How Neinor, the leader in residential development in Spain, leverages BIM for decision-making in projects from the design phase

“Any deviation in surface area, measurements, any delays or coordination issues can drastically impact the success of a real estate project and its end-users,” was clearly transmitted to us by Neinor’s management team in our initial conversations.

Neinor has always focused on controlling these deviations to ensure the proper market arrival of its developments. However, the absence of a methodology applicable to all developments and the lack of suitable technologies did not allow for consistent and standardized control of projects throughout the design process.

With the BIM technology, Neinor’s team saw the opportunity to have precise 3D models for optimizing the development of its projects and also a reliable data source for decision-making from the early stages of its projects.

As part of its digital strategy, Neinor adopted BIM from its inception with the aim of having a greater control over the development of its projects. In 2019, Neinor’s Operations Department chose Modelical to reinforce its use of the BIM methodology.

With the help of Moldelical, Neinor set a series of strategic objectives to optimize the control over the design of its developments:

• Apply the BIM methodology in all its projects.
• Use BIM models as a single design platform from the early stages of projects.
• Facilitate collaborative creation of consistent projects.
• Improve project coordination and documentation.
• Provide reliable sources of information for all involved parties.
• Collaborate with companies both nationally and internationally, where BIM usage is becoming widespread.

A key aspect of this BIM implementation was Neinor’s willingness to have the most exhaustive control possible over the cost and schedule of all its projects from the design phase, to make quick decisions, and access reliable commercial information at any time.

To achieve this, a series of Key Performance Indicators applicable to all its projects were defined, allowing for close monitoring of any variations in cost and schedule.

To calculate these KPIs, related metrics extracted from the BIM models were defined, along with their corresponding specific modeling requirements.

This work was decisive in ensuring that the extracted information is always available, consistent, and comparable, both between projects and over time. This entire tree of KPIs, metrics, and modeling requirements is reflected in the BIM protocol.

To apply the BIM protocol and work with the KPIs, Neinor and Modelical created the BIM Management Office (BMO). The BMO is entirely composed of Modelical’s experts and manages the BIM projects as if they were part of our client’s company. Its standardized processes enable it to adapt to the range and pace of ongoing projects, as well as to quickly integrate new collaborators and developments.

Value proposition of the BMO

We can group BMO’s responsibilities into three main areas:

First of all, the BIM Management Office ensures the quality and coordination of the BIM models. From the start of design until closing the technical design, the Modelical’s team continuously monitors the information provided by the collaborators and performs complete model audits at the end of each project phase.

Secondly, Modelical’s team recurrently communicates to Neinor information about the state of the models, the evolution of the KPIs, the audit results, as well as proposals for resolving issues. Throughout the project, the BMO provides all the required information to facilitate the work of the teams involved in the design process.

Thirdly, the BIM Management Office guarantees compliance with the established BIM protocol and properly maintains modelling criteria to ensure continuous improvement and updating of processes.

At each stage of the project, the BIM Management Office conducts audits of the documentation provided by the collaborators. Its evaluation criteria evolve according to the client’s requirements in each phase

Within its processes, the BIM Management Office develops a trend analysis dashboard incorporating key data from all ongoing projects.

For Neinor, which manages numerous projects simultaneously, this panel provides an aggregated view of its KPIs at portfolio level and allows them to:

• Identify risks: such as total deviation in measurements, total deviation in schedules.
• Assess suppliers: thanks to BIM management and modeling quality KPIs.
• Conduct simulations: integrate one or more fictitious projects and assess their impact on the rest of the portfolio.

Key improvements after for years of joint work