Engineering Inc. - March/April 2008 - (Page 13)

Implementation issues delay transition to nextgeneration modeling I t helps engineers visualize a project and catch conflicts much sooner. It leads to better design decisions up front and a better set of documents in the field. david pluke erickSen, roed & aSSociateS J By Samuel Greengard ames Dalton knows the pressures of completing projects on time and on budget. As chief of engineering and construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he understands that the smallest details affect projects in big ways. That’s why, when the Corps recently built a new warehouse to replace 14 temporary wooden warehouses at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, it turned to Building Information Modeling (BIM) to design the 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art structure. The goal? To expedite the design process, automate tasks, reduce errors and trim costs. By combining CAD with technical specifications, project management and other input, the agency ushered in what many in the industry see as the future of design engineering. With the integration of BIM, the Corps took processes that once took weeks and condensed them into days, giving design teams the ability to share electronic documents and files and give stakeholders up-to-the-minute access to project specifications. The entire project was completed in 11 weeks, far less than the six months it would have taken had the Corps used conventional design systems. “We spent less time drafting and more time designing as a team,” says Dalton. “We were able to identify interference early in the design process, when it is easiest and most costeffective to make changes. We also were able to let the customer experience the project in a 3D virtual environment before it was built.” The Corps isn’t the only government agency piloting next-generation BIM projects. The technology, which already has gained traction in the business world, is now rippling through government. The General Services Administration (GSA) is now using it for a variety of initiatives, and the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) is mulling potential advantages of the technology. And they are not alone. Other federal, state and local agencies also are turning to this next-generation building tool. “BIM represents the future of design,” says David Pluke, vice president of technology at Ericksen, Roed & Associates, a St. Paul, Minn.-based engineering and design firm. “It helps engineers visualize a project and catch MARCH / APRIL 2008 ENGINEERING INC. 13

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Engineering Inc. - March/April 2008 Table of Contents From ACEC to You News & Notes Market Watch Legislative Action Election Preview BIM Bottom-Line Strategies From the Ground UP 2008 Annual Convention Primer Across the Federation Business Insights 2007 ACEC/PAC Honor Roll Membrs in the News

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2008

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