OCTOBER 2022CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONBy Davide Mangini, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Permasteelisa North AmericaTHE CASE FOR BIM IN FAÇADE DESIGNWhile there is a prevailing sentiment that building façades, being confined to the outer footprint of the building, do not need to be actively coordinated with other trades, there is immense value in doing so. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is inherently a holistic process to ensure successful consolidation of several construction trades, and façade contractors should play a key role in this process. By actively engaging in the BIM process, façade contractors can save time and money and unearth issues in the design and coordination phases, rather than dealing with a clash between trades models on the project site. At Permasteelisa, an international façade design firm, we proactively engage in the BIM process at every stage of the project and benefit greatly. At the tender stage of the project, we frequently receive a 3D model from the architect. With the increasing complexity of projects, having a 3D representation of the architect's vision has enhanced our ability to understand the design intent and provide a more accurate bid. Being willing to learn and adopt the architect's tools gives us the ability to communicate quickly and efficiently with them. We use Catia, Rhino, and Revit in order to interface more directly with the architect's model and extract geometry and metadata. Davide Mangini
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