A Brief History of Building Information Modeling:

Since ancient times, architects and builders have struggled to describe three-dimensional buildings on two-dimensional paper, and their contractors have had difficulty interpreting these drawings. It was sometimes necessary to describe very complex parts of buildings with a three-dimensional mockup. (A school for ants.) Architects have built study models for as long as there have been building records to better understand their designs and help clients visualize the final product, but these models are of little use to a contractor. . . like a digital rendering, they are only useful for communicating design intent. 

Because buildings have three dimensions while paper has two dimensions, resulting in compromises. The drawings were traditionally used for describing size and shape, so specifications, which added additional information to the drawings, were developed. The purpose of drawings and specifications was to provide adequate information for the contractor to build the building. 

Using computer-aided design (CAD), residential designers could design electronically. However, the system was also limited to two dimensions and was not much better than drawing by hand. BIM was born when architects created electronic building models and engineers, contractors, and owners began dreaming of adding useful information to these models, so they added the word Information to the middle of the word Building Model, thus making this the Building Information Model. 

BIM should be centred on the use of information, since this rapidly evolving technology is the primary engine of a revolution within the building industry. BIM has several important origins, but the information it provides has allowed dramatic changes in the commercial design and construction of buildings, with even more promise in the way they are operated throughout their useful lives. 

However, until BIMQuote Corporation devised a platform to develop and distribute this technology - both the cost of creating and the ability for it to be utilized on a residential new construction project barred the majority of the residential industry from adopting it. BIM technologies will have a profound impact if effectively implemented, since they will be able to provide outsized value for every member of a new construction project team - as well as change how buildings themselves look, function, and are constructed. We at BIMQuote believe that BIM is a system that ultimately involves a set of broad process changes in design, construction, and building maintenance after a project is completed. BIM allows society at large to develop more sustainable construction processes and better-performing buildings, while using fewer resources and taking fewer risks than traditional construction methods. 

BIM will have wide-ranging impacts and benefits, and we hope to lead that innovation on behalf of owners, owner-builders, custom builders, spec builders, countless trade professionals throughout the industry, as well as distributors and manufacturers across the country.