Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2009 - (Page 32) This is one of the 420 buildings in the Los Angeles BIMStorm. The image in the middle is using Google Earth with a network link to the OPS Model Server. Data is the focal point. After a quick one-hour study of the building, other teams pulled the IFC model to their BIM tool of choice and studies were done in various tools for lifecycle costing, curtain wall systems, energy analysis, constructability, interior design, MEP systems, and structural systems. Source: Autocad MEP, Ecotect, Google Earth, Onuma Planning System, Revit, SketchUp, VICO, Whitestone Research, and BIMStorm LAX Teams levels, everyone contributed. Some used desktop BIM and Excel, while others participated with iPhones. As I mentioned, it isn’t necessary to use all of the BIMStorm tools listed above. Understanding how to navigate a website like Expedia is all it takes to be a BIMStorm participant. Many BIMStorm participants comment that BIM on the web is easier than using desktop BIM tools. Both are necessary for project completion, but everyone doesn’t need to know both. Being able to easily access the BIM and make decisions from the data is the most important part of a project. Too often people think generating BIM is for the BIM department. However, BIM is easy. Most BIMStorm participants are not aware that Excel is a powerful BIM tool. BIMStorms show how spreadsheets are power BIM tools. The 2008 AEC EcoBuild BIMStorm participants included architects, engineers, contractors, and construction managers. During a panel discussion, U.S. Coast Guard representatives commander Jack Dempsey and senior program manager David Hammond discussed Coast Guard projects they completed and supported the merits of web-based BIM. Other charrettes At the 2008 American General Contractors conference in Tahoe, Nev., last summer, a BIMStorm was used for a series of constructability reviews. Using a tower from another BIMStorm, MEP, structural, and curtain wall systems were analyzed with an amazing amount of real-time collaboration. Engineers designed the mechanical system for the two schemes, one for steel and one for concrete using desktop BIM tools. They responded to the two designs rapidly because the data from architectural and structural engineers were available in real-time. The model server eliminated e-mail communication and changed the traditional document management processes because communication was channeled through the open model server, allowing the team BIM data access and sharing capabilities. This allowed mechanical system concepts to be evaluated in minutes rather than days. BIM Teaching new processes requires effort, but our industry needs to be aware there are opportunities. Some BIMStorms have been self-funded; others have been sponsor-supported, like AEC EcoBuild BIMStorm. BIMStorms can be stand-alone events or work in conjunction with other BIMStorms. They are, for the most part, not real-world projects, but driven by real-world needs, so the data generated by BIMStorms are not owned by any entity. Think of them as a BIM sandbox for the AEC community. Unlike a project, the results of the BIMStorm are available to all who participate. The 2008 AEC EcoBuild BIMStorms were short 60- to 90-minute “mini-BIMStorms” during a three-day event, which I moderated. Participants interacted with peers sitting right next to them and with others logged in virtually. With a variety of skill via the web not only provides solutions but reduces the need to refer to static documents. Messages can be attached directly to the model through the model server, making the message accessible to all in real-time. While MEP engineers continued their work, other engineers and contractors looked at the structural systems and rebuilt the steel BIM model, then put it on the model server, which the MEP engineer was able to access. Data suggested that changing the steel columns from one floor to spanning multiple floors could cut costs. The lower floor-to-floor height triggered design options for various curtain wall and MEP systems, which immediately reflected changes to the overall cost. As the various disciplines continued their input, graphically visualizing design decisions and quickly abandoning them for alternative design options was easy. A dashboard showed owners, contractors, and the design team different scenarios and how feasibility studies, graphical reports, and material changes would impact design and construction costs. This type of collaboration allowed changes in design direction in the very early stages. The two-day BIMStorm generated data in hours instead of the typical weeks or months. Creating “what if” scenarios quickly allowed the team to study options in minutes and reduce weeks of wasted design time to days. Rapidly collaborating at these early stages in a dynamic manner was evidence that open standards provide huge benefits. BIMStorm is a process change. These new methods will require a cultural and technological shift for our industry. Simple but powerful tools will add value to an engineer’s offerings. It’s time to accept these changes. With more BIMs being generated, organizations will have an inventory of models. The challenges will be in retrieving the data. BIM residing on a model server allows the entire design team BIM access. Onuma is president and founder of Onuma Inc., which offers strategic planning, software implementation, and project support in various architectural and building areas. Onuma has been using BIM since 1993. 32 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MARCH 2009
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