FEBRUARY - 2021CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONBy Tony Gosling, Chief Digital Officer, Pell Frischmann, McBains and Dorsch GruppeIn the traditional design process, even within most Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes, it is difficult to comprehend and evaluate the cost and time implications of the decisions we are making. The increasingly out-dated process of counting and pricing the materials and labor within the construc-tion industry is slow, manual, relies on poor and often in-accurate data, and it frequently arrives too late to have any real influence. Plans are rarely based on past project actuals and risks are, at best, guesses. Cost and time schedules are rarely linked, yet we are all aware that delays drive budgets up. Clients are not in control of the critical decisions that drive cost, time and risk, and projects often end up late and over budget as problems start to appear on-site.The situation is frustrating and potentially costly. It is also potentially, history.Clients would be better served if they, and the project managers, engineers, and designers working on their behalf, had quick access to accurate, up-to-date information, enabling them to make fact-based decisions throughout the lifecycle of the project. I spend my time working with Dorsch Gruppe in Germany and the Middle-East, and McBains and Pell Frischmann in the UK. These are like-minded companies working within the built environment, with engineers, architects, and project managers collaborating to find a better way of delivering. Together we are harnessing data to improve the quality of estimates and subsequently introduce state-of-the-art digital technology to automate the entire costing process. It is now possible to check the actual cost of design choices as you go; to really design to a budget and make the inevitable trade-off decisions regarding time v cost v quality v user requirement. They say "Knowledge is power," and access to this information puts clients­us all­in a position of real authority and control. We are in control in terms of cost, time and quality but can also identify and evaluate risks and take appropriate action throughout the design and delivery phase, rather than be confronted with unexpected costs, delays and problems once construction is underway.This innovative approach builds upon the principles of 3D BIM to bring time and cost into the digital workflow equation. Adding `Time' to 3D models brings the fourth dimension (4D); introducing `Cost' brings the fifth dimension. We call it a `5D Way of Working', or 5D WoW for short.Operating successfully within the 5D environment is not just about adding technology or data to the mix; it requires changes to the way we work.The technology required for 5D BIM is available now. Tools for designing in 3D (or more), capturing data, sharing through cloud-based Common Data Environments, and digital toolkits for planning, simulation and cost estimation have all been around for years. PUTTING THE CLIENT IN CONTROL OF THEIR PROJECTS
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