María Elisa Silva Vargas
EGADE Business School Tecnologico de Monterrey
MARTIN H BREMER
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During the construction of a project, there is usually between 3% and 8% of the material that ends up as waste because of the adjustments needed as it is being built, or due to corrections in the process.
This wasted material is rarely recycled in Mexico because of the expense needed to the process and because there are limited regulations that oblige construction firms to do something about it. Thus, this waste is thrown away, increasing pollution and inefficient use of resources.
BIMSET is an architectural consulting firm in Monterrey, Mexico, that uses the software BIM (Building Information Modeling) for their clients' projects to minimize this waste, building a model virtually before the construction begins. This model collects all the information needed from different areas of specialization such as structural design, air conditioning, hydraulic and electrical systems, drainage piping, special systems, etc., so that all of this can be quantifiable and planned and allow project managers of BIMSET to determine more easily the feasibility of a project and/or to detect any problematic situations before taking it to reality.
As time goes by, the need for agility in every process and project is a must, and so it has been for BIMSET, which started using BIM as the core of the business due to all its overall benefits.
“SAQQARA was the project BIMSET started with along with Foster and Partners, developing the whole executive project using BIM, being able to detect all the interferences and possible risks during the construction,” stated José Brian Bustos (BIMSET’s Project Manager).
This process makes a project more accurate and efficient not only in terms of costs—as the problems are being solved before they happen—but in terms of time.
For BIMSET, “the use of BIM in the projects generates team’s proficiency and efficiency” as there are fewer people needed per project and as they become more versatile to take a holistic picture of it during the process.
Jose adds that due to the cost and time efficiency during a project, it becomes more attractive to other clients as an Integral Project Consulting Service.
BIMSET has grown quickly as positive results and benefits of their projects are being shown, becoming a leader in the architectural consulting industry.
So far, they have developed 37 projects with 225 BIM prototypes, having as a result 3,247 conflicts solved.
As said before, efficient planning is a great benefit for all the people involved in BIMSET’s projects as well as the clients. Hence, the reduction of construction costs avoided due to working twice to solve conflicts during the construction and therefore, the waste reduction during these corrections—from 3% to 8% of the total material cost to 0% to 3% as natural waste—and labor cost derived from time efficiency during the project under a Just-in-Time scheme.
Derived from the waste reduction, the shipment planning and material transportation becomes more accurate, reducing the number of shipments—and therefore CO2 emissions—of the material that would have being used.
In addition, “this efficiency gives the client more visibility to mitigate risks of a bad investment,” said Jose.
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Jose Brian Bustos Chavez, BIM and R&D Manager
BIMSET is an architectural consulting firm in Monterrey, Mexico, that uses BIM Methodology (Building Information Modeling) for their clients' projects to minimize waste, building a model virtually before the construction begins.
Although this methodology has existed for a couple of decades, its use in the construction industry is relatively new around the world. In Mexico, BIMSET is one of the few companies that uses it for its projects.