Use of BIM system on the rise in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The use of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) system among local construction industry players has picked up in recent years, compared to the slow response after it was introduced by the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) in 2014.

The use of the technology gained momentum after the industry started realising its long-term benefits.

A departure from the conventional drawing plans and Auto CAD programme that are used for creating building blueprints, BIM is a three-dimensional (3D) model-based process that assists industry players to design and construct efficient buildings and infrastructure.

Construction giants like Sunway Property, a subsidiary of Sunway Group; Gamuda Bhd; Sime Darby Property Bhd; and Brunsfield Construction Sdn Bhd are among the companies that have adopted the BIM system in their construction projects.

Last November, CIDB launched its myBIM Centre here, which is Malaysia’s first one-stop centre to promote the use of the BIM system in the construction industry and provide the necessary training to developers, contractors, consultants and suppliers.

CIDB e-Construct – which manages myBIM Centre – chief executive officer Rofizlan Ahmad said BIM allowed architects, engineers and surveyors to collaborate and produce a complete 3D model of a building drawing.

“They (the professionals) need not work on a building drawing separately and pass it from one person to another, as is the case if the conventional system is used.

“BIM requires all the parties concerned to work together from the start in order to produce a structural model that is precise and exact so that errors can be minimised when actual construction takes place. This will directly lead to an increase in productivity, as well as incur savings in terms of construction time and costs,” he told Bernama.

The BIM technology also allows access to specific information and data, thus making it more relevant than conventional methods.

“For example, to find out the exact measurements of the walls in a building, one just has to click on the wall (in the building’s 3D drawing) to get the figures. One can also get information on the type of material used (to build the walls) and the name of the manufacturer.

“The BIM technology allows the drawing to be used even by the facility management after the building is completed and ready for operations. (When traditional building methods are used) the management is forced to get the drawing from the contractor for re-examination should any construction problem crop up and it is not possible for them to retrieve information regarding the building specifications,” he explained.

The situation would become more complicated when all the parties involved in the building process have to be consulted to identify the cause or causes of a construction-related problem.

The use of BIM technology also helps to avert variation orders (VO), a common phenomenon in construction projects. The VO involves an amendment of the original scope of work as outlined in the contract and can lead to higher project costs.

BIM helps to reduce the VO risk, as well as minimise changes to the original building design, Rofizlan stressed, adding that disputes among the professionals like architects and engineers can also be averted because they would be able to detect any issue in the early stages through the 3D model they had developed.

When the drawing is done in 3D format, the entire building can be viewed – the top and bottom, the sides, and the front and back portions – as opposed to the traditional building plan that is drawn on a piece of paper.

On CIDB’s myBIM Centre, Rofizlan said its establishment was in line with the government’s decision to enforce the BIM system for the construction of public projects worth RM100 million and above by 2019.

“We want myBIM Centre to serve as a referral centre for various aspects of the technology such as technical, expertise, documentation, consultation and even scientific,” he said.

The centre receives a subsidy from CIDB to conduct training in BIM technology for industry players and professionals at affordable rates.

Since the introduction of BIM in Malaysia in 2014, CIDB has trained 1,500 industry members to use the technology.

While some private-sector developers have made use of the BIM initiative, the high-cost factor has prevented other construction companies from utilising the technology, said Rofizlan.

“We implemented our special BIM training programme in response to requests from those who are interested in the technology but don’t have the financial means.

“This way, we hope the construction industry will continue to grow in terms of technology application, thus benefiting the nation and the people,” he added. - Bernama