Daily Life of a BIM Coordinator

Anyone considering a career as a BIM Coordinator will likely be curious about the expectations and makeup of a typical workday. Finding out about the details of what a BIM Coordinator does can go a long way in preparing individuals for that line of work and whether it’s the right career path for them. BIM Coordinators design and manage 3D modeling involved with construction or manufacturing projects that include following local guidelines and standards as well as collaborating with colleagues like Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers along with clients. A BIM Coordinator’s duties also include making sure that information is available to all parties working on a project with matters involving deadlines and budgets. Essentially, a BIM Coordinator’s main daily task is keeping so many different people on the same page for getting projects done on time and within budget.

What Is a BIM Coordinator?

BIM Coordinators are tasks with managing projects related to the construction industry. Their jobs typically involve developing strategies, coordinating 3D modeling, collaborating with Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers, and maintaining communication among colleagues as well as clients. BIM Coordinators ensure that everyone involved on a project stays in lockstep with responsibilities for creating, managing, and coordinating 3D modeling from the planning stages through completing construction.

BIM Coordinators have to make sure that proposed concepts are viable for construction projects by thoroughly analyzing designs to make sure that they are not only aesthetically pleasing but structurally sound as well as compliant with local codes and zoning regulation through applying BIM processing. BIM Coordinators’ responsibilities include assuring the geometry of a design revealed through 3D modeling for examining shapes, lines, and points within design for determining structural integrity.

Once a plan goes forward, BIM Coordinators are responsible for supervising 2D and 3D modeling involved with construction projects related to architectural design and engineering. This requires working with Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers for overseeing modeling with an emphasis on structural design and MEP engineering. 

BIM Coordinator Specializations

The role of a BIM Coordinator is sometimes confused with BIM Manager. While the positions are similar, BIM Coordinators typically have responsibilities on specific projects for construction and manufacturing companies while BIM Managers have more comprehensive responsibilities with an entire organization. A BIM Coordinator’s day-to-day obligations include directly managing Designers as well as collaborating with colleagues who specialize in other areas related to the project. BIM Coordinators have direct involvement with designing 3D models for developing building structures as well as evaluating clash issues and coordinating necessary changes. The job also requires communicating with Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers as well as updating stakeholders throughout the project.

As a daily responsibility, BIM Coordinators have to manage Designers on 3D modeling as well as changes needed for resolving inconsistencies, design errors, and clashes within structural, architectural, and engineering designs. BIM Coordinators also manage data derived from 3D modeling for structural analysis. Analysis with BIM software involves both shaping designs as well as analyzing structural integrity and feasibility. The work also requires coordinating collaboration among Architects, Engineers, Project Managers, and clients for keeping everyone involved with the project informed and on the same page.

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Starting Your Day

As a BIM Coordinator, getting to the workplace is the first step for getting started with work. However, before getting a foot inside the office, a BIM Coordinator must have a good plan about how to attack the day for what awaits them with upcoming work. It’s important to think about the specific areas of a project for getting started or continuing work. A BIM Coordinator has to be aware of what’s been done and what needs to be done regarding the status of a project. The work includes overseeing development of 3D models with both designing the look of a building as well as establishing its structural viability. BIM Coordinators must also consult with professionals like Architects and Engineers on construction projects as well as keeping clients up-to-date on progress.

The morning usually begins with reviewing 3D modeling and clash detection analysis. After getting to their desk, BIM Coordinators should first check email or social media platforms like Slack for finding or exchanging work related information first thing in the morning. After gathering any new information, the professionals will have a good idea about how to approach the day ahead.

9 AM:

This portion of the morning usually involves coordinating with Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers either in person or through a teleconferencing platform. These meetings typically cover what needs adjusting with regards to changes in design or problems found with flaws or conflicts.

At some point during the morning, a BIM Coordinator should meet with clients and shareholders to update them on the status of the project. Again, this communication may either take place in person or through some type of digital media. These meetings may also take place with other professionals involved, depending on the area of the project being discussed since the people funding the project may have to approve suggested changes or requests for heading in another direction.

11 AM:

Much of the midday as a BIM Coordinator is taken up with actually working on resolving issues discovered with clash detection or with making other changes in design or procedure on a project. This time may also be when BIM Coordinators manage Designers on either creating 3D models or instructing them on changes that may need to be made on a construction design. The middle of the day might also be the time when BIM Coordinators get back in touch with Architects, Engineers, or Project Managers about the status of agreed upon changes along with the likely costs involved with those adjustments and how that will affect the time schedule.

Just before lunch is usually a good time for going over the assignment to make sure that everything is rolling along as expected. This includes making sure that the right adjustments have been made or that everything else that needs fixing gets fixed. If BIM Coordinators find minor problems anywhere, they should make notes so that any issues found get addressed following lunch.

Most organizations use a variety of timekeeping online databases and platforms for tracking the time spent working on a project. It’s definitely a good time to make sure that the time tracked with a project is accurate and noted somewhere with individual records and invoicing.

2 PM:

After returning from lunch, it’s a good idea to again check email or Slack to see if there are any new assignments or what’s the current status of recent projects. Of course, once that has been done, BIM Coordinators should get back to working on their current tasks with the goal of getting portions of the project completed. As with before lunch, they should continually check to make sure that design changes fit what the project dictates.

BIM Coordinators may also perform quality assurance on models and current construction. This might also be the time to regroup with Designers on update or new employees for training with the company. As the day closes, BIM Coordinators usually seek feedback from Engineers and Architects as well as getting back in touch with clients and shareholders.

5 PM:

At the end of the day, BIM Coordinators submit reports on the status or progress of a project that includes changes suggested and implemented. This may include distributing a summary on the status to all parties involved with colleagues as well as clients, which includes updates on estimates on completion dates as well as adjustments with costs. In wrapping up the workday, BIM Coordinators need to have a clear and realistic understanding on the status of whatever projects they are working on. This includes spending the last hours of work tying up loose ends as well setting up for continuing where work left off on an assignment for the next day.

After Work

While it’s not a good idea to take work home mentally or emotionally, taking a few minutes after settling in by assessing what may need to be worked on the next day may help with relieving anxiety related to work projects. Briefly pondering what may need to be worked on as well as how everything seems to be holding together can help with smoothing out details for what might need to be addressed at work the next morning. It’s always a good idea to review work-related material after getting home to make sure that a project is in a good place. As with first sitting down at work that morning, BIM Coordinators should also check their Slack accounts and email once they have gotten home to see if there is anything that needs to be prioritized the next morning.

It’s always a good idea to assess the day by settling in on a general understanding about the state of a project as well as getting an idea about the direction of where the overall work may be heading schedule wise. Other than that, it’s good to just relax and enjoy life after a day at work--until the next morning and getting back to work.

Learn the Skills to Become a BIM Coordinator at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers options for learning BIM technology, software, and procedures through VDCI, an authorized Autodesk training center that provides education and certification related to a variety of technologies, including building information modeling. Anyone considering becoming a BIM Coordinator might want to enroll in a certificate program or gain certification in the methodology or similar technologies. VDCI offers options for broader professional training, including the BIM Certificate Program which aims to provide students with all the skills and experience they need to start working on BIM projects in a professional capacity. This course covers over 400 hours of training content, all of which is modeled on real world construction projects. There is also a combined CAD/BIM Certificate Program for students looking for even more professional construction training.

Certificate programs provide hands-on experience with BIM or similar technologies for working with Engineers and Architects as BIM Coordinators. Certification, on the other hand, verifies a person’s expertise with particular skills like programming languages, software, and some types of tools such as BIM. Education providers like VDCI also offer various AutoCAD-related certification programs, including the AutoCAD Certification Program that provides comprehensive training that prepares candidates for Autodesk certification exams. Training involves learning the fundamentals of technical drawing along with skills for drafting and creating 2D and 3D drawing using AutoCAD.

Achieving certification requires passing an exam administered by an industry recognized organization. Ambitious BIM Coordinators can pursue BIM certification through Autodesk, which offers several paths contingent on a person’s career ambitions. The Autodesk Certified Professional (ACP), for example, confirms a candidate's skills with AutoCAD, including being able to solve complicated problems with workflows and designs related to using BIM software. BIM Coordinators can also gain certification for improving career options with expertise in tools like Autodesk Revit for working in 3D modeling with designing and analyzing building structures. This can include taking on the Revit Certification Course for gaining expertise to create and manage architectural models using the Revit software.