Seeding Agent for Change

We believe there is a key technology underlying collaboration improvements, and that is adoption of model-based approaches, sometimes called Building Information Modelling, or BIM.  Other countries dealing with these issues have chosen two different approaches to seeding the technology change from document-based systems to model-based systems.  In Singapore and Norway, they have chosen to develop an automated plan checking system.  This allows almost instant building code checking, with detailed reports, when a building model is submitted  for review.  This will require design practitioners to provide their designs in an electronic model-based format, rather than as documents.  As a consequence, a threshold will be crossed that will promote many other uses of the model by many other participants throughout the supply chain.

The opportunities are substantial.

A second approach is that being taken by the General Services Administration in the US, which is mandating use of model-based designs for all federal government work in the US starting in 2006.  This is similar to the approach taken in the mid-eighties in Australia when governments mandated the submission of electronic CAD files.

Automated Plan Checking

We propose as one of the first steps of this roadmap the development by government of an automated plan checking system, for the following reasons:

• It will effectively move the industry to adopt model-based design, crossing this threshold offers many more opportunities,
• We can learn from others also travelling this route ahead of us.  Singapore is implementing a building code checking process.  Norway is going further, and also incorporating aspects of development planning checking in their systems.  Through the International Alliance for Interoperability, we have access to many of the developers of these systems, and can learn from their experience,
• We are already working on similar code checking systems in Australia.  The Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation is undertaking a project called “Automated Plan Checking” (2001-014-B)  and already has a working pilot system,
• It offers benefits to both government and the private sector, and will therefore present less resistance to uptake than simply mandating a switch to model-based work
  

In some states, checking of building applications has been privatized, and is undertaken by licensed individuals.  There is potential for these commercial service providers to undertake development of automated plan checking as a commercial opportunity.  However, we do not believe that this will be attractive commercially.  Most commercial building approval firms are very small, without the resources for such an investment.  They do not generally have the skills required to undertake the software development.  They typically operate in a small section of the market.  They do not have the ability to mandate use of the tools.

The benefits of automated plan checking flow to building purchasers and developers and others in the design/construct supply chain, as well as to local government in the form of staff costs and improved quality submissions.  The effect of the use of the tools is to improve the quality and compliance of submissions, and to reduce issues requiring special adjudication.