How the BIM process and software are transforming Architecture

BIM is proving to be an ideal solution for architecture, with architects and all those involved in the building industry working together. Architectural agencies model construction data within a single digital model. Information is retained throughout the life cycle of a project, from design to operation. Mastering Building Information Modeling means first and foremost understanding the tool and its techniques, so that you can choose the right software (see end of article!). Are you ready to make the most of your talents and change the future of architecture? Find the answer in this summary.

See all software Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Contents of our guide to BIM for architects :

The added value of BIM for architecture

• Working together through the BIM process
• Controlling the project with a digital mock-up
• Building virtually with 3D modelling
• Use the same data using the ICF format

The ideal solution for architects

• 4 benefits for everyone involved in the building process
• The architect's role throughout the construction process
• 9 architects talk about their use of BIM
• Case study: example of a BIM project

How to choose software

• The 3 levels of BIM maturity
• 13 rules to know when working with BIM
• Experts' expectations and areas of interest
• BIM for small architectural practices
• The different types of software

The 3 leading BIM software packages on the market

• Revit from Autodesk
• Archicad from Graphisoft
• Allplan from Nemetschek

The players shaping the future of the building industry

• The Digital Transition Plan for the Building Industry
• Legislators
• Professional associations
• The architecture training label
• Communities

The added value of BIM for architecture

Working together as part of the BIM process

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a collaborative work process that now makes it possible to bring all the players together around the same project, promoting exchanges and understanding at every stage in the life of a building.

Working in isolation, complicating communication, entering the same data, ignoring other stages or business points of view, multiplying exchange documents and errors reflect the practices of a bygone era.

By modelling all the data for a building and representing it virtually in a digital mock-up, all the professionals involved can access the same data and work together more effectively by anticipating the interactions between each discipline.

Controlling the project with a digital mock-up

Also known as an avatar, the digital mock-up is an identical virtual representation of the construction project. It contains BIM objects, or 3D objects, that make up the entire building.

It details all the information about the site, the stages, the constraints and the people involved. It enables simulations to be carried out, costs to be anticipated, and the project as a whole to be managed more effectively.

Digital mock-ups are proving their worth for projects large and small: all architectural practices use them, whatever the complexity of the project, for new buildings as well as for renovation and refurbishment.

Some architects are becoming BIM managers, managing the project as a whole, in order to ensure and restore a certain level of architectural design quality in production.

Building virtually with 3D modelling

Exploiting the same data using the IFC format

Nothing is possible without the use of a standard that can be exploited by everyone: the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) file format is a standardised computer file format.

This format can be opened in different software: architects do not necessarily use the same software as other construction professionals. This is known as software interoperability.

The IFC format makes simultaneous engineering work on the digital mock-up possible: each player works on the same file. The major advantages of this optimum use of BIM are that documentation is shared and many structural and functional problems are avoided.

Take a look at the BIM basics in the following presentation from July 2017:

Presentation by Sébastien TESSIER and Jean-Paul TREHEN, Mediaconstruct at the "Le B.A.ba du BIM: l'open BIM" workshop at the 2nd edition of BtoBIM (05/07/17). Mediaconstruct is an association representing BuildingSMART in France, promotes the use of the digital mock-up (BIM) and supports the national digital transition plan among building industry players.

The ideal solution for architects

4 benefits for everyone involved in the building industry

Advantage 1: control over the project

The architect's design is integrated into the model: every element is controlled and simulated. The BIM process enables them to choose the best architectural and technical solutions. By simulating the various phases, the architect produces coherent graphic documents and plans, ensuring better site monitoring.

Advantage no. 2: easier coordination between players

The digital mock-up provides a clear overview of the project, and simplifies exchanges with and between the players involved, the client and the project team. Execution plans and design summaries can be printed out easily, so that work phases and variants can be assessed together. BIM improves coordination and enables architects to communicate and develop their ideas at every stage of the project.

Advantage no. 3: checking and anticipating incidents

The architect ensures that the programme is consistent with the project by checking the design and construction stages: he builds virtually, before the work is actually built. In this way, they anticipate any interactions that could lead to faulty workmanship or non-compliant construction, using enhanced self-checking procedures (town planning, fire safety, accessibility, etc.).

Advantage no. 4: design a quality structure from a performance point of view

Falling error rates, anticipation of incidents: the BIM process also makes it possible to reduce deadlines and better estimate the quantity of materials needed, as well as prefabrication. In short, architects design buildings that perform better: the digital mock-up enables them to control and deliver the best possible performance from every angle.

Estimated savings are between 5% and 20% of construction costs.

Source: " BIM, a major challenge for architects" (ordredesarchitectes.be)

The architect's role throughout the construction process

Architectural firms and design offices play a central role in construction projects: their dominant presence, as noted by BIM World, reflects their overriding interest in the BIM process and software.

Image source: BIM WORLD, 2017 review

Furthermore, according to the Ordre des Architectes (brochure: " BIM, an asset for architecture "), the architect's scope of intervention is expanding.

By using BIM and digital mock-ups, architects can offer services throughout the entire life cycle of a building, including project management and project assistance. Requirements: proficiency in BIM software and collaborative design processes.

Project management assignments :

• thermal calculations
• project costing and economics,
• execution drawings,
• synthesis or OPC.

Post-project management services

Management over time of :

• the as-built file (DOE),
• the subsequent works file (DIUO) in digital format.

The digital mock-up needs to be constantly updated to provide optimum monitoring that is identical to the building's development.

Support for operation and maintenance

The secret of quality and planning lies in information. The quality of the data and the ability to use it appropriately represent opportunities for the architect:

• Services for operation and maintenance,
• services for updating and monitoring the digital mock-up,
• data extraction services to help clients understand the value of their assets.

9 testimonials from architects on their use of BIM

Testimonial 1: Gonçalo Ducla Soares, architect, Arte Charpentier practice

BIM is an approach that enables information to be passed on efficiently, without loss or redundancy, and with significant time savings.

Source: Village BIM

Testimonial 2: Louis Paillard, architect

Thanks to this tool and its single file, all the parties involved work together in a workshop and interactively, enabling all the partners to be monitored both internally and externally. There's no more blah, blah, blah... Relations between partners become more intelligent thanks to a visual understanding of all the issues involved.

Source: AMC-ARCHI

Video testimonial 3: Olivier Celnik, architect DPLG, founder of Z.STUDIO

Olivier Celnik, architect DPLG, founder and managing partner of Z.STUDIO, gives us his clear-sighted point of view on video:

BIM can be fatal for architectural agencies if they don't take an interest in it

Olivier Celnik, architect DPLG, founder and managing partner of Z.STUDIO, C coordinator of the BIM Specialised Master's programme at the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, teacher at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine and Versailles and elected member of CROAIF (Conseil Régional de l'Ordre des Architectes d'Île-de-France).

Testimonial 4: Pierre Navarra, engineer with the Sona architectural practice

The tool and the digital model using BIM technology is an endless means of communication. The generation of realistic panoramas gives us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the model and thus better understand the scope of the work to be carried out on such a project.

Source: Village BIM

Testimonial 5: Pierre-Maxence Renoult, Engineer - Architect, Project Manager at Arcora

Architects would do well to familiarise themselves with BIM (Building Information Modeling) as soon as possible. Firstly, so that they are not caught out when a project developed using BIM comes their way. Secondly, so that they can establish themselves as respected players in these new working methodologies by taking control of the digital mock-up and being a source of ideas for future developments in BIM. While the Anglo-Saxon method is tried and tested across the Channel and the Atlantic, in France it is still in its infancy. This leaves all those involved in the construction industry with a reasonably wide scope for adapting it to the way we design building projects.

Source: Archibat

Testimonial 6: Laurence Bonnevie, architect

What are the advantages of BIM? Certainly in terms of quality and time savings. The 3D synthesis, particularly with the fluids, in the design phase means that quality is improved on site. I hadn't really thought about saving time at the outset, but when I discovered Revit's functions, which use the same model to plan multiple phases of work and propose variants within the same project, I was able to see and appreciate this additional advantage!

Source : Village BIM

Testimonial 7: Carmen Martinez Gilles, BIM Lead Architect, Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et Associés

On a day-to-day basis, BIM is a real time-saver. As soon as we correct an element on one of the views, it is corrected on all the plans. Not to mention the fact that the slightest modification is visible to all the other players!

Source: MediaConstruct

Testimonial 8: Razvan Gorcea, architect and BIM Manager at the Michel Rémon & Associés architectural studio

The BIM process federates different project data (programmatic, urban, regulatory and technical) in addition to bringing together all the players around the specifics of the project. (...) We also use the BIM model as an educational tool for visualising the project and helping our clients to make the right decisions.

Source: BIM WORLD, manifesto 2017

Case study 9: Sona architecture firm

The BIM method, associated with the architectural project, accompanies the entire life of a building, enabling greater creativity and savings on site and in management, right from the smallest scales. The digital mock-up is a database, a reliable support for simulations, and an unprecedented tool for exchanging and sharing information between those involved in the construction process. It is the cross-disciplinary nature of its functions that makes this tool so adaptable to so many different projects.

Source: Village BIM

Case study: example of a BIM project

Feedback from architects is essential for forming an opinion on the benefits of the BIM process. Here is a concrete example of a project that illustrates the use of BIM and collaborative methods between trades.

How do you choose your software?

The 3 levels of BIM

Since the advent of CAD and 2D, the explosion of BIM has revealed different levels of maturity. The table below explains these levels and their importance. This will help you situate your approach to BIM.

13 rules for working with BIM :

• Rule no. 1: BIM is a process, the digital mock-up a tool,
• Rule 2: the idea is to work better together,
• Rule 3: everyone wins,
• Rule 4: all phases can be designed virtually,
• Rule no. 5: understanding all the issues at stake means identifying the interactions between the various professions,
• Rule no. 6: to understand, there's nothing like communication,
• Rule no. 7: the file must guarantee interoperability so that it can be used by everyone,
• Rule no. 8: files are hosted and accessible,
• Rule no. 9: 3D objects are used to model a construction,
• Rule 10: object data is structured,
• Rule 11: object data is updated,
• Rule 12: the BIM process must be in place before any modelling is carried out,
• Rule no. 13: my BIM software is not standard 3D software, but object-oriented software.

Experts' expectations and interests

Image source: BIM WORLD, 2017 review

The image above expresses a general interest in BIM technology: modelling and interoperability between tools top the list of concerns.

To complete this picture, here are the advantages perceived by construction professionals in descending order:

• optimal collaborative working,
• design errors plummet,
• Improved quality,
• anticipation of work,
• shorter design and construction times,
• lower operating costs,
• easier eco-design.

Source: PTNB survey " Le BIM dans le secteur du BTP, baromètre de mars 2017 ".

BIM for small architectural practices

Small and medium-sized architecture firms account for 70% of the players: it is clear that the adoption of BIM and its evangelisation by as many people as possible contribute to the shared benefits that architects and clients can derive.

BIM is not just for huge projects! Every project has its own BIM model: whether it's small, medium-sized or large, the project depends on the architect. By using the digital mock-up combined with the collaborative BIM process, the architect shares his work with the other parties involved. Together, they facilitate the smooth running of the project.

The role of the architect is crucial at every phase in the life of a construction project, as described above: the architect can offer additional services in the interests of his client.

Managing a project using BIM also has a number of advantages for small architectural practices:

• Improved collaboration between team members,
• increased productivity
• better analyses thanks to simulations
• more precise project planning,
• new assignments throughout the life cycle.

Small and medium-sized architectural practices can therefore benefit from BIM in the medium and long term.

The different types of software

The 3 leading BIM software packages on the market

Revit from Autodesk

Revit is the tool most widely used by architects and other construction professionals. This software makes it possible to use building data modelling at every stage of the building's life cycle, from design to construction, right through to operation. In particular, Revit is the most advanced tool for setting up complex programmes and projects.

Below is a video preview of Revit (it is advisable to check out the capabilities of the latest version):

Revit's flagship features :

• comparison and collision functions,
• optimised point cloud conversion via Recap,
• flexible operation with Autocad,
• changes to the BIM model are updated automatically,
• over 300 plugins,
• compatibility with the My Snapkin for Autodesk Revit suite, which enhances the use of Revit for modelling existing buildings,
• 16 online object libraries offering 70,000 BIM objects (Autocad + Revit),
• native .RVT format (working format),
• advanced interoperability with .IFC and .IFC4 formats,
• other export formats: .DXF, .DWG, .DGN, .ACIS, .DWF, .ADSK, .NWC, .FBX, .GBXML, .IFC, .IFC4.

Is Revit right for you?
Revit pushes back the boundaries of collaborative working thanks to a dedicated BIM server to manage remote working and includes a specific tool for the BIM manager. While the tool is renowned for its capabilities, it does require a fairly long learning curve, which may put some people off. Patience and high standards are essential if you're going to make this choice!

Allplan from Nemetschek

Allplan is popular with architects for the design and execution phases. This structure- and architecture-oriented software is intuitive and efficient for small-scale BIM projects. It is both an accessible tool for feasibility studies and a powerful rendering tool.

Below is a video preview of Allplan (it is advisable to check out the capabilities of the latest version):

Allplan's key features :

• simulations of material components,
• comparison of different digital mock-ups in IFC format,
• allows you to insert annotations in the 3D version of the cloud and the legend,
• 4 3D object providers,
• plugins available in small quantities,
• native .NDW format (working format),
• guaranteed interoperability with .IFC format,
• other export formats: .DXF, .DWG, .DGN, .PDF, .PLT, .C4D, .SKP, .3DS, .WRL.

Archicad from Graphisoft

Some medium-sized architectural practices use Archicad for recurring projects, in the design and execution phases. This architectural and technical synthesis software is integrated into an openBIM collaborative workflow. Like Revit, Archicad enables several architects to work easily and remotely via a cloud platform.

Below is a video preview of Archicad (it is advisable to enquire about the capabilities of the latest version):

Archicad features :

• comparison of different digital mock-ups in IFC format,
• paramentrism of objects,
• facing management,
• 10 online object libraries offering 1,021 BIM objects,
• a small number of plugins,
• native .PLN and .PLA formats (working formats),
• guaranteed interoperability in .IFC format,
• other export formats: .DXF, .DWG, .DNG, .DWF.

Is Archicad right for you?
Archicad is highly advanced in terms of collaborative working. A platform also allows the client to view the model online. However, the BIM Manager needs a third-party tool to manage the BIM project. Archicad is quick to learn and effective for medium-sized and small projects. If you are tackling large-scale projects, you should know that most architects use cinema4D or 3dStudio-type software as a back-up.

See all software Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

The players shaping the future of construction

The Digital Transition Plan for the Building Industry

The aim of the PTNB is to speed up the recovery of the construction sector: its purpose is to encourage the adoption of digital tools, enable apprenticeships, and support standardisation. Presented in 2014 by the Minister for Housing, Territorial Equality and Rurality, Sylvia Pinel, the PTNB was officially created on 20 January 2015.

The legislators

Article 11 of the law on the energy transition for green growth of 17 August 2015 requires a digital housing maintenance logbook for all new builds for which planning permission is submitted from 1 January 2017. Since 2017, the law concerning public procurement in France has offered the contracting authority the right to impose the digital mock-up as a working tool.

Professional associations:

• The Ordre des Architectes, with its national and regional councils, needs no introduction.


• BuildingSmart is an international organisation for the construction industry. Its aim is to develop the best possible interoperability between the software used in the building industry, using a common IT language: IFC (Industry Foundation Classes).


• MediaConstruct : this association, which is part of BuildingSmart International in France, supports initiatives in France: it promotes best practice by spreading the word about IFC and digital mock-ups. It also encourages professionals to share their feedback and contributes to the international standardisation drive to advance software interoperability.


• The BIM WORLD trade show (the next will take place on 28 and 29 March 2018 in Paris) is dedicated to BIM. It brings together a large number of players and enables professionals, software publishers and object manufacturers, to make contacts through exhibitions, conferences, manifestos and interviews.


• AFNOR, the French Association for Standardisation, standardises and certifies.


• Numerous other professional associations involved in the building industry, such as the Cercle Promodul, do their bit to spread the word.

The architecture branch training label

The CPNEFP (Commission Paritaire Nationale de l'Emploi et la Formation Professionnelle - National Joint Committee for Employment and Vocational Training) of the architectural industry has a positive influence on the quality of continuing vocational training for employees of architectural firms.

In fact, a labelling procedure for continuing professional training courses that has been in place for the past 4 years identifies quality training courses that are deemed to be a priority by the branch, and therefore offer greater funding for training for employees.

Source: Architecture branch (2015)

The communities

HexaBIM is an independent community platform dedicated to BIM. Professionals and architects alike can exchange and share their experiences. There are specialised groups by trade or by software, as well as downloadable resources.

Screenshot of the Hexabim community platform

Groups on Linkedin:

• The " BIM Practices " group currently has 4,086 members, and has already been mentioned on the MediaConstruct and HexaBIM blogs,
• The " La communauté de la Construction et du BTP " by LeMoniteur.fr group currently has 6,229 members.

There are also numerous groups on Google+, communities based around BIM or specific to a particular software package.

Forums on the websites of software publishers such as Autodesk's Revit and BIM - Français or Graphisoft's Archicad Talk.

And of course: you!