In this episode of IIDA Summit, the senior BIM Manager, Ar. Neha Sadruddin speaks about content development strategy and BIM workflows. She gives a brief insight into the role of a BIM specialist and everything you need to know about BIM workflows.

From Pratt Institute to BIM Specialist

After graduating from the Pratt Institute School of Architecture, I began my career at BAMO as an interior architectural designer. It was here that I was first introduced to Building Information Modeling (BIM). Recognizing the transformative potential of BIM, I took the initiative to self-train in Revit and other BIM software. This decision pivoted my career path, leading me to my current role as a senior BIM specialist at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

A Global Perspective

BIG is a global architecture firm headquartered in Copenhagen, with offices across Europe, Asia, and North America. Our projects span various typologies, from multi-residential to institutional buildings. Also almost all of our projects beyond the concept design phase are delivered using BIM.

The Role of a BIM Specialist

Our primary responsibility is to support the production, strategy, and delivery of projects. This involves everything from model setup, drafting protocols, and the BIM execution plan to training new users, managing data, auditing models, and ultimately harvesting content for our libraries. A key part of our role is to develop a clean, organized model, which starts with having standardized workflows and content.

The BIG Template

At BIG, we have developed a robust Revit template that serves as the backbone for our project teams. Here’s a glimpse into what makes our template so effective:

• Project Browser Customization: We use custom parameters to sort and group content according to our needs. Thus making it easy for teams to navigate and find what they need.
• Views and Schedules: We’ve categorized views into production views, coordination views, and internal views, among others. Production views are for documentation, while coordination views help with model consistency. We also have various schedules pre-set for sheets and internal management.
• Standardized Sheets: Our template includes a series of pre-set sheets for general project needs, zoning, and architectural details. Thus ensuring teams spend less time on setup and more on design.

Content Development Strategy

Developing clean, standard Revit families is crucial. At BIG, we’ve organized our content into what we call “Revit containers,” sorted by their use and category, such as bathrooms, kitchens, lighting fixtures, MEP equipment, and more. Each container includes a catalog that teams can refer to before creating new content, streamlining the workflow.

Tools and Plugins

We utilize third-party tools like iRevit to manage and maintain our content standards. These tools help us ensure that our libraries remain clean and consistent, saving time and reducing errors.

Real-World Application

Our template’s effectiveness was put to the test on a recent project with a tight two-week deadline. Thanks to our robust template and pre-set schedules, we managed to deliver on time, even though it required some late nights. The template proved invaluable in meeting the client’s strict timeline.

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a healthy BIM model is a challenging but essential task. At BIG, our continuous efforts to develop and manage our Revit templates and content have significantly improved our workflows and project delivery. I’m excited to share more insights and answer any questions you might have about our processes.

Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to a productive session!