is vdc a luxury or a necessity?

For years, VDC has been viewed by some as an "extra" service; something nice to have if the budget allows.

Over the past 5 years alone, I’ve seen a huge shift in how VDC and BIM is viewed in the construction industry.

More and more projects are including VDC in the budget. And maybe it used to be the first item to be value-engineered, but I’m here to tell you why that would be a disservice.

When you compare the cost of virtual coordination to the cost of rework, VDC stops looking like a luxury and starts looking like one of the smartest investments on a project. Once you start to understand the full value and impact VDC can have on a project, you realize how necessary it is, and always was.

After spending the last 8+ years coordinating commercial construction projects, I’ve spent every working day detecting conflicts and solving them before they ever reach the field.

Because once construction starts, those conflicts become expensive.
·        A footing that wasn’t dropped for electrical feeders.
·        A mechanical room too tight for AHU clearances.
·        A roof curb that has to be relocated.
·        Waste rough-ins routed directly through a structural beam.
·        A sleeve that was missed before masonry was installed.

They're more than just clashes in a model. They're RFIs, demolition, rework, schedule impacts, change orders, schedule delays, and money that didn't need to be spent.

Could those issues still be solved in the field?

Probably. (I’ll save the topic of constructability for another post 😉)

The better question is: how much will it cost to solve them in the field versus in the model?

VDC is not about creating impressive 3D models. Sure it might look like we’re playing video games as we fly through a building, but what we’re actually doing is reducing risk, protecting schedules, and giving our project teams confidence in what we’re building.

The earlier problems are identified, the easier (and cheaper) they are to solve.
To me, that's not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

What do you think? Is VDC still viewed as a luxury in our industry, or has it become a necessity? Let me know in the comments.

#VDC#BIM#CommercialConstruction#NotoriousVDC#Preconstruction