The two sides of the BIM coin...

...there is the ‘light side’ that most BIM people talk about:

The 4D and 5D. The sequencing, the clash detections. The project model, one and central, accessible through a cloud from anywhere, anytime.

The virtual construction concept, building something twice, first virtually, then in real world. The accessible model that clients can investigate and contractors interrogate.

The optimised model, the clever database, quantities, logistics, resources planning ...

...and then, there is the ‘dark side’. The poor quality of information that travels through the project. The lack of integrity of project information that at best is ignored or at worst is used as a major tool for diversion/confusion as the project proceeds from one stage to the next.

The fact that design consultants may talk the BIM talk but rarely walk it, definitely not across the line that separates design and construction.

The hard to learn authoring packages, the limitations of the off-the-shelf solutions, the empty databases...

Few of us seem to be able to see both sides of the coin.

Some get stuck on the light side, pushing the utopia down anyone and everyone’s throats.

Others are hostages to the dark side, trapped in the never-ending battle of tangling up and untangling project information, repeatedly going down roads that everyone knows are dead-end.

... all-in-all, a sorry state of affairs.

Care to flip the coin?