BIM Analysis of Beijing Olympic Stadium

Introduction

Building components and their linkages and relationships are modeled through a framework which is digitalized and fully fledged, and is known as BIM or Building Information Model. A sub-BIM is BIM's subset module, and its main focus is on the objectives or fields. A sub-BIM is responsible for the providence of all building information which is related. This paper will look to present an important and feasible method for BIM applications' implementation through the combination of different sub-BIMs, and is aimed at solving the problem of the complete establishment of Building Information Model (BIM) at the start of a project.

For this research, the Beijing Olympics Stadium was used as the case study where a sub-BIM was developed by putting together three small sub-BIMs in order to facilitate the 4D structural safety analysis when the construction is ongoing. This is done in order to precisely carry out structural analysis (which is time dependent); once the construction is complete. The sub-BIM used is called the 4D Structural Information Model. Through the case study, it can be gauged that the proposed method is both feasible and rational, and it is remarkable to note that the work load is reduced to a large extent.

Discussion

In order to realize a building, BIM (Building Information Model) is very useful, since it can support important work activities, such as construction, procurement and fabrication, as it has the relevant data and precise geometry needed (Eastman, 2009). Building decisions' accuracy and efficiency can be greatly improved through BIM, and the civil engineers, architects and contractors concerned can share it; BIM is a true and complete representation of a building which is under construction (Marshall-Ponting, 311-321). All the information needed for building management can be supported by BIM, including the lifecycle phases such as planning, designing, constructing and maintenance (Graphisoft, 2003). Nevertheless, it is important to note that the establishment of BIM cannot be done at the beginning of the project since it involves a time span which is long, wide areas various miscellaneous data and factors which are quite complicated. Therefore, it is more feasible and logical to use sub-BIMs for certain purposes, in order to cover a wide spectrum. On the contrary, the complete BIM may be used with various sub-BIMs.

The capability to test components' and materials' performance, and the way in which they work is provided by BIM. The 4D structural safety analysis, which is a BIM application, was used in combination with sub-BIMs, and the application was applied to the Beijing Olympics' main stadium, known as the National Stadium (Lu et al. 2009). A feasible method was proposed through this research in order to build the full BIM along with sub-BIMs for the future, and this case study would show that. It will also look to shed light on the possibility of carrying out more researches on lifecycle management of buildings by putting together structural calculations, architectural design and construction management.

BIMs' individual aspects are addressed by the existing literature, ...