Building information modelling (BIM) enables quicker, more economical and more sustainable installation of heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) systems, says mechanical pipe-joining service provider Victaulic, which has helped in the BIM stage of development of numerous projects, including the Mall of Africa in Waterfall City, Midrand.

Victaulic construction piping services manager Philip Janssens describes BIM as a computerised, model-based process used to plan, design and construct buildings and infrastructure. He notes that BIM forms a reliable basis for decisions regarding design details, scheduling and clash detection.

He says the company works with major BIM software manufacturers, such as Revit, and that Victaulic Tools for Revit– a software program that enables users to route pipes twice as fast, increasing efficiency and productivity – was launched globally in June.

“It is an add-in for Revit that increases drawing productivity, solves troublesome pipe-routing problems and enables the creation of construction and fabrication documentation in Revit,” Janssens explains.

Numerous projects have produced drawings using the extensive Revit BIM-enabled Victaulic computer-aided design library that the company offers, including the new Terminal 2 at London’s Heathrow Airport, in the UK, and the Weggeler Centre in Almelo – a flagship BIM project in the Netherlands.

In addition to three-dimensional (3D) drawings, BIM also promotes collaboration between architects, engineers, contractors and owners, who all previously worked independently, says Janssens.

The 3D model is a powerful visual representation of how a building and its services, such as its HVAC system, fit together, which is useful for contractors and engineers who need to guide clients to an understanding of how things are positioned.

Janssens explains that one of the challenges facing BIM users is that BIM relies heavily on information, technology and collaboration. Without all these components, BIM’s most powerful advantages will be absent from any project.

Meanwhile, regulations promulgated across several US states have prompted more companies to adopt BIM in their construction planning, causing its prominence to double over the past five years. Further, the Netherlands has seen a threefold increase – from less than 10% to more than 30% – of projects using BIM in the same period, he states.

Janssens adds that the greatest increase in BIM use, however, has been in the UK, where BIM-led building and infrastructure projects have risen from comprising less than 5% to 30% of projects.

BIM is considered standard practice for many leading construction companies and, as the use of BIM gathers momentum, supply chain companies are responding, he concludes.