The Sydney Opera House - A BIM legacy
This post was scheduled to go live when I was cycling in Viet Nam. It didn’t happen then but I think the articles it link to are still worth reading. Besides, it’s about one of my favourite buildings
It’s an Australian icon, a combination of geometry which challenged it’s Architects and Engineers. AEC Magazine have an interesting article on how Digital BIM is being used to restore and maintain The Sydney Opera House:
AEC Magazine - Remodelling an Icon:
The architects and engineers responsible for preserving the icon that is the Sydney Opera House are relying on BIM to guide renovations and manage facilities…
Bentley have recognised this project with an award for excellence;
BE Awards of Excellence 2007 – BIM for Multiple Disciplines: Arup – Review and Study of the Opera Theatre Interior and New Works, Sydney Opera House. The primary goal was to create a base-coordinated structural, architectural, and MEP as-constructed model. This existing-condition BIM allowed further internal building studies and scheme documentation to be completed with a great deal of confidence in the redistribution of internal space and existing structural constraints.
However it’s not the first use of BIM on this structure. I’ve posted previously about the Perspex BIM created to do the same task during construction.
RobiNZ CAD Blog: Sydney Opera House BIM found after 30 years
It’s a real, not computer, model but was created to aid design and construction, not just as a promotional device, so I think it qualifies as a BIM.
To add a local connection it’s interesting that this Aussie Icon is currently being run by a Kiwi;
Kiwi lands plum role in Sydney Opera House | tvnz.co.nz
A former Christchurch schoolboy who sang with the national youth choir has begun a plum role as CEO of the Sydney Opera House…


CIO NZ have a interview with Warehouse CIO Owen McCall. In his time the IS systems have grown to cope with a growing General Merchandise business and the new “Extra” Supermarket offer.
A reader emailed me about BIMStorm London which is happening in June (details in the extended post). BIMStorm aims to raise the awareness of BIM and how the AEC industry is, or should be, using collaborative tools for projects. Teams will compete, using BIM platform(s) of their choice, to create a master plan for a site in London. If you want to participate in, or watch, the BIMStorm events read on…
vote on that page 



What is a Building Information Model? My interpretation is simply an information model of a building. It’s not a technology, it’s not a way of working, it’s the expression of a building as data. To the architect it’s a design and, hopefully, construction model, to the engineer it’s an analysis & fabrication model, to the owner it may include the economic model used to justify it’s creation and the operating model that will determine and manage it’s life-cycle.


Earlier this week I 








Rag & Bone Blog: Julian Bencito's Paper City
The arrival of conceptual shading, and hardware that could cope, in CAD meant escape from the world of wireframe. This Toyota Corolla takes wireframe out of the monitor into the real world… 

