Understanding how much information to provide at different stages of the BIM process is vital if the benefits of the technology are to be realised. Duncan Reed from Trimble explains.
BIM can deliver huge efficiencies in the construction process – but only if members of the project team clearly understand their roles. This is particularly important when providing information for the model.
In UK building information modelling (BIM) terminology, the acronym LOD usually refers to “level of definition”, meaning the amount of model detail or information detail provided at different stages of a project. It is an acronym that can sometimes be misinterpreted, but a clear understanding of its meaning and purpose is vital.
At the start of a project, agreeing the appropriate LOD throughout the lifecycle of a scheme is central to using BIM efficiently and successfully.
One important thing to understand about LOD is that it will change over the duration of a construction project – with less definition required during the early stages, but potentially much more later on. In this respect, the software used becomes an important guiding tool.
When an organisation enters the BIM process – at any of the eight stages defined by the BIM Task Force’s Digital Plan of Work (DPoW) – it needs to know how much information it is expected to provide. To get the best out of BIM, it is important that a project team member does not overproduce or underdeliver on information for the model. Otherwise the lean principles which underpin BIM are unlikely to be realised.
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