A new way to work

The times' they are A-changing for Civil Engineering industry. And the label that best describes the fundamental transformation sweeping the industry is Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Powered by software such as Bentley Structural, Revit platform and so on, BIM is changing the way the industry works in various ways.

Its first emphasis is on synchronization. BIM enables professionals of various disciplines -- architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators and even building owners -- to collaborate and work as one closely knit team. Through BIM all of them can share and update a single 3D digital model of a building in progress. As documentation is streamlined, duplication and resultant inefficiencies are weeded out.

BIM goes beyond 3-D modeling; by facilitating multipoint, real-time synchronization, it adds a fourth dimension, time, to project management.

BIM is not just software. It is a collaborative process that extends to the whole lifecycle of the building process. It is also an attitude embraced by everyone associated in a project to team up for efficiency by reinventing the workflow.

BIM is a difficult technology to adopt. It is a disruptive force that threatens the known ways of work. It shakes up the management and may even create inter-generational issues within organizations as veteran engineers may shy away from new and complicated software. BIM tools are notoriously expensive as well and still evolving. But as industry experts believe the only route to future lies through BIM.

TRC is an early adopter of BIM technologies. It has made substantial investments in software and training. It has also committed top management executives to ensure smooth adoption of technology and keep the company ahead of the curve.