PL

BIM bam boom

Architecture
Evolution or revolution? A wise investment or a mere marketing exercise? Building Information Modelling (BIM) seems to be the topic on everyone’s lips in the Polish logistics sector

Building Information Modelling (BIM) brings together all the information about a building in a way that goes far beyond the classic scope of design or as-built documentation. Traditional design documentation has so far mainly consisted of flat (2D) drawings that display the most characteristic aspects of the building, such as its floor plan or a cross-section or longitudinal section. However, what has been an issue in particular for warehouse and industrial buildings is the lack of comprehensive information when it comes to the sprinkler installations, the ventilation or the plumbing, which can result in problems at certain stages of their construction or operation. BIM, on the other hand, gives us the opportunity to create a virtual and extremely accurate model of an existing or planned warehouse using 3D modelling.

Evolution or revolution?

“Considering how we worked previously as architects, BIM is certainly a revolutionary step forward. This revolution began when the very concept of BIM was first devised. But now, as it is introduced more widely, we should talk more about its evolution. BIM is constantly undergoing changes and improvements. It’s worth pointing out that BIM is not only a revolution in design but also in the construction and operation of a building,” explains Marta Malewska, a senior architect at Space2Design.

Jakub Jędrys, the director of the building and design consultancy department at Savills, is rather more circumspect in his assessment. “At this stage, we are still going through an evolutionary stage in Poland. We are far from undergoing a revolution as we are still being held back by investors’ caution when it comes to the greater expense needed for design work using BIM,” admits Jakub Jędrys. “BIM is primarily a new tool for streamlining and solving existing problems – so this is more of an evolution,” concurs Michał Samborski, the head of development at Panattoni Europe.

The main goal of BIM is to improve the work not only of the designers, but also of the contractors and the cost planners. New systems have been rapidly emerging in recent years, which has been having an impact on the work of virtually every sector, while also speeding up the data flow between those working on a project. Twenty or thirty years ago, the basic design tools were tracing paper and a pen. “Today, however, architectural studios use professional software to accelerate the design work, and BIM allows everyone involved in a project to work together on a single central model, each able to make modifications and add more information,” points out Michał Samborski.


“After all, costs are not just the financial outlays – time is also important,” argues Jarosław Bicki of Prologis

Does it pay to pay for BIM?

“It’s estimated that using BIM optimally reduces construction costs along with subsequent maintenance costs of a building by an average of around 30 pct. We are currently in a transition phase in Poland, when this system is not yet standard. If used without the necessary competences and without experience, higher costs can be incurred, such as when it comes to drawing up project documentation that isn’t used later on,” admits Marta Malewska of Space2Design.

So are the costs of warehouse construction using BIM much higher than for standard projects? Michał Samborski of Panattoni Europe insists that this is not necessarily so from the investor’s point of view. But the costs are greater for the design studio. “The costs can be restrictive for design studios – and the introduction of full BIM means a considerable outlay in terms of replacing software as well as a lengthier design phase from the start to the final model,” he concludes.

Jarosław Bicki, a junior project manager at Prologis, points out that there are also indirect costs. “With the introduction of any new system, you have to factor in initial costs, such as training employees, buying licences and purchasing workstations or the right computers – but I regard all this as a worthwhile investment,” he believes.

The question is whether such investment pays off. “After all, costs are not just the financial outlays – time is also important, and this is definitely shortened in the long run. The modelling of the buildings also makes it possible to introduce changes easily, therefore warehouses can be graceful buildings if designed using BIM. By implementing this system, you can also reduce the costs of the entire project because it allows you to better coordinate the parties and sectors involved and eliminate potential conflicts at the planning and design stage,” argues Jarosław Bicki.


“BIM can also serve other purposes, such as marketing and commercial uses,” points out Piotr Bzowski of P3 Logistics Parks

Speed and ease

As anyone who owns warehouses that have been built using BIM will tell you, there’s no end of benefits of the system. The most important of these are the ease and speed required to make changes, which all the experts agree on. At the conceptual stage, these include moving, enlarging, eliminating or transferring elements. There can be dozens of revisions to the initial design. Designing a building in the traditional way, you would need to make a scale model to show such a building spatially – and any small change would require a new scale model. But with BIM all the elements can be freely manipulated using a 3D computer model. “At the development stage, one unquestionable advantage of the entire BIM system is its individually tailored information base. With a complete set of data, it’s easy to draw up lists of the elements, materials and other features that make up the model. An additional advantage is that they are very accurate and are generated automatically, so if the designer changes any aspect of the model, everything will be instantly added to the list. This not only streamlines and speeds up the whole process but also helps in estimating the cost,” claims Jarosław Bicki of Prologis.

There are countless examples of benefits. With the virtual model, once the building has been put into operation, we know which walls need painting, the specifications of a device to be repaired, and whether it’s possible to move machinery without making additional holes in the walls. All of this saves time and significantly reduces management costs.

“BIM can also serve other purposes, such as marketing and commercial uses, because you can showcase a warehouse with it that doesn’t even exist yet, and people can even take a tour of the virtual building,” explains Piotr Bzowski, the leasing and development director of P3 Logistic Parks. More importantly, it allows you to manage the building in a manner that has not been feasible up to now. BIM can be used to locate even the smallest installation in a building – and retrieve the documentation for it – almost instantly. “Furthermore, we are able to input reminders for each of the smallest elements, such as for instance for the light bulbs or hydrants to tell us when they need to be replaced or serviced,” Piotr Bzowski points out.


“We are far from undergoing a revolution as we are still being held back by investors’ caution when it comes to the greater expense needed for design work using BIM,” admits Jakub Jędrys of Savlls

Only for the chosen ones?

At first glance, it might seem from the specific way BIM works that it is definitely better suited to build-to-suit warehouse projects than to speculative parks. In a BTS warehouse the potential of this system can be fully realised. Investors are also more prepared to take on higher costs when developing BTS projects while optimising costs is all important for speculative developments. However, Jarosław Bicki of Prologis is of a different opinion. “BIM can be successfully used for developing speculative warehouses and for tailor-made projects for individual clients. For speculative projects, which have a certain scale and a format that can be used in the future, the system has an unquestionable advantage. When it comes to BTS buildings, BIM is perfect for project planning and detecting potential issues. It enables highly competent and efficient project preparation and customer consultation. This can be particularly important for planning complex projects. BIM is also used for process planning. Its use is not limited to the structure, architecture and other building components. It is also used for the production planning, management of production line changes and for installing networks.

“The criterion for using BIM is not the type of building – speculative or BTS – but its level of complexity. In the case of simple buildings, designing in BIM does not help much. The more advanced the building is – that is, the more automation, robotics and installations – the greater the need for a spatial model of the building,” adds Michał Samborski of Panattoni Europe.


“It’s worth pointing ouy that BIM is not only a revolution in design but also in the construction and operation of a building,” explains Marta Malewska of Space2Design

Technological leap

The experts agree that BIM systems will play an increasingly important role on the global warehouse market in Poland and that its widespread adoption is only a matter of time. “From my point of view, we are moving towards BIM as the standard, but investors have yet to see the benefits of this system, especially the tangible advantages, such as shortening the construction time and reducing additional costs. Poland uses the most modern systems in many technical aspects of project development, but Western Europe is certainly one step ahead of us in terms of the universal adoption of BIM,” points out Jakub Jędrys of Savills. Piotr Bzowski of P3 Logistic Parks is certainly very optimistic about the system being used in the future. “Along with the development of this technology, there will certainly be more opportunities that we are probably not aware of today. The use of BIM in many countries is already mandatory for public projects. In the Netherlands and the UK, the use of BIM is the standard for public and private projects. And in Germany you can apply for building permits based on designs prepared with this system,” he emphasises.

Michał Samborski of Panattoni Europe, however, is more cautious. In his view it is too early to forecast whether BIM will become a tool for everyday use by designers. “Companies are in fact just learning how to use BIM, how to work with it to improve their designs and how to work together on a model. The UK is a country that is often put forward as an example of the potential of BIM. A number of standards have been established there that clarify the issues that arise from BIM for investors. Poland has yet to adopt any framework in this respect,” explains Michał Samborski.

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