. Revit is a graphic interface and repository. BIM is the method to keep all the information in one searchable place -accessible on any device at anytime from anywhere. You now know exactly what you own, and can track every repair and replacement in every corner of the building, along with its accompanying cost. And, this is done with fewer people, less paperwork, and less time. You can now forecast cost, profit, reserves, and run what-if scenarios. Doesn’t this sound like a better way to manage your assets?
Want to learn more? Give me a call, and let’s see if we have a solution for you.
John Lister, AIA, LEED AP, GGP
Principal, JL Architects
