Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 21

says Mike Williams, senior vice president and CIO at New York–based PB (formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff). PB relies heavily on BIM and virtual modeling for its sustainable design projects. Take, for example, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program in Seattle. When state and local officials decided to replace the seismically vulnerable downtown viaduct and seawall, they turned to PB, which employed BIM tools to “support the decision-making process and help facilitate a consensus solution that provided sustainable value and benefit to the people of Seattle,” explains Williams. By modeling the entire lifecycle of the project, including design, engineering and construction, PB engineers were able to analyze a host of environmental factors, including traffic patterns and density, noise levels and carbon emissions. The model was a major factor in the city’s decision to rebuild the viaduct and seawall in the area. Says Williams, “Building a model and making it a highly realistic model helped us engage stakeholders and understand their requirements.” Syracuse, N.Y.–based C&S Engineers Inc. is another firm that recently has embraced BIM for sustainability projects. “Our BIM tools allow us to right-size a building,” says John Trimble, president and chief operating officer at C&S. “By creating a very exact, virtual model of a project, we are able to design the most efficient building footprint and envelope.” By modeling not only the architectural and structural features, but also the mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, C&S is able to establish exact building dimensions. “This reduces initial building materials, thereby saving resources, and reduces ongoing operational costs by not heating and cooling unneeded space,” says Trimble. BIM also allows the firm to create graphic-based energy models. Such models account for the impact of geographic orientation and day lighting and contribute to the analysis of mechanical and electrical energy usage. “Performing this analysis through the graphic model enables us to explore different scenarios and go through an iterative process to optimize design,” Trimble says. The firm recently leveraged BIM for just such a purpose during work on a new Military Entrance Processing Station for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in upstate New York. A BIM model of the entire project helped C&S engineers right-size the steel structure and attic space to accommodate mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) components; develop an energy model for the project; eliminate trade-to-trade conflicts during construction, thereby decreasing waste and rework; and provide the Corps with true-to-life virtual walkthroughs of the project. about prescriptive-based results. Owners are asking for outcome-based requirements as well, such as zero carbon footprint or zero water footprint,” Bennett says. “It’s not that architects and engineers don’t comply with standards. But they want to make sure they’re designing with a very light footprint on the environment.” Sustainability is a highly interactive process, Bennett says; it requires that designers try different approaches and tweak designs A Social Conscience As BIM gains popularity, many firms also are aiming to be more socially and environmentally responsible, and they believe the technology can help. Since the mid-1990s, there’s been growing awareness about energy costs, finite natural resources and other environmental concerns, all of which have made sustainability a focal point of design and construction. “In the past, engineering and architectural projects were very prescriptive-based, where you had a set of building codes and engineering standards and city regulations and you followed these set requirements and rules,” says Terry Bennett, senior industry manager for civil engineering and heavy construction at the AEC Solutions Division of Autodesk Inc., a BIM software provider. “In the last few years, as sustainability has come more to the forefront, it’s not just A BIM model of a tunnel cross-section, part of PB’s work on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project in Seattle. multiple times. “It’s very hard and expensive to rehash paper plans,” he says. “That’s where the power of modeling comes in. Designers can run a model to see if the design meets with preconceived expectations, and they can reprocess the model quickly if it does not and try another alternative.” BIM enables the collaboration that’s necessary when working toward sustainability. “The engineer and the architect can see on the desktop how their designs work together and complement each other’s approach from a sustainability standpoint, rather than compete against each other,” Bennett says. “The model shows you how changes will impact the overall scope of the project and other design professionals.” The industry trend toward BIM adoption is important for green technology March / april 2010 ENGiNEEriNG iNc.

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010
Table of Contents
From ACEC to You
News and Notes
Market Watch
Legislative Action
How to Survive the Down Economy
Annual Convention Preview
Putting Transportation Design in Context
Sustainable BIM
The Case for QBS
AASHTO Uniform Audit & Accounting Guide
Insights from ACEC's Institute for Business Management
Members in the News
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Cover2
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Table of Contents
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - From ACEC to You
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 3
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - News and Notes
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Market Watch
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Legislative Action
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 7
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - How to Survive the Down Economy
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 9
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 10
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 11
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Annual Convention Preview
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 13
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 14
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Putting Transportation Design in Context
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 16
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 17
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 18
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Sustainable BIM
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 20
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 21
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 22
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - The Case for QBS
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 24
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 25
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - AASHTO Uniform Audit & Accounting Guide
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 27
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Insights from ACEC's Institute for Business Management
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 29
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Members in the News
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 31
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - 32
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Cover3
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2010 - Cover4
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