How is BIM Effective for Electrical Engineers?

Building Information Modeling is a process developed to ease the construction process. It is for helping the trades involved from the beginning of the construction to the end.

Basically, there are four major dimensions in the construction industry including Designing, Engineering, Architecture, and Execution.

As far as the engineering dimension is concerned, Electrical is the trade responsible for the power supply & electrification of the project, which covers a significant portion of the entire project cost. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Safety cover the other portion.

In this article, we’ll see how BIM for electrical engineers becomes helpful in executing things effectively and efficiently.

Know that BIM revolves around the same sub-dimensions always. Be it for any trade, either Mechanical, Electrical, or Architecture; the sub-dimensions will be the same as follows-

❖    3D visualization

❖    Clash Detection

❖    Estimation

❖    Prefabrication

❖    Operations & Execution

❖    Maintenance

Major Dimensions around BIM for Electrical Engineers

Visualization

●      Electrical engineers are significantly required to visualize the design before the execution takes place, like all the other trades. BIM allows them to construct a 3D model in which the contractors may zoom in and out for their ease and make sure if it is constructive or not.

Clash Coordination

●      There are high chances of interferences which can be easily rectified with the help of BIM, and a large scale of rework can be avoided. This is one reason why BIM for electrical engineers has been equally important as it is for other trades.

Rendering

●      Electrical rendering has been the most common challenge for any electrical engineer. It has been seen that electrical engineers miss the option of creating their own visuals, unlike other trades. However, they can check for electrical conflicts. Also, by creating layouts, they may determine the prerequisites, as BIM shows what is required for the structure. Be it brackets, rods, conduits, etc.; an easy estimation is possible for electrical engineers because of BIM only.

Monitor Energy Usage with BIM

●      BIM for electrical engineers has been a boon since they learned how to monitor energy usage and lighting using BIM. Also, there is software like DiaLux, which helps identify the illumination and intensity of light to project in a particular place. Software like Autodesk Revit allows import back the file from DiaLux and foresee things before physical execution.

Planning & Execution

●      Multiple factors like operating cost, CO2 emissions, changes, and rework can be reduced by early planning and execution analysis. BIM helps electrical engineers eliminate all the downstream documentation work and early planning.

Electrical engineers are the ones who have entered last in the BIM for modeling. That is why they are given limited capabilities, but yet they can save a lot of time, and money, as well as the rework which would surely be there if they work traditionally.

Is Electrical Engineering Equally Important as Other Trades?

First of all, there is no smart building without electricity. Yet, if there is any electrical team working in a traditional manner, which has only experience to give in the name of visualization, and which demands trust in the name of reliability, then hardly will there be any large-scale project which would happily agree to proceed in this way.

We need a fool-proof power supply system to deploy thousands of sensors, and actuators, to control numerous doors, windows, lighting, air conditioning, and whatnot.

Secondly, when several sub-trades are in the role already, they need to communicate seamlessly, which is possible only with the help of BIM. Thus, it becomes equally important for the AEC industry to keep the Electrical trade growing parallelly and have the equal ability like other trades.

BIM creates the greatest of possibilities that were never even assumed before for Mechanical and other trades involved. Therefore, this again becomes important for the overall collaboration required for successful planning and management.

Author's Bio - 

Aayush Goswami is a Mechanical Engineer who prefers to contribute as a technical writer. He believes in doing things that make him feel effortless. Therefore, he has been writing for over 7 years to transcend his writing skills. He enjoys debates on social problems and their solutions and possesses expertise in automobile engineering. He is always a keen learner who is excited to add new things to his knowledge arsenal. Nowadays, he is writing professional articles on the technologies and tools used by AEC industry leaders, which is also a part of his interest.