BIM Congress 2023

When talking about BIM events, it is expected to be a space dedicated to learning and defining trends or advances related to Building Information Modeling. This time we will talk about BIM Congress 2023, which took place on July 12 and 13 of this year, and brought together professionals from the construction industry to discuss and explore the latest advances in Building Information Modeling (BIM). There, many analysts, construction professionals and amateurs gathered to demonstrate how BIM, in addition to being a tool that encompasses multiple processes and solutions, also generates long-term benefits in terms of economic, social and spatial aspects.

DAY 1: JULY 12

Since its preparation, the purpose and objectives of the congress were set, which include offering answers to the challenges facing the industry and adapting to the different levels of BIM implementation. During this first day, several presentations were shown, beginning with the one by Manuel Soriano entitled BIM Flows for the road structure. He began by defining one of the success stories in Latin America, such as the BIM Guide in Peru, emphasizing that not all countries have the regulatory aspects for road infrastructure and its importance for construction projects so well defined.
Then, he explained how the digital transformation has challenges for data management, in the first instance the location of the data due to not having an efficient platform where it is managed and classified correctly, according to its nature and scale. He also added data security, cultural changes –understanding that BIM is a methodology that people use, it is not a system or software, but it requires trained personnel to achieve a good integration of information in the modeling-, and the little experience that there is currently in the management of emerging technologies that analysts or data managers need to possess.

Likewise, he made visible how Bentley has dedicated himself in recent years to creating solutions for BIM, such as: Microstation, ContextCapture, OpenGround, OpenFlows, LumenRT, OpenRoads, Synchro and the CivilWorks Suite. And also, how to connect these tools to the guidelines established in the BIM Guide of Peru, defining from which phase they should be taken into account – layout plan-. One of the interesting things that he explained is that after defining how you want to build the model and where you want to go, you determine the objects/components to model and the workflow to follow. And determine the first step, which is the lifting of the existing conditions, – that is, what is there, where and under what conditions-.

"Learn about BIM flows applied to roads, preliminary evaluation of the project based on reality capture, presentation of the project, cost evaluation for tenders, design of roads and their bridges, geotechnical analysis, etc."

Soriano specified how the workflows can streamline the processes of evaluation, capture, presentation of the project, design costs of all types of structures and studies related to the constitution of a construction project.

Subsequently, the presentation of Carlos Galeano followed, who defended the advantages and characteristics of prefabrication and modular construction as trends for the construction industry, also indicated the design process for the manufacture of components in a controlled environment for assembly on site.
It indicates that it is the "DfMA" -Design for Manufacturing and Assembly-, Design for manufacturing and Assembly. Used in the most important industries of daily life such as Aerospace and Defense, in which the use of the BIM methodology is essential to guarantee 99% of the expected quality. Currently, the automotive sector is in the process of evolution and integration of BIM in the manufacture and assembly of its products.
Therefore, Galeano asks a question, in which part of the innovation curve is your company, and if it is really prepared to face the challenges of the 4th industrial revolution. Optimization is essential, and how is it achieved? Democratizing the assembly process, separate large physical components or assets and proceed to transport and assemble them elsewhere – modular construction – although this is not merely modularization.

“Dividing a structure into small volumetric spaces does not equate to modularization. True modularization requires systems to be redesigned with the aim of optimizing the assembly process, redesigning an asset as a set of components that can be reassembled in a factory and interact with fluency” Galeano.

“Prefabrication and modular construction are definite trends for the Construction Industry. The Manufacturing industry plays a key role for Construction. Learn about the design process for the manufacture of components in a controlled environment for assembly on the job site”.
José González continued talking about the implementation of 4G and 5G BIM WITH HIS PRESENTATION "BIM ecosystem for the management of work programming and cost control of Construction projects". Gonzales showed how CG Constructora has been able to implement BIM in its projects within Colombia, specifically in the region of the coffee region and Bogotá and its surroundings.

Through this presentation, it was glimpsed how is the 5D process and the 4D process within this construction company. To this is added the usefulness of these processes, such as the possibility of data management through different software, being able to obtain transversal information within the company -such as in the financial field, quality control, programming or sales-, and decision making practically instantaneous.
Gonzales also gave some recommendations - associated with the experience of CG Constructora in the use and management of BIM - for those companies that are starting to implement BIM. Some of them are: knowing that achieving a transformation as important as this one requires direct support from all the personnel in command "Management", this transformation requires commitment and vocation towards technology, from mistakes you learn and it is better to do it at an early age , every process requires time to obtain optimal results and although the processes/procedures may be different for each company, the purpose is the same.

“We would not try to implement a Traditional BIM again without carrying out a correct Technological surveillance” José González – CG Constructora

The congress offered a discussion where the role of the government in the implementation of BIM was discussed. In this two countries were represented, by Colombia Noretys Fandiño and Luisa Fernanda Rodriguez and by Peru Pamela Hernández Tananta and Miguel Anyosa Velásquez.

DAY 2 – JULY 13

On July 13, we had a conference by Sergio Wojtiuk entitled "Reality capture as a basis for your BIM project" from Mexico. He presented how the use of remote sensing platforms, which capture spatial data such as images, point clouds or geolocation data, are beneficial for the creation of a hybrid model adjusted to reality and that can be fully integrated into a digital twin.

“Access to drones allows the capture of images and point clouds, which are the basis for generating a model of the real conditions of the project. Learn to take advantage of a hybrid model (photos and point clouds) to reduce project development time” Sergio Wojtiuk.

The modeling of reality plays a fundamental role for any construction project, we know that when creating any structure or infrastructure it is necessary to know where the elements that make up that space are and what those elements are like -its geometry-. And what must be emphasized is that the reality model is not a Digital Twin, since the Digital Twin is a digital representation of one or several elements that are continuously synchronized to multiple data sources and that generate perspectives for decision making. .

“A photogrammetric mesh is NOT a digital Twin, it is a static data capture, the Digital Twin must always be connected and have each and every one of its structures digitized” Sergio Wojtiuk.

Another of the speakers who was present at this congress was Alexandra Moncada Hernández with her presentation on "BIM Applications for business". Hernandez commented on how the evolution has been in terms of the implementation of BIM within the company up to the present, uses and success stories of different uses of the model in electrical substations.

He explained that they began implementing BIM since 2016 in Colombia, until in 2020 they established the BIM adoption Strategy in charge of the National Planning Department with the purpose of promoting the digital transformation of the construction sector. In all that time of experience with BIM, they were able to help various companies and organizations by showing them the benefits of implementing the methodology so that they could later generate their own processes. In addition, he also indicated that they obtained from the use of BIM from 2016 to 2023.

“We use Civil 3D, Revit where we integrate the model, Naviswork, Recap, other Autodesk platforms are used, and the use of the cloud since the modeling is done collaboratively. What it indicates is that it is possible to integrate multiple tools to achieve an optimal model”.

In the future, it is expected that all organizations/companies will enter this BIM world, and will continue with Agile methodologies. When the standards are established both in Colombia and in other countries, it will finally be a global achievement. Regarding the technologies, Hernández specified that they do not only work with one type of data or technology and that it must be taken into account that the acquisition of data and platforms for processing them is not easy, so depending on the nature of the project The requirements must be defined in a timely manner.

We continue with the presentation "3D, 4D and 5D BIM Integration with Presto" by Susana González from Madrid. First of all, it defines Presto in one sentence as a cost, time, and execution management program integrated with CAD, IFC, and Revit, aimed at project professionals, Project Managers, and companies with their construction companies in the design, planning, and planning stages. and execution for civil works, leader in Spain and Latin America that supports sustainability and digital transformation. She presented a success story with the use of Presto at the Chimchero International Airport

“Presto integrates bidirectionally with BIM models to extract measurements, manage changes, and use the model as a viewer for Presto data. The use of a common database for the budget and the planning linked natively to the BIM model, allows the generation of the 4D animation of the planning or the image of the state of the certified work at each moment of execution”

Finally, he closed the conference with the theme "IoT and Artificial Intelligence for the Construction Industry" by William Alarcón. In this presentation, we talked about the presence of Microsoft in the implementation of the BIM methodology, artificial intelligence - AI and IoT. Alarcón established how Microsoft Cloud is the best platform to guarantee data, offering the technological regulations required in each country. Microsoft's "Azure" infrastructure or Cloud is one of the most robust in the world, and they invest millions in cybersecurity to be able to offer a quality service to customers.

“With devices, sensors and machines connected through the Internet of Things, the quantity and quality of data generated in the Construction Industry increases. Learn how to take advantage of the analytics of this data, based on Artificial Intelligence, to have a competitive advantage”.

He indicated how the use of AI has increased and its use in all areas, since it has a great advantage in the fast and effective processing of information that allows more agile and accurate decision-making. Chatbots and other types of combined AI services that, combined with natural language, allow the internal processes of a company to be executed effectively.

He went on to explain the “Azure Iot Product Portfolio” to describe the features and benefits of using Azure to ensure efficient and realistic project execution with that infrastructure. He finally showed success stories like Larsen & Toubro, PCL Construction, or Exxaro.

Benefits of Attending the BIM 2023 Congress

Attending the BIM 2023 Congress is not just an online event to see solution updates or success stories, but it represents an opportunity to network with industry professionals. The congress brings together experts, professionals and companies from the BIM sector, providing a platform for attendees to connect and establish beneficial strategies. Networking in the field of construction promotes the expansion of the professional network, the start of new collaborations, as well as mentoring or guides for those who are beginning to enter this world.
Not to mention that you will be able to access the latest trends and innovations in BIM. explore new tools, software, and methodologies that can enhance your BIM workflows and improve project outcomes. Staying up to date with the latest trends and innovations is crucial for professionals in the construction and architecture industry to remain competitive in the marketplace.
This time they gave us a leisure space with a musical atmosphere, another point in favor of the attendee's well-being. We look forward to another occasion to be able to continue bringing you more relevant information regarding the world of construction, technologies and geotechnologies.