U P F R ONT

RI CS HQ BI M

RI C S P R O PERT Y
JO U RN A L

Continuing his series following the RICS BIM project at Parliament Square,
Les Pickford looks at a software vendor showcase that compared how
different software packages extracted quantities from the RICS model

Show and tell

BIM
The main finding was the wide variances
in extracted quantities between vendors
(see Figure 1). Using GIFA and a newbuild
cost of 4,000/m2, the difference in
cost estimates was 5m. The original
brief for the laser scan was to provide
walk-throughs for events, and it was only
later that other uses were considered.
That made the model a tough test for
tools aimed primarily at newbuild projects.
I think this was mainly due to an
incomplete model, because surveyors
could not scan all areas during office
hours, for example the restaurant,
suggests Paul Burrows, a Solutions
Architect at BCIS. All vendors were
given full computer-aided design [CAD]
floor plans and copies of the buildings
original 1898 drawings, but only one used
this. Its floor area calculation was within
50m2 of ours.
Burrows summarises the other
findings as:
b models for existing buildings will
rely much more on human skill and
interpretation, and assumptions about
what the model means
b cost planning objects NRM1: Order
of cost estimating and cost planning for
capital building works are not included
as standard in Revit (which created the
model) and so modellers did not classify
against this list. This has implications

uilding information
modelling (BIM)
will mean a change
of approach and
new challenges
for construction
professionals, says
James Fiske, RICS Director of Delivery
and Operations. For example, taking
quantities directly from a model means
that its quality is critical, particularly
component naming and coding.
To understand this area more, RICS
held a software vendor showcase that
challenged four suppliers to use the BIM
model in place at its headquarters and
to extract quantities typically required
for early-stage construction estimates,
e.g. gross internal floor area (GIFA) and
elemental unit quantities. RICS wanted
to understand:
b how easily software could take
off quantities
b the challenges faced and the
assumptions made
b vendor results compared to
RICS-supplied tape measure figures
b the consistency of results between
the vendors
b how much checking of outputs
was required
b considerations for BIM of
existing buildings.

The variances in element unit quantities between vendors

Substructure

Key

Upper floors

The showcase provided useful pointers

for developing our model, including
quality standards and valid or invalid
assumptions to make, says Burrows. His
advice for others considering BIM is:
b models for existing buildings (using
scanned laser surveys) will be very
different from a newbuild model because
they lack structural detail
b do your own evaluation using your
most experienced estimators against
two models (new and existing buildings)
b ask how the software supports your
professional judgment in your normal
tasks. Is it easy to navigate and spot
problems? Can you make corrections
and apply your assumptions?
b understand different vendor
approaches, e.g. overseas design
and procurement practice can be
very different from the UK (involving
architects, quantity surveyors and
contractors).
The importance of a quantity surveyors
professional judgment is highlighted
when making sense of a model, says
Burrows, especially one for an existing
building that was created by scanning
and importing the data. b

Figure 1

Frame

when construction professionals later

procure building works (NRM2) and
manage facilities (NRM3)
b two vendors revisited the original
3D model because they did not trust
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
outputs. This was not a criticism of IFC,
more that applications do not output IFC
consistently.

RICS result
Vendor results

Roof

Les Pickford is a freelance editor and

journalist
lespickford@yahoo.co.uk

Stairs and ramps

External walls
Windows and external doors
Internal walls and partitions
Internal doors
Wall finishes
Floor finishes

For more details of the

Showcase, visit
www.rics.org/bim

Ceiling finishes
Fittings, furnishings and equipment
Services
-60%

14

-40%

M AY/J U N E 2 0 1 4

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Related competencies include:

Data management