The promise of the latest Facilities Management (FM) software is an exciting one of reduced asset and space management costs, increased productivity and a better-managed asset lifecycle.  One downside of implementing new technology is that it increases productivity in one area and exposes or exacerbates bottlenecks or gaps in data or processes in another.  Facilities management implementations have an Achilles’ heel called data.

If you’re in the business of airport design and engineering, you may want to check out this class from Autodesk University (now available on demand for free).

Presented by Creg Dieziger, a senior civil engineer designer with Morrison-Maierle and 28-year veteran in the civil engineering field.

If you’re looking for your investment in BIM to pay off even more, the answer may be in the cloud. That’s because several of the biggest challenges for building design teams can be solved through cloud-based collaboration.

Keeping everyone on the same page in the face of multiple documents and files are two of the top concerns that keep AEC professionals awake at night according to Autodesk sources, here are some more:

Over the last decade, BIM has radically transformed design and construction projects and is seeing increased adoption in the U.S. government sector.

Extreme weather events have become a part of daily life for many countries across the globe. The low-lying Netherlands, in particular, is seeing an increase in flood activity and costly flood repair to its sensitive network of dike systems. Faced with a dilemma, the nation’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment saw two possible solutions – give more room for the river or build higher dikes. It chose the former.

We’ve written quite a lot about BIM lately, most notably its spotty adoption in government for civil engineering projects, airport infrastructure, and construction and facilities management.

If you thought BIM was going to eclipse CAD in the AEC world, think again. Even with the growing adoption of Revit, CAD is still being used on a lot of projects. So CAD folks and BIM folks need to learn to get along – capitalizing on BIM tools while making sure any AutoCAD 2D-based work is completed correctly.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Ensuring your CAD files are compatible with Revit can be challenging. So where do you start?

Flooding is one of the deadliest natural disasters. Few places can escape the wrath of excessive rain, ruptured dams or levees, rapid ice melt, or storm surges. Even states that we’d consider “dry” are vulnerable to the effects of flooding.

Earlier this year we blogged about the disconnect between building owners and AEC firms who work in BIM. Most AEC firms work in BIM, but most owners don’t use BIM.

Whether you work in civil engineering, facilities management, or on infrastructure and construction projects, you understand the drivers and benefits of BIM. Yet despite this, there’s a very real chance that you’re not currently embracing BIM.

Why is that?