BIM (Building Information Modeling) integrates architecture design, construction, and management to reduce costs and increase efficiency. With BIM, the architecture of the future is becoming more precise and innovative, and its adoption is increasing worldwide.
The game “Minecraft” has gained popularity by allowing users to create anything they desire in a world made up of cubes. The game’s uniqueness and endless possibilities have transcended simple entertainment and are now being used as an educational tool. For example, many schools are using “Minecraft” to conduct projects that help students develop creativity and problem-solving skills. Through this game, players can meet other users and participate in “Hunger Games,” or engage in wars and sieges. However, the game’s steady seller is something else: the ‘creative’ feature, which allows players to build structures and cities. The joy of creating one’s own world is what has made “Minecraft” a game that has been loved by many people for a long time. Like Minecraft, games and programs that emerged with the advancement of computers have enabled people to easily enjoy the pleasure of creating new worlds, where they become gods capable of building amusement parks, houses, cities, historical buildings, and even nations. In this way, games have expanded their role beyond mere entertainment, serving as tools that maximize human creativity and imagination. Among the many programs and games available, the one that most closely resembles reality is BIM.
If you were asked to draw a house, how would you do it? A young child would draw it with crayons in a sketchbook, while some students would design a house using a game like Minecraft. In the past, architects would draw multiple cross-sections of a house, while today’s architects use programs like CAD (Computer-Aided Design) to model houses in 3D. CAD has revolutionized the architecture and engineering fields by simplifying complex design tasks. So, what will architects do in the future? At first glance, the houses they create in 3D may seem no different from those made by today’s architects. However, upon closer inspection, their designs include information on how materials are managed, the costs involved, how the structure should be maintained after completion, and even how it should be demolished. In other words, they encompass not only the “present” of constructing a building but also its ‘past’ and “future” within a single program.
This program that manages the entire lifecycle of a building is called “BIM (Building Information Modeling).” If you ask whether there has ever been a system like BIM that manages construction all at once, the answer is “No.” However, this was something that the “Master Builders” of the Renaissance era, who handled both construction and design, could answer.
After the Renaissance, as each profession became specialized, there was no longer a single profession that encompassed multiple fields. The blueprint served as the bridge between these professions. However, blueprints often contained distortions, leading to not only increased time but also the waste of 35% of construction investment funds.
The primary reason why BIM is overwhelmingly more useful than blueprints lies in “3D modeling.” When using blueprints, only a limited number of people could understand the final form of the completed building. However, by utilizing the 3D modeling technology of BIM, the appearance of the completed building can be intuitively confirmed through a computer. This means that architects and consumers can stand on equal footing when selecting a building. Furthermore, this technology provides opportunities to predict and prevent errors that may occur during the construction process, thereby contributing to minimizing economic losses.
As such, BIM offers significant advantages over current technologies and is already being partially adopted in various fields. However, its adoption in Korea is limited to private companies implementing it according to their individual needs, raising concerns about challenges related to institutional and technical issues. In contrast, Japan has already begun preparing for the adoption of BIM technology through joint efforts between the government and private companies, and is minimizing issues and identifying improvement directions through various pilot projects. Japan’s example provides many lessons for us and shows that a systematic and integrated approach is necessary in Korea as well.
Like this, numerous technologies, including BIM, have been introduced and are being used without us even realizing it, and they are influencing our lives. In construction-related departments, computer-aided design (CAD) education is becoming a required major, and even in actual construction sites, 3D modeling is no longer an unfamiliar technology. Even the Seoul National University Library has undergone a work process utilizing BIM-related technology, indicating that BIM technology is a technology we will need to live with in the near future. Furthermore, the development of BIM technology is expected to bring innovation not only to the field of architecture but also to various fields such as urban planning and infrastructure management. This will play an important role in making the environment we live in more efficient and sustainable.
