Implementation of BIM in the Municipal Plan Review Process

• Main Author: Ricardo Belliard, Liz Shantalle
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2016
• Subjects: plan review; code check; BIM; code official; Construction Engineering and Management
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6069; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7068&context=etd

Obtaining a building permit is an important step for any construction project. Whether it is for a new construction or a remodel job, the process involves a plan review performed by building officials. The purpose of this research was to explore ways in which Building Information Modeling (BIM) could be used to aid code officials during the plan review process. The objectives of the study were to determine if the level of detail in BIM was complete enough to allow a plan review to be perform accurately, to identify the extent to which architects are comfortable with using their models for the plan review, and to identify barriers to implementation. A case study was conducted where BIM was used to supplement the traditional 2D plans plan review process. Additionally, a survey was given to local architects to obtain their thoughts on using BIM in the plan review process. The research found that BIM has the potential of helping code officials visualize the project, extract information from objects, and allow them to have a better understanding of unique building features relationship to other building elements. Challenges of using BIM in the plan review process identified by architects included: the accuracy of the model, the level of detail modeled, legal implications, and ability of reviewers to use BIM.