Practical BIM for Studios: how to implement without overloading your team or relying on external experts

Step 1: Understand what BIM really means in its most useful form

Before installing software or signing up for a course, you need clarity on what you actually expect from BIM. It’s not about applying every level or meeting every international standard. BIM is, at its core, a way to organize and produce technical information in a structured, collaborative way.

For a technical studio, BIM should allow you to:

• Model with construction logic

• Generate consistent and verifiable deliverables

• Coordinate disciplines without overlaps or contradictions

• Deliver drawings and models that can be reused or updated

If BIM isn’t doing that in your office, it’s not really working.

Step 2: Evaluate your real starting point

Not all studios start from scratch. Some already model in Revit or ArchiCAD, but without order. Others still work in CAD but with solid technical logic. That’s why, before changing anything, you need a diagnosis.

Ask yourself:

• How do we currently model?

• Who reviews and how?

• What mistakes keep repeating?

• Which part of the process wastes the most time?

With those answers, you’ll know what to keep, what to adjust, and what to eliminate.

Suggested link: 3X BIM System

Step 3: Define a minimum viable template

One of the keys to Practical BIM for Studios is having a template that doesn’t complicate your life but frees you. The minimum viable template (MVT) is the one that contains only what’s necessary to work with order—nothing more.

It should include:

• Preconfigured views by deliverable type (plans, sections, elevations, details)

• Basic parameters to classify elements

• Simple but clear graphic styles

• A title sheet with automated project fields

You don’t need every family in the world or fancy automation. Just a solid, functional base.

Step 4: Create a replicable folder and file structure

BIM generates information—lots of it. That’s why external order is as important as internal order within the model.

A standard structure could look like this:

And clear file naming like this:
ARC_PL_01_FloorPlan_TypeA_v2.rvt

This prevents confusion, version errors, and incomplete deliverables.

Step 5: Define a functional workflow

A functional workflow isn’t the same as an ideal workflow. It’s the set of steps your team can actually follow with current resources.

Example workflow:

• BIM modeler develops the project using the base template

• BIM reviewer verifies compliance with standards

• Drawings are generated from linked views

• Title sheet is completed and exported to PDF

• Checklist is applied before delivery

Standards should be documented in a BEP (Building Execution Plan).

Step 6: Apply everything in a real pilot project

Don’t implement BIM in theory. Use a real project—with deadlines, complexity, and technical requirements.

A good pilot project should be:

• Representative of your typical work

• Manageable in size

• With enough time to review and adjust

During the pilot, measure:

• Production time

• Errors detected

• Team fluency

• Clarity of deliverables

This allows you to fine-tune before scaling.

Step 7: Fix, document, and replicate

At the end of the pilot, hold a feedback meeting. Review:

• What worked

• What was confusing

• What parts of the workflow need refinement

• Which views or filters need adjustments

Then document the updated workflow and use it as the foundation for the next project. Step by step, BIM becomes your working method—not just a course you once took.

Suggested link: BIM Success Stories

Step 8: Train your team in real context

Forget generic courses. Train your team while they work.

• Assign each member a sub-project

• Supervise with checklists and feedback

• Record doubts and build an internal guide for future projects

Contextual training is faster and more effective. Your team will learn what they really need.

Step 9: Evaluate if you need external support

A practical approach doesn’t mean doing it all alone. It means knowing when to ask for help without losing control. You can outsource:

• Modeling of specific zones or parametric families

• Automating repetitive tasks

• Support in project documentation

• External review before delivery

The goal is for support to be punctual, not permanent.

Step 10: Maintain order, continuous improvement, and control

Once you implement Practical BIM for Studios, the challenge is to keep it alive. For that you need:

• Monthly process reviews

• Monitoring model health

• A living, easy-to-consult manual

• Minimal updates per project

Practical BIM isn’t about perfection. It’s about usefulness, stability, and repeatability. If your system delivers that, you’ve already won.

Conclusion: why Practical BIM for Studios is the smartest choice

The Practical BIM for Studios approach isn’t less professional—it’s more strategic. It means taking what your office truly needs, adapting it to your team, and using it to deliver better, not to complicate your life.

A studio that delivers with order, without errors, without last-minute stress, and with models that provide real value is a studio that applies BIM intelligently.

Supporting Links

• 3 Step BIM System – Exclusive method by Andreina López to transform technical offices into organized, reliable studios.

• BIM Success Stories with ActivoBIM – Real client stories of professional deliverables, order, and technical recognition.

• Florida Building Code (FBC) – Official requirements relevant to BIM standards and deliverables.