Smart intro to BIM

The power of building information modeling — also known as BIM — is only just being fully recognized. To make sure you are up to speed with this digital tool, AECOM’s Global Director of Project Technologies, John Kizior, suggests BIM for Dummies as required reading.

Designed to educate non-BIM practitioners, this book provides the practical knowledge that will help readers apply building information modeling (BIM) processes to their projects. It will also be of particular use to executives who need to know what all the fuss around BIM is about!

Co-authored by AECOM’s David Philp, Building Information Modeling for Dummies is an excellent introduction to the world of BIM. Well-placed to share his expertise, David is AECOM’s global leader for growing strategic information management services, including BIM, but also reaching beyond to maximize the value of information of all kinds. The book focuses on a common theme to project delivery that is centered on managing the information surrounding the lifecycle of an asset, and how that information can produce better outcomes for projects.

The book begins with a useful overview of what BIM actually is, the business and organizational issues associated with its implementation, and the benefits that effective use of BIM can provide to all project stakeholders. As an introductory book, the authors do an excellent job of comparing the differences between traditional and BIM-enabled processes, which is particularly useful if you are a seasoned architecture/engineering/construction professional migrating from a more traditional paper-based process.

Within the technology section, the book remains platform and vendor agnostic in its explanation. This approach will be helpful to new and seasoned practitioners in the AEC industry that want to learn about the technology in a format independent of the marketing collateral and documentation provided by the vendors that serve the market. This book amplifies the message that BIM is a process and not a technology, and that data consumption, use and requirements should drive the technology selection, not the other way around.

In summary, Building Information Modeling for Dummies provides an excellent introduction to BIM in a format that summarizes what it is, how it works, and how to implement the technology on your projects. I highly recommend this as a starter book to anyone who is just entering the market, or making a move towards implementing BIM.

Building Information Modeling for Dummies by Stefan Mordue, Paul Swaddle and David Philp is published by Wiley.

This book amplifies the message that BIM is a process and not a technology, and that data consumption, use and requirements should drive the technology selection, not the other way around.