SYNOPSIS

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been around in form or another. However, its application then was specific to a particular industry like PDMS or used as part of the engineering management process of well established design companies and consultancies. The question to be asked, like for all engineering tools is that, when, where, how and what do I need, for a full scale BIM implementation. Before that is done, the why of BIM, needs to be indoctrinated into the company and its supporting systems. And even before the why is asked, the definition of BIM has to be well understood. In the process, why a universal definition for BIM is not forth coming from the industry has to be addressed. Secondly, is BIM being unconsciously put forth as a sledgehammer hoping to crack a peanut of a problem in the Malaysian construction setting? Once it is universally agreed that there is a need for BIM, then what? How do we proceed? It is this that has to be addressed intensively as success factors for BIM are as subtle as they as salient. BIM is actually a reflection of design and engineering management strength. One cannot imply the latter by getting involved in the former. This talk is intended to highlight the issues that are involved and not follow the public perception that BIM is just and only about the software that is being used. It is meant to highlight implementation issues that will be of concern to the users, owners and stakeholders in the Malaysian engineering landscape.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Ir. S. Vignaeswaran was educated at the Department of Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering in Monash University, Australia then in 1989.  He has then gone on to acquire his Masters in Business Information Systems from Keele University, UK in 2002. He has had the experience of teaching AutoCad 14 in the late 1990s and was keenly interested in corporate / business information systems automation. That was the precursor to what is being touted as the BIM systems currently. It is his strongest conviction that the current engineering practices cannot be done without IT technology, and that the successful handling of BIM requires a multitude of resources and skills. He has had hands on design, engineering and project management experiences both locally as well as internationally.