BIM MODELS SET TO CHANGE BALUSTRADE AND HANDRAIL INDUSTRY
Posted on 10th January 2013The legislation on Building Information Modelling (BIM) may not come into force until 2016, but change is already underway in the building products industry.
The government’s plans are that collaborative 3D BIM, with electronic project and asset information and documentation, will be compulsory on its projects worth over £5m by 2016.
As a result, forward-thinking companies are already starting to offer their full product range as Revit models – a software package specifically built for BIM.
Models allow full manipulation and offer detailed product information. This gives specifiers and construction companies more in-depth information at the time of installation, and also provides important instructions and records for on-going maintenance.
They also enable architects to create 3D models using the exact products they want to see in the final development – so their vision is maintained from screen to construction.
David Light of Case Inc, and one of the founding members of the London Revit User Group, says this is the way the building products industry as a whole is moving, and is a smarter and more effective way for architects to work.
One company to embrace the change is Delta Balustrades. The Cheshire-based, family-run company is amongst the first in the industry to make its full product range available as Revit images.
David, a BIM implementation expert who has worked with Autodesk over a number of years to develop its Revit software, has praised Delta Balustrades’ forward-thinking approach to design and manufacturing.
He said: “Revit provides a smarter and more efficient way of working, and all the information relating to the product is embedded in the model, providing benefits not just at the time of construction, but further down the line for maintenance as well.
“Smart companies like Delta Balustrades are being innovative in using BIM to make all their products accessible, meaning the whole design process, from the architect’s point of view, becomes much simpler.”