Air Force Center for Engineering and
the Environment
Building Information
Modeling
Major Patrick C. Suermann
PhD, PE, LEED AP
AFCEE/CME
August 11, 2009
Personal Background
Experience
• Renovation
• Construction
• Teaching
• Technology
Education
•
USMA
• USAFA
• TX A&M
• UF
Integrity - Service - Excellence
1995
1997
2003
2009
Sir Ronald A. Fisher
 Fisher was opposed to
conclusion that smoking
caused lung cancer.
 He compared the correlations
to a correlation between the
import of apples and the rise of
divorce in order to show that
“correlation does not imply
causation.”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.A._Fisher
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Overview
 NBIMS Interactive Capability Maturity
Model (NBIMS I-CMM)
 USAF and USACE BIM Initiatives
 DoD-wide construction productivity
benchmarking
Integrity - Service - Excellence
 [A] Building Information Model[ing] (BIM) is a
digital representation of physical and
functional characteristics of a facility. A BIM
is a shared knowledge resource for
information about a facility forming a reliable
basis for decisions during its life-cycle;
defined as existing from earliest conception
to demolition.

A basic premise of BIM is collaboration by
different stakeholders at different phases of the
life cycle of a facility to insert, extract, update
or modify information in the BIM to support and
reflect the roles of that stakeholder.
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NBIMS I-CMM
http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/nbims/
Sections 4.1 & 4.2
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USAF
http://www.afcesa.af.mil/library/cemagazine/index.asp
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Dynamic Prototyping
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Project Overview
 Kit of Parts –
Structural

Assumes load
bearing exterior
masonry
 Assumes concrete
structure with
maximum 30’ spans
Stair
Unit A
Unit B
Unit C
Support
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Commons
Project Overview

Test Configurations
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Army Transformation
Army Transformation
 MILCON
Transformation
 Centers
of Standardization
 USACE BIM Implementation
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ERDC TR 06-10
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Attachment F
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Attachment F
 Strengths:





Promotes BIM use on projects
Spells out minimum modeling requirements
Platform Neutral for non-COS Projects
Promotes Competition
Tied to Army BIM Road Map, COBIE, etc.
 Challenges:
Nebulous “Implementation Plan”
 Min end product required still = just drawings
 Without interoperability portfolio-wide, sharing will
remain difficult
 BIM in FM limited

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USACE
 United States Army Corps of Engineers
 Program Summary: Evaluated in CCGs
 FY10:$34.8
Billion
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USACE
 MP6:

Cost Growth
 MP7:

Red, 76%
Red, 41%
Timeline (Duration) Growth
 MP10:

Red, 76%
BOD Time Growth
 MP9:

Average Score: 62%
Project Time Growth
 MP8:

Amber, 91%
Red, 27%
Financial Closeout
Note: Taken from CCG Report for all on-going projects as
ofI n13t eAPR
09 for all Program years
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Benchmarking Approach
 Compare Projects to Similar Facilities by
CAT CODE
 Apply the Central Limit Theorem to
Summarize/Characterize Traditional Projects
 Establish 90% or 95% Confidence Intervals
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Sample View
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Summary
 NBIMS Interactive Capability Maturity
Model (NBIMS I-CMM)
 USACE and USAF BIM Initiatives
 DoD-wide construction productivity
benchmarking
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patrick.suermann@brooks.af.mil
210.536.3129
http://www.bimwiki.com
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Strategic/Operational
BIM in the Federal Gov’t
Tactical Implementation
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