Preconstruction lays the groundwork for a successful project.
Decisions made during preconstruction can significantly impact the project’s cost, schedule, and quality. It’s at in this phase that BIM is transforming how teams plan, coordinate, and communicate.
BIM is more than just a 3D model. It’s a digital representation of a building and project that supports informed decision-making throughout a project’s lifecycle.
When introduced early in preconstruction, BIM enables teams to visualize the project in detail, identify potential issues before they become expensive problems, and align stakeholders with greater clarity and confidence.
Preconstruction Benefits of BIM
Integrating BIM into preconstruction unlocks a wide range of benefits that can significantly improve a project’s outcomes.
BIM empowers teams to make better decisions earlier which is when they have the greatest impact.
Improved Design Visualization
BIM allows project stakeholders to view the building in 3D long before it’s built. This visualization helps owners, design teams, and contractors better understand the project scope and intent.
By seeing how different scopes will come together spatially, teams can identify design issues early, make more informed choices, and avoid costly rework later.
Accurate Quantity Takeoffs and Estimating
One of BIM’s most powerful applications is model-based estimating. Fairly recently, Autodesk made significant updates to Autodesk Takeoff which allows estimating to be done in both 2D and 3D which I’ve found to be extremely helpful with concrete takeoffs in particular.
Estimators can extract quantities directly from the model, ensuring more accurate and consistent takeoffs. This reduces manual effort, minimizes human error, and creates more reliable budgets—especially important in competitive bidding or fast-paced design-build projects.
Coordination Reviews
Teams can run clash detection to identify conflicts between structural, architectural, and MEP systems before construction begins. We do this by using a tool called Revizto to identify clashes and produce a detailed report for you.
We can then host coordination meetings with the project’s consultants to review the clashes in real time and quickly address the coordination issues.
By resolving these clashes early, the project avoids delays, RFIs, and change orders that would otherwise slow down trades on the site. It also allows for sequencing considerations to be built into the design, improving constructability.
Value Engineering and Design Optimization
BIM enables quick comparisons between design options. This is especially for when a trade submits alternates or value engineering options with a quote. The model can be updated quickly and renderings provided to show the impact of the options alongside the cost implications.
This process speeds up the value engineering process significantly as when value engineering options are submitted, the submittal comes with renderings, cost implications, and data sheets for the consultants and owner to make quick decisions.
Improved Scheduling (4D)
By linking the model to a construction schedule – known as 4D scheduling in the BIM industry – teams can visually sequence construction activities.
This process makes it easier to identify scheduling conflicts, spot out of sequence work, coordinate site logistics, and communicate plans to field crews and stakeholders.
Risk Reduction
Preconstruction is the ideal time to uncover and mitigate project risks.
With BIM, teams can identify gaps in design, budget, and scope – often months before they would become problems in the field. This leads to fewer surprises, reduced contingency costs, and greater project predictability.
Collaboration and Communication
BIM encourages early and continuous collaboration among all project stakeholders. We use Revizto to coordinate projects with clash detection. This allows all project stakeholders to collaborate in real-time to resolve constructability or coordination issues.
The real-time collaboration reduces miscommunication and allows all project stakeholders to stay aligned with coordination and design intent on the project.
BIM doesn’t just improve the preconstruction process – it transforms it.
By moving critical decisions forward and providing powerful tools for collaboration, BIM helps teams deliver projects that are better designed, more cost-effective, and less risky from the beginning.
Real World Examples
The benefits of BIM in preconstruction aren’t just theoretical – they’re proven in practice. Below are three real-world examples from projects I’ve had the opportunity to work on.
On all three of these projects BIM played a critical role in aligning design, budget, and constructability to drive successful outcomes before a single shovel hit the ground.
1. Legion Veterans Village
For the Legion Veterans Village, BIM was central to overcoming financial and design challenges that initially threatened the viability of the project.
I led the creation of detailed renderings and developed a range of design options for the commercial space. My renderings and the options provide, allowed the Legion to have confidence in the revenue generation from the building’s commercial spaces.
I also produced value engineering visuals to help the team compare cost-saving alternatives. The visuals allowed the client and consultants to quickly evaluate the VE options while ensuring they didn’t compromise the design intent of the project.
And finally most critically, my rapid design iterations enabled a non-profit partner to commit to pre-purchasing four floors of the building. These efforts helped the client to secure the capital needed to launch the project.
2. Nanak Foods
In the case of Nanak Foods, the use of BIM was instrumental in navigating design changes across evolving drawing sets. I used my 3D models to identify and quantify differences between revisions, giving the client clarity on what had changed and why.
I also used the model to assist the client with laying out their food processing equipment and ensure all the equipment fit and was optimally laid out through the building. By catching spatial and coordination issues early, the team avoided costly rework and enabled smoother downstream design and construction phases.
3. UBC Biomedical Sciences Building
For the UBC Biomedical Sciences Building project, I supported the preconstruction team with model-based quantity takeoffs, giving estimators more accurate data to work from and increasing the confidence in tender prices and quantities – in particular for concrete.
I also used BIM for clash detection to identify system conflicts and constructability concerns before construction began. This proactive approach reduced RFIs and rework, helped maintain the project schedule, and minimized costly surprises on site.
I also used the 3D models to optimize the site crane placement. The project features 3 large skylights that acted as lightwells down through the building. The initial idea was to place the crane in one of the lightwells but after consulting the 3D model – the crane would have been placed in the way of pad footings. Instead, we moved the crane to another lightwell that did not impact the rest of the project.
Each of these projects demonstrates how BIM can drive results when used strategically during preconstruction.
From aligning project budgets with design, to improving spatial planning, to eliminating coordination issues early, the work I’ve been involved in shows how powerful BIM can be when leveraged by the right team at the right time.
What Working With Us Looks Like
We make working with us as easy as possible for you and your team. Our flexibility allows us to integrate with your team and your existing processes for the smoothest possible integration and no disruption to your daily activities.
Kickoff Meeting
We start with a kickoff meeting to understand your project goals, challenges, and what success looks like for your team. Whether you need help with early design visualization, quantity takeoffs, coordination, or value engineering, we’ll align on scope, schedule, and deliverables upfront. This meeting sets the tone for collaboration and ensures we’re focused on delivering what matters most to you.
Deliverables
Every project is a little different, but typical deliverables include:
- 3D models (architectural, structural, MEP, civil, landscaping etc.)
- Quantity takeoffs for estimating (concrete, formwork, cut and fill, finishes, etc.)
- Coordination reports
- Clash detection reports and review meetings
- Design visualization and value engineering renderings
- Site planning and crane analysis
- Model updates to reflect scope changes or consultant revisions
We can tailor these deliverables to suit your internal workflow, trade involvement, and project milestones.
Typical Timeline
Modeling times will vary depending on the complexity, size of the project, and level of detail. Typically, models – architectural, structural, MEP – will take between 3 and 5 weeks to produce per model. We do have the ability to produce models concurrently to shorten the overall timeline.
When I model, I complete even lower detail models to be fully functional for all the purposes of BIM. This makes it easy to add on any other BIM services to the models seamless without reworking the models for each purpose.
Modeling is the most time intensive part of the process. So once the models are complete, adding on coordination reports, clash detection, renderings, estimating, site planning, and so much more becomes extremely cost effective.
For example, clash detection can then be completed in 2 weeks or renderings can be done in less than a week.
Need something fast? Just let us know. We’ve built our process around delivering high-quality work quickly, especially when you’re up against tender deadlines or design shifts.
Tools We Use
We work primarily with:
- Autodesk Revit for model creation and coordination
- Autodesk Takeoff for quantities in 3D
- Revizto for real-time clash detection and team collaboration
- Enscape for virtual walkthroughs and renderings
Again, we are extremely flexible and my decade using BIM has had me cross paths with dozens of different software tools. We typically work with the list mentioned above because I have found them to be the best tools for their respective jobs.
Customer Service
Something I pride myself and Pixel BIM on is being customer first. I take a lot of pride in helping clients make their projects a success and being a small part of the larger project.
We will be there to help you throughout the project to make BIM have the best possible impact on your project. If your team needs explanations or guidance on how to get the most from our services we are happy to help guide you through the process of integrating BIM to your project.
With all of our services, you can contact me anytime. The phone number on the website is my personal number. Text, call, or email – I will be there to ensure you get the most from your time with us.
Looking back at the projects I’ve worked on, BIM has been a game-changer. It has allowed me to help clients make faster, more informed decisions, catch costly issues before they reach site, and ultimately build more confidence into every step of the project.
No matter what stage your project is in – whether you’re in the initial planning stages or have already broken ground – I would love to connect and show you how we can use BIM to support your goals.
Reach out today, and let’s talk about how we can get your project off the ground with clarity and momentum.