BIM Building Information Modeling 1 - (Page 18)

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Standing, Dan Harmon, an author of this piece. Sitting, left, Scott Peterson, the senior estimator using the BIM process. Sitting, right, Ron Sinopoli, a co-author. Not shown is Shawn Heidenreich, another co-author. Experiencing the Benefits of a New Tool When the Chicago office of Turner Construction Company was approached to manage the construction of a very large confidential data center for a repeat national client, it was apparent that advanced and dynamic project tools, processes, and controls would be required to meet the client's expectations for cost, quality, and schedule. Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is one key tool utilized by Turner on similar projects for the same client in other parts of the country, and it was critical to the success of the Chicago project as well. At the beginning of the project, it was clear to the entire project team that schedule was the most serious challenge to success. Aggressive project delivery milestones required that construction begin within two months of project kick-off, leaving little time for traditional design-bid-build project delivery. At the same time, the engineering and technical challenges of a cutting-edge data center program demanded very carefully engineered design solutions. In the end, the team decided to solicit proposals for “Design Assist” services from key subcontractors to help the design team develop the design more quickly and provide more thorough constructability review and coordination between disciplines. The project team was then faced with the challenge of how best to manage this “Design Assist” process, and in doing so, find a way to communicate design ideas graphically between team members in real time, while still maintaining the precision needed to ensure accurate coordination between trades and disciplines. Ultimately, the goals were to find a way to simultaneously design and coordinate the building's systems; minimize costs and schedule delays associated with field conflicts and rework; and simplify and accelerate the shop drawing and trade coordination process. The approach to achieve these goals was three-fold. First, Turner engaged highly qualified subcontractors with (1) complex data-center project experience, (2) resources to both prefabricate and install work at an accelerated rate, and (3) the ability to provide design-assist services and coordination using BIM. Second, a flexible process was created that allowed design and coordination to happen at the same time, at the same meetings, and in the same 3-D model space. Third, and probably most difficult, was convincing all project team members, from the designers to the installing trades, of the importance of the “model” (the consolidated 3D BIM model) as a vehicle for transmitting vital project information. The implementation of the BIM process was not without its obstacles. First was educating the key subcontractors that the process would require full time on-site design assist and coordination services. It was even more difficult to convince these same subcontractors to maintain flexibility by accommodating seemingly endless changes due to the fluid nature of the design phase. Another major hurdle was the far-flung geography of the design team member firms, which required the use of web-based virtual meeting software and collaborative file sharing services to keep the design team, subcontractors and Turner constantly engaged throughout the overlapping design, coordination, and fabrication phases. The process, while seemingly complex, first involved understanding and solving interoperability issues caused by allowing each subcontractor to build 3-D models in their native software. This was achieved by using both Navisworks 18 BIM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BIM Building Information Projects No 1

Cover How Building Information Modeling (BIM) is Dramatically Transforming the Design, Building and Operation of Projects An Interview with a Local AGC Chapter on Its Nationwide BIM Training and Validation Program Launch BIM - more than just a clash detection tool A Contractor Tells How They Made BIM Work for Their Firm BIM’S Sixth Dimension: RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY ALLOCATION Experiencing the Benefits of a New Tool AIA Member Perspectives on BIM Thoughts From a Digital Imaging Firm

BIM Building Information Projects No 1

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