How BIM Helps in Clash Detection: Saving Time and Money in Construction

Introduction

In this revolutionary era, where the construction sector is evolving at a fast pace, optimizing costs and efficiently managing projects have become non-negotiable. BIM helps in clash detection by providing a unified digital environment for all models. BIM (Building Information Modelling) clash resolution, in this regard, stands out as an innovative approach to fulfilling these essentials. It helps in the identification and resolution of clashes during the design phase, before the construction even begins, ensuring a smooth workflow by avoiding costly reworks and time delays, resulting in the efficient execution of the project on-site. The central focus of this blog is to understand the importance of BIM clash resolution in construction projects for managing time and cost constraints by thoroughly explaining its concept.

Definition: BIM Clash Resolution

The process of identifying clashes is known as clash detection, while resolving or addressing those clashes is referred to as resolution. Therefore, the identification and resolution of clashes that emerge in a federated BIM model, which includes all disciplines such as architectural, structural, and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing), is known as BIM Clash Resolution.

Types of Clashes

1. Hard Clashes

When two or more elements within a building design conflict, the clash is known as a hard clash. For instance, an electrical conduit running through a column is considered a hard clash.

2. Soft Clashes

Unlike a hard clash, a soft clash is related to spatial issues rather than a physical conflict, such as insufficient space for important tasks. For instance, a lack of adequate space around equipment is considered a soft clash.

3. Workflow Clashes

A workflow clash takes place due to the overlapping of different tasks at the same time, causing conflicts and disruptions in the workflow and sequence of activities. For instance, if a crane is needed for two different construction tasks on-site at the same time, it leads to workflow clashes.

Importance of BIM Clash Resolution

Identifying these clashes is crucial for enabling stakeholders to resolve these issues ahead of time, ensuring a smooth workflow without interruptions, reducing costs, avoiding project delays, and optimizing the overall outcomes of the project. For this, BIM Clash Resolution in Construction is an essential approach for addressing issues digitally before the construction even starts, saving both time and money.

Role of BIM Clash Resolution in Saving Time

• Minimizing Rework

During construction, field professionals often encounter many potential issues, and rework is one of them. However, BIM now ensures the minimization of rework by providing a digital environment that creates a replica of an asset, helping to spot conflicts ahead of time in the design phase, saving valuable time and making the whole process smoother and more efficient.

• Improved Collaboration

BIM improves coordination among stakeholders by keeping them on the same page and providing access to up-to-date information for everyone. This fosters collaboration and reduces the chances of miscommunication and confusion, resulting in less time wasted on resolving issues. The ability to coordinate effectively is often delivered by our specialized BIM Coordination services.

• Optimized Schedulinghttps://www.bimoutsourcing.co.uk/bim-clash-detection-services

Apart from identifying clashes and resolving them, BIM also aids in optimized scheduling. BIM helps stakeholders plan all activities in a sequence more efficiently, preventing workflow clashes that might occur during the construction phase and lead to project delays.

Role of BIM Clash Resolution in Saving Cost

• Efficient Resource Utilization

Accurate cost estimations are derived from an accurate 3D model. BIM detects every clash and resolves it, ensuring the accuracy of the model. This model is then used by quantity estimators to generate a precise budget for the entire project, which is crucial for efficiently allocating resources by knowing where and when each material needs to be used on-site. It saves costs and reduces material waste.

• Minimal Labour Costs

Addressing the clashes early in the design phase avoids costly reworks and the need for unplanned labour before construction begins. This plays a vital role in cost reduction by preventing issues that require additional labour hours, leading to increased costs. Studies confirm that fixing clashes on-site can be up to ten times more expensive than fixing them during the design phase.

• Enhanced Facility Performance

By using BIM clash resolution technology, we can design the building with better planning by allocating systems like HVAC and Plumbing for easier installation, avoiding wasting space, and fixing issues related to the spatial information of systems so that they fit properly without overlapping. This is a crucial step for the future maintenance of systems by placing them in the right spots, making the maintenance process more cost-effective and smoother, leading to reduced costs.

Conclusion

Building Information Modelling (BIM) Clash Resolution plays a vital role in transforming the construction industry by identifying potential issues earlier, reducing downtime, project delays, saving costs, and optimizing the overall project. In the past, when construction projects were carried out in conventional ways, these approaches resulted in the emergence of potential conflicts during construction, leading to costly reworks and delays that affected the overall quality and productivity of the building. These issues occurred due to the lack of this technology at that time, and they were not detected earlier, which prevented changes that could have avoided later on-site problems. However, it has now become easier and more cost-effective to resolve those issues with the help of BIM Clash Resolution in Construction rather than addressing them during construction. It has become an essential tool instead of a choice for professionals to achieve better outcomes and make the workflow smoother and faster in this fast-paced, evolving industry.