TPM

Current state of the profession
Because BIM usage is considered to be moving forward in the structural engineering profession, the concept of BIM use should be explored as it relates to the survey.

Demographics — The survey first provides demographic information of the structural engineering profession as it relates to the topic of BIM. The survey was sent to more than 25,000 SEI members via email and garnered approximately 1,400 responses. The typical structural engineering office is considered to be a small- to medium-sized office of two to 10 people, and the majority of offices have fewer than 20 people (see Figure 1). Most respondents are 30 to 40 years old, in upper management, and have obtained a master’s degree. More than one-third of the respondents entered the profession in the last 15 years — the post-internet era (see Figure 2). The majority of the offices use Autodesk AutoCAD as their CAD application. The computer analysis software tools used varied significantly, emphasizing the need for interoperability between BIM and the structural analysis software. The respondents’ experience represents a broad cross section of building types, but commercial buildings were the most common.

Figure 1: SEI-CASE-SEAoT Survey question and responses: What is the size of structural engineering group in your local office in terms of employees?
SEI-CASE-SEAoT National Survey of BIM & SE

Figure 2: SEI-CASE-SEAoT Survey question and responses: What year did you begin working in structural engineering? More than one-third of respondents entered the profession in the post Internet era, which is marked by the rapidly evolving use of technology.
SEI-CASE-SEAoT National Survey of BIM & SE 

Half of those who responded use BIM software, though only few consider themselves proficient. Although a combination of training methods is available, self-paced training through software-provided tutorials is the preferred method. Most rated their firm’s training program as “horriblenonexistent” to “moderately effective.” Most firms also train their drafters, EITs, and project managers in BIM and set up a job number for tracking training hours. The plurality of respondents report an estimated four to six weeks of lost billable time per person due to training during the first year of implementation. Many varieties of BIM software applications are represented and in use on active projects.

Definitions — BIM is a term that is erroneously interchanged with the term 3D CAD. This is common in conversations at design and construction offices across the country, and the structural profession is no exception. Some view it as the next digital tool to come along, just as CAD replaced board drafting. Some go as far as making the analogy of “BIM is to CAD as a pen is to a pencil,” arguing that the two are variations of the same tool. The allure of this thinking is that BIM is viewed as something that can be simply appended into a company’s traditional workflow as some did with CAD years ago. The foundational flaw in this analogy is that it fails to recognize that BIM is a process and not a tool.

BIM is the process of defining building information in a new way that allows it to be electronically shared in an automated fashion among integrated companies. BIM consists of the visually rich 3D modeling software (the new tool) that is used in BIM, but this should not distract those from focusing on the new processes as well. Some have attempted to implement BIM software applications (tools) with their traditional process for creating 2D documents and have had marginal success. This is much like investing in a new jet plane and then giving it to staff not trained to fly. They can probably drive it down the street, but with much less efficiency than with their old vehicle and they will never leave the ground.

At the heart of BIM is the concept of creating a relational database of the building’s information. The goal is for each stakeholder in the building process to have their own BIM that can communicate digitally with other stakeholders’ BIMs. In an expanded view, these stakeholders include the building owner, facility management team, general contractor, architect, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, façade engineer, fabricators, detailers, erectors, and many others. It is true that there are many challenges to smooth data transfer among the different stakeholders on a building project today. However, from a technological perspective, these issues are being addressed at a rapid pace that can be measured in months and years rather than decades.

Three main drivers affecting BIM
The increase in use of BIM by structural engineers will enable the following three drivers to the industry:

VDC — Virtual design and construction (VDC) is the process of using BIM to evaluate and analyze projects from design to construction. The use of VDC will increase rapidly in 2010 and beyond. This BIM-enabled process represents distinct opportunities for structural engineers to demonstrate their understanding of structural systems, and it also blurs the lines between design and the “ways and means” of construction. Structural engineering firms will be faced with project scope challenges as BIM tools further develop to model items that are currently not included. Structural engineers will face increasing pressure from architects and contractors to model far beyond the main structural system to include miscellaneous steel, anchor rods, embeds, and concrete reinforcing in the structural BIM (see photo on page xx). These are items that traditional structural firms would address with general notes, 2D typical details, and schedules. A major goal of this level of modeling in VDC is to enable constructability analyses by providing dimensionally accurate 3D models. These models will help identify the structural conflicts with other trades. Examples of these conflicts could be reinforcing congestion in concrete joints or miscellaneous steel braces that conflict with other trades. Traditional structural design firms will need to consider how to address the scope of modeling to higher levels of detail with their clients in the years to come. Structural firms that are evaluating whether or not to support higher levels of modeling should also consider that VDC has the potential to reveal discrepancies in non-modeled content. Third-party modelers will indentify these discrepancies in a very graphic-rich way as they add the 3D content derived from the 2D typical details, general notes, and schedules. The effects of the VDC process for structural engineers will vary greatly by who is managing the VDC process and when it is conducted on the project life cycle.

IPD — Integrated project delivery (IPD) and the related collaborative project delivery process of design-build will significantly drive BIM forward in all aspects of design and construction, including the structural engineering profession. The BIM process enables variations of this contracting form that fosters combined risk and reward across traditionally opposing relationships between the ownership, design, and construction stakeholders on a project. Like VDC, the concept of integrated process is a BIM-enabled trend that will rapidly grow in a symbiotic way in the years to come. This is evident in related professions; for example, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) issued new IPD documents alongside its BIM protocol in E202 (www.AIA.org/IPD). Additionally, the conference theme of the Associate General Contractors BIM Forum (www.BIMforum.org) in January 2009 was integrated project delivery (to learn more about the 2010 BIM Forum, see page 42). The exciting aspect of this industry change is that it provides BIM-enabled structural engineers the opportunity to emerge as highly valued consultants who are committed very early in the design concept process.

Lean construction — The third driver toward BIM in the structural domain is Lean Construction, which is the reduction of waste created in the construction process. This is an area many structural engineers may not typically consider because it relates to construction; however, the previous BIM drivers of collaborative delivery methods will bring this topic into focus in the structural profession. Prefabricated structural components such as structural steel, concrete reinforcing steel, and precast concrete already build on many of the lean construction methods of reduced waste in the form of time, material, field labor, and trade coordination with on-site materials. The BIM process expands these benefits by allowing teams to “measure twice (in the model with 3D fit up) and cut once (in the shop)” well before items arrive in the field. The BIM process also provides the opportunity to discover fabrication and fit up issues virtually in the model before they are built, as was previously highlighted in the VDC process. Additionally, the BIM process can greatly enhance the execution of just-in-time (JIT) delivery of prefabricated systems to the job site by linking scheduling information to the 3D models; this process is known as 4D modeling (3D plus the additional dimension of time is termed 4D) for items such as reinforcing and structural steel. A BIM enabled production and project planning with JIT can also increase inventory turns and reduce the amount of working capital required to operate the fabrication. Additionally, BIM-enabled planning of erection — along with an installation sequence that optimizes where the different trades operate within the building during construction — can allow for fewer workers on site with faster installation and safer jobs (because there are proportionally fewer people on site).

Conclusion
The building design and construction industry’s change to BIM is happening faster than many realize with a rapid expanse in design, construction, and institutional owners. Structural engineering firms will have to provide committed, competent BIM services to compete and survive on projects of any significance within the next five years. This necessity for structural engineering firms will be the result of the three BIM drivers previously discussed: VDC, IPD, and lean construction. The structural engineering profession of 2015 will look dramatically different in terms of BIM use and competency than it does today. Additionally, BIM requirements will be ubiquitous on requests for proposals for new work in the near future. It is an exciting time for companies to leverage the opportunities and overcome the challenges of the new process.

Will Ikerd, P.E., LEED AP, CWI, is founder and director of the department of integrated project delivery (IPD) at Raymond L. Goodson Jr., Inc. Ikerd currently co-chairs both the SEI-CASE BIM Committee and the Designers Forum of the AGC’s BIM Forum. Additionally, he chairs the Structural Engineers Association of Texas’s State IT Committee on BIM. He is also a member of AISC’s IT committee for the steel industry and ACI’s 131 Committee on BIM and Concrete. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .