BIM Services for Healthcare Industry
BIM Services has gained momentum and is now being utilized in every domain and industry. Health Care industry is one such industry that is currently using Building Information Modelling to the fullest. Healthcare construction is niche and has specific design requirements. Large Hospitals, Health clinic, weight loss centers, Gymnasiums etc. fall under this category. Since the building types are niche, the construction also requires specific attention. The size of such projects are large scale hence end to end BIM solutions is best for this industry.
As we all know the advantages of using BIM is abundant. But the most important factor in healthcare buildings is proper space planning, aesthetics and the equipment entities that are used in a hospital. Such buildings needs to be given special attention during Architectural Design, Structural and MEP designing too. This is the reason why the codes and standards are different for the health care domain. End to End BIM solutions helps achieve profitable results through its capability to reduce cost, speed up the overall construction process and provide complete set of solutions at all stages.
Based on some recent figures on internet, the population in the urban areas are soaring higher compared to rural areas. This number is increasing too fast compared to any other areas. Hence the requirement for cost effective, sustainable and durable infrastructure is mandatory. The amount of cost and time that goes in construction needs to be evaluated based on the utility factor by and large.
In order to ensure the quality of the infrastructures, Government of different countries and Construction agencies are working hard in laying out regulations that make sure buildings are able to endure harsh climatic conditions, natural calamities and population increase. These rules and regulations play an important role in development of long lasting structures. BIM Services are a part of this initiative and hence can be termed to be path breaking and one of the most important part of the current design and development arena. This is a modern technology that can be used through the Design to the facility management phase. Virtual Construction Modeling is one the technologies that has actually made a difference to the Architectural firms, Structural and MEP design firms, MEP contractors and Builders. Ability to design efficient and high on utility buildings is the key benefit of a BIM enabled construction process.
Hospitals and health care industry is one of the domains which uses BIM Solutions to the fullest. Since hospital infrastructure is one of the most detailed and large infrastructures for construction Building Information Modeling is extremely useful. With the help of Virtual construction Modeling we can develop 3D geometry of the building design, estimate costing and budgeting, construction scheduling, energy analysis and facility management. Hospital and Health care industry needs an efficient building that is easily manageable. BIM endows excellent benefits by providing end to end solutions through a single data center and model. Architects, Engineers, Builders, contractors and owners all these agencies can use a single model for all phases of construction.
After the building construction is completed for a hospital or healthcare unit, the model can be updated based on the on-site construction. Entire hospital design can be interwoven in the BIM format which can categorically streamline the post construction and facility management process. Using 4D BIM we can very well develop model simulation and construction schedules to facilitate construction process. Cost effective construction and timely consumption both are critical in the healthcare industry. Since Building Information Modeling to a great extent helps in implementing these features effectively it is commonly used for all the preconstruction requirements.
Applicability of BIM Services or Building Information Modelling in health care industry
Since Hospital and health care facilities have many medical equipment’s, large space planning, different floors, different rooms according to functionalities etc. Hence the designing phase needs to be very carefully handled and worked upon. In such a situation Building information Modeling becomes important. Total BIM solutions when followed and developed appropriately can help in the seamless project execution
Companies who have implemented BIM Modelling are reaping the benefits. They are already enjoying the fruits of labor by achieving cost effectiveness, smart and short construction schedules along with excellent quality deliverables. Ability to virtually visualize the hospital structures with the medical equipment’s and other amenities make it easier for clients to suggest design changes. Effective solutions like BIM Coordination, 4D BIM Modelling and 5D BIM helps to get a very clear picture of the building way before construction begins. These services also help in quickly implementing design changes if any during the onsite construction.
Features like Revit family creation services help in creating parametric families that can be a 3D geometric representation of the actual equipment’s and components fabricated or installed. In medical facilities BIM families can give an exact representation of the same equipment that can be used. We can feed in manufacturing specifications, asset numbers, location specific and specific parameters that can help in ordering these equipment’s or getting it manufactured through fabricators. These information can also be stored in form of database (CObie) and used again for facility management. As built modeling also benefits a great deal from virtual construction modeling.
We can also work on energy modelling using BIM Services. Since health care and hospitals have to be focused on sustainability it is very important to be focused on energy analysis. The kind of material utilized for construction, shadow studies, optimized availability of natural light and air needs to be checked. If the existing design does not fulfill these criteria of sustainability of designs, they can be changed during the pre-construction stage.
Conclusion: BIM Services for hospitals and health care is growing rapidly. According to sources, more than 70% of hospital construction shall be going the BIM way by the year 2025!!
Divya Dave