The Role of BIM in MEP

BIM for Mechanical Electrical Plumbing

Of late, the construction industry has been dealing with issues such as over-budget projects, declining productivity and failing to meet delivery dates.  As economies stall around the world, builders continue to demand better buildings delivered within budget and on time.  Architects, engineers and contractors are thus constantly striving for newer ways to improve productivity, lower costs and streamline the building design and delivery process.  BIM which is an information-rich technology that allows the digital representation of building projects simulating the design, planning, construction and operation of a facility has instilled a hope to minimize these issues to a large extent.

Regarded as a promising, new technology, BIM has been widely adopted for MEP projects as it has pre-construction, design and fabrication benefits.  BIM provides MEP engineers with integrated, highly coordinated and internally consistent computable information about the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing system for planning, managing, decision-making and operating the facility.  Using these offerings, designing a complicated structure can be done with ease, increased accuracy and efficiency.  Since BIM allows creation of a virtual 3D model, it gives a better idea of the outcome of their systems before they are actually built.

The space for MEP systems is typically reserved before the MEP system is defined.  Thus while designing a complex and a bigger size building, squeezing the MEP system into the building can sometimes become challenging.  At such times, the 3D BIM model helps in collision detection - reducing the risk of construction cost overruns.  A BIM model is an intelligent computable model and hence the ducts, pipes, walls and beams are actual defined entities and their functional relationships between building elements and systems is clear.  This enables a holistic design approach which integrates not only the MEP disciplines, but the process as well - featuring an integrated digital environment for design, documentation and analysis.

BIM creates a virtual MEP model comprising of heating and cooling system, ducts and plant-room layout, electrical power and lightening layout, domestic water plumbing and gas piping system layout and fire protection system layout, thus offering a systematic and meticulous analysis of the system to be built.  This analysis would help in increased efficiency, accuracy and coordination of the system reducing the time and cost involved in it.

BIM’s ability to digitally represent a building before it is actually built also allows firms to create, manage and share design information more effectively – resulting in increased profitability, reduced potential errors and risks and fewer inefficiencies in MEP building design.  With the help of BIM, detailed views of mechanical, electrical and plumbing system are possible which will improve the quality of the overall project and ability to communicate the design intent.