By Hitech BIM Services

07/17/2020 Building information modeling extends a collaborative approach where every decision-maker – engineer, architect, or the general contractor himself – involved in a construction project can benefit the informed decision-making process through a common data environment. This fact has been well known across the construction industry but the benefits of BIM to building surveyors remain quite skeptical.

Can building surveyors derive substantial benefits from BIM? – is a question that is long-standing from acceptance by the surveyor’s fraternity.

But in reality, since a surveyor’s job spans across the lifecycle of a construction project, they can gain the best and extensive benefits from BIM. The virtual design and construction (VDC) capabilities enable Surveyors to gain better control over the construction process and introduce efficiency across their work profile during and before the construction on-site breaks the ground.

What does a surveyor do?

• Surveyors ensure that construction projects are completed within budget and as scheduled
• A surveyor prepares scheme designs with detailed specifications and costing
  
• Organizes documents for tenders
  
• Surveys and determines the condition of existing buildings
  
• Accesses building designs to determine if they are fit for people with disabilities
  
• Surveyors also advise on energy efficiency and sustainability for a building
  
• Additionally building survey for health and safety in occupant structures also falls under the job profile of a surveyor
  
• Feasibility studies for retrofitting and renovation across the lifecycle of the project are carried out by surveyors

How does BIM help Building Surveyors?

Surveyor’s job predominantly is to work with various measurements, values, costs, schedules dimensions, and demarcations that are derived from reliable and accurate sources of data. BIM actively helps surveyors in accessing and analyzing all this data in the form of geometries, numerals, and necessary footnotes [with annotations to building objects and modeled elements] for explicit information.
As-built BIM models help in visualizing the data, ultimately empowering surveyors not just with the information, but with insights too. And this insight enables survey professionals to do the right analysis in order to advise architects and contractors in the best interests of occupants and all the stakeholders involved in the building design and development projects.

Opportunities for Surveyors

• BIM for surveyors improves collaboration and co-ordinations amongst multi‐disciplinary teams
• Surveyors with the help of BIM can measure embodied CO2e in buildings and recommend remedies
  
• BIM helps the surveyor make the work quicker in minimum cost
  
• Creates obtainable concurrent information about project performance & ongoing maintenance of the property
  
• BIM helps in sustainability and produce accessible synchronous information regarding project performance
  
• Surveyors can optimize their work profile effectively with the help of BIM
  
• Accuracy in decision making for spatial planning, material orders, and QTOs – in case of retrofitting