Penn State BIM Execution Plan Review

I have to apologize to you, one of my loyal readers for taking so long to get back to the review of the Penn State BIM Execution Plans v 2.0. I'll get to the FM Planning Guide in a couple of weeks.

If you used this product before, you will find just about everything just as you left it, but there are better controls for what goes in and how you manage the elements. If this is new to you, then spend 30 minutes with the documentation and you will find a real gem. I still don't really like the use of a spreadsheet to deliver the working content, but it is easy and approachable for everyone. Most people will find it easy to use and modify if you have just a bit more than the basics in modifying and creating spreadsheets.

I would love to see this as a data-driven java or php app that could be implemented on a Unix LAMP or MSIE web server instead of the spreadsheets. There isn't very much in the sheets that makes a spreadsheet handy other than the all-pervasive tabular format of the process. Being tabular in presentation reduces it to a hierarchical data format which a MySQL data schema would handle very well. Modifying the elements would only be changing the variables and pseudo table headings and names, the linkages would likely stay all the same. If delivered in this format, then we would have a true collaborative environment where more than one person could reliably work on the project information anytime and from anywhere they were given permission. For one of you inventive and courageous programmers out there here's a ready-made project for you.

I really like the initial project information, documentation of goals, rating of the ability of the team members to perform tasks and the associated risks. It does make for the ability to make rational decisions about who will be making decisions about what and who will need help to get through the project without creating undue hazard to the rest of the team.

Communications between the teams, naming conventions for files, components, levels/layers, workgroups, even libraries of components can be defined here so everyone knows where and what can be used. I like the ability to give web addresses or file locations for these elements. If there is a wiki used to hold much of this information, then the url's to the correct pages and tags can be documented here.

Since it is delivered now as a spreadsheet, you can use as much or little of the framework which suits your project. If you have other sources for execution plans such as the one from Indiana, Texas or the Feds, then you can add those as additional sheets or rows within the framework as is needed.

In all, the authors have done a great job of creating a thorough and flexible framework for anyone just getting started or an old hand at BIM authoring a leg-up to better manage an increasingly complex job which has grown to be a central document contributing to the success of any integrated or collaborative BIM project.

In the thumb's up rating scale of 5 I'll have to give it a 5 for thoroughness and content and a 3 on delivery because it doesn't go far enough in my opinion to encourage collaborative participation.

International green construction code launched

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is finally out. This new code is another example of a string connection between the green performance groups and government expectations of lowered infrastructure costs. If you live in one of a growing list of communities that already use one of the earlier model codes then you are ahead of the game. For the rest of us here is another code that I believe continues to erode the value of a USGBC certification or plaque for your building. But that's a debate for a later time. This code sets minimum green requirements for buildings and sites according to the International Code Council, the publisher of this model code. While their stated intent is to "compliment the LEED certification" as you look through the code the bottom line is increasing building performance by reducing waste which is the same goal of the USGBC. The ICC web site touts this new code as an "Adaptable, Enforceable and Consensus-based" code. 

As a practitioner of sustainable design for over 30 years I can lend my support as well to a code that raises the bar for new elements in our Built Environment. I still wonder about the long-term effects as owners often disregard the operations manuals that come with the equipment and controls installed to enhance good passive design. As design and construction professionals we need to keep up our educational efforts with our clients. It is incumbent on us to help them understand how to harvest the seeds of efficiency and sustainability we have planted in their buildings by being good stewards of their buildings.