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EUROPEANPUBLIC SECTORDEMAND FOR BIM

Volume Three | 2011 - 2012

improving the construction process

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The BIM Manager: A NEW ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The Abu DhabiInvestment CouncilHeadquarters’ Dynamic Facade

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Nadia Wallett

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BIM Journal wishes to thank the following contributors


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Editor’s ForewordBIM Journal Volume 3

First and foremost a tremendous acknowledgement must be given to all those who have contributed towards the success of the BIM Journal. In the course of 2011 we received exceptional contributions for case studies, white-papers

and articles from leading organisations and individuals in the international BIM Community. Many of which had been produced exclusively for the BIM Journal.

I would like to make a personal acknowledgement of the outstanding work and dedication of Nadia Wallett who has been managing the BIM Journal website and associated social media, sourcing new material and coordinating with contributors. The current success of the BIM Journal is due, in no small part, to her tireless efforts, as well as the vision and commitment of the BIM Journal Founder, Tahir Sharif.

The online publication of BIM Journal (www.bimjournal.com) is now regularly receiving over 20,000 single hits per month with a circulation of 100000 readers.

This volume, the third to be published, comprises monthly Journal Issues 24 to 35, from January to December 2011, as well as a selection of articles and opinion pieces from the website. The programme for 2011 issues was structured in quarterly clusters relating to a central theme. The three issues of the first quarter relate to Parametric Modelling, the second quarter to issues of Interoperability, the third quarter explores themes of Performance BIM, and the final quarter introduces valuable discussion on BIM Implementation and Training.

Structured in this way, the BIM Journal Volume 3 publication forms a concise compendium for those interested and engaged in the practice of building information modeling.

BIMjournal has an open call for contributions of articles and case study projects. If you are interested in contributing to an upcoming issue, have any comments or require further information, please contact the Editor at [email protected]

BIM Journal EditorJune 2010 to January 2012

Mark Baldwin

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ISSUE 24

Spatial definition and calculation- Practices for area calculations- BIM-Based area calculation- Mixed use community in the UAE

ISSUE 25

Functions of Parametric Modelling- BIM VS 3D- CONCEPTS OF PARAMETRIC MODELLING- THE ABU DHABI INVESTMENT COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS’ DYNAMIC FACADE

ISSUE 26

Synchronized Specifications- Model Attributes- Integrated Specifications- Gilfillan Callahan Nelson Architects

ISSUE 27

Interoperability Standards- BuildingSMART standard explained- Understanding industry foundation classes- Understanding BuildingSMART standards

ISSUE 28

Not Just CAD++- Silo BIM- Building Information Management- BIM Collaboration Format

ISSUE 29

BIM Integrated Lifecycle Management- A New Era Of Project Management- Integrating The BIM- Example Of BIM-ILM Integration

ISSUE 30

Green Is Good- Sustainability- Integrating BIM and LEED- Use case of BIM-LEED integration

ISSUE 31

Theme: Information Logistics- Information deficiencies in the AEC industry- BIM as a data management tool- Sorbonne University, UAE

ISSUE 32

BIM & Evacuation Performance- Building performance for evacuation- How to measure evacuation performance- BIM & Evacuation tools integration process

ISSUE 33

The BIM Manager- A new role in the construction industry- Managing process, people, technology and policy- BIM implementation in a Cairo city centre project

ISSUE 34

BIM Tool Selection- Defining expectations of BIM- Metrics for analyzing BIM tools- BIM tool selection

ISSUE 35

BIM Implementation & Execution Plans- Where’s my BIM in a box- Guide for BIM deployment- buildingSMART level 2 training BIM process management

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CONTENTS

Right, The Abu Dhabi

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Far Right, Case Study

Sorbonne University, UAE

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buildingSMART International home of open BIM

IntroductionBSI Newsletters

BIM or BurstMeeting the UK BIM challengeBIM eases seattle’s complex road tunnel project

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buildingSMART International home of open BIM

You have recently launched the Open BIM initiative. Can you tell us a little bit about what it is, how it works and, most importantly, how it will benefit the industry?

CG: Open BIM is a buildingSMART initiative in collaboration with several leading BIM Software vendors using the open buildingSMART Data Model. We have developed a technical certification system to help AEC software vendors improve, test and certify their data connections to work seamlessly with other Open BIM Solutions.

We believe that by promoting and putting processes in place to facilitate Open BIM we are making sure that all project participants can use BIM regardless of the software tools they use. By doing so we are ensuring that the I (information) in BIM is available throughout the life cycle of the built facility. This in turn reduces errors and costs pre and post construction, giving Owners / Operators a better ROI. The benefit also extends to Construction companies as they are able to be more efficient in scheduling and analysing costs with the abundant more accurate data made available. We believe this is a WIN WIN situation for all parties. What is the perspective for buildingSMART in 2012?

CG: Our main focus will be on promoting Open BIM Internationally via our Chapters to encourage more AEC companies to participate.

Development of IFC standards is an ongoing process. We plan to launch the latest IFC 4 version with ISO in 2012. Our experts are working around the clock to finalise these standards. The launch is being awaited with great anticipation by the Industry. Like with any Standard it is expected that IFC 4 will iron out some of the practical issues that AEC companies face when sharing Data. We shall also speed up the development of the process IDM standards and dictionary IFD standards so the 2016 deadline can be achieved. For instance we have launched the Process and Product rooms to support professionals in construction who are using digital information, prototypes and models. This will help companies benefit from the integrated workflows that BIM enables.

The Process room is lead by Jan Karlshoj, Chairman of the Nordic Chapter of buildingSMART. The Product room is lead by Roger Grant from the BuildingSMART Alliance, US Chapter. Both rooms are working towards stimulating International Collaboration between organisations. We are very pleased with the progress so far and look forward to seeing some very positive outcomes generated by both rooms.When it comes to open standards for information sharing in construction and facilities management, buildingSMART is the ‘only show in town’. Our aim is to make the brand universally recognized alongside Open BIM as the key to improved performance. To help us we need high profile competitions like Build London Live and lots of well publicized case studies.

Christopher Groome, Business Manager building SMART International

buildingSMARTBuildingSMART has been serving the Construction Industry for over 20 years. A not for profit organisation with Chapters all over the world it has been working with Owners, Developers, Governments, Consultants, Architects, Engineers, Project Managers, Contractors and Sub-contractors to deploy internationally recognised standards for processes and technologies. These standards improve interoperability and communication between all project stakeholders throughout the entire life cycle of a built Facility.

Ever since its launch back in 2009, BIM Journal has had and continues to have very strong ties with buildingSMART. The publication features and promotes buildingSMART activities. We recently caught up with Christopher Groome, building SMART International Business Manager.

How did you react as an organisation when it was announced that the information handover BIM would be mandated on all Government projects in the UK by 2016?

CG: We were delighted. BuildingSMART in countries all over the world lobby Governments to encourage mandating BIM. By making BIM outputs mandatory it gives the Industry the necessary push to make changes and implement it.

What did buildingSMART learn from its experience in implementing BIM in Singapore, Finland and the US and how will you be assisting the UK Government with the mandate?

CG: First and foremost we learned that standard processes (IDMs) and standard product descriptions (IFD) are just as important as the Data Model (IFCs) to enable data sharing. We also learned a lot about how relationships between government and industry can best be fostered to make industry transformation a reality. Essentially it needs more than a demand that industry just use BIM.

How is buildingSMART involved in helping the industry transition to BIM?

CG: BuildingSMART’s main function as an organisation is to create and maintain the standards (IFC, IDM, IFD). These standards were developed to support a transparent, open worklow between all project participants regardless of the software tool they use. Our experts are actively working with the Government and Construction parties to support them and ease their BIM transition. In particular the IDM and IFD standards are well behind IFC standards and will have to catch up.

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Introduction

What a year for BIM! The UK Government issuing a mandate for ‘fully collaborative 3D BIM as a minimum by 2016’ and its commitment to reduce cost in the Construction Industry by 20% during the current term of

parliament! In the Middle East, the Jordanian Government also took the pledge and is working towards mandating BIM! Too many BIM milestones worldwide to mention. Its official we are now in the BIM bubble, some are excited, you can almost hear the ‘it is about time!’ others apprehensive ‘why bother! more work!’ Yes unfortunately adopting BIM means committing to CHANGE! out with the old and in with the new, a change in mindset and work practises. Last but not least an acknowledgement from the Industry that there is a real need for training & education to ensure that existing and new entrants in the Industry are equipped with the skills to handle BIM.

Now that the market is more BIM savvy, all be it some markets more than others, the BIM Journal has also evolved to take into account market progress and endeavoured to find a suitable balance in terms of supplying information that does appeal to Technical and non technical readers. The issues in 2011 focused on the practical aspects of using BIM from tool selection, creation of execution plans to the more complex data handling & extraction from BIM models. All topics have been supported by a case study review relevant to the topics discussed.

The BIM Journal has now been in operation for nearly 3 years receiving excellent feedback from the BIM Community. We are very excited to announce that the BIM Journal will shortly be integrated into www.thebimhub.com. Our goal is to gather a very large BIM Community in one place. With this in mind we equipped the site with a social networking module providing users with the opportunity to network and socialise with other BIMMERS all over the world. Every user will have his/hers own personal dashboard with the ability to personalise news/job alerts and access a rich resource centre comprising technical information, case studies, online BIM courses and of course last but not least the latest edition of BIM Journal delivered direct to your inbox!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our contributors and readers for their continued support. We invite you to view the latest issues of the BIM Journal at www.bimjournal.com and join our Community on www.thebimhub.com

Founder The BIM Hub and BIM Journal, Founding President,buildingSMART MENA & India

Tahir Sharif

Visit www.thebimhub.com and register to become a member of our community! BIM Journal is part of the BIM Hub

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NEWSLETTER • No 5 • August 2011

Open standards for infrastructureThe wider potential of buildingSMART has swiftly shot up with early proposals for extending the IFC standard to infrastructure. A meeting of buildingSMART members was held in Paris on 8 July to share experiences of modelling for infrastructure and identify next steps.

Leading the meeting were members of the French chapter whose involvement in the infrastructure pro ject, Communic, has made them eager to stimulate international efforts.

‘Some of the big players in the French industry – Vinci, Bouygues and my own company, Egis – are accustomed to working together collaboratively,’ explains Christophe Castaing. ‘This created the oppor tunity for us to develop a project and get funding for it. Our own contributions were matched by government funding.’

Communic was a €2 million multi-partner project that ran between 2007 and 2010. The wide-ranging initiative had the overall aim of identifying ways in which infrastructure projects could be managed more efficiently over their whole life-cycle. Communic took real-world projects, including part of the new A19 toll motorway in France, and found that traditional data structures did not respond to actual needs. But it was possible, as Jean-Baptiste Valette of Vinci showed during the meeting, to ‘hijack’ IFC objects – and that might offer a way forward.

Communic recommended that an open data exchange standard and collaborative platform should be developed. ‘Civil engineering needs definitions of a data model and specific entities,’ says Pierre Benning of Bouygues, who was also involved in the project.

Other countries are also starting to build knowledge of standards and modelling for infrastructure. In Korea, IFC is being used in nuclear and power plants. Japan has done work on product models for bridges and shield tunnels. Germany’s ForBAU project created 3D parametric road and bridge models, while in Norway the Public Roads Administration is committed to use open format models by 2015 (the format to be decided). In the US, the National Institute of Standards and Technology believes that

infrastructure delivery must be improved. And an international project of 2004–06, IFC Bridge, following an earlier French

project which had used the IFC and OA-EXPRESS formats, explored a data model for bridges, delivering proof of concept and an IFC view.

The Paris meeting brought together members with an interest in developing IFC for infrastructure. There was agreement that a big open-ended project would deter potential funders and that chapters should identify four or five use cases – areas of work – of particular interest to them. ‘The bridge part is the most feasible,’ says Thomas Liebich, who leads buildingSMART’s Model Support Group. ‘So much work has already been done.’

A steering group was set up, with representatives of buildingSMART chapters and France’s Club Communic,

the network set up in the wake of the project. Defining the prospective scope will be among the first steps to be

taken. Members were asked what the IFC Infra project should be called – and the name openINFRA was

agreed.

Q&A with Pierre BenningPierre Benning, Bouygues, was involved in the Communic project to explore open-format modelling for infrastructure and is participating in openINFRA.

What is the vision behind openINFRA?We have a vision of interoperability and efficient data management. Today we have expert tools to help us in the various processes, but tomorrow we will need to integrate all the processes into a central database.

Who stands to benefit most?It takes five years to build a highway that will be in use for 50 years. So most of the benefits will be felt during operation and maintenance. Nonetheless, all the disciplines will benefit, from client brief onwards.

Will there be any quick wins?Yes. During construction openINFRA will help us avoid errors on site. And, of course, a complete model, with all its attributes, will help at the design stage.

What would you say to someone thinking of getting involved in openINFRA?Come on in! This is an ambitious project. We need the goodwill of everyone – and efficiency improvements are to the benefit of all.

In future, bridges such as those in South Korea (above) and Salford, UK (below left) may benefit from IFC for infrastructure Source: Jindo bridge, South Korea: Buckaroo Jeans, 19 October, 2008, under cc-by-sa-2.0

infrastructure delivery must be improved. And an international project of 2004–06, IFC Bridge, following an earlier French

project which had used the IFC and OA-EXPRESS formats, explored a data model for bridges, delivering proof of concept and an IFC view.

The Paris meeting brought together members with an interest in developing IFC for infrastructure. There was agreement that a big open-ended project would deter potential funders and that chapters should identify four or five use cases – areas of work – of particular interest to them. ‘The bridge part is the most feasible,’ says Thomas Liebich, who leads buildingSMART’s Model Support Group. ‘So much work has already been done.’

A steering group was set up, with representatives of buildingSMART chapters and France’s Club Communic,

the network set up in the wake of the project. Defining the prospective scope will be among the first steps to be

Selection of articles from 2011 - 2012 BSI Newsletters

This is an article extracted from Issue 5. The content of this article is identical to the story as it appeared in the original issue.

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and government targets to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Eighteen ‘delivery groups’ are being set up. Stakeholder groups have also been created to cover the interests

of,among others, software vendors, institutions, supply chain, training and education, and media liaison. Mobilisation has begun and the 18 delivery groups will help to develop the processes. Government will set objectives and allow the supply chain to determine how best to meet them. Government departments will be trained to articulate their needs better, while firms that are not yet BIM-proficient are preparing for change. ‘This is the moment for BIM,’ says Paul Morrell, the government’s chief construction adviser, who is leading the change programme.

Visit www.detdigitalebyggeri.dk/english (Denmark); www.rgdBIM.nl (Netherlands); www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk (UK)

extended requirement for BIM is expected to have a big impact – the city of Copenhagen alone owns 2.2 million sqm of real estate – and around 400

projects a year are expected across the whole country. And in the Netherlands, BIM is to become a mandatory requirement in central government projects in the offices sector. As from 1 November 2011, procurement contracts worth more than €10 million will be covered.

‘BIM will allow us to manage our real estate better,’ says Dr Alex Vermeulen, director of Rgd, A&A. Once created, any BIM of an existing building will be kept live. ‘The information must cover the whole life-cycle of the building,’ he adds.

The retrospective modelling of the Sydney Opera House served as a trigger and persuaded the Dutch government of the benefits of BIM in efficient FM. ‘Many in the industry are very supportive,’ says Alexander Pastoors of BNA, the Royal Society of Dutch Architects, but he admits that smaller firms will find it harder to take the plunge. Meanwhile, both suppliers and government procurement personnel are bracing themselves for culture change and the need – as Dr Vermeulen says – to ‘reframe’ their perspectives to meet the new requirements.

The UK government has embarked on a five-year programme to introduce BIM

into all public sector projects by 2016. Its strategy is set in the context of rising asset management costs (where government aims to reduce whole-life costs by 20%)

embarked on a five-year programme to introduce BIM

into all public sector projects by 2016. Its strategy is set in the context of rising asset management costs (where government aims to reduce whole-life costs by 20%)to reduce whole-life costs by 20%)to reduce whole-life costs by 20%)

Government adoption is often seen as key to ensuring a wider uptake of BIM. Three near-neighbours in Europe – Denmark, UK and Netherlands – are making progress as IFC BIM becomes mandatory at various levels in their public sector projects.

Most advanced of the three countries is Denmark. Since 2007, central government projects (or projects with a

50% state subsidy) have required the use of the country’s ‘digital standard’, which includes IFC BIM. Implementation was slow at first – in 2007–08 the economy was strong and the government didn’t want to overheat the market – but since then, the situation has changed dramatically and government agencies are now active in procuring new buildings. As the new system beds in, the use of project websites has been a particular success. ‘The positive involvement by the professional organisations has also helped the industry to adopt BIM,’ says buildingSMART Nordic chairman Jan Karlshøj.

State-level adoption was just the start of things. In June 2011, the Danish Parliament voted to extend the mandatory use of BIM to all local and regional projects worth over DKr20 million (€2.7 million) – buildings such as schools, libraries and sports facilities – with implementation of the various requirements beginning in 2012. Central government projects have a lower threshold of DKr5 million (€677,000). Different requirements will be set up for public sector housing, further stimulating the use of BIM. The



NEWSLETTER • No 6 • November 2011

Public sector demand for BIM

contracts worth more than €10 million will be

‘BIM will allow us to manage our real estate

Dr Alex Vermeulen Source:Jan Willem Houweling, In The Picture

are being set up. Stakeholder groups have also been created to

Paul Morrell Source: ICE

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London 2012 – Olympic dreams and realitiesThe Olympic Stadium was completed in London in March 2011, on time and under budget – and with a little help from BIM.

The 80,000-seat stadium covers an area of 40 acres, lying towards the south of the Olympic Park. It is not as striking as the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing but it is a building that matches British reserve and is suited to a recession. Sustainability has been a key concern and with around 10,000 tonnes of steel, it will be the lightest Olympic Stadium constructed to date.

The project was designed and constructed by Team Stadium, a consortium led by Sir Robert McAlpine, together with architects

Populous and structural and services consultants Buro Happold. The project would have followed a traditional path without the inspiration of Sir Robert McAlpine, who

were intent on having a fully integrated team approach, and believed that a central point of information, like a building information model, would add value.

It was at this point that buildingSMART member Fulcro was brought in. Fulcro provides solutions to ease information transfer and get projects built

smoothly on-site – bridging the gap between design and construction. ‘We created a 3D model to validate the service information,’ explains Ben Haldin, business development director at Fulcro. ‘It comes down to a team understanding of what you’re trying to achieve.’

The next step for Fulcro was to get involved with the design management function and enable the team to utilise the 3D Model for team review and meetings. The aim here was to de-risk parts of the project before the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) contracts were let.

All the architects and engineers for the project were co-located at the site. Co-location, combined with the BIM, offered a belt-and-braces approach. Designers had the benefits of having project colleagues right there, as well as working via the BIM. Weekly workshops, comprising design reviews, clash prevention and clash detection, were run by Fulcro and were treated as working opportunities to carry the design forward.

Some of the team members were doubtful or wary about the value of BIM at first but saw the benefits as the model developed. The model provided visualisations that helped them to see their work in 3D for the first time. There were challenges in the routing of the internal sanitation systems, as the drainage pipes had to be threaded through pre-cut holes in the beams – and design changes were ongoing. Using the model to verify these features ensured the design was fully validated.

The BIM brought clarity at the construction phase, reduced risk and won the support of team members. ‘We did something simple that really added value,’ says Ben. ‘But then, any project would benefit from a little bit of BIM.’Another version of this article, with additional information, appears in BuildingSMART UK News 27.

Olympic stadia of times past…

Athens 1896: The first modern Olympics were held at the Panathinaiko stadium, which took the elongated form of the ancient games and even recycled marble from the ancient stadium

Amsterdam 1928: The stadium was built in the Amsterdam style – a local variant of European styles – with long horizontal lines

Berlin 1936: The 1936 stadium reflected the authoritarian architecture of the Third Reich; since renovated, it hosted the World Cup final of 2006

Munich 1972: The 1972 stadium showed Germany in a happier light and pioneered lightweight tensile and membrane construction

Beijing 2008: The Bird’s Nest Stadium used an IFC-based tool, known as 4D-GCPSU 2006, to manage the construction schedule, resources and site layoutSources: London Olympic Stadium – London 2012; BIM – ODA Press; Athens – Pierre de Coubertin, The First Olympiad, London 1897; Amsterdam – public domain; Berlin – Hoffman, Deutsches Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R82532; Munich – Arad Mojtahedi (public domain); Beijing – Chen Zao (CCA2 Generic)

(Top left) London Olympic Stadium; (above) the BIM used in construction


tonnes of steel, it will be the lightest Olympic Stadium constructed to date.The project was designed and constructed by Team Stadium, a

consortium led by Sir Robert McAlpine, together with architects consortium led by Sir Robert McAlpine, together with architects consortium led by Sir Robert McAlpine, together with architects Populous and structural and services consultants Buro Populous and structural and services consultants Buro Populous and structural and services consultants Buro

Happold. The project would have followed a traditional path without the inspiration of Sir Robert McAlpine, who

were intent on having a fully integrated team approach,



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New chapter for CanadaA new chapter of buildingSMART has been launched in Canada. Until now, practitioners in Canada were involved in the work of the North American chapter, the buildingSMART Alliance, but the Institute for BIM in Canada was eager to create its own Chapter and took the lead in setting it up.

There are practical and cultural differences between Canada and the US. Canada is a dual-language country, with a legal system that is closer to that of the UK, Australia and Singapore than to the US system. And unlike the US, it uses the metric system. These differences – combined with a strong interest in facilitating the adoption of BIM in

Canada – are behind the creation of an independent chapter. Co-operation with other chapters is anticipated, and a close link will be maintained with the buildingSMART Alliance on North

American matters.Dave Pelletier of D&G Mechanical is chairman of the

new chapter. Other roles are being taken by Pierre Boucher, Canadian Construction Association, as

business manager, and John Hale, Department of National Defence, as technical co-ordinator.

Canada – are behind the creation of an independent chapter. Co-operation with other chapters is anticipated, and a close link will be maintained with the buildingSMART Alliance on North

American matters.

business manager, and John Hale, Department of National Defence, as technical co-ordinator.

Dave Pelletier, president of D & G Mechanical and chairman of the new Canada chapter. He was formerly president of the British Columbia Construction Association and has served as chair of the Canadian Construction Association’s standard practices committee

Jordan pledges commitment to BIMA buildingSMART forum has been set up in Jordan as part of buildingSMART Middle East. The two main players in Jordan are the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA), who have entered into an agreement with the Middle East chapter and will be running the forum. ‘The ministry will support ambitious initiatives which enhance the construction sector,’ said minister Yahya Al Kasbi. Sharing his commitment, Abdulla Obaidat, head of the JEA, added: ‘This is an important agreement as it will introduce international concepts of modern buildings and increase the competitiveness of Jordanian engineers across the international and regional market.’

Amman

Jordan

Singapore supports BIMA buildingSMART Industry Day – the ‘BIM-finitive Way to SMART Con struction’ – was held on 21 September as part of the Singapore week of events and meetings. The aim was to share under standing of BIM, and the day brought together local delegates, representing architects, engineers, contractors and government, along with international participants – some 280 in all.

Back in 2008, a survey revealed that fewer than 10% of firms in Singapore were using BIM; today the figure is probably around 25–30%. The local chapter is targeting a figure of 80% uptake by 2015, and the government is introducing a series of strategies to stimulate BIM use. The public sector is taking the lead, helping build BIM capability through training and certification and incentivising adopters with subsidies from a government BIM fund. Work is being done on pilots and to help the industry become BIM-ready. Larger projects will be required to use BIM for their architectural designs by 2013 and for engineering designs by 2014; smaller projects, both public and private, will be covered by 2015. The Singapore Building and Construction Authority runs workshops and roadshows to raise awareness.

International speakers set out progress in BIM use in their home territories, while case studies covered examples from the local region, such as the Singapore Sports Hub and a new block at Singapore’s School of Medicine. Construction company and project owner Woh Hup described a residential complex at Keppel Bay, Australia, where the use of BIM ensured that the design intent of the roof crown of the six towers could be realised in practice.

‘The conference served to educate the audience on the challenges and benefits of using BIM,’ concluded Cheng Tai Fatt, auditor, buildingSMART Singapore. ‘The aim was to reinforce the point that BIM is the definitive way to “smart” construction.’

(Above) Keppel Bay complex; (below) Singapore School of Medicine See Singapore Industry Day – www.buildingsmartsingapore.org/events.htm


NEWSLETTER • No 5 • August 2011This is an article extracted from Issue 5. The content of this article is identical to the story as it appeared in the original issue.


BSI Chapter activity around the world

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In the early days of BIM in Finland, a decade back, expectations were unrealistic. ‘Many people thought you simply had to press a button to retrieve the information you needed,’ adds Tomi. ‘Today, we have moved from theory to practice, with a better understanding of how to use the main model and the discipline-specific models. The next step is to ensure our processes and the new technologies are aligned.’Contact Tomi Henttinen, chairman of buildingSMART Finland, at: [email protected]

At the leading edge in FinlandFinland has been pioneering the use of data sharing and interoperable working for over a decade, punching way above its weight for a small country. From 2001, a series of projects was carried out, using a shared building information model. Among them, Aurora 2 – a mixed-use facility at Joensuu University – showed how BIM offered the chance to create a less expensive, more energy-efficient building.

A milestone was passed in 2007 when Senate Properties, the Finnish property services agency, required the use of IFC-compliant BIM – open BIM in other words – in its projects. ‘In the public sector, nearly all projects are built using BIM,’ explains Tomi Henttinen of Gravicon and chairman of buildingSMART Finland.

Now Finland is approaching another milestone. In March 2012 new BIM requirements will be published. Existing guidelines, which cover architecture, mechanical and structural engineering, quality assurance, quantity take-off and HVAC, among other things, will be upgraded and made mandatory, while whole new areas of activity are being brought into the requirements.

‘We will see BIM-based project management and the required use of BIM on-site and in FM,’ says Tomi. The coverage is wide, taking in the whole building cycle, from planning permission to operations.

Finnish software companies are rising to the challenge and developing the tools the industry needs. Tekla has developed a new site collaboration tool (Tekla BIMsight), while Solibri released version 7 of its Model Checker in September 2011. Gravicon has developed a web-based management tool, Modelspace, which spans the different disciplines.

Case study

Building with BIM in ItalyPorto Nuovo in Milan lies just to the north of the city centre, close to the Garibaldi and Centrale railway stations. The area was severely run down and a regeneration project, with an emphasis on pedestrian access and green living, is underway. Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners (ACPV), have designed the new cultural centre for the project: a three-storey 3,000sqm building which includes a library, offices and retail gallery.The faceted roof and wall surfaces required close co-ordination with the structural engineer, and the Revit platform was used. This enabled both teams to develop design options, documentation, cost estimates and visualisations more quickly. The architectural model also helped ACPV collaborate with the exterior design consultant to develop a scheme for the building’s glass façade that can be efficiently manufactured and installed.

NEWSLETTER • No 7 • March 2012

‘We use a BIM process for all of our projects,’ says Paolo Emilio Serra of ACPV. ‘Quality means not making mistakes. It means finding and correcting errors before the design process is completed and the construction phase has begun. That’s how we save a considerable amount of time and resources. BIM makes it possible.’ ACPV won an Autodesk BIM Experience award for its work on this and other projects.



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Busy agenda in KoreaThe Korean chapter is active in stimulating BIM uptake, offering guidance and showcasing achievement through annual conferences, technical seminars and BIM awards. The chapter has helped develop national BIM guidelines for public sector use and specific guidance for individual projects and companies. For the new HQ of the Korea Power Exchange, it developed design competition guidelines. It has also provided consultancy for the Lotte Super Tower project, a 123-storey tower block in Seoul – now under construction – establishing step-by-step BIM procedures.

Since 2009 the chapter has run a BIM project registration service to gather better data and encourage adoption. The annual BIM awards are made in four categories (vision, design, construction and green building), with two separate student categories. Its BIM professional training course nurtures BIM practitioners, and the chapter was co-organiser, along with buildingSMART Singapore, of Build Asia Live 2011, a virtual design competition. All in all, a period

of high activity for the chapter. ‘The level of BIM implementation is going up and we are contributing to the transformation,’ says Inhan Kim, chief vice-chair of buildingSMART Korea.

Movement for open BIMTen software companies have joined forces to promote Open BIM. The collaboration is led by buildingSMART International, Graphisoft and Tekla, and supported by several leading software vendors including Nemetschek and Trimble. The buildingSMART strategy, Roadmap 2020, includes the promotion of Open BIM. ‘As buildingSMART’s open standards become more widely implemented, it is important that the value of open sharing and exchange of data is promoted across the global construction industry,’ says Chris Groome, bSI’s business manager.

The benefits of open (as opposed to a proprietary) BIM are clear. Project participants can work with the best-of-breed software solutions in their own field, co-ordination errors are greatly reduced, and data can be accessed throughout the life-cycle of the asset.

The companies involved are incorporating the promotion of Open BIM into their marketing efforts and collaborating with other organisations. Further companies are welcome to join the movement, both on the software and design/construction side. The group has trademarked its Open BIM logo, which can be used on products and projects as a promise that they meet the requirements of open collaboration.

Visit: http://www.openbim.com or contact Chris Groome ([email protected])

NEWSLETTER • No 8 • May 2012

NEWSLETTER • No 7 • March 2012

New HQ for the Korea Power Exchange: BIM guidelines were established and open BIM used from the start Source: Solibri Magazine

New HQ for the Korea Power Exchange: BIM guidelines were established and open BIM used from the start




Oger International Abu Dhabi P.O.Box 61576, Abu Dhabi, UAE - Tel. +971 2 635 9777 - Fax +971 2 681 1309 - Email [email protected]

O f f i c e s : UA E – S a u d i A r a b i a – L e b a n o n – I n d i a - M o r o c c o – P h i l i p p i n e s – Tu n i s i a – Fr a n c eISO Certi�ed 9001 (2008) + ISO 14001 (2004) - US Green Building Council - Emirates Green Building Council

Corporate Member

Company Pro�leOger International is an internationally recognised Architecture and Engineering company with advanced capabilities in Building Information Modelling (BIM). Drawing on a heritage of 50 years of operation, and with specialist divisions of Engineering Services, Project Management, Sustainability, Intelligent Buildings, Building Management Systems and Building Information Modelling, Oger International has been involved in some of the world’s most prestigious construction projects within both the public and private sectors.

Building Information ModellingOger International has several years of experience in realised BIM projects around the world. With pro�ciencies in many of the leading BIM software Oger International is actively pioneering developments in BIM processes and deployment. A key focus is the integration of BIM with other specialist areas, such as BIM for sustainability and green building certi�cation (LEED and Estidama). Oger International brings extensive project experience and a construction-focused approach to modelling, coordination and BIM project management.

BIM Project Management• Strategy and process development • Model management and coordination

Model Production and Deployment• Architecture, Structure and MEP models• Shop drawing and BoQ extraction

Construction Management• Site logistics and construction sequencing• BIM-to-field deployment and supervision

Auditing & Quality Assurance• Integrity checking and rule-based assessment• Reviewing engineering analysis and design BI

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BIM OR BURSTArchitecture, Engineering and Construction firms who are not making the jump to building information modelling (BIM) now, can expect to see business get a whole lot tougher in the next three to five years. BIM is swiftly becoming an integral part of the AEC industry, and will no doubt make many traditional processes obsolete.

BIM is to CAD, what CAD was to the drafting table. In five to ten years we are not going to see CAD as a viable means of operation for the AEC industry. Those with their head in the sand who refuse to make this shift will be sidelined.

Already in the GCC we are seeing a concerted push to BIM. RFP’s for major projects are stipulating advanced BIM processes to be delivered by Consultants, General Contractors and Subcontractors. The demands are stringent - not your typical clash detection and BoQ extraction. Among the requirements we are seeing in the UAE are the following:

• integrated RFI reporting• integration with cost estimation and project management software• procurement and variation order management• Progress Reporting• work package divisions• 3D Control & Planning • Digital Fabrication

Some of these requirements are possibly a little aspirational. Many AEC firms in the region would struggle to meet these demands, due to a lack of capabilities or adequate resources. Nevertheless a number of companies, primarily General Contractors, have made a good head start and are gaining significant ground towards achieving these goals.

Government bodies and associated entities in the Middle East have also taken some significant steps to promote building information modelling as an integral part of the construction process. In the Middle East and North Africa, Jordan is leading the way. The Kingdom of Jordan’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH) and the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) signed an agreement with buildingSMART to found the buildingSMART Forum in Jordan. In Kuwait some government agencies have declared their support of BIM, and one could expect to see BIM become a requirement in the near future. In the UAE government-owned developers, such as Masdar, TDIC and Mubadala, are increasingly requiring BIM as part of their prequalification process.

In other parts of the world BIM is already part of standard practice.

In the United States BIM is required in all projects managed by the General Services Administration (GSA), US Army Corps, US Department of Veteran Affairs and US Coast Guard. Various local municipalities

have developed detailed BIM requirements, and state governments are also following suit. In Norway and Finland BIM is required in all government projects managed by their ‘GSA equivalents’ (Statsbygg in Norway and Senate Properties in Finland) managing a combined total of over 10 million square meters of property.

In Denmark BIM is required in projects handled by various government agencies (such as The Palaces and Properties Agency, The Danish University and Property Agency and Defence Construction Service), and specific BIM requirements now forming part of Danish law.

Singapore has made innovative step towards encouraging BIM adoption in the construction industry by offering subsidies to organisations that are adopting BIM processes and technologies, and through the introduction of their e-Plan checking platform (where BIM’s can be submitted directly to the municipalities as part of the development approval process. Organisations adopting BIM are also eligible for government subsidies). Rather than being seen as an elective tool to increase productivity, not deploying BIM could prove to be detrimental. A recent case in the US suggested that relying on out-dated traditional processes could indicate a lack of ‘standard of care’ and ‘best practice’. In this particular case, which was ultimately settled out of court, the legal team engaged an independent industry professional to create a virtual model of the troubled project based on the original 2D construction documents. The 3D model clearly showed the problems that eventually arose in the field. The legal team argued that if the entities responsible for the construction problems had made a Building Information Model the issues would have been identified and addressed before they manifested in the field.

Employers can avoid such disputes and lead the transition to integrated practices by mandating BIM as a core component of a RFP’s (request for proposals). Contract documents must consequently be amended to accommodate the changed project conditions.

Although in the past building industry professionals have been advised not to share their Models for fear of being sued, as James Salmon, of Collaborative Construction Resources (a legal consultant engaged in the aforementioned dispute) warned; “now, it is possible to be sued if you do not use Building Information Modeling software in a manner consistent with emerging industry standards.”

This level of culpability may be some way in the future for the Middle East construction industry, nevertheless BIM is set to shake up our existing business and contractual processes. With mounting pressure from clients, competitors and potentially the legal system, companies ought to consider seriously whether they want to go BIM or bust.

Gerard Couturier,Oger InternationalAbu dhabi

software for the built environment


MEETING THE UK BIM CHALLENGE Transforming Construction Processes with CausewayThe UK Government Construction Strategy was published back in May 2011 and signalled the next phase of the process improvement agenda.

and integrated project teams that will ultimately deliver such an outcome. BIM is a key element that provides the information platform upon which such improvements can be built.

Within Causeway solutions, we are able to use a BIM model to transform access to the data within. This is further enhanced through integration with related processes, including cost planning and estimating. Through open access to BIM models it will be possible to increasingly share data and transform traditional processes To ConcludeBy embracing innovative technology, working collaboratively and deploying BIM processes to help save on time, cost and carbon emissions, companies across the built environment will be able to deliver projects of a higher quality and within an environment of lower risk.

Author : Tim ColeEur.Ing., C.Eng., BSc.(Hons), M.I.ChemEExecutive Vice President, Strategy, Causeway Technologies

Reducing carbon emissions should no longer be seen as a cost, but as a saving. In the words of Barry Gardiner MP at June’s Carbon Reporting seminar, “what gets monitored gets managed”.

Actively monitoring emissions is the first step towards making significant savings; National Grid, for example, saved £200,000 at a single plant, by monitoring and managing their carbon emissions. Though it can yield great benefits, monitoring and managing carbon isn’t hard. Causeway Sustainability iQ, for example, provides a single platform from which to accurately measure and manage carbon emission reductions, whilst validating all the information necessary for the formulation and implementation of CRC EES policies. “Sooner or later the industry will realise that embracing the green agenda isn’t a cost – it’s a saving.” – David Bell, Executive Vice President, Customer Services, Causeway.

Mandatory BIMPaul Morrell has also announced that, by 2016, every government project will require model data to be provided. This effectively requires the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) across the industry. Essentially, this will require the sharing of information models within increasingly collaborative project environments. From reducing risk by predicting project performance before the construction process, to improving the quality of data delivered to a Facilities Manager, BIM will change the way projects are designed, built and maintained.

From a business point of view, leaving aside the need to comply with Government requirements, it is the reduction of risk, improved partnering and inherent cost savings that will make BIM stand out. As more projects are completed using BIM elements, it is clear that significant advances are available. However, the objective to deliver a step change improvement to construction costs and carbon will not be achieved through BIM alone. It will be the process improvements, earlier contractor involvement



Causeway Technologies LtdComino House, Furlong Road, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire SL8 5AQ

t: +44 (0)1628 552000 f: +44 (0)1628 552001 e: [email protected]

Causeway Middle East1202 Tower B, Business Central Towers, Dubai Internet City, Dubai UAE

t: +971 (0)443 42119 e: [email protected]

www.causeway.com

About CausewayCauseway is the only global software provider to support the complete life cycle of the built environment, from feasibility, through construction, to facilities management. Specifically designed to reduce the cost of construction and maintenance, their products form an interoperable end to end solution for improving the profitability and improve environmental performance of the clients. Find more of our articles at: www.causeway.com/news

8



www.causeway.com

exchange and optimised transaction processes. This may sound cutting edge but, in reality, it is nothing new. Electronic trading has been around for over a decade and is actually considerably less complicated than the traditional exchange of paper trading documents. Many of the Top 100 contractors within the UK construction industry are already utilising Causeway’s eTrading hub, Tradex, and reporting enormous savings. As far back as November 2010, for example, the Sunday Telegraph reported that Carillion expect to save over £80 million through the introduction of electronic invoicing! “Electronic trading should be grasped and enjoyed in the knowledge that it delivers improved integration, strengthens partnering, cuts costs and improves sustainability.” – Tim Cole, Causeway Executive Vice President, Strategy. People can be resistant to change. That’s why we believe it’s important to keep things simple; we advise companies to support their suppliers throughout their move to e-lnvoicing, but to be bold and stand by their decision. Following this advice, McNicholas achieved a 90% e-lnvoicing adoption rate across their vast supply chain within just twelve months of implementing Tradex. “The key to our success was following Causeway’s advice to be bold within a supportive framework. Suppliers need to believe you’re serious about the implementation project.” – Miles Gibson, Financial Controller of McNicholas. Cutting Carbon Emissions “If cash is king, hereafter carbon has to be its queen.” So says Paul Morrell, the Government’s Chief Construction Adviser, claiming the construction industry needs to “start putting a proper price on carbon”. The problem is that – though money is incentive in itself – there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent reward for keeping carbon costs low: “There is no reward for taking due account of lifetime carbon, so not enough is being done” Morrell claims. This is not, however, strictly true. Though it may be the case that the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC EES) no longer actively rewards those who keep their emissions low, there are actually significant cost savings to be made by embracing the carbon agenda. In other words, a company stands to reward itself by reducing its carbon emissions.

The UK Government Construction Strategy was published back in May 2011 and signalled the next phase of the process improvement agenda. The Strategy underlined the importance to the UK economy of the £110bn of annual construction spend, 40% of which is in the public sector. However, it challenged the entire industry to address business models and practices to deliver a step change in cost, quality and carbon performance. There are countless ways to save small amounts of money throughout the construction process. However, the challenge is to transform rather than simply speed up the process. This requires a deep understanding of the construction domain alongside the ability to transform the lifecycle of projects from concept through to construction, operation and maintenance.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been identified as a key component to achieve the desired step change by transforming the information process right through the lifecycle of the built environment. But this should remain in context with the wide range of process elements that underpin business operations. This article looks at some of these ... including BIM. Let’s start with financial accounting. Although construction-specific financial accounting solutions are now relatively widespread, most are still incapable of delivering the project-specific functionality that drives true profitability. What construction companies require is dedicated, project-specific commercial accounting applications that can integrate within the overall process. It is important to enable the interrogation of information across all project-specific activities, resources and transactions. Then there are all those business transactions we can’t live without. Research has shown that organisations can save up to 2% of their total turnover simply by replacing paper invoices with electronic data

Corporate Headquarters

Middle East office

11



MEETING THE UK BIM CHALLENGE Transforming Construction Processes with CausewayThe UK Government Construction Strategy was published back in May 2011 and signalled the next phase of the process improvement agenda.

and integrated project teams that will ultimately deliver such an outcome. BIM is a key element that provides the information platform upon which such improvements can be built.

Within Causeway solutions, we are able to use a BIM model to transform access to the data within. This is further enhanced through integration with related processes, including cost planning and estimating. Through open access to BIM models it will be possible to increasingly share data and transform traditional processes To ConcludeBy embracing innovative technology, working collaboratively and deploying BIM processes to help save on time, cost and carbon emissions, companies across the built environment will be able to deliver projects of a higher quality and within an environment of lower risk.

Author : Tim ColeEur.Ing., C.Eng., BSc.(Hons), M.I.ChemEExecutive Vice President, Strategy, Causeway Technologies

Reducing carbon emissions should no longer be seen as a cost, but as a saving. In the words of Barry Gardiner MP at June’s Carbon Reporting seminar, “what gets monitored gets managed”.

Actively monitoring emissions is the first step towards making significant savings; National Grid, for example, saved £200,000 at a single plant, by monitoring and managing their carbon emissions. Though it can yield great benefits, monitoring and managing carbon isn’t hard. Causeway Sustainability iQ, for example, provides a single platform from which to accurately measure and manage carbon emission reductions, whilst validating all the information necessary for the formulation and implementation of CRC EES policies. “Sooner or later the industry will realise that embracing the green agenda isn’t a cost – it’s a saving.” – David Bell, Executive Vice President, Customer Services, Causeway.

Mandatory BIMPaul Morrell has also announced that, by 2016, every government project will require model data to be provided. This effectively requires the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) across the industry. Essentially, this will require the sharing of information models within increasingly collaborative project environments. From reducing risk by predicting project performance before the construction process, to improving the quality of data delivered to a Facilities Manager, BIM will change the way projects are designed, built and maintained.

From a business point of view, leaving aside the need to comply with Government requirements, it is the reduction of risk, improved partnering and inherent cost savings that will make BIM stand out. As more projects are completed using BIM elements, it is clear that significant advances are available. However, the objective to deliver a step change improvement to construction costs and carbon will not be achieved through BIM alone. It will be the process improvements, earlier contractor involvement



Causeway Technologies LtdComino House, Furlong Road, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire SL8 5AQ

t: +44 (0)1628 552000 f: +44 (0)1628 552001 e: [email protected]

Causeway Middle East1202 Tower B, Business Central Towers, Dubai Internet City, Dubai UAE

t: +971 (0)443 42119 e: [email protected]

www.causeway.com

About CausewayCauseway is the only global software provider to support the complete life cycle of the built environment, from feasibility, through construction, to facilities management. Specifically designed to reduce the cost of construction and maintenance, their products form an interoperable end to end solution for improving the profitability and improve environmental performance of the clients. Find more of our articles at: www.causeway.com/news

8



www.causeway.com

exchange and optimised transaction processes. This may sound cutting edge but, in reality, it is nothing new. Electronic trading has been around for over a decade and is actually considerably less complicated than the traditional exchange of paper trading documents. Many of the Top 100 contractors within the UK construction industry are already utilising Causeway’s eTrading hub, Tradex, and reporting enormous savings. As far back as November 2010, for example, the Sunday Telegraph reported that Carillion expect to save over £80 million through the introduction of electronic invoicing! “Electronic trading should be grasped and enjoyed in the knowledge that it delivers improved integration, strengthens partnering, cuts costs and improves sustainability.” – Tim Cole, Causeway Executive Vice President, Strategy. People can be resistant to change. That’s why we believe it’s important to keep things simple; we advise companies to support their suppliers throughout their move to e-lnvoicing, but to be bold and stand by their decision. Following this advice, McNicholas achieved a 90% e-lnvoicing adoption rate across their vast supply chain within just twelve months of implementing Tradex. “The key to our success was following Causeway’s advice to be bold within a supportive framework. Suppliers need to believe you’re serious about the implementation project.” – Miles Gibson, Financial Controller of McNicholas. Cutting Carbon Emissions “If cash is king, hereafter carbon has to be its queen.” So says Paul Morrell, the Government’s Chief Construction Adviser, claiming the construction industry needs to “start putting a proper price on carbon”. The problem is that – though money is incentive in itself – there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent reward for keeping carbon costs low: “There is no reward for taking due account of lifetime carbon, so not enough is being done” Morrell claims. This is not, however, strictly true. Though it may be the case that the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC EES) no longer actively rewards those who keep their emissions low, there are actually significant cost savings to be made by embracing the carbon agenda. In other words, a company stands to reward itself by reducing its carbon emissions.

The UK Government Construction Strategy was published back in May 2011 and signalled the next phase of the process improvement agenda. The Strategy underlined the importance to the UK economy of the £110bn of annual construction spend, 40% of which is in the public sector. However, it challenged the entire industry to address business models and practices to deliver a step change in cost, quality and carbon performance. There are countless ways to save small amounts of money throughout the construction process. However, the challenge is to transform rather than simply speed up the process. This requires a deep understanding of the construction domain alongside the ability to transform the lifecycle of projects from concept through to construction, operation and maintenance.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been identified as a key component to achieve the desired step change by transforming the information process right through the lifecycle of the built environment. But this should remain in context with the wide range of process elements that underpin business operations. This article looks at some of these ... including BIM. Let’s start with financial accounting. Although construction-specific financial accounting solutions are now relatively widespread, most are still incapable of delivering the project-specific functionality that drives true profitability. What construction companies require is dedicated, project-specific commercial accounting applications that can integrate within the overall process. It is important to enable the interrogation of information across all project-specific activities, resources and transactions. Then there are all those business transactions we can’t live without. Research has shown that organisations can save up to 2% of their total turnover simply by replacing paper invoices with electronic data

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In Seattle, HNTB used Tekla BIMsight for the State Route 99 tunnel project by easily combining models from all disciplines, reviewing those models with smooth navigation features and capturing areas of interest with ease.

BACKGROUNDThe Seattle Tunnel Partners design-build contractor team hired HNTB as the designer for the State Route 99 Tunnel project which will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct section of State Route 99 along Seattle’s waterfront with a 16-meter inside diameter bored tunnel beneath downtown Seattle. The existing Alaskan Way Viaduct section is an elevated roadway that is at risk of failure from earthquakes. As a member of the Seattle Tunnel Partners, HNTB is providing the design services for the tunnel and the two associated operations buildings. Initial construction activities began in fall 2011.

CUT AND COMBINE MODELSTekla BIMsight allowed HNTB to easily combine models from all disciplines and view models with smooth navigation features and capture areas of interest with ease. In BIM collaboration, HNTB utilized the model in weekly all-discipline coordination meetings to discuss the two buildings, cut and cover areas, and the tunnel with the sub-consultants, architects, and engineers. With all of the discipline models loaded into Tekla BIMsight, HNTB and project participants were able to see conflicts and possible design changes.In this project, the Tekla BIMsight feature HNTB found most useful was the ability to quickly cut sections and turn off pieces of the model to clearly see the interworking of the design within the model.

BIM EASES SEATTLE’S COMPLEX ROAD TUNNEL PROJECT

BIM OVER DRAWINGSState Route 99 Tunnel is an extremely complex project which combines civil engineering, structures, architectural elements, mechanical & electrical systems, and traffic management. When the workflow is model-based, the design team can view the integrated project elements as a whole and find design and coordination issues between each discipline. The traditional method of reviewing the project using drawings does not allow for this complex interface and collaboration process.

HNTB IN A GLANCEThe US-based HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving federal, state, municipal, and private clients. Professionals provide award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management services.For nearly a century, HNTB has helped create infrastructure that best meets the unique demands of its environment. With client relationships spanning decades, HNTB understands infrastructure life cycles and has the perspective to solve technical challenges with clarity and imagination. The company sees and helps to address far-reaching issues of financing, legislation, design, construction, community outreach and ongoing operations. As employee-owners committed to the highest levels of performance, HNTB enables clients to achieve their goals and inspiring visions.

Abdelrahman Muneer,

PR & Communications Officer, Tekla Middle East

Three great brands, united as one, focused on providing complete, end-to-end solutions for the building construction industry. Now, Trimble is revolutionizing the building construction landscape by providing everything from estimating, design & collaboration, project management, asset management, 3D laser scanning, and construction layout solutions, all under one company umbrella.

resources from Meridian, Tekla, and Trimble, enable you to save money while working faster with greater accuracy and control.

TOGETHERWE DO IT ALLFOR THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT WWW.TOGETHERWEDOITALL.COM

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MANAAAAGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTProlog® SoftwareTekla Structures

WWW.BIMTOFIELD.COMTrimble Building Construction Division 937-245-5587 © 2011 Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved. BC-015SC

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Spatial definition and calculationPRACTICES FOR AREA CALCULATIONSArea calculation is rightly considered by clients as a critical design output, informing decision-making from feasibility phase through to facilities management. Traditional processes are subject to human error both in spatial definition in the CAD environmental and in transferring that information to external spreadsheets. BIM affords a controlled process for spatial definition (as areas or volumes, and by preset definitions) and a reliable mechanism for outputting this data for direct usage in the project environment.

According to Chuck Eastman, Director, Digital Building Lab, Georgia Tech, ”Owners should demand that space calculations on their projects be based on smart BIM space objects. Older methods based on hand drawn polygons are typically inaccurate and can lead to significant error. In this computer age, we should not accept practices that naturally involve errors and approximation.”

BIM has brought the computer age to construction. The previous generation architectural CAD systems were able to compute the area of a polygon, even with columns and other interior occlusions. However, they were not able to represent building space explicitly as parametric objects. Space objects were approximated as user-defined polygons with an associated space name as attribute. The schedule of net space areas could be calculated from the named polygons and used in checking layouts in comparison to the project space program. Like other aspects of computer drafting, this did the calculations, but left to the operators all questions of accuracy and correctness.

This method was the best achievable in drafting systems, where all so-called “building components” were collections of graphic entities interpreted by the beholder. However, this computer representation of spaces carried with it all the baggage of traditional drafting systems:

1. Consistency of the design was the responsibility of the user; if a wall was moved, the affect on spaces on both sides of the wall were the responsibility of the draftsman. Inconsistency between wall layouts and space were highly likely in large projects with many spaces, such as hospitals. Consistency management is hard. A space polygon may be

drawn to the wrong side of a wall or overlap with other spaces and these are hard to see by visual inspection. 2. Spatial definitions and standards may not always be followed when done manually, leading to further variation. Are columns and freestanding walls included or not?3. Space boundaries were usually approximate. Unless the space polygon was carefully snapped to the proper vertices defining the corners of the polygon, the space polygon was only a visual approximation of the actual net space.

BIM-BASED AREA SCHEDULING

The process for area scheduling in the BIM environment is controlled and customisable. In the BIM environment spaces exist as unique entities. They are defined by dynamic association to building elements – floors, walls, ceilings. This means, on the one hand, that as these elements are modified in the model the area calculations are updated, and on the other hand, that if the spatial definition needs to be changed (eg Gross floor area is to be calculated by centre line of a wall, rather than outer face) the spatial entities can be redefined.

BIM spaces can more accurately represent complex spaces than traditional methods – particularly irregular and curvilinear volumes. Most significantly these spaces have direct links to schedules that update automatically as the design parameter change. The schedule data can be exported out of the model environment for broader usage across the

BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association, USA) recognized this issue by recommending consistency between space areas being inherently variable (in drafting systems) and acceptable if within two percent of each other. GSA (General Services Administration, USA) uses the same acceptance level of tolerance. “what’s the issue for a million dollar lease – only 20 thousand a year?”

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Chuck Eastman, Director, Digital Building Lab, Georgia Tech

“Owners should demand that space calculations on their projects be based on smart BIM space objects... In this computer age, we should not accept practices that naturally involve errors and approximation.”

BIM Journal wishes to thank Chuck Eastman, Director of the Digital Building Lab at Georgia Tech, for his invaluable contribution to this issue.

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project – linking directly into and cost estimation or facilities management software.The value of BIM space entities is being continuously redefined and expanded. In some cases bi-directional associations have been developed where, in a concept phase, the designer can make changes in the schedule that directly impact the building volume in the model. In other cases designers develop algorithms reflecting predefined design requirements (for example the relationship of circulation space to retail space) and allow these algorithms to generate preliminary massing objects.

Downstream, space elements can contain huge amounts of design data - finishes schedules, FF&E inventories or HVAC design requirements. These parameters are not merely records of the design intent but form mechanisms for verifying and driving the development of the model.

BIM-BASED AREA CALCULATIONChuck Eastman, Director of the Digital Building Lab at Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) USA, discusses the current state of spatial definition in BIM software, some developments that have been made in the application of this in the US, and areas of future development.

I thank the General Services Administration (GSA) for demanding that BIM design applications be capable of automatically deriving and updating space areas and volumes beginning in 2007. Most current BIM design applications represent a building space as an automatically generated and automatically updated extruded polygon whose plan boundary is defined by the wall intersections with a floor slab. The polygon is then extruded to the average ceiling height or possibly trimmed to a sloping ceiling surface. If a bounding wall is moved, the space object is automatically re-generated, guaranteeing its consistency with the plan layout.

Today, most (not all) BIM design applications provide this capability, However, GSA still accepts the drawn polygons from so-called BIM compliant software (www.gsa.gov/bim). In part, this is because of history. Before BIM technology became mainstream, GSA invested in its eSmart facilities management system, which is based on 2D drawings.

eSmart is used by all GSA regions to manage space, leases and for planning renovations. eSmart relies on manually drawn polygons for estimating space boundaries and leasing areas. Discussions are ongoing to move the eSmart functionality to a BIM-based system, but that has not been undertaken yet. Hand drawn polygons still widely exist in GSA and in new projects undertaken by most building owners. This is unnecessary and crude. Leases, maintenance contracts, insurance and other continuing costs all relay on those hand drawn polygons, with their inherent errors. While we regularly affix the calculation

stub in most restaurant bills, check cashing and other financial operations, why do we still accept manual operations in rental space calculation that have only limited validation?

Instead of holding onto the past, we should work towards improving the future, figuring the next steps to make Architecture-Engineering-Construction and Operations more predictable. More work is needed. Currently, there are written rules for deriving the gross area for a building. It addresses such issues as calculating external ramps and stairs, the distinction between sun screens and structural elements, and so forth. But I am not aware of an automated and validated implementation of such a perimeter-defining operation.

The current BIM object model for spaces is not perfect. The definition works for vertical walls and flat floors, but ignores vertical changes in wall surfaces, and floors and ceilings made of complex surfaces (such as sloping walls, stars or ramps). These are also not easily addressed by humans so ignoring them is thought excusable. We still are missing effective algorithms in our BIM tools for dealing with the volume of air in a building. How far off are our energy calculations because of sloppy numbers? How much volume is filled with furniture and equipment, reducing the actual volume? The volume calculation is readily available in most geometric modelling libraries but hasn’t been demanded by users.

The larger issue is that with building information modelling, we have moved past hand-drawn accuracy for design and construction. We have the potential of using laser scan accuracy for all our work, leading to fewer RFIs, less air leakage, more accurate leases and operating costs and improved construction quality. Buildings are occupied by people and uncertainty will always exist about some aspects of building performance. But there is no need to be sloppy when objective measures can be generated in our computer tools. The automatic calculation of spaces is also several orders of magnitude faster than a human drawing polygons. Let’s spend the time being more productive.

eSMART1

The electronic Spatial Management and Reporting Tool (eSMART) provides a national web-based Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) system for managing and maintaining the drawing and assignment data for GSA’s federally-owned buildings. eSMART is the cornerstone of the PBS SDM (GSA’s Public Buildings Service Spatial Data Management) program and an essential tool for PBS’ business. This web-based technology permits GSA users to quickly retrieve real-time assignment data and CAD drawings with the convenience of point-and-click capability. eSMART also allows users to edit and modify drawings stored in the database and to generate standardized reports and floor plans.Providing increased accuracy, convenience, and standardization, eSMART helps to achieve GSA’s goals of responsible asset management and to operate more efficiently and effectively.1. http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/102284ARTICLE 2

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Mixed use community in the UAE

In a new master planning project in the UAE, Burt Hill deployed a BIM-based area scheduling process that not only insured accuracy of information, but was also able to dynamically inform the design process. The building information model developed at concept phase was linked to area schedules that were automatically updated with each design iteration. More significantly, however, the model was controlled with specific rule-based associations, ensuring that as the design changed the spatial zones were modified according to predefined design requirements.

It is a priority of Burt Hill to streamline workflow processes for planning projects that have traditionally been disparate and unconnected. With a focus on preliminary area calculations, The design team created reusable model prototypes and developed schedule-based associations to generate environmental outputs earlier in the decision process. Using BIM for planning allows one to create very accurate and rapid models that eliminate redundant handling and replication of project data. BIM further enables one to explore rapid design alternatives and make informed decisions on those options earlier.This particular project of a mixed use community in the UAE allowed Burt Hill to define a coordinated

spatial environment that expanded the traditional information feedback loop to provide rich computable data.

In a traditional CAD environment the ‘information feedback loop’ would involve developing a conceptual CAD plan and then manually performing area calculations to verify that the spatial design requirements have been met. Invariably the design would need to be tweaked to correct the spatial relationships (eg reduce built up area, or maximize residential area compared to retail space). This process typically involves multiple iterations (to-ing and fro-ing between design and area calculations) continually revising the design until the optimal spatial relationships have been achieved.

In the BIM environment this information feedback loop is completely transformed. There are two aspects to this.1. The relationship between model space and area schedules are dynamically linked, providing accurate data dynamically updated as the model progresses. 2. Rule-based relationships can be established to control the relationship between different parameters.

CASE STUDY

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DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MODEL AND SCHEDULEIn the master plan project Burt Hill developed conceptual models that were configured to automatically extract preliminary area calculations according to preset ‘recipes’. Burt Hill commenced this process by using a series of predefined building mass prototypes. The prototype massing objects were preconfigured with specific spatial parameters. These included:

• Building Footprint• Building Summary • Parking Demand• Parking Supply• Land Uses• Open Spaces• Plot Summary

The prototype objects were directly linked to area schedules that would reflect the specific spatial composition. Any changes to the the massing objects would be updated automatically in the area schedules.

In an advanced BIM process one is further able to establish a bi-directional relationship, where changes in the schedule would cause modification of the model itself. This is clearly a more complex relationship, and certain ‘rules’ must be established as to how the mass will adapt

RULE-BASED RELATIONSHIPSThe prototype objects were configured according to specific ‘recipes’; that is, rule-based associations that determine the relationship of the various parameters. The relationship of these parameters, was dependant on the particular function of the prototype (eg. ‘High Density Residential’ or ‘Mixed Use’) and also reflected building code and client requirements. For example parking spaces should be determined at 1 space per every 100sqm of lettable office space, or 1 per dwelling unit. Or that High Density Residential space should be equal to 23% of total built up area. Alternatively these parameters could be fixed figures, such as minimum dwellings required.

The next step of the process was for the planners to configure the mass prototypes into the locations and push/pull them into the required shapes. As these modifications were being made to the models the schedules were constantly being updated, reflecting the actual area calculations based on the rule-based ‘recipes’. This is the great differentiator of BIM versus a CAD/Spreadsheet methodology. The results were instant, and the data was centrally located and easily manipulated and verifiable.

A further benefit of generating the BIM model for this type of project was the ability to render the schemes to our visualization team without waiting for the masses to be generated. Once again saving time for our delivery team

Some of the recipes for calculation in the schedules included:

• Gross Floor Area (GFA)• Gross Lettable Area (GLA)• Floor Area Ratio (FAR),• Units Required• Parking Requirements• Landscaped area (soft or hard)

Embedding such rule-based associations into the design software enables one to freely and rapidly develop design options knowing that the underlying relationships will be maintained.

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BIM VS 3DTo the layperson a building information model is often seen as little more than a geometric representation of a building. BIM, however requires sophisticated task-specific software, highly trained operators and complex processes to integrate, manage and collaborate the information. What is the added benefit of a BIM, what makes it different to a 3D model, and why should organisations invest in this intricate and multifarious process?

WHY DO I NEED BUILDING INFORMATION MODEL IF I HAVE A 3D MODEL?A 3D model is a static geometric representation of an object. It may be spatially accurate, it may even have a photo-realistic material representation, however it has little or no meaningful association to the object that is supposed to represent.

3D models are typically created in non-industry-specific software. An object is constructed as an arrangement of geometries – the identity of the element is irrelevant.

A 3D model is a valuable asset in its own right, and can be used for:

• Photo-realistic visualisations (including fly through animations) • Limited spatial coordination (visualising the relationship of the different facility entities)• Limited integration to construction programming applications for construction sequencing.

Functions of Parametric Modelling

SO WHY CHANGE?Spatial coordination of 3D models has limited value. Areas can be visualised, however volumes or surface areas cannot be extracted. Elements have limited identity in a 3D model. A clash may be detected between two entities, even automatically, however there is no identity to the elements, nor any association between them.

This is dramatically different in the BIM environment where one is not simply interested in detecting the collision of entities, but more the relationship between them. Rule-checking assessments can be undertaken on a BIM to manage a sophisticated level of associations: that doors have sufficient swing opening clearance, that stair landings achieve their minimum required length, or that handrails achieve their minimum height.

Construction sequencing is a similar example. A 3D model can be linked to a construction schedule, such that the model can appear to develop as the programme progresses. However there is limited logic behind this. The script is simply to link a scheduled task to an object, and as the programme progresses the linked model elements become visible or change colour. The link between the task and the element is arbitrary. The task could be linked easily to a steel truss as to a light-bulb, without affecting the programme.

In the context of BIM the scheduling software will ‘read’ the identity and properties of an element. For example, if a task is linked to a concrete footing, the duration of that task will correspond to the volume of concrete represented in the model and the production rate associated to the task. If the footing is reduced in size in the model, or the production rate is increased, the task duration will be diminished.

WHAT MAKES A BIM TICK?A building information model is fundamentally different to a 3D model. At the core of a BIM are parametric objects - objects that have dynamic geometric and non-geometric properties and behaviours. These properties control how an object is formed and modified (for example increase the width of a window, and the area of glass widens, not the window frame) and how they interact with other objects (insert a window into a wall and an opening is created, increase the window size and the opening increases correspondingly, remove the opening and the wall is made good).

This is discussed in detail in the following article: Concepts of Parametric Modelling.

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ARTICLE 1

BIM Journal wishes to acknowledge and thank Ing. Emiel Peltenburg and Nemetschek Scia (www.scia-online.com) for the provision of this article.

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ARTICLE 2

CONCEPTS OF PARAMETRIC MODELLINGParametric modelling is the design concept in which the absolute values of a model or part of it - like the height of the structures, the loading at the top surface, the thickness of a web, the grade of the concrete or the time of casting - are replaced by relative parameters, see Figures 1 and 2. These parameters may be defined in all kinds of models: either analysis, detailing or structural. After the parameters are defined, they can be easily adjusted by the engineer to new values/settings,see Figure 3. Consequently, the engineer obtains either a relatively small or maybe even a big change in the structure. The initial design shape, however, is not changed fundamentally.Theoretically it is possible to parameterize any input data of a model element, be it geometric, analytic or descriptive. The control of the parameters is fully open to the user, no programming is needed since the user interactively indicates the parameters in the object properties interface.

The use of these parameters within the BIM environment leads to:

• A rapid design (new design models are easily rebuilt

from similar shapes / parametric parts can be re-used in other objects or projects)

• Access to more complexity (parameters arecalculated out of formulae or derived from other parameters, e.g. generation of the geometry of repetitious structures)

• Sensitivity studies (by studying the effect of changing parameters).

Using parametric objects one is able to perform a rapid design through the adjustment of a predefined set of input data. More complex elements can be designed by using parameterised user templates, or so-called ‘blocks’. Using the parametric blocks like Lego pieces, the engineer can assemble repetitive, but iterative, structures very rapidly. This approach is of great value for structures such as tower masts, portal frames or prefabricated concrete systems – where a simple element is duplicated with multiple alterations and in various configurations. see Figure 4 ( Next Page ).

Using mathematical formulae the user is also able to obtain relatively complex structures in an easy way. The main user, mostly the lead eng ineer, defines the formulae once, and entering the proper input data for the formulae bothers only the engineer or draftsman. The lead engineer uses parametric templates for different parts of the structure, the basic users can assemble the complex structure based on the parameterised block, see Figures 5 and 6 ( Next Page ).

Parametric modelling enables the creation of user-libraries of frequently used construction components: beams, walls, joists, trusses, braces, foundations, etc... This creates maximum flexibility for the design and detailing. The data structure underlying the parametric model is such that changes propagate throughout the entire model; the change engine ensures that related elements reflect the changes of chosen parameters.

Figure 3: Regenerated model with changed values for the parameters

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Figure 2: Choice of parameters

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Figure 1: General drawing

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EXAMPLES OF PARAMETRIC DESIGNTo give an example of parametric modelling in detail, let us consider the design of a single span post-tensioned bridge from the perspective of the engineer. The cost-efficiency requires the minimal (optimal) amount of concrete mass and the minimal depth of the bridge. However, the number of parameters influencing those two main design criteria is quite big: concrete quality, height of the cross-section, number of tubes in the cross-section (to reduce weight), diameter of the tubes in the cross-section, size of the cross-section near the supports, concrete cover, etc. In Figure 7 you can review the initial cross-section used in the design.

ONGOING DEVELOPMENTSParametric modelling can be used create customised and adaptive components, such as connections for steel, concrete, etc... One can enhance the connection intelligence by adding behavioural descriptions and rules to the different parameterized connection parts (e.g. stiffener, bolt) and by adding operations (in general Boolean, in practice cutting, drilling, …), see Figure 10.

Figure7: Cross-section for a post-tensioned single span bridge from Scia Engineer

Figure 6: An assembled complex lattice mast (action performed by the basic user). Example composed of more than 10 different parametric blocks. Screenshot Scia Engineer.

Figure 5: Example of a parameterized arm of a lattice tower: the various hooks and angles are parameterized, the complex geometry is calculated out of ‘hidden’ formulae.

Figure 4: Typical example of a precast concrete building (from diktaat ‘Gebouwen in geprefabriceerd beton’ by Prof.dr.ir. J.C. Walraven & Ing. J.P. Straman, TU Delft)

We assume that the loading of the bridge is independent of the cross-section shape and that the engineer bases the required number of tendons and possible soft steel reinforcement on both the allowable stresses in the concrete and the bending moment capacity. Then the design of the reinforcement will easily follow the input parameters set by the user. The user changes the location of the weight reducing tubes and the diameter of the tubes. Immediately complex calculations are run in the background and detailed checks are performed. The new data become available to the user, enabling a quick validation of the results. The user proceeds until he has achieved enough insight in the structural behaviour and an optimal design is achieved within the design criteria.

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CONCLUSIONParametric modelling is the foundation of BIM. It recognises and orders model elements as controlled and adaptive property-driven entities, rather than static geometric representations. Understanding the power of parametric modelling enables the correct operation of a building information model as a dynamic and responsive database of information. This opens up a world of powerful functionality and activity integration.

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Figure 8: Optimal economic design based on adapted parameters – part 1

Figure 9: Optimal economic design based on adapted parameters – part 2

Figure 10: Open connections in structural modelling and design from Scia Engineer

Parametric Design

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The Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters’ Dynamic FacadeParametric modelling and BIM processes supported the design, coordination and construction of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters (ICHQ), still under construction in the UAE.

This case study focuses on critical challenges faced in the design, construction and future operation of the dynamic “Mashrabiya” façade. It demonstrates how parametric modelling can be used to tune the complexities of an optimal, energy-efficient design so that it also takes into account the constraints and imitations of fabrication.

This multi-dimensional, non-linear approach, enabled by parametric modelling, informs and enhances the design process resulting in more compelling and energy-efficient links between the built and natural environment.The Headquarters for the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ICHQ) is a 147m high twin-tower development located in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

One tower will be occupied by Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC), and the other by Al Hilal Bank. In an innovative and captivating gesture to moderate the impact of the severe climate, the architects (AEDAS) conceived a kinetic facade composed of elements that fold like origami in response to external changes in light and wind.

The modules—called “Mashrabiya” by the design team in a nod to Islamic culture—make a responsive shading system that variably filters the light and heat entering the building at all times during the day.

The facade even has the “intelligence” to react to unusual weather conditions. If the weather goes beyond the norm, the facade will respond by deviating from its preset programme to offset the impact of the unusual conditions outside. The engineers estimate that this kinetic and responsive facade, which is controlled automatically by a system that processes information from sensors measuring light and wind-speed, will reduce the building’s electricity consumption and carbon emissions by 20%.

Figure 1: Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) Headquarters

Figure 2: ADIC towers under construction

QUICK FACTS ICHQ BUILDING• Project Name: Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC)Headquarters• Type of Project: Commercial Offices• 25 storeys + 2 Basement levels, Ground, Podium,

Mezzanine, and CrownLevels• 147 m high• Size: 75,000 sqm total built-up area• Owner: AD Investment Council• Design Architect: Aedas• Main Contractor: Al-Futtaim Carillion• Parametric and Building-Information Modeling (BIM): Gehry Technologies

CASE STUDY

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DESIGNING PARAMETRIC ORIGAMI: THE UNFOLDING OF THE “MASHRABIYA”The Mashrabiya is a modular, dynamic, solar shading system comprising 1049 modules per tower that individually open and close in response to the movement of the sun throughout the course of a day. The opening mechanism, a linear screw-jack actuator and electiric motor, in the center of each module that causes the triangular facets of the Mashrabiya to fold into the center, is automatically controlled by a Building Management System (BMS) that computes the state of each module in response to data sent by light sensors and anemometers—sensors for measuring wind speed. Instead of a binary “on-off” condition, each module in the facade varies smoothly between the open and closed states, allowing the facade to obtain an optimal balance between outside conditions and interior requirements throughout the building’s floor plan.

The Mashrabiya effectively forms a second skin around the building that reduces solar gain and enhances energy efficiency. It regulates the sunlight and glare entering the buildings, improving comfort conditions inside, and avoiding the dark glazing—common in Middle Eastern buildings—that greatly reduces interior sunlight regardless of the light conditions outside. Moreover, given the great deal of energy that goes into thermal control, the facade is expected to significantly reduce electricity consumption and carbon emissions of the building—by around 20%—by smartly controlling the solar gain.

The design of the Mashrabiya facade’s physical structure—and behavior—was shaped by parametric technologies and processes. During the competition stage the architects wrote algorithms to describe the geometry of the Mashrabiya facade within traditional CAD systems. Immediately after, during the development stages, the definition of the mechanical and kinematic details of the modules demanded a more robust approach. Parametric modeling environments were key to develop the proof of concept critical to advance the project. An important aspect of this stage was to parametrically capture the movement of the module from the open to the closed states (See Figure 3). The parametric modeling team iterated over the module’s design with architecture and engineering teams until reaching an optimal solution.

At the module level the team of BIM consultants developed detailed parametric models to account for the unique motion of the components. At the facade level, the by-product of the parametric model, allowed studies to be conducted to test the lighting performance, energy performance, and the facade’s open vs. closed optimization. These studies fed back to the module, helping designers realize how even very small changes in the module—perhaps of only a few millimeters—affected the overall energy performance of the facade. Moreover, the BIM consultants developed computational methods of surface evaluation that helped designers optimize the size and shape of the glazing elements to maximize flatness and rectangularity of glass—a crucial budget factor.

Figure 3: Parametric Mashrabiya Model

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SCRIPT-BASED PARAMETRIC DESIGNThe shape of the ICHQ towers is deceivingly simple. Rather than a perfect circumference, the tower’s floor plan follows a series of arcs varying subtly from floor to floor. As a result, the connections between the casings of the hexagonal honeycomb steel structure members that support the facade are different at each point along the perimeter of the building. In order to avoid clashes between the casings—and between the casings and each floor’s ceilings—and produce accurate descriptions for the fabricators, the team of BIM consultants developed intelligent connections that automatically measure the angle at the joint and check for potential clashes, rotating and trimming its pieces accordingly (See Figure 5).

By analyzing the ratio of rotated elements throughout the facade in different scenarios, and the global amount of rotation, the team of BIM consultants was able to fine-tune the behavior of the intelligent connection to simplify both fabrication and assembly (See Figure 6).

Similarly, the team developed intelligent connections between the interior facades and the radial partition walls. The connections measured the angle between the facade and the partition walls and adjusted automatically to their particular condition. When these “smart” models were placed in its specific location in the facade, both the structure and the partition connections were updated and the extraction of data to support shop-drawings was automated: accelerating the flow of information to the fabricator (See Figure 7).

Figure 5: ‘intelligent connection’ to resolve non-repetitive details

Figure 8: Visual Mockup and testing the Mashrabiya operation

Figure 7: Automatically generated unfold fabrication drawings for column casings

Figure 6: Measuring performance in terms of required rotation.

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We love models. And we believe that once you download the new Tekla BIMsight, so will you. Combine models, check for clashes and enjoy seamless communication - Tekla BIMsight will change the way you manage your construction projects.

Tekla BIMsight will change the way you manage construction projects

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Synchronized SpecificationsMODEL ATTRIBUTESParametric objects are the building blocks of a building information model. Although historically the term ‘parametric’ referred to the definition of geometry (form) by controlled values, it has now, more accurately, come to refer to any manner of content that can be attributed to an object - and in fact need not relate to a geometric object at all. One is tempted to think that the more parameters an object contains the greater its value. This is true to a point, however there is an equally valid concern that a data model may become overladen with superfluous content that does little to benefit the project and much to hinder it.

PARAMETRIC OBJECTSThe original concept of a parametric object referred to the ability to define and control the geometry of an object by modifiable parameter values. The most basic parameters of an object would be those of dimension - height, width, depth. In more complex objects, the parameters would include finer elements of the object, such as glazing type, frame profile and mode of operation (eg casement, awning sliding) as well as associative behaviour (such as the automatic joining of adjacent perpendicular walls). In today’s BIM lexicon geometric properties are only one set of attributes among a virtual sea of possible descriptors. Other parameters may include material composition, thermal properties, location, product type, unit cost, schedule number or erection status. Most BIM authoring software allow for customised parameters. Typically this is fairly open-ended allowing for the user to create un-controlled parameter fields and value entries. Adding custom parameters can be valuable in defining detailed descriptors of the element (such as manufacturer details, hardware, finishes). However they can equally become overloaded with arbitrary or highly-specific information that is of little or no value to the broader project team.

THE BIM DATABASEThe richness of a model is determined by its inherent data content, however only to the extent that that information helps identify and describe the essential characteristics of the element. Beyond this, additional data may become excessive and burdensome. The value of a database is not only in the quantity of the information contained, but rather in the clarity, quality and organization of the data, as well as the mechanisms to filter, exclude, retrieve and utilise that data for ancillary functions.In short, the level of content to be incorporated into a model should be relative to the required function of the BIM and the proposed processes of model management.

As a rule of thumb, one could say that each model element should be defined to a level that enables it to be precisely identified and referenced. The level of detail would correspond to the phase of the project. For example at an early design stage defining a window element by category (window) type (casement) and over-all dimensions may be sufficient, however to be issued for tender the element must contain more detailed information such as frame material and profile, glazing type and hardware. At a construction level the detail ought to be even higher.

Model elements may also be defined differently for different project disciplines. Multiple users may need access to the same building element, however each requiring varying levels of information and functionality. For example, a window may be modelled by an architect, priced by a quantity surveyor and specified by a specification writer. Each of these contributors would require access to the same general properties of the object ‘window’, however requirement for additional ‘domain-specific’ information and functionality may vary.

ACCESS AND EXCHANGEPreparing coordinated construction documents across even a small team requires a significant amount of effort and tightly managed processes to ensure quality and completeness. There are typically many disciplines involved in the preparation, review and approval of the construction documentation which could include: dedicated specifiers, project architects and engineers, program managers, external consultants and owner representatives. In addition there are draftspeople, modellers and other project team members who may not be directly involved in the specification review but certainly have a role in coordinating the information on the models and drawings.

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A building information model can be linked to external databases, such as specifications. One can activate the spec through the model element (for example by double-clicking a window assembly) which can be reviewed and even redlined from within the BIM authoring software.

BIM Journal wishes to acknowledge InterSpec for their extensive contribution to this article.

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INTEGRATED SPECIFICATIONSIntegrating the specifications with a building information model fulfils one of the great promises of BIM; to be able to use a single point of reference to facilitate and coordinate complimentary processes. However it also raises fundamental questions regarding information management. For example, how can multiple parties access the same model element simultaneously, and what is the (useful) extent of information that can be embedded in a model?

In reality it is not possible for two parties to modify the same element simultaneously, however it is possible for different parties to access distinct parameters within the one component. One way of achieving this is by locating certain parameters outside of the central database. The ancillary parameters are live-linked to the original component, but can be worked on independently. Essentially one is establishing a multiple database structure; a central database of core project information – ie the building model - and secondary databases of domain specific information. This is

particularly useful if the ‘secondary data’ is highly specialised, as may be the case with specifications, and the information need not be contained in the model element itself. This methodology achieves multiple ends:

1. Increases the over-all data content of the BIM (without over-burdening the original database)

2. Enables multiple users to have access to differentlevels of information and functionality, depending on their role in the project team.

3. Ensures that all project parties have access to thesame core project data, at the same time.

LINKING THE DATABASESLinking two databases (for example the BIM and the specification) must occur at a component level. Furthermore, the association must be flexible enough to accommodate changes in either database, while maintaining and updating the link. The link between the model elements and the specifications can be a semi-automated process. One strategy is to pre-define relationships by binding individual model elements to related sections from a specification master document, prior to project modelling. As the elements are placed in the model the corresponding sections are drawn from a master specification database and compiled in the project specification manual. Throughout the life of the project, a live link is maintained between model and specification, so that changes in the model will be automatically reflected in the specification, and vice versa. Depending on the ‘rights’ of the project member, they would be able to access, review and even redline the specifications associated to a particular assembly by clicking on the element instance in the building information model. Viewing linked specifications via the selected instance in the model can be very useful for downstream functions such as estimating, construction management and facilities management.

Depending on the ‘rights’ of the project member, they would be able to access, review and even redline the specifications associated to a particular assembly by clicking on the element instance in the building information model. Viewing linked specifications via the selected instance in the model can be very useful for downstream functions such as estimating, construction management and facilities management.

Each of these parties require access to the same reference elements (ie the building components) but not necessarily the same depth of information or functionality. For example, a window element may be simultaneously accessible to the architectural modeller, the specification writer and the energy analyst. The specification writer may have access to a level of information that may not, in all cases, be relevant to the other parties, such as details about protective coatings or sealant types. Each party should have control over changing the content within their domain, confident that the other parties will access these changes, and without fear that the other parties could make unauthorised modifications. How can these domains be managed in the BIM environment, where multiple parties are collaborating on a single model?

One way of managing, as will be discussed in the following article, is through a multi-database set-up . While the model remains the central and authoritative source of project data it need not contain the full extent of project information. Rather, the model acts as a placeholder that can link bi-directionally to other synchronised databases. This ensures consistency between the databases, and at the same time allows for flexibility in functionality and accessibility of information.

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HOW IS THIS ACHIEVED? - MODEL MAPPINGBuilding models are typically described as assemblies, based on internationally recognised standards of classification such as UniFormat, MasterFormat or OmniClasss, among others. Such classification systems provide a consistent way to define building model components, regardless of the complexities of the assemblies or model elements that they represent.

It is also a very logical way to categorise building model elements as we tend to think about the components of the building as assemblies rather than constituent parts.

Specifications, on the other hand, are structured according to products, activities or construction requirements. In North America specifications are based on MasterFormat, a 50-division, material-specific organizational format which, according to the CSI, is an “organizational standard for specifications and is a master list of titles and numbers classified by work results for organizing data about construction requirements, products, and activities.”

The mapping tool must understand the logic of both databases and establish a flexible association. This can be achieved by creating ‘bindings’ - logical associations between the model assemblies and the corresponding sections of the specification master document.

The bindings consider the individual components of the assemblies (eg if it is a steel or wood frame) and references the relevant section for the master specification document.

The context option is a powerful function. It can be used to provide increased or customized content for specific project requirements, such as LEED accreditation.

PROJECT CONTEXT The BIM-integrated specifications process should ‘construct’ the specifications according to project-specific conditions, such as location or building type. This accommodates the variation in specifying a particular element depending on whether the building were a gaol or a school, or whether the project were located in Abu Dhabi or Zurich. The process involves defining specific ‘accounts’ (eg for school or gaol) and then activating these accounts, like a filter system, to modify the individual bindings.

LEED certified designs require additional information to be incorporated into the construction specifications which can add to the time and cost to prepare the specifications as well as to increase the chances that the models and specifications will be misaligned and out of sync. BIM-integrated specifications can reduce the additional cost and complexities associated with LEED projects by automatically filtering the master specifications for LEED specific language. MasterSpec, for instance, includes hundreds of sections with LEED requirements text and commentaries, including six Division One LEED‐related sections. By setting up a Client Account for LEED projects, this specific LEED language can be associated through additional bindings to model elements that in one way or another require additional LEED information to be incorporated into the specifications. For instance, in the Wood Window section, there is additional specification language required for “manufacturer’s qualification” and for “certified wood” if the wood windows are to be LEED certified. The simple inclusion of these additional options in the LEED Client Account bindings will insure that the language

UniFormat is an industry standard classification system, developed in part by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), used primarily as a way of categorizing information about building elements which may contain multiple detailed parts. As defined by the CSI, “UniFormat is a method of arranging construction information based on functional elements, or parts of a facility characterized by their functions, and often referred to as systems or assemblies. It is a way to organize information about an entire assembly with multiple detail components.”

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is, according to the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil that developed it, “an internationally recognized green building certification systemthat is providing third‐party verification that a building or community was designed andbuilt using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that mattermost: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoorenvironmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”

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is added to the specification manual as required.Furthermore, one is able to associate specification sections to elements that are not modelled. It is often not practical to model detailed elements, although the relevant specification sections would still be required. This can be overcome by manually binding the additional spec sections to the model assembly as required. A more controlled way of dealing with this would be to include the detailed elements within the model assembly as parameter field, with no geometric counterpart. The specifications can then be bound to these parameters.

General specifications sections that have no component reference can also be bound to a project. This could be a manual process, or it could be structured to reference general project information, such as facility type.

AUTOMATION AND SYNCHRONISATIONAutomating the preparation of the project specification manual can be of significant value to a project team in increasing speed and efficiency, however the greatest benefit is in ensuring that the models and specifications are synchronised. Even the slightest oversight or ambiguity in the construction documents can lead to time consuming and costly change orders if these things are not discovered before construction begins.

BIM integrated specifications provide an example of the one of the great promises of BIM, to be able to use a single source of information to facilitate and coordinate complimentary processes. It also demonstrates a practical data management process, where content and functionality can be managed to respond to distinct requirements of the various project participants.

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The term Building Information Modeling (BIM) generates approximately 2.5 Million internet searches a month! With BIM gaining more and more hype and media coverage, thousands of websites and blogs are emerging bombarding users with information!

Whether you are a BIM newbie or an expert it is hard to find the time or the patience to wade through the plethora of information available online hence www.thebimhub.com. Our goal is to gather a very large BIM Community in one place" to network, educate, share and provide Information.

Visit www.thebimhub.com and register to become a member of our community!

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Gilfillan Callahan Nelson “uses a BIM-integrated process to accelerate the spec writing process on projects like this 72,000 square foot fitness & aquatic complex.”

Gilfillan Callahan Nelson ArchitectsGILFILLAN CALLAHAN NELSON ARCHITECTS, a Chicago-based full-service architectural firm, deployed a BIM integrated specification system that enabled the update of building specs in real time as design decisions were made. The main benefits of the systems were the semi-automated production of specification documents driven by the content of the building information model, and the direct synchronization and verification tools that ensured that modifications in either the model or the specification were synchronised.

THE CHALLENGEIn the past, Gilfillan Callahan Nelson Architects found that specification documents were not consistently produced at the high quality levels the firm demanded and its clients deserved. The firm’s standard front-end requirements were not always correctly written into spec documents and the required product sections were frequently omitted. This lack of coordination resulted in extensive addenda hindering the entire project.

THE SOLUTIONGilfillan Callahan Nelson sought out a software solution that read the model’s assembly parameters to determine the relevant product and material specifications required.

The process was analogous to a document management system that facilitates filtering complex master specification documents to the specific requirements of the project and in doing so, ensured

that the model, drawings and specification were all synchronised. The filtering was based on a tag and mapping process integrated into the master specification documents. Gilfillan Callahan Nelson noted that the coordination and automation afforded by this process greatly reduced their manual editing requirements of each section.

‘The ability to query the … model as you’re making design decisions is worth the price of admission,” says Pat Callahan, Senior Partner, Gilfillan Callahan Nelson

MODEL AND SPEC DETAILA unique benefit of the integrated process was that the detail of the specification could be gradually progressed corresponding to the development of the model. In cases where it was desirable to have coordinated specifications from the earliest stages of the project, one could create preliminary specifications from the initial assembly components, and then increase detail as the model was refined.

Parameters such as operation type, fire rating and insulation properties may not have been specified initially, however as the modelled progressed these details could be extracted from the model and mapped to the corresponding section from the master specification database.

CASE STUDY

Figure 1: The Binding Manager is used to manage the associations from the model object Assembly Codes to the specification tags.

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SYNCHRONISATIONGilfillan Callahan Nelson found one of the great benefits of using integrated specifications was the speed and convenience of the automated preparation of the project specification manual. The most significant benefit, however, was the assurance that the models and specifications would remained synchronised.

This was monitored through a series of reporting mechanisms, such as the Assembly Report, which provided a summary of all the model elements and resulting specification sections. Any elements in the model that were identified as having no specification link could be assigned to the relevant spec section through the binding manager. Similarly, if any section of the specification project were found not to be associated to the model, it would also be identified as such and could be reassigned or deleted.

“These features have greatly increased our ability to produce specifications faster and more accurately, not to mention delivering true integration of plans and specs,” said Senior Principal Pat Callahan.

RESULTSGilfillan Callahan Nelson achieved significant time savings, cost reductions and improved productivity and quality with the adoption of BIM-integrated specifications.

The first time Callahan used it was on a 40,000 square foot municipal building. “It was an Architectural BIM Model, so integrating non-linked spec sections was crucial,” Callahan said. “With the help of our support staff we managed to import specification sections from multiple consultants, query the … model, insert additional sections, then review, edit and publish the specification manual — over a long weekend! That would normally have taken 1-2 weeks”Already in use by Project Architects and Project Managers in all of the firm’s offices, the integrated solution promises even higher productivity in the future. Gilfillan Callahan Nelson is also coordinating and managing their cost estimating software to make design changes in real time, knowing their specifications are coordinated.

THE NEXT STEP - SYNCHRONISED KEYNOTES AND ANNOTATIONS.Another feature to be explored is the generation of annotations and keynotes by directly referencing the specifications. This function further ensures that outputted drawings are synchronised with the specification through a semi-automated and synchronised plug-in application that runs inside the architectural authoring software. With the component binding already established, one is able to double-click an element within the model to activate the spec section, and place synchronised keynotes and annotations (as illustrated below).

This “round trip” information, starting with information on the model which is used to generate the specification language, which is then provided back to the models for keynoting and annotations, helps ensure that the entire construction documentation package is accurate and complete.

The software also verifies that all the keynotes in the model (including those on re‐used details or newly created annotations) have a corresponding reference to the specification documents if required.

Figure 2: Illustration of how the model elements can be linked to required specification information.

Figure 3: Managing and validating the Project Keynotes directly in the BIM Models.

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InteroperabilityStandardsBIM is a business process that promotes collaboration between disciplines (this is something that was discussed in BIM Journal Issue 5). Collaboration is ensured by using a common language, however, interoperability issues in the AEC industry cannot be easily resolved without a set of rules and principles for classification of information requirements into data exchange specifications. These issues are magnified by the complexity of the building information models, the wide range of specializations and vocabularies in the AEC industry, the increasing amount of computer software applications, and the varying management practices employed.

This paper looks at buildingSMART openBIM standards that seek to bring coherence and consistency to the often fragmented BIM process. It explores the challenges with data exchange rules and formats, and the future of IFC based interoperability.

BuildingSMART STANDARDS EXPLAINED buildingSMART develops, maintains and supports a family of corresponding standards, namely: •The Data Model Standard – Industry Foundation Classes (IFC),•The Data Dictionary Standard - International Framework for Dictionaries (IFD)•The Process Definition Standard - Information Delivery Manual [IDM]

IFC - THE BUILDINGSMART DATA MODELbuildingSMART is all about the sharing of information between project team members and across the software applications that they commonly use for design, construction, procurement, maintenance and operations. Data interoperability is a key enabler to achieving the goal of a buildingSMART process. buildingSMART has developed a common data schema Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) that makes it possible to

hold and exchange relevant data between different software applications.The IFC data schema comprises information covering the many disciplines that contribute to a building throughout its lifecycle: from conception, through design, construction and operation to refurbishment or demolition. IFC is the primary buildingSMART data model standard, and is registered by ISO as ISO/PAS 16739 and is in the process of becoming an official International Standard ISO/IS 16739.

DATA DICTIONARY - INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR DICTIONARIES (IFD) As industry professionals design and construct buildings, they need to work interoperably with each other. But how does a software application talk to a product database? How can a designer be sure that the engineers understand the attributes attached to his design? How can design standards from overseas be incorporated?

The buildingSMART Data Dictionary is the mechanism that enables this to happen. It creates a catalogue of what objects are called (the ‘vocabulary’) and brings together disparate sets of data into a common view of the construction project or asset, whether information from a product manufacturer, typical room requirements, cost data or environmental data. It can also cope with different languages.

The Data Dictionary is based on a concept developed by the standards organisation ISO, notably in ISO 12006-3: 2007 (Building construction: Organization of information about construction works, Part 3: Framework for object-oriented information).

Thanks to the Dictionary, an open BIM model can be linked to data from many sources, improving interoperability and paving the way for analysis and design checks at an early stage of the project.

PROCESS - INFORMATION DELIVERY MANUAL (IDM) The buildingSMART standard for processes (also known as the Information Delivery Manual or IDM) specifies when certain types of information are required during the construction of a project or the operation of a built asset. It also provides detailed specification of the information that a particular user (architect, building services engineer etc) needs to provide at a point in time and groups together information that is needed in associated activities: cost estimating, volume of materials and job scheduling are natural partners.

ARTICLE 1

issue 27

Winn Gomez,buildingSMART MENA & India

BIM Journal wishes to thank Winn Gomez for his contribution to this issue.

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Thus the buildingSMART standard for processes offers a common understanding for all the parties: when to exchange information and exactly what is needed. The linked Model View Definition or MVD turns the prerequisites and outcomes of the processes for information exchange into a formal statement. Software developers can take the standard and specific Model View Definitions that derive from it and incorporate them into their applications.

UNDERSTANDING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION CLASSES‘Open’ is the key to the real value of buildingSMART standards. Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) can be used to exchange and share BIM data between applications developed by different software vendors without the software having to support numerous native formats. As an open format, IFC does not belong to a single software vendor; it is neutral and independent of a particular vendor’s plans for software development.

Every implementation of an IFC exchange should follow what is known as an ‘exchange requirement’. This requirement specifies the information that needs to be present in an exchange or sharing of data at a certain stage in a project. It is important to be specific about the information needed. The exchange requirement prevents woolliness and uncertainty.

How can designers and other software users be sure that the software in use is compliant with the open IFC standard and truly interoperable? buildingSMART run a certification schemes that test software products to check that they meet the IFC standard and clarifies the scope of their interoperability. The scheme was revamped in 2010 to make it more stringent and indicates precisely what parts of the product work interoperably.

IFC development is faced with various challenges; such as, providing a data structure that is able to fulfill the information requirements of specialized disciplines, as well as supporting the implementation of a data structure that exceeds the scope of typical domain specific design applications. Interoperability

ARTICLE 2

is further challenged by the need for standards that are flexible enough to ‘translate’ between different cultural backgrounds and languages.

OVERVIEW OF THE IFC DEVELOPMENT PROCESSIn general, in order to share information, the following three specifications should be in place.

1.An exchange format, defining HOW to share the information. The IFC is such a specification.

2.A Reference Library, to define WHAT information we are sharing. The International Framework of Dictionaries (IFD) serves such a purpose.

3.Information Requirements, defining WHICH Information to share WHEN. The Information Delivery Model (IDM)/Model View Definitions (MVD) approach forms that specification.

The specifications supporting the IFC development have to be defined according to the needs of the involved users. The development of the IFC address four main areas

- Business requirement specification- IFC extension modeling- Use case implementation- End user guidance

The IFC development process, in the above order, starts with the requirements and ends with users guidelines.

THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STANDARDSThe IFC data model is comprehensive , supporting a wide range of data to be transferred. The IFC allows for various data to be exchanged in various ways, without losing any information. But downstream users usually require specific information that is usually a subset of the Information stored in the IFC. These users would prefer to receive specifically the data they need, rather than the entire data model. The IFC, however, does not capture the methods in which data is created and shared by users. The lack of specific data exchange requirements for different users, also makes it difficult to implement solutions to this problem.

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ARTICLE 3

UNDERSTANDING BUILDINGSMART STANDARDS

The Information Delivery Manual (IDM)An Information Delivery Manual (IDM) responds to the problems identified in the previous article by proposing a methodology that captures business processes in projects, and developing specifications of detailed user information exchange requirements. The IDM defines, in the language and perspective of the professional participant, what information must be contained in the contracted exchange. The Process maps generated as a result of identifying the IDM, defines selected activities throughout the project delivery process and the information exchanged between them. The IDM is usually developed by domain experts, independent of the data exchange standard.

The IDM consists of three parts

1.The Process Maps – The Process map describes the flow of activities for a particular business process. It enables understanding of the configuration of activities that are required, the users involved, the information required, consumed and produced. 2.The Exchange Requirements – All details of the requirements are described according to business concepts that have to be mapped to IFC or other data structures. This information structures requirements, defining further details about the concepts, highlighting the difference between required ,mandatory and optional information requirements. 3.Functional parts and Business Rules – The functional part is a unit of information used by the solution providers to support an exchange requirement. It is usually a schema in its own right, but also a subset of the full standard on which it is based.

The IDM development process targets both BIM users and solution providers. For users, the IDM define the requirements for the information to be provided and is simple to understand, usually describing the building construction processes. For BIM solution providers (software develoeprs), IDMs identify and describe in detail, the functional breakdown of the process and the requirements of the IFC with respect to this process.

THE MODEL VIEW DEFINITION (MVD)A Model View Definition (MVD) maps the exchange requirements defined above to the IFC, to understand how the exchange of the required data and related constraints can be accomplished using the IFC. An MVD tells the software implementer which IFC elements to use, as well as how the implementation should function and what results are expected. MVDs define a logical and coherent subset of the IFC fulfilling a specific use or application type.

The aim of the supporting IDM and MVD processes are to specify exactly which information is to exchanged in each exchange scenario and how to relate it to the IFC model. For Example, an architect designing a building needs to be sure that they receive information from the structural engineer about which walls are load bearing and which are not. At the same time, the structural engineer needs to know the function of each space to calculate the right design loads.

INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR DICTIONARIES (IFD)Professionals need to work interoperably with each other, while they design and construct buildings. How can a designer be sure that the engineers understand the attributes attached to his design? How can design standards from overseas be incorporated?

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The IFD creates a catalogue or dictionary of objects and brings together the data into a common view, associating the correct information from a product manufacturer, requirements etc, while also coping with different languages. Put simply, it’s a standard for terminology libraries. The IFD also opens up opportunities for advanced analysis very early in the design. It also allows for the creation of an IFC-BIM for operational and maintenance purposed, while linking existing knowledge systems, product specific data and the IFC – BIM.

How the Standards work together.Before the users begin to perform data exchanges, the vendors of the preferred software have to implement IFC interoperability; that is the vendors have to enable their software to read and write the IFC format. For repeatability and reliability, this interoperability should support ‘contracted exchanges’ ie. information exchanges that serve a particular transfer. IDM defines the user’s contracted exchanges and the MVD defines the implementations in software.

Once implemented in software, any software should be fully capable of exchanging the required information for the specific process to process scenario. The certification (by buildingSMART) of the software ensures that the software meets the requirements as specified in the MVD. The software is then tested by users to ensure that the user’s business requirements are fully met by the implemented software capability.

Visit http://buildingsmart-tech.org for more information.

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Not Just CAD++

ARTICLE 1

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When BIM software began emerging in the mainstream market some seven years ago, it was regarded by many as CAD++. That is an enhanced and more efficient way of doing exactly what was being done before. The misconception was that nothing really had changed.

Steel fabricators were among the earlier adopters of BIM software; many firms having made the transition to 3D modelling for fabrication some years earlier. Architectural firms were notably using 3D modelling software for visualisation and design review, so it made sense for them to invest a little extra effort to obtain drawings and schedules from the same model. However the real value of BIM was, for the most part, not yet appreciated.

SILO BIMThe next phase of BIM development was the ‘BIM in Silos’ phenomenon. ‘BIM in Silos’, sometimes termed ‘littlebim’ , refers to the practice of BIM within a single discipline, exclusive of multi-model / multi-discipline collaboration. Truth be told, this is where much of BIM practices are currently at.

The benefits of this process are nonetheless substantial; both for the authoring party and other project members. ‘Silo BIM’ harnessing the benefits of a central model for the rapid production of accurate and

synchronised drawings, schedules and other data, however only within a single discipline. There is no model exchange, and therefore no true BIM collaboration. Although documentation is produced in a live BIM environment, all drawings and documentation are published to other

project parties in a ‘flat’ format (DXF, DWG, XLS, PDF etc…).

Furthermore all comments received have to be reinterpreted by the authoring party and updated in the BIM. As in traditional 2D processes, this creates duplication of work and allows for greater human error.

Without inter-disciplinary model exchange the true value of collaborative BIM is lost.

COLLABORATIVE BIM Through the open exchange of models and model data, every project participant can be assured that they have the most current and complete information. More valuable than this, however, is that the integration of models allows for a previously unimaginable array of collaborative activities; integrated inter-disciplinary design review, multi-model coordination and clash detection, and realtime integration with other specialist disciplines for cost estimation, construction management etc…

The various disciplines are dependently linked, and changes to any discipline are reflected in the respective models of all other parties. For example if the architect repositions a wall, the structural engineer will be alerted to the discrepancy in his model and will be promoted to adjust the structural elements accordingly. This process can be further automated in the case, for example, of the quantity surveyor,

who extracts

quantities from the

model and links to his

cost estimation spreadsheet. If the

model is changed the quantities also change, and

this is automatically reflected in the cost estimation software, without

the need for intervention by the quantity surveyor.

This realm of BIM data content is the subject of the following article.

Jan KarlshøjM.Sc. IDA, CTO, PartnerbuildingSMART Nordic, ChairmanInternational IDM coordinator

“Basically BCF [The BIM Collaboration Format] introduces a workflow communication capability connected to IFC models. The idea is to separate the “communication” from the actual model.”

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This is common practice for activities such as cost estimation or construction scheduling, where Cost and labour data, in the first instance, and task scheduling, in the second, must be linked to the building model, but remain in the domain of the respective specialist. However it is still in a testing phase for most other domains.

The question then becomes how is this information managed? Who authors the information and how exactly is it tagged to the model? How is the data ordered, searched for and verified? And how can one create user-specific access rights, so that the various project members have specific levels of access to the data?. This significant area of ‘data management’ is possibly the most intensive domain of building information modelling, and comprises the third strata of the BIM pyramid (as indicated below).

BIM Journal Issue 29 ‘BIM Integrated Lifecycle Management’ explores in greater detail how various activities, grouped under the term ‘project lifecycle management’ can be consistently linked to the BIM. Activities included within this theme are, among others:

• Scheduling and Costing• Scope definition and bidding• Construction sequencing• Clash detection and RFI reporting• Submittal and shop-drawing approval

However there are other areas that are not yet so well defined, these include:

• Model collaboration• Data searching• File sharing

BUILDING INFORMATION MANAGEMENTInformation management is at the core of project- and construction-management processes . Building Information Modelling does not replace the need for effective data management; on the contrary, it magnifies it. BIM processes are at their most effective when they extend beyond the realms of design and coordination to ‘information logistics’.

For those undertaking the first foray into virtual design and construction the primary concern is often for model creation and management. Certainly for the architect and engineer, the preoccupation is often with the mode of production and quality of the model: how does one ensure that the model accurately reflects the design requirements? what level of detail should be modelled? and how does one account for elements that are not modelled?

However, this is really just the tip of the iceburg (or pyramid, as is illustrated below). When models are exchanged between multiple parties the process becomes manifoldly more complicated. How can one streamline the process between model design and analysis? How does one compare multiple revisions of models? Should revisions relate to the entire model, or only to object elements? How can one effectively track and trace coordination issues and their resolution?

It becomes increasingly evident that the model geometry is one small aspect of building information modelling. As depicted in the ‘BIM Pyramid’ diagram below, the data behind the model becomes a much greater concern. A single geometric object (created by one authoring party) may be referenced to various databases of information from multiple disciplines; specifications, cost estimation, construction management, operation and maintenance.

The model presents an inviting opportunity to be the repository of an almost endless amount of project related data. Single elements can be embedded with detailed design properties, material specifications, operation and maintenance manuals, cost data, construction, sequence data… As was discussed in Issue 26, ‘Integrated Specifications’, the preferred workflow is not always to contain this information within a single model, but rather to have multiple linked databases.

ARTICLE 2

Figure 1: the BIM Pyramid. Source: Steve Jones, Product Manager - Tekla BIMsight

Figure 1: the BIM Pyramid. Source: Steve Jones, Product Manager - Tekla BIMsight

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Steve Jones, Product Manager for Tekla BIMsight, notes although there have been tremendous advances in the development of BIM software, open, multi-party collaboration is still cumbersome and inefficient. Jones references the astounding developments of social media and cloud-based collaboration tools, accompanied by an equally astounding competence and adoption by the general population. Why can’t BIM technologies, which have been underdeveloped for much longer, progress at a similar rate.

Why aren’t models, documents and other data published into the ‘cloud’ as easily as we publish a Youtube video? We should be able to search project databases as quickly and as efficiently as we make a Google or Wikipedia search. We ought to be able to communicate with other project members, form meetings and or create shared files as easily as we do in Facebook or Dropbox. These networks have pushed developments in technologies, but most significantly they have pushed us in the way we use technology. They have forced a cultural shift.

The construction industry has not transitioned at such a pace, nevertheless there are pockets of innovation both in technology developments, and in the way they are used within the industry. The following article will explore one such development.

Figure 2: A possible future of BIM collaboration. Source: Steve Jones, Product Manager Tekla BIMsight

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Tekla Corporation and Solibri, Inc. introduced to the buildingSMART organization an idea of using open standards to enable workflow communication between different BIM (Building Information Modelling) software tools. These firms have developed an XML schema, called BCF, to encode messages that inform a software package of issues found in the BIM model by another software tool. The implication is that only those issues, and not the entire BIM, need to be communicated between software and that this simple capability will enable a degree of collaboration. This XML schema and capability have already been built into several software package including, Tekla Structures, Tekla BIMsight, Solibri Model Checker, DDS MEP and Architecture, CQ-Tools for Revit and other software.

In most real-life projects the user of a tool for one discipline will import IFC models from other disciplines. If there is an issue related to one of the imported models, the efficient process will be to raise that issue so they can be resolved in the BIM authoring application from where this model originated. The responsibility for maintaining and updating this model will in many/most cases be assigned to the author of the model. Instead of adding information directly into an IFC model as a “property set” or whatever and send the whole thing back (which could be an alternative), the issues are described using BCF with direct links to objects in the model(s) with the issue(s).

The BCF format is extremely simple and easy to implement. The basic content is that you create an issue, add comment and refer that to the object(s) in question (using IFC mechanisms for Global Unique ID’s (GUIDs)). The format also supports comments and status as this issue may be referred to and answers/suggestions added by receiving ap-plications. In addition to text, comments and the list of objects, each issue can also have camera and viewport attached and even a snapshot of how the model

CASE STUDY

BIM Collaboration Format

looked in the ap-plication where the issue was last addressed.The close connection to the IFC model positions it as a capability extension of the existing IFC format with focus on workflow and processes (close relation also to IDM).

The BCF format is independent of which IFC schema version being used. The full specification can be found in the GTDS workspace (http://gtds.iabi.eu/), and further information can be found at http://www.buildingsmart-tech.org/specifications/bcf-releases/bcf-intro.

Figure 3: Imported IFC model in DDS-CAD Viewer

Figure 4: Viewing the ‘BIM Collaboration Format’ comment in DDS-CAD viewer

BIM Journal wishes to thank Jan Karlshoj for his contribution to this issue.

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BIM Integrated Lifecycle ManagementA NEW ERA OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT As projects are becoming more complex, and project management more onerous, there has been an increased demand for more sophisticated and holistic project management solutions. Infrastructure Lifecycle Management (ILM) has emerged as one of these solutions. Such tools are not without their own challenges, and their success is reliant on disciplined collation and organisation of multiple levels of information. A building information model (BIM) serves as a mechanism to gather and order multidisciplinary data during the course of project life. Integrating the rich, and well structured, data content of a BIM with the powerful processes of ILM promises to go some way in addressing these challenges.

Over the years, the discipline of construction project management has evolved from AEC-centric applications to broader use across the capital projects industry. This evolution led to the introduction of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management (ILM) software solutions. ILM is an expanded successor to Project Management because it is designed for those companies that manage the plan, build and operate lifecycle for both new and existing buildings and facilities.

CONNECTING ILM AND BIM ALONG THE PLAN, BUILD AND OPERATE LIFECYCLEDiving deeper into the plan-build-operate project lifecycle, one can see many synergistic opportunities for ILM technology and BIM models to come

together. For example, during the plan phase the building owner determines the financial feasibility of a project and hires architects and engineers to design the project. During the build phase, a general contractor is selected to construct the facility, while the owner and design teams provide oversight. And finally, during the operate phase, the owner takes over the newly completed facility and manages this new asset through preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance.

Currently, BIM is most prevalent in the plan phase as architects and engineers can digitally design BIM models that create huge efficiencies in the iterative design process. But once rich BIM models have been designed, downstream value is created for both the contractor and owner through cost reductions, and by providing a more accurate model of the final finished building.

Similarly, an organization goes through various business processes during the same three phases. Companies must make go/no-go decisions on a pipeline of projects, and they must iteratively develop a budget and funding strategy sufficient to execute on each project. The business process continues during the build phase where managing costs, schedules, scopes, and quality become paramount. Once construction is complete, the business process of managing all the assets within a building, and the maintenance of those assets, is key to maintaining a high-performing facility.

With BIM providing a complete lifecycle perspective of design data for a building, and ILM providing a complete lifecycle of operational business data for a building, the two used in conjunction together create many integration touch points that lead to even greater business value. The following article addresses the key processes and benefits of BIM-ILM integration.

Frank Sarno,Director of construction applications, Ryan Companies

“Increasingly sophisticated technologies are improving our Infrastructure Lifecycle Management processes, and enabling us to leverage BIM in a much more powerful way.”

MERIDIAN SYSTEMS CASE STUDY

PlanManage project pipelines,site development andentitlements

OperateDirect asset management, work ordersand maintenance management

BuildTrack budgets, contacts,changes, schedules,scopes and quality

Figure 1: Three phases of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management (ILM)

Figure 2: There are several opportunities to synchronize ILM with BIM methodology across the plan, build, operate lifecycle

InfrastructureLifecycleManagement(ILM)

Operational BusinessProcesses and Data

BuildingInformationModeling(BIM)

Digital Design Model

. Project Pipelines

. Budget Development

. Scope Development

. Budget Approvals

. Funding Approvals

. Conceptual Design

. Iteractive Designs

. Architectural BIM

. Structural BIM

. MEP BIM

. Construction Sequencing

. 4D Modeling

. Clash Detection

. Fabrication BIM

. Spatial BIM Installation

. As Built Model

. As Built Equipment

. Complete Virtual Bldg

. Contracts & Charges

. Scheduling

. Bidding and Buyout

. Design Distribution

. RFIs & Submitals

. Asset Management

. Equipment Assets

. Location Assets

. Maintenance Mgmt

. Work Orders

Plan Build Operate

ARTICLE 1

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ARTICLE 2

INTEGRATING THE BIMBuilding Information Models are key components that are present throughout the entire project lifecycle. For any program or project, Building Information Modelling (BIM) provides a complete lifecycle perspective of design and spatial data, while Infrastructure Lifecycle Management (ILM) provides a complete lifecycle of operational business data. Integrating BIM and ILM across multiple touch points creates business value by reducing costs and schedules in the planning, building, and operating of capital projects and facilities.

And today’s integrated team environment requires a solution that can overcome the challenges imposed by software interoperability. Converting files, waiting for downloads and spending countless hours with technical support. Added complications brought by geographically dispersed teams, different software applications and increased network security creates a further impediment to the one commodity needed, which is access to timely and accurate information. As risks for profits rise, the need becomes ever greater to do more with less.

By integrating BIM with construction project management and ILM solutions, project stakeholders can gain new efficiencies across the entire project lifecycle.

INTEGRATION TOUCH POINTS BETWEEN BIM AND ILMThere are at least seven key integration points between BIM and ILM applications. The diagram below illustrates different types of BIM models that are appropriate to integrate with different operational business processes. These seven integrations naturally occur during all three phases of the plan, build and operate lifecycle.

The value of integrating to each touch point will vary depending on a company’s specific role. For example, an owner or program manager may be primarily interested in the touch points involving budget development, 4D schedule integration, and asset management integration. A general contractor may be interested in procurement integration, 2D drawing integration, fabrication integration and Request for Information (RFI) integration.

As the market continues to adopt both BIM and ILM methodologies, the value propositions will begin to shake out as more companies experiment with each touch point opportunity.

BIM-ILM FUNCTIONALITY AND BENEFITSSuch integration enables the model review team to automatically task action items such as RFIs and submittals to the project management team for response. The transparency between BIM objects and the project management system makes it the only base technology where model analysis such as clash detection, estimates, submittals and RFIs can all occur within the same live model. Finally, this coordination process provides project managers

Combine models using open standards such as IFC to import models directly from the BIM authoring application. Task items for clarification during coordination review and synchronize action items.

Assign responsibility to action items such as RFIs and Submittals and route through PPM System for response.

and executives one-click access to BIM without specialised software or training. Certain solutions operate via a Web-based BIM platform that links intelligent 3D object data to project and program management systems. Data from the BIM program is pushed to the collaborative platform, which takes the data attribute information to link objects in the model with line items in the project management software.

The functionality of such web-based BIM management platforms include:

> Platform for live BIM streaming and object dataexchange (geometry + attributes)

> Integration between BIM authoring tools and PPM(Project and Portfolio Management) systems

> Workflow support from design through constructionand operations.

> Easy accessibility for all stakeholders> Centralised project, model and user management

Figure 3: Integration Touch Points between BIM and ILM

Figure 4: BIM ILM Integration screenshots

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ARTICLE 3

EXAMPLE OF BIM-ILM INTEGRATION

With BIM providing a complete lifecycle perspective of design data for a building, and ILM providing a complete lifecycle of operational business data for a building, the two used in conjunction create many integration touch points that lead to even greater business value. This article presents a series of examples of the value of BIM-ILM integration in the Design, Build and Operation phases of a project.

1. DESIGN PHASE EXAMPLES

Design to Budget Development IntegrationBuilding information models typically progress iteratively from a design phase (comprised of cores discipline models produced by the Architects and engineers) to construction phase (comprised of numerous trade models developed by the various subcontractors). As the model progresses, the individual model elements develop in detail and complexity, forming rich, intelligent virtual design models.

Even at an early design phase project managers and owner representatives can access the data to develop preliminary cost estimates. Typically the project budget does not get created at one time, but is developed via multiple budget scope documents. This process allows for certain aspects of the project to be known and thus management can provide partial approvals over a budget or a set of funding.

A key integration scenario would be to take a cost-loaded BIM and export the data to populate a scope document. The scope document can then be routed through a workflow process to the owner or project manager who then approves it and creates a baseline budget for that part of the project.In the example above, the BIM cost model was defined enough to export multiple scopes of work on different dates, while the rest of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing were still being designed. Once these scopes are imported into the budget and cost management application within an ILM software solution, the individual scope documents can be approved, creating an original approved budget.

BILL OF MATERIALS INTEGRATED WITH BUYOUT ITEMSBIM models not only manage parametric objects in a

The table below illustrates an example over a timeline.

given geometry, but they can save properties around specifications for materials. The systems also have the ability to calculate the quantities of material at various levels of assembly-type hierarchies. This detailed level of modelling provides the ability to produce a bill of materials for various building systems within the model.

The integration of this data is a natural fit to buyout items within a project management system. These buyout items can quickly start the procurement and bidding process of: 1) bundling multiple buyout items into a bid package, 2) determining which companies should be invited to provide quotes, and 3) ultimately analysing quotes from multiple bidders.

This level of integration streamlines the design to procurement process and facilitates a higher degree of accuracy in the bidding process.

2. BUILD PHASE EXAMPLES

4D Schedule Integration4D schedule integration involves linking tasks on a “critical path method” schedule to various objects within the model. The challenge is to break up the schedule into a set of tasks that can realistically demonstrate an animation over how materials get installed, and directly drive the schedule document.

The base design model can be appended with temporary works such as cranes, man lifts, scaffolding, traffic routing and other equipment and logistics required to construct the building. The time-based view provides a much higher level of construction logistics planning.

Fabrication BIM with SubmittalsSubmittals are an operational business process where subcontractors and fabricators must submit shop drawings and material specifications for approval. The submittal process, typically involving multiple project stakeholders, is critical in order to gain designer approvals prior to fabricating materials off site, as well as ensuring that materials are delivered in a timely manner for construction.

Many fabricators are already creating their shop drawings using BIM methodology. Structural steel and mechanical trades are designing their production models to interact with designer models. Bringing together the business submittal process with these fabricator BIM models creates another valuable integration point.

Figure 5: Progressive cost modelling

6/10/2008

7/25/2008

8/2/2008

8/12/2008

BIM Export 1

BIM Export 2

BIM Export 3

BIM Export 4

Approved Original Budget

Approved Original Budget

Pending Approval

Pending Approval

4.335.000

10.201.000

6.088.000

5.125.000

14.536.000

11.213.000

A10 - Foundations

B10 - Superstructure

B20 - Exterior Enclosure

C10 - Interior Construction

Current Approved Budget

Current Pending Budget

Date Description Scope Amount Budget Column

Software for Construction Project Control and Visibility

Building owners, construction, energy and engineering firms, and public agencies use Meridian

software to effectively manage capital building and facility renovation programs.

St. Clare Health Center,Fenton, Missouri, USA

Knowledge EconomicCity, Saudi Arabia

New Doha Port, Qatar

AEC | Commercial | Public

To learn more, visit www.meridiansystems.com.

+1 (800) 850 2660 USA+971 50 451 79 43 UAE+966 535 29 37 66 Saudi Arabia

© Copyright 2012 Meridian Systems. All rights reserved.

Select projects using

Meridian software solutions:issue 29

Software for Construction Project Control and Visibility

Building owners, construction, energy and engineering firms, and public agencies use Meridian

software to effectively manage capital building and facility renovation programs.

St. Clare Health Center,Fenton, Missouri, USA

Knowledge EconomicCity, Saudi Arabia

New Doha Port, Qatar

AEC | Commercial | Public

To learn more, visit www.meridiansystems.com.

+1 (800) 850 2660 USA+971 50 451 79 43 UAE+966 535 29 37 66 Saudi Arabia

© Copyright 2012 Meridian Systems. All rights reserved.

Select projects using

Meridian software solutions:

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BIM Integration with Requests for InformationOne of the key benefits of a virtual building model is to eliminate problems downstream in the construction phase. While this means more effort up front to create accurate, multi-discipline models, problems discovered virtually are much cheaper to resolve than problems discovered once materials are fabricated and partially installed.

The design team can interact with the general contractor, key subcontractors and fabricators to consolidate all of their models, invariably creating more “virtual” conflicts earlier in the building process. With more parallel virtual designs occurring, the RFI business process can also move upstream to document these virtual conflicts, and provide documented answers on how these virtual conflicts will get resolved. Providing the ability to have visual links from a business process of an RFI directly to the virtual conflict allows the entire team to understand the issues sooner and with greater clarity.

3. OPERATE PHASE EXAMPLES

Spatial and Equipment Models Integrated with Asset ManagementAs a BIM model progressively becomes more detailed, it can evolve into an as-built virtual model for the owner to operate a new building. For example, the BIM can store specifications data about each and every fixture, wall type, and piece of equipment within the building. These detailed specifications can be added to the model throughout the process by the designer, the general contractor, subcontractor, or fabricator.

From a business process perspective, an owner must have an asset management system to catalogue all these assets in a hierarchy.

Figure 6: 4D Schedule Integration

This hierarchy can include “location assets” like the first floor or the roof, to specific equipment assets like VAV boxes or HVAC units. This hierarchy also must include an entire portfolio of buildings where owners need to identify what assets are installed in multiple buildings. The owner must also have a maintenance management business process that is integrated with the asset management piece to properly maintain the building and all of the components within the building.

Integrating the building and equipment specifications within a BIM model can occur at the completion of the new building, and then pre-populate an owner’s asset hierarchy and maintenance plans. Contractors and designers can differentiate themselves to owners by providing a more fully developed turnover package through this integrated BIM and ILM approach. The facility operations team can also benefit from integrating a BIM model and an ILM solution, as they can interact using both systems. The facility manager could select a piece of equipment visually in the BIM model, locate where that piece of equipment fits within the asset hierarchy, then view the maintenance plan against the item. Conversely, a user could view the asset hierarchy in the asset management system, and then view in 3D where that piece of equipment is located within the building. This interaction makes facility maintenance much more proactive, reducing ongoing maintenance costs.

Figure 7: Integration for asset management

issue 29

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ARTICLE 1

Green is GoodSustainability, as an area of discussion and practice, is noticeably shifting from the periphery to the centre of the construction industry. Whether driven by legislative requirements, pragmatism to reduce waste and costs, or a genuine desire to minimise one’s ecological footprint, sustainability is now a primary concern of the built environment. However as buildings become increasingly more complex, construction processes more fragmented, and green building rating schemes more stringent, ‘going green’ is getting harder to achieve.

The cross-over between sustainability and BIM is significant; both seek to reduce waste, optimise building performance, and promote lean construction and integrate practices. Consequently, there is tremendous advantage in the integration of ‘green’ and ‘BIM’ processes, however, as both domains are broad (covering design to operation) complex (engaging virtually every discipline in the construction process) and continually developing, this is no easy undertaking.

SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is a broad term that covers a range of applications. In the context of building design and construction, the applications can be roughly grouped into the following categories:

• Sustainable siting• Energy performance• Water efficiency• Indoor environmental quality• Material and resource management• Lean construction and site utilisation

There are numerous green rating systems in operation around the world; most of them structured according to the categories listed above. Among the more recognized green building rating schemes are: LEED (North America and many parts of the Middle East), BREEAM (UK, Netherlands, Spain & Germany) and Green Star (Australia, New Zealand & South Africa). The majority of these are voluntarily applied, however there is an increasing trend to make minimum ‘green rating’ a requirement for development approval. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to the LEED rating systems developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Alexander Kolpakov (Mech. Eng. LEED AP, PMP) BIM Project Manager, Oger International Abu Dhabi

“Managing sustainability in the BIM environment requires one to strictly define BIM project requirements from the outset, and have the necessary mechanisms to ensure these are fulfilled. In most cases the party inputting design data upstream, would not be the same as the party analyzing this data downstream. Consequently it demands a coordinated collaborative approach. ”

LEED, like most green building rating schemes, defines a matrix of credits that a building must attain to achieve progressive levels of certification. In LEED for Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 Edition, there are a possible 120 credits achievable, grouped into the following seven categories:

1. Sustainable Sites (maximum 26 points)2. Water Efficiency (maximum 10 points)3. Energy and Atmosphere (maximum 35 points)4. Materials and Resources (maximum 14 points)5. Indoor Environmental Quality (maximum 15 points)6. Innovation in Design (maximum 6 points)7. Regional Priority (maximum 4 points)

Each category has both requisite and elective credits. The higher the number of credits achieved the higher the rating. There are four levels of building certification that requires achieving the following total amount of points through the certification process;

- Certified 40-49 points,- Silver 50-59 points,- Gold 60-69 points,- Platinum 80 points and above.

The following articles will present some preliminary strategies for integrating ‘green’ / ‘BIM’ processes, as well as examining specific touch-points between the LEED rating system and building information modeling.

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BIM Journal wishes to thank Alexander Kolpakov for his invaluable contribution to this issue.

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ARTICLE 2

INTEGRATING BIM AND LEEDThis article presents one possible approach to developing a LEED-BIM integration.

The LEED-BIM process is complex in that it is interfaces with multiple, simultaneous activities across various disciplines. It may not be feasible to integrate all LEED activities in the BIM environment. One should, therefore, make a preliminary assessment of what activities are to be targeted prior to project commencement. This may include identifying the LEED activities that hold the highest credit weighting, and assessing how easily these can be achieved in a BIM, versus a non-BIM, workflow.

DEFINING THE SCOPE OF LEEDThe scope of LEED is can be defined in a Checklist, such as the one illustrated below. Each Credit Item of the checklist has an associated activity. Many of these activities are similar, and we can form groupings of like-activities, which we call here ‘Activity Groups’.

Each LEED activity group must have at least one BIM function associated to it. These functions define what is necessary to achieve the desired LEED output within the scope of BIM. For example, the LEED Credit Item for the provision of bicycle storage and change rooms is classed in the Transport Provision activity group. The BIM functions to achieve this would be spatial programming (allocating the space) and specification (identifying the requirements).

The activity groups are diverse and varied, and each must be individually evaluated in terms of value and achievability. It is also necessary to make an assessment of the activity in terms of effort required to achieve the end result as a BIM function compared to a conventional process. This evaluation process can be summarized in the following way:

• Value Rating - aggregate credit points against perceived achievability (complexity, available resources and capability)

• BIM Weighting- Degree of effort required as a BIM process, compared to effort required as a non-BIM process (given existing resources, experience and capability).

It is important here to be realistic about the capabilities and limitations of BIM. Some LEED credit items are outside the scope of BIM (for example the participation of a LEED Accredited Professional). Other items require very limited BIM involvement, or are more effectively served by other means. This worksheet consequently seeks to determine only those items that are deemed valuable within the BIM process. Whether they are valuable and/or achievable to the project as a whole should be assessed independently.

Another important consideration is that most activities involve multiple disciplines. The role of the LEED-BIM consultant is typically in verifying information in the building information model. The authoring of the information (typically the bulk of the work), is undertaken by the various departments. Therefore, to make an accurate assessment the level of BIM involvement most be assessed across all phases of the project and in all relevant disciplines. This can be represented in a spreadsheet, such as the ‘LEED Activity Analysis’ illustrated below.

26 Sustainable Sites

Possible Points LEED Credit Item LEED Activity Grouping BIM Function

Construction Activity Pollution Prevention Required Construction Planning

Site SelectionSite Development

Site SelectionTransport Provisions

Transport ProvisionsTransport Provisions

Transport ProvisionsSite Development

Site Development

Site Utilisation Planning

Site AnalysisProgramming

Site AnalysisProgramming, Design

Programming, DesignProgramming, Design

ProgrammingDesign

Design

Credit 1 Site SelectionCredit 2 Development Density and Community Connectivity

Credit 3 Brownfield RedevelopmentCredit 4.1 Alternative Transportation - Public Transportation Access

Credit 4.2 Alternative Transportation - Bicycle Storage and Charging RoomsCredit 4.2 Alternative Transportation - Low-Emitting and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

Credit 4.4 Alternative Transportation - Parking CapacityCredit 5.1 Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat

Credit 5.2 Site Development - Maximize Open Space

required

15

16

13

21

1

Figure 1: Example of Individual Credit Items (from LEED Checklist) assigned to LEED activity groups. Refer to Appendix for complete worksheets.

Rating from prev. worksheet

High / Med / Low

1 = Full BIM0 = No-BIM

YES / NO / MAYBE

Res

ourc

es

Com

pete

ncy

Expe

rienc

e

Res

ourc

es

Com

pete

ncy

Expe

rienc

e

DEELnoitceleS etiSArchClient

DEELtnempoleveD etiSArchCivilConstructionClient

DEELsnoisivorP tropsnarTArchSpecificationClient

DEELtnemeganaM retaWArchSpecificationConstructionClient

LEED ACTIVITY ANALYSISLEED Activity Notes

BIM Capability

Rating

Value to Resp Party

Value to Project

Proceed with Use

Scale 1-3 (1 = Low)

Responsible Party

Additional Resources / Competencies Required to

Implement

Non-BIM Capability

RatingScale 1-3 (1 = Low)

BIM Weigting

DEELecnamrofreP ygrenEArchMEPSpecificationProcurementConstructionClient

DEELytilauQ roodnIArchMEPSpecificationProcurementConstructionClient

DEELytilauQ roodtuOArchConstructionClient

DEELnoitceleS lairetaMArchSpecificationProcurementConstructionClient

DEELgninnalP noitcurtsnoCConstructionClient

DEELsecruoseR noitcurtsnoCArchProcurementConstructionClient

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THE ROLE OF THE LEED-BIM CONSULTANTAs mentioned above, the role of LEED-BIM consultant should be restricted to the verification of information, rather than authoring content. Design authoring will remain the responsibility of the primary disciplines. It is, however, the role of the LEED department to do the following:

1. Provide necessary information to the relevant departments at the outset of the project to ensure the inclusion of appropriate BIM content.2. Verify (at progressive stages) that this information has been successfully incorporated into the BIM so that the desired outcome is achieved.

DEFINE THE STRATEGYOnce the proposed LEED credits have been identified, the project team should develop an execution plan. This states the targeted LEED-BIM activities, the process and parties involved, and the information exchn\ages necessary at each phase of the project; namely as the model is progressed from one party (or one activity) to another.

A good illustration of this, and a practical primary reference point, is the project process map. The example below is a high-level process map for a theoretical LEED-BIM project. LEED-BIM Activity process maps provide a detailed plan for implementation of each LEED activity. The final execution plan would include the LEED Overview Map (Level 1, illustrated below) of all LEED-BIM activities, a Detailed Map of each activity (Level 2), and a description of elements on each map, as appropriate.

LEVE

L 1 P

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SS O

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IEW

MAP

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vel 1

: LEE

D &

Sus

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ARTICLE 3

USE CASE OF BIM – LEED INTEGRATION This article explores the application of BIM processes for six of the seven possible LEED categories.

1. SUSTAINABLE SITESThe involvement of BIM for the Sustainable Site credits can only be loosely defined. Essentially BIM can be deployed to support the design and demonstration of sustainable outcomes such as development configuration and density, protection and restoration of the natural habitat, and connectivity to alternative transport and other amenities.

2. WATER EFFICIENCY Example: Water use reduction (2-4 points)Employ strategies that in aggregate use 20-40% less water than the water use baseline calculated for the building.

Calculations for this credit are based on water consumption by building occupants and type of water fixtures. Water usage can be reduced by using water efficient sanitary fixtures (water closets, urinals, kitchen sinks, showers, lavatory faucets and pre-rinse spray valves); and through the use of non-potable water (e.g. captured condensate water, rainwater or treated wastewater).

This can be achieved by comparing baseline plumbing systems with design plumbing systems. Which will require assessment of Plumbing design models that would contain all required data; such as plumbing fixtures flow rates, water tanks capacity and overall system’s water consumption rate. Incorporating this data in the BIM enables quick assessment by simulating different scenarios (e.g. changing plumbing fixtures’ type will show resulted overall system’s water consumption rate).

2. WATER EFFICIENCYExample: Whole Building Energy Simulation. (3-21 points)

This prerequisite and credit requires calculating all buildings’ energy costs and comparing it with design building energy costs to demonstrate improvement in building performance rating. The LEED Reference Guide demands the creation of baseline and proposed design energy models using an approved energy simulation program. The baseline model has to be created in accordance to minimum requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007. The proposed building model would be designed to optimize the building energy costs.

The following factors can be considered in proposed design model to optimize building energy performance;

- Building geometry, geographic location and orientation,- Envelope properties (glazing, thermal conductivity of insulation, walls, roof, floors etc.), - Building usage including functional use, occupancy,

- Energy usage (such us harvesting and utilising daylight, solar heating power, wind energy etc.)- Equipment, lighting, and HVAC systems.

For the purpose of this credit a BIM Energy model must be developed where all of the above mentioned parameters (HVAC systems, wall materials, equipment, etc.) are included in both “baseline” and “proposed” models. Energy modelling software can run calculations to simulate building energy performance. This ought to include how all building systems interact and affect each other. For example, if designer wants to increase fenestration area for one of the facades, it will bring more daylight in the rooms and therefore can reduce electrical lighting load. However, as more heat will be transferred through the glazing the HVAC systems are affected and air conditioning load may increase. All kind of scenarios can be simulated and assessed using the model.

4. MATERIALS AND RESOURCESThese credits require the calculation of cost or weight of reused, salvaged, refurbished, recycled, or regional (locally produced)... materials compared with total value of materials on the project.The BIM can be used to manage procurement of materials. Having costs and weight assigned to materials in BIM, and distinguishing materials’ type/content (reused, recycled, or regional...), allows us to extract these costs for the calculation; for example:

•Material Reuse. (1-2 points)•Recycled Content. (1-2 points)•Regional Materials. (1-2 points)•Rapidly Renewable Materials. (1point)•Certified Wood. (1 point)

5. INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYThis category uses a combination of BIM function included energy modelling and material verification

Example: Increased Ventilation.For Naturally Ventilated Spaces, Option 2 requires to use analytic model to predict that room-by-room airflows will effectively naturally ventilate at least 90 % of occupied spaces.

Example: Daylight and Views - Daylight. (1-3 points)Demonstrates through computer simulation that specific ‘regularly occupied spaces’ achieve certain daylight illuminance levels.BIM software allows performing daylight analysis, that show luminance levels across the rooms depending on such factors as building orientation, fenestration type, etc.,

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Example: Low-Emitting Materials (1-6 points)Similarly to the material and resourcing, the BIM can be used to manage and verify procurement of materials. Having material specifications tagged to the model elements allows for verification of critical data such as:

• Adhesives and Sealants • Paints and Coatings • Flooring systems • Composite Wood and Agrifiber Products • Furniture and Furnishings • Ceiling and Wall Systems

To earn credit for Low-Emitting Materials all the above mentioned materials shall comply with certain requirements for content of harmful substances. This can be tracked by integrating specifications or design requirements with the BIM elements.

6. INNOVATION IN DESIGNBIM can support innovation in design through the development and analysis of climate-responsive building elements, such as parametric shading devices (see BIM Journal Issue 25).

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Availability of information

Ability to make changes

INFORMATION DEFICIENCIES IN THE AEC INDUSTRYThe prevalence of inaccurate and deficient information has become an increasing problem for the AEC industry. The most important requirement for making good decisions is information, and poor quality data limits the effectiveness of the decision-making process and significantly impacts project delivery.

A good metaphor of a construction projects is to view it as a ‘decision machine’ and the fuel of this machine is information. In a good project, information is made available in a timely fashion and decisions are made on time. When information is not available at the time required decision can be delayed, impacting the overall progress of the project.

The AEC industry is often criticised for constructing prototypes in scale 1:1 every time. The industry is disadvantaged in that almost every project undertaken is a one-off. Certainly there is transfer of knowledge from one project to the next, but within the project environment there is very little opportunity for product testing.

Good decision-making is based on the provision of information. In the traditional design and construction process the availability of information increases as the ability to make changes decreases – ie. as the project nears completion. Consequently owners are forced to make premature decisions and live with the consequences, or make last-minutes changes and bear the cost.

MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS EARLYOwners need improved ‘information logistics’ to obtain project information as early as possible from which to base sound decisions. Building Information Modelling affords such a mechanism through the ability to construct digitally on a PC before going to site. With virtual design and construction (VDC) one can test options and uncover problems and flaws that most likely would not have been discovered before the actual construction takes place on site. In this way, VDC enables a “digital construction site”.

multiBIM Senior Advisor and former co-CEO of buildingSMART International Lars Chr Christensen says “BIM is about organising the information in projects in a new and improved way. Yes, we can almost talk about establishing good information logistics in the project.” According to Christensen information logistics ensures that the right information is delivered in the correct format, on time and to the right people to enable good decision-making. “If we are successful with the information logistics we almost automatically get a more efficient project execution, where we put decisions behind us and move on.”

Digital building models can show you a visual digital prototype of your building at a very early stage. Combined with a database of information regarding the building itself and the components used to build it, one can, for example, calculate construction cost, operations cost, life-cycle-cost, energy usage and carbon-footprint. BIM can also contribute towards improved problem/task understanding (division of trade packages, deliverables, roles, responsibilities and processes) increased cross-disciplinary respect, increased product understanding and increased enthusiasm in the project team.

In traditional projects, without BIM, energy simulation is typically done six to nine months into the project. Even if these calculations can highlight that some technical choices and solutions are not optimal or adequately energy efficient, often the project development has come so far that there is only time left to do minor adjustments to the solutions.

With BIM one can perform such analysis at an early design stage and also have a running control through the project stages with energy usage. In this way of working we get early feedback on solution quality and can spend time on energy optimization of the building.

Theme: Information Logistics

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ARTICLE 1

Lars Chr Christensen Senior Advisor, multiBIM

“The important thing for the owner is to make sound decisions as early as possible utilising the decision support and improved information logistics that BIM can enable.”

BIM Journal wishes to thank Lars Chr Christensen for his contribution to this issue.

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BIM AS A DATA MANAGEMENT TOOLBIM has the potential to radically improve project quality by establishing good ‘information logistics’. BIM is about organising the information in projects in a new and improved way. Information logistics ensures that the right information is delivered in the correct format, on time and to the right people to enable good decision-making. If we are successful with the information logistics we almost certainly get a more efficient project execution, where we put decisions behind us and move on.

ACHIEVE BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGSIn a Norwegian government white paper on innovation (Stortingsmelding 7 – 2008/2009), the Norwegian Industry Ministry argued that the whole construction process can become a much more integrated process between all the different parties if they manage to share all their key information by utilising the openBIM buildingSMART standards.

OpenBIM enables a much smoother information flow in projects and makes possible more analysis - especially environmental and lifecycle cost analysis - earlier in the life cycle of a project. OpenBIM also contributes towards reducing miss-communication and conflicts in construction projects, and towards earlier discovery of design errors - thereby avoiding costly construction errors. The benefit is more time on design at an earlier stage of the project, and the result is cheaper, more sustainable and better buildings.

So far large institutional and government-owned organisations have been in the lead of utilising BIM and openBIM in their projects. The General Services Administration (GSA), that manages $500 billion in U.S. Federal property, and Statsbygg, the Norwegian analogues organisation, have been instrumental in challenging the industry and increasing the use of BIM and openBIM. The Norwegian Statsbygg has as a stated objective that from 2010 all their projects should utilise openBIM.

multiBIM Senior Advisor and former co-CEO of buildingSMART International Lars Chr Christensen has gained experience with BIM deployment in Norwegian and other international projects, and predicts that ”… in the coming 12 to 18 months we will see a radical increase in BIM and openBIM usage. If the Financial Crisis version 2.0 should develop, cost control and efficiency improvement will become even more important, and would motivate to increased BIM usage”

DID YOU KNOW...?INFORMATION MANAGEMENTBIM is an abbreviation for both Building Information Model (the model of a product) and Building Information Modelling (the process of creating the model). BIM uses digital building models in project development - in reality a 3D model connected to a database of information about the building and the components constituting it. Some people also have defined BIM as “Beyond Information Modelling” to focus on the fact that BIM is all about conscious and controlled information management.SECURE INFORMATION QUALITY‘Closed-Discipline-BIM’ is when BIM is used as a modelling tool to contribute to solving a defined design task within one discipline or one area. ‘Open-Team-BIM’ is used for open and standardised exchange of information across disciplines and between team members in a project in order to secure information quality and save time by re-using information.

BUILDINGSMARTbuildingSMART (both as an organisation and as a process) is concerned with how processes are organised and how closed-discipline-BIM and open-team-BIM is utilised in order to achieve better, cheaper and faster project execution. This supports delivering more sustainable projects that creates value both for the owner and the users.

TOOLS FOR IMPROVED INFORMATION LOGISTICSBIM combined with buildingSMART provides a platform for improved communication and improved decision support. The effect is better and more cost efficient buildings, less errors and more value for the money.

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increased BIM usage”

efficient buildings, less errors and more value for the money.

Sorbonne University, UAE

CASE STUDY

to accommodate them into the steel and GRC fabrication process. By doing this the team avoided further conflicts and potential delays on site and sped up the installation process.

DRAMATIC INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY“Productivity, efficiency and accuracy dramatically increased since BIM was introduced in a later stage of the project;” says Brinkman. The amount of rework in the design, fabrication and erection of steel frames and façade elements was massively decreased due to the as-built design validation of the main structural elements: columns, beams and so on; which had already been constructed.

“By implementing BIM, I would say to have saved almost 50% of the time… (H)ad we not used building information modelling, each steel frame would have been installed, its variance to concrete measured, and then it would have been sent back to the fabrication yard to be modified before returning on site to be finally re-installed.”

University Paris-Sorbonne and the government of Abu Dhabi signed an international agreement in 2006 to bring French-speaking higher education to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Joint Venture Main Contractor Al Habtoor Murray and Roberts (HMR) deployed BIM on site to remediate critical coordination issues. The second, and final, phase of the project was completed in August 2010 - ahead of schedule.

HMR have been working with BIM since 2008, and the Sorbonne project greatly benefited from this expertise. Says Ron Brinkman, Technical Manager at Murray and Roberts Contractors; “In the Sorbonne project we implemented BIM to coordinate with the subcontractors between the construction of the main structure and the process of steel and façade (GRC) fabrication and installation. In addition, we used BIM technology to validate the as-built status of the structure.”

MATCHING STEEL & CONCRETE ON SITEWhen the first structural elements were delivered on the site of the new university campus, it was noticed that the precast concrete elements did not line up with the steel components. BIM software was taken into use by Al Habtoor Murray and Roberts Joint Venture (HMR) to enable as-built validation of the structures.

AS-BUILT VALIDATIONUsing laser-scanning surveying devices to get the as-built coordinates, digital as-built information was superimposed on the structural model. This was then validated against the theoretical exact locations of the components as per the design.

Coordination between the main contractor, and the steel and façade subcontractors was a challenge that was overcome with the help of BIM. Changes to the as-built models from the design were communicated to the subcontractors

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SORBONNE FIELD COORDINATION PROCESS AT A GLANCE

Cast-in-place concrete work performed (out-of-tolerance)

Laser scan recorded as-built conditions

Steel frames updated per on-site conditions

Cladding updated per on-site conditions

Curtain-wall updated per on-site conditions

Field data imported into BIM platform

Steel frames system delivered and installed

Cladding system delivered and installed)

Curtain-wall delivered and installed

Coordinatedfit-up in the field

BIM IS A MANY SPLENDID THINGHMR is considered a pioneer in the Middle East in applying the BIM approach to tenders, pre-construction, construction, and as-built validation. The joint venture currently uses dedicated, knowledgeable, and well-trained BIM teams to function as the design-construction ‘hub’ in a project. Since adopting building information modelling, it has been used in a number of important projects, such as the St. Regis Resort and the Trump tower, as well as in multiple tenders. BIM is being applied to a magnitude of work phases at HMR, including quantity surveying and 5D estimating, 4D schedule simulation, model design coordination, reinforced concrete drawing production, equipment and construction planning, linking to surveying equipment, logistics and supply chain management, progress monitoring and reporting, as well as to as-built validation of structural elements.

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BIM & Evacuation Performance

ARTICLE 1

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BUILDING PERFORMANCE FOR EVACUATIONCurrent BIM implementations in the AEC industry seek methods to extend the utility of BIM models to support design decisions through quantified measures of performance. One of the many aspects of buildings performances is evacuation. Evacuation is becoming a major metric for design-safety evaluation and obtaining building approval by authorities. In this series of articles, building evacuation assessment methods are reviewed, and a process for integrating them with BIM design processes is proposed.

PERFORMANCEThe increasing complexity of architectural design renders Performance-based codes essential over classical Prescription-based. Performance-based building codes support higher quality design because they deal with the behavior of design under the specified testing conditions as opposed to the description of its geometric attributes, or material compositions, as in Prescription-based code.

A performance-based view of design relies on the analysis and evaluation of design features in relation to a set of requirements, rather than a set of regulations. Analysis is the process of examining the properties of a design proposal to develop an understanding of it; and evaluation is the process of verifying the analysis results against a spectrum of requirements. In this context, performance can be defined as the level of fulfillment a design proposal provides for a defined set of requirements; and Performance Indicators (PI’s) are rating mechanisms, which express the performance level of a certain design3 .

Performance-based analysis and evaluation of buildings is not new. Evaluation of performance in buildings helps develop more adequate, higher quality design solutions, and validate prescription based- building code.

EVACUATION Evacuation is the process of escaping an enclosed space at times of emergency due to various (separate or combined) causes such as terrorist attacks, earthquakes, floods, explosions, chemical hazards, fire breakouts, among others . In the AEC industry, analysis and evaluation of evacuation deal with the validation of design proposals against building code requirements to ensure sufficient occupant evacuation times and safety characteristics of design proposals. BUILDING DESIGN & EVACUATION PERFORMANCEA building’s evacuation performance is influenced by four categories of parameters: building’s physical characteristics; occupant behavioral characteristics; occupant physiological characteristics; and the surrounding environment fire characteristics5 .

Performance-based designs are those that closely match and fulfill the requirements defined by the stakeholders . In a performance-based design approach, buildings are described as combinations of two systems: ‘Aspect systems’ and ‘Sub systems’. Sub-systems are the physical elements in the design, aspect systems are the behaviors, functions or tasks that are expected from or associated with Sub-systems. For example, signage in a building is a Sub-system, where “way finding” is an aspect system.

Figure 1: Image of Simulex simulation4

R.M. Tavares and E.R. Galea

“Evacuation models have been playing an important function in the transition process from prescriptive fire safety codes to performance-based ones over the last three decades.”

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HOW TO MEASURE EVACUATION PERFORMANCEThis article introduces the three methods of measuring evacuation performance - hand calculations, simulation models, and rule-based checking -and briefly explains the current methods to measure evacuation performance using BIM models.

Hand calculations typically follow preset equations defined by a regulatory authority. In the United States, for examples, such equations are provided by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) . Hand calculations are limiting, longer to execute and error prone when analyzing complex designs with significant congestion situations.

Simulation Models on the other hand, can handle more scenarios varying in complexity due to their structure, which also makes them easier to implement .

Rules can answer different types of questions which simulation models may not be able to solve directly. Such answers include: True or False, or measures of minimum distances between certain locations, etc. Rules can be used to address both Performance-based building codes, and classical Prescriptive based building codes. Thus, they can be situated between hand calculations, and Simulation models.

More weight is given to simulation-models and rule-based checking in this article.

It is argued that simulation models are best suited for measuring evacuation performance because they can handle multiple design situations varying in scale and complexity.

SIMULATION MODELSSimulations are imitations of real world operations and processes or systems over a period of time. A “simulation-ist” tries to capture and study the behaviors of elements within a defined set of variables using mathematical and symbolic models .[2]

A model is a representation of an event and/or things that are real (a case study) or contrived (a use-case). It can also be a representation of an actual system elements and relationships. Models express certain aspects of reality at multiple levels of abstraction .

A model is divided into three components:

1) Context whose effects are neglected; 2) Context whose effects are considered; 3) Things to be studied by the model .

Evacuation Models are composed of four sub-models: 1) Purpose Model including: optimization, simulation and risk management; 2) Enclosure representation model including: fine network using nodes of various sizes and the neighborhood ties connecting them; coarse network using the actual structure. A node in a coarse network representation can be a whole room; 3) Population model to represent the effect of emergency on occupants. This can also be represented in two shades: fine and coarse allowing for embedding of personal or generic global attributes respectively; and 4) Behavior model to represent how occupants might respond to or interact with each other, the building structure, and the environment during an emergency .

The availability of more than 40 evacuation models proves the complexity of analyzing and predicting emergencies and human behavioral patterns, and further stresses the importance of integrating evacuation simulation tools with the design processes in the AEC industry .

Many evacuation simulation tools, only work with 2D plans—which can be drawn or imported in DXF or DWG file formats. Once 2D plans are available in a simulation tool, the user is required to insert elements representing doors, staircases, and exits. Some tools provide the ability to define occupant numbers along with their type, age, and psychological characteristics. Unfortunately, currently available evacuation simulation tools do not make full use of the object-oriented representation of building elements provided by BIM.

In the context of evacuation analysis, performance is the measure of how well sub-systems fulfill the requirements defined by aspect systems. Sub-systems in an Evacuation System are comprised of the physical components found in a building or the site, such as: stairs, alarms, sprinklers, exit lights, evacuation rooms, fire walls, smoke detectors, corridors, materials, etc. It also includes the occupants themselves [1].

Performance measures of evacuation systems describe the expected nature of the evacuation process. These measures are broken into six different categories including:

1) number of un-trapped individuals; 2) number of safe-evacuees; 3) evacuation time; 4) number of occupants evacuated within a certain time period; 5) the remaining distance for an occupant to evacuate from a certain location to evacuation exit; 6) and average redundancy number of safe paths .

In summary, the performance of an evacuation system is a measure of how well sub-systems fulfill the requirements defined by aspect systems, in respect to the given conditions (building characteristics, emergency specifics) and in response to the expected nature of evacuation. There exist various tools for analyzing and evaluating the performance of evacuation systems. These can be grouped into three method categories - hand calculations, simulation models, and rule-based checking - introduced in the following article.

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BIM & EVACUATION TOOLS INTEGRATION PROCESSThe integration of evacuation analysis in a BIM-based design process is highly dependent on the representations that are shareable between the different tools. These representations include 2D plans (in DXF) for evacuation simulation tools, BIM Models (in IFC) for rule-checking, and evacuation and simulation attributes for controlling simulation experiments and informing rule-checking activities.

While IFC files can carry the evacuation related attributes implicitly, we suggest that these attributes get also exported to spreadsheets so that they can be manipulated and used as input data for setting up simulation experiments and running rules.The process starts by extracting the above mentioned representations from a BIM model.

2D plans can be generated as 2D views and exported in DXF file format. IFC files can be exported from the authoring BIM tool with implicitly embedded evacuation-related attributes, which can be also explicitly exported to spreadsheets.

It is important to understand how the evacuation simulation tool, which is used in the process, work in order to preemptively embed the needed information in the BIM model.

Also, since the process deal with rule-checking, we suggest that rules and BIM spatial attributes be developed in parallel to ensure compatibility of BIM data with the rule-checking tool. This can be done by devising standards for space naming conventions, model arrangement, embedded data, etc. The attributes are not limited to occupant information, space type and operational hours, or materials properties. They can also extend to include parameters pertaining to the simulation

RULE CHECKINGWhile simulation models offer extensive features to mimic human behavior during evacuation times, they do not necessarily fully address Building code requirements. Especially, when designers must provide answers such as: “True” or “False”, or “Yes” or “No”, etc. To provide such answers, Building Rule-checking is needed. The complexity of architectural design and requirements of building code generated a huge momentum for the creative automation solutions of rule-checking. Rule-checking deals with the assessment of design proposals based on the configuration its elements, their relations or attributes. Research and development of rule-checking tools for buildings started two decades ago. However, effective tools have just started to surface.

Eastman and his research team at Georgia Tech suggests a 4-step process for implementing automated rule checking [3]. These include:

1) rule interpretation and logical structuring of rules for their application;2) building model preparation, where the necessary information required for checking is prepared; 3) the rule execution phase, which carries out the checking, and; 4) the reporting of the checking results. Rule-checking tools use IFC (Industry Foundation Class) as a standard non-proprietary file format to import CAD models.

Rule–checking tools offer true-integration with BIM models. They operate on building elements (objects) and provide built-in rules. Other tools offer functionality to program custom building rules. Not only can Rule-checking tools check for evacuation issues, but also virtually any form of inquiry such as correct naming conventions for building elements, locations, sizes, etc.

Figure 2 : Image of Solibri rule-checking software

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DESIGN SYNTHESISPROCESS

GENERAL DATA FROMBIM MODEL

FLOOR PLANS

PREPARE AND CLEANDWG PLANS

CLEANED FLOORPLANS

SIMULATIONSETUP

FEED DATA TOEVACUATION

SIMULATION TOOL

RULE CHECKSETUP

FEED IFC FILE &RULES TO RULE-CHECKING TOOL

RULE-CHECKING RULES

RUN RULE-CHECKS

EXPORT NUMERICALOR BOOLEAN

ANALYSIS RESULTS

NORMALIZEDCALCULATIONS TO

GENERATE PI’s

NOT ACCEPTED

ACCEPTED

EVALUATEPERFORMANCE

INDICATORS

PHASE COMPLETED

IFC FILE

BIM ATTRIBUTESIN SPREAD SHEET

RUNA NUMBER OF

SIMULATIONS USINGPARAMETERS RANGES

EXPORT NUMERICALANALYSIS RESULTS

Evacuation is an important metric for measuring design safety. It is best appreciated when an unexpected disaster takes place. Evacuation is typically measured through analysis then evaluation via hand calculations, simulation models, or rule checking. Not all of the current building evacuation analysis tools offer direct integration within BIM authoring tools. However, it is possible to use the sharable representations among BIM authoring tools and evacuation simulation and rule checking tools. A process diagram was proposed to facilitate such integration of evacuation performance analysis and evaluation with BIM-based synthesis process.

SUMMARY

experiment set up. These parameters can serve as value ranges for running an array of experiments in order to generate a large sample of results.The extracted 2D DXF plans, which are generated from the BIM model, are then imported into the evacuation simulation tool of choice, or re-drawn using the simulation tool drawing creation functionality of available. Data about the building evacuation and simulation parameters can be fed to the simulation tool manually or through automation routines by using a scripting language (if available) or by programming custom applications. Then simulations are triggered a number of times using reasonable simulation parameter ranges in order to create a large sample of results. The results then evaluated through normalized calculations. Similarly, the IFC model gets imported into the

Rule-Checking tool, where it gets inspected as per the rules interpreted from the building code requirements. Results from the rule-check tools are then exported, and evaluated through normalized calculations if necessary.

Finally, the simulation and rule checking results are normalized and evaluated to help develop performance indicators, PI’s.

PI’s help give a global aggregated view of the evacuation performance of the design. The PI’s values can then be issued for decision makers to identify the need for further design adjustments, or the completion of the design phase. The process diagram is included in figure 3.

Figure 3 : Process diagram for integrating evacuation performance analysis and evaluation with BIM-based design process.

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The BIM ManagerA NEW ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRYThe BIM Manager now, more than ever, plays a fundamental role in driving the entire project delivery and ensuring completion on time and in budget. His core responsibilities comprise coordinating the modeling works, reporting the BIM status and maintaining the model integrity. The transition some years ago from CAD Manager to BIM Manager was essential to the advancement of BIM processes within the construction industry. Today, however, a more all encompassing BIM Manager is called for.

MANAGING PROCESS, PEOPLE TE,CHNOLOGY AND POLICYAs the virtual representation of the real facility, the digital 3D model has a wide range of requirements which cannot be fulfilled by a standard construction team. Processes are constantly changing, new ones must be introduced, alternative technologies are required and contracts need to be adapted.It is logical evolution that the responsibility of the BIM Manager has grown alongside the ongoing development and acceptance of BIM in the construction industry. Currently the BIM Manager is steadily growing in to a multipurpose figure, taking care of several different management fields.How have his responsibilities changed? And which challenges is he facing with each new BIM implementation on a project, regardless of the size and type?

While BIM is becoming an industry standard, BIM know-how and proven references for companies are now being seen as a pre-requisite for tenders. As projects grow in scale and complexity, industry professionals and group bodies are accepting that digital models and BIM processes are becoming the most effective way of reducing costs and risk while increasing quality. This forces the construction sector to develop its own knowledge to be competitive.

Adopting BIM means a new way of working. Along with this, the challenges of managing people, processes, policy and technology arise. Making the task more complex, those individuals and companies adopting BIM methods must still be able to coordinate and work with those who are not readily utilising it. They must be versatile, adaptive and quick on their feet.Not only does the model itself need its own Manager to ensure its integrity and proper use, such a significant change in the industry standards calls for a changed/evolved role which can act as a focal point for all BIM related activities on a project — The BIM Manager.

Though the current role of BIM Manager already exists in the construction dialogue, it is loosely

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FacilityManager

Con-structor

CostEstimator

otherSpecialist

Designer

CM/PM

Developer

BIM Manager

Owner

BIM

PROJECT LIFECYCLE

coordination

applied to those with CAD management experience, who are working with BIM related tools and software. Today’s BIM Manager is often taking care of the model only – but there is much more to BIM than the model itself.

If as an industry we are to take advantage of all the benefits that can be garnered from utilizing 3D models, we need to ask the following questions:

• Who is defining the right BIM processes?• Who is taking care of the BIM related personnel?• Who is responsible for choosing the right IT environment?• Who is checking the contract conditions to fit in the BIM approach?• Who is leading the training and education required for personnel?

The evolution of virtual design and construction throughout the past decade is such that the existing model centric BIM Manager’s role description is now obsolete. To bring on all the desired changes, we must redefine the position.

Figure 1: The BIM Manager as a key role in the project lifecycle

BIM Journal wishes to acknowledge and thank HOCHTIEF ViCon for the provision of this issue.

Robert Grys,BIM Implementation Manager at HOCHTIEF ViCon

Mimi Westhorpe,Virtual Design and Construction Engineer at HOCHTIEF ViCon

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PROCESS

The first mandatory component of BIM-supported construction is defining the right processes. As the basis for all model based activities, the right processes can be the difference between the success and failure of a BIM Implementation. BIM processes should be defined and monitored by the BIM Manager considering the project life-cycle, for example:

• Design creation and coordination• Quantity take-off• Cost estimation• Scheduling and progress monitoring• Change management• Operation and maintenance• Asset management

PEOPLE

The team is the success. No achievement would be possible without the right people on board. Knowing that BIM is still a new frontier in the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) industry, the challenge of finding and nurturing the right team of people is ongoing. The BIM Manager’s role is also responsible for:

• Imparting knowledge and experience• Defining the required team roles and responsibilities• Facilitating efficient and effective collaboration and communication• Instilling trust and commitment within the team• Fostering a supportive team culture

TECHNOLOGY

The conventional IT environment in construction projects today often requires enhancements to support the proper usage and utilisation of 3D models. An appropriate and cost effective set up of hardware and software has to be defined by the BIM Manager. Additionally, the data exchange and storage processes have to be defined and managed. The BIM Manager must be in charge of the following:

• Certifying appropriate hardware and software• Defining data formats and structure• Controlling and regulating data versioning• Defining user specific workspaces• Ensuring clear internet connections, with minimum connection downtime, and sufficient speed

POLICY

Complete and successful BIM Implementation requires having BIM in contracts. The BIM Manager should take care to create clear and thorough technical specifications to be the basis for the model development and exchange. Project conditions must at a minimum clarify the following:

• The project guidelines and contracts in relation to BIM• Building standards• The ownership of deliverables and associated intellectual properties• Risks and insurance implications that could be encountered

For a successful BIM Implementation, the BIM Manager must be capable of integrating and managing all those components.

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Cost estimationQuantity take-offChange managementOperation & maintenanceDesign creation and coordinationScheduling and Progress Monitoring

Collaboration and communicationKnowledge and experienceRoles and responsibilitiesTrust and commitmentCulture

Data security and user managementCertified hardware and software

Data formats and structureData versioning

Internet

Building standardsRisks and insurance

Ownership of deliverablesProject guidelines and contracts

BIM

BIM Manager

Process P

olicy

Peop

le Technology

ProjectDeveloper

PM/CM

Designer Consultant Contractor

BIM Manager

This explains that the modern role of the BIM Manager not only means taking care of the digital 3D model, but ensuring that all BIM related tasks are overseen in parallel; the new role is, in fact, many roles. An important aspect of this is the understanding that the BIM Manager supports the project life-cycle approach and is not only focussing on a particular project phase like the design. Now the role also includes supporting HR, IT and legal departments in their work. He is the “BIM Manager, 2.0”.

In light of the new requirements of the role of BIM Manager, his positioning within the project organisation is critical. The organizational chart in Figure 3 shows the BIM Manager in a central role, directly between the client and the Project Management. The positioning enables him to ensure a life cycle BIM approach, get all stakeholders involved, encourage a top down strategy, and measure the project performance independently of the client or developer.

Figure 2 shows four components that surround a successful BIM implementation: process, people, technology and policy. Encircling them is the Management (in this case, the BIM Manager), who leads them to work in unison. It is in these four key components, that we can identify the role’s evolved requirements.

With this role progression, how does yesterday’s BIM Manager, become today’s new and improved BIM Manager 2.0? Training and education become the key considerations. Along with prerequisite skills such as on-site experience, CAD Software skills and the usual gamut of competencies, it is important to find someone who is proactive and willing to learn. Training on the job, and continued professional development (CPD) courses are vital. Certification by BIM competent education centres and probationary periods for junior BIM Managers will enable thorough understanding of the complexity of the role.

As the AEC industry strives to develop and refine its standard roles and processes to continue to be competitive, so too does the BIM Manager need to grow. With the myriad challenges facing BIM implementation in construction today, the difference between success and failure will surely be a versatile BIM Manager.

Figure 2: The Five Components of HOCHTIEF ViCon’s BIM methodology

Figure 3: Organisational Chart with BIM Manager

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PROCESS PEOPLE

For a complex 38 storey hotel building located in the Cairo city centre, the client requested the use of sophisticated BIM methodology. The scope of desired applications for this project comprised design coordination, quantity estimation, construction progress monitoring, 4D simulation, and overall project visualisation. In order to realise a successful implementation of this comprehensive BIM scope and to accompany and manage all transitions from standard working practices to BIM centric methods with a minimum of friction, a dedicated BIM Manager was engaged for an integrated approach to all BIM related processes, people, technology, and policy amendments.

A centralised method of information exchange demands commitment from day one, which needs to be followed at all times. Stakeholders need to know exactly what data in which format they should submit to whom, and when to update. The same way they deserve to know what kind of information at what times to expect from their counterparts. Hence, while producing and processing project information, BIM always needs to be on people’s minds.The coordination of all these requirements was led by the BIM Manager from the beginning. Initial BIM introduction meetings served as platforms to address clearly and frankly individual expectations and obligations to stakeholders in order to manage the transition process on the project. Concerns and opinions from affected individuals were welcomed in these discussions. As a result, all stakeholders became aware of their benefits from a new collaborative approach realized with BIM and were willing to commit themselves to a transparent and cooperative working approach. The discussions were documented by the BIM Manager in a set of project specific Process Manuals, clearly reflecting individual roles and responsibilities in light of the commonly agreed procedures.

The scope of BIM for this project demanded the development of a stakeholder training concept, ranging from general BIM technology introductions to detailed and individually tailored user training on implemented BIM systems and processes for all involved employees.Expectations from BIM can vary very much among project participants. Especially in large groups there are invariably some skeptics not willing to trust the data derived from a digital model which is in many cases created and maintained by others. Some reservations may stem from bad experience from other projects that did not have an integrated approach to BIM.The project offered training for all stakeholders following a systematic scheme. Approximately 40 individuals completed 100 training modules in 10 weeks of lessons held across 6 months. All training was led by the BIM Manager and carried out in a dedicated meeting room using interactive boards. Student participation was the key to a better understanding of the processes and systems associated with BIM, along with gaining confidence and trust in the BIM Manager and their role.

CASE STUDY

BIM Implemenation in a Cairo city centre project

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Implementing BIM to such an extent meant coordinating a wide range of new technology and systems as well as adapting several processes to establish a transparent and centralized working environment. People in the construction business, however, are largely not used to working in BIM environments and hence a smooth transition from decentralised to centralised communication and information exchange needs to be accompanied and managed. Typically during early project phases, individual workloads on large scale construction projects tend to be at their maximum. With BIM usually implemented at the project commencement rather than later, spare time to aquaint with new software, technology or processes is usually rare. In consequence learning curves need to be quick, and ideally any derived BIM information should be easy to understand and ready to be processed “out of the box”.For this project, it was decided to implement BIM step by step according to requirements arising during the project’s developing phases. The setup of collaboration and design coordination tools marked the initial setup of BIM onsite. An onsite meeting room was nominated, and equipped with interactive whiteboards for effective meeting support. Computer hardware suitable for using model and data viewer software, as well as screensharing and other global communication facilities were selected and installed by the BIM Manager. Tools and software user interfaces were kept simple, and contained information that was current and reliable. Additionally, the BIM Manager upgraded the IT network and associated equipment in order to ensure continuous availability of information.

POLICY

Working with centralised information, which is comprehensive and ideally available at any time contains risks e.g. data origin and access. • Who owns the Building Information Model?• Who is responsible for data correctness?• Who is allowed to access what kind of information in a complex project?• Who is ensuring data safety and integrity at all times?

Maintaining a dedicated BIM Manager on site allowed BIM to have a central focal point where questions like these, among others, could be directed. In this project all roles, obligations and responsibilities were clarified from the beginning with the support of the BIM Manager, and compiled in a set of central documents. These documents comprised an initial implementation plan for BIM, contractual specifications for sub contractors and detailed BIM modeling guidelines, clarifying all relevant processes, data exchange formats, data update cycles, responsibilities, etc.

The participants of the Cairo project had very different levels of competence in BIM related processes, tools and technologies. This resulted in a high demand for the BIM Manager.

His continued presense on site and tailored education modules proved indispensible to the voluntary acceptance of BIM methods, and finally to a very successful implementation of Building Information Modeling.

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DEFINING EXPECTATIONS OF BIMBIM is not new. Professor Charles Eastman, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, pushed for representing buildings as “Product Information Models” through “Building Description Systems” in his papers and books since the late 1970s. Dr. Robert Aish coined the term “Building Modeling” back in 1980. The term was transformed quickly into “Building Information Modeling” as we know it today. BIM tools started to surface in the late 1980s and are continuously growing in all directions, offering varying levels of sophistication and functionality.

Even though the concept has existed under one name or another for over 30 years, the technologies of building information modeling are still developing. Personal computers have become more powerful, project conditions more complex, and user requirements more demanding. Most significantly, the area of potential application is so vast, software developers are forced to tread the thin line between specialization and generalization. The result has been the development of a plethora of BIM tools with varying functions and varying levels of maturity. Thus selecting a BIM tool, or a suite of BIM tools, is not an easy decision. This choice impacts production pipelines and the type of projects a BIM service provider can handle.

In this issue of the BIM Journal we discuss BIM tools in three short articles: 1-Defining Expectations of BIM 2-Metrics for Analyzing BIM Tools3-BIM Tool Selection

“BIM” is often defined as “Building Information Models” or “Building Information Modeling”, and sometimes “Building Information Management”. BIM is perhaps best understood as various permutations of the acronym: “B. I. M.” That is, “Building Models”, “Building Management”, “Information Models”, “Information Management,“Buildings’ Information”, “Information Building”, “Modeling Buildings”, “Managing Buildings”, “Modeling Information”, and finally “Managing Information”.

The broad range of applications and even broader range of interpretations is indicative of the complexity of choosing a BIM tool. Let alone the challenge of integrating different aspects of BIM while collaborating with other AEC companies on design, engineering, or construction projects. A divide-and-conquer approach is a very good strategy to tackle the selection problem. The main drivers to this strategy are scopes and expectations.

Scope definition is often driven by project requirements, contractual deliverables, or by the services that a BIM provider aims to provide. This can vary from BIM-model, authoring, to BIM-data management, documentation, analysis and simulation, construction coordination, project delivery process design, optimization, facility management, sequencing, resource planning, and even building demolition.

ARTICLE 1

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BIM Tool SelectionA major result of scope definition is the ability to identify the data types needed to interface between the different subcontractor packages. Data exchange methods, processes, and standards will be identified; leading to the development of a clear understanding of BIM, and what is expected from BIM. Expectations are highly dependent on the BIM service provider’s experience as well as the client’s experience.

An important and more comprehensive strategy for indentifying scopes (other than the divide and conquer approach) is developing an execution plan. This will be discussed further in a future BIM Journal Issue (Issue 35).

METRICS FOR ANALYZING BIM TOOLSAfter defining scopes and expectations, the BIM user can identify metrics for analysing how well a BIM tool may satisfy the scope expectations. Analysis metrics can be developed from different points of view. For example: general purpose, project-specific, scope-specific, or even software-vendor specific. Suggested below are some general purpose analysis metrics:

1) Pre-defined Objects: The availability of standard AEC objects at varying levels of detail and behavior is highly useful for production work.

2) Custom Objects: The ability to construct user-defined objects and assemblies with high levels of intelligence through embedding parameters, rules, relationships and constraints.

3) Intelligent update: Intelligence in updating parametric relationships in models. Some BIM tools save all drawings in the same file as the 3D-information Model. Thus changing any object will trigger changes in all drawings sheets. This can hinder the development of BIM models, especially for complex projects. It is important to understand how the different BIM tools update all of the model components to ensure that the fashion in which they work is suitable for the required application.

4) Performance: Technology will never be able to catch up with the demands and expectations of its users, especially when it comes to performance. Thus, it is important to have realistic expectations of BIM tools to be able to judge their ability to deliver the required level of performance. Tool performance can be discussed in many terms such as: memory handling, model update times, integrity of BIM data throughout the model life cycle, among others.

5) File management: One of the main goals behind embracing BIM is extracting data from a central source. Each tool has its unique structure for supporting file control and management. This is important to consider in relation to multi-user functionality – especially multi location scenarios – and how to regulate access rights.

ARTICLE 2

BIM Journal wishes to acknowledge and thank Maher El Khaldi for the provision of this article.

Maher El Khaldi, M.S.Arch (Digital Design & Fabrication),S.M.Arch.S. (Design and Computations), B.Arch Project Consultant at Gehry Technologies.

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6) Knowledge Management: Depending on the scope, users might need to embed, and often protect, certain parameters, information, formulas, and attributes in their BIM files. Thus, it might be essential that the selected BIM tool supports methods controlling access rights or ‘knowledge management’.

7) Interoperability: BIM modeling tools ought to support neutral file formats, such as IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) to facilitate data exchange with other BIM modeling and BIM data management tools. A sub-criterion would be the quality of exported data, how parametric is it, how well is it attributed, and how well it imports other file formats.

8) Extendibility: For advanced tasks, users might need to delve into the Application Programming Interface (API), or the scripting language to build automation routines. Most of the currently available BIM tools offer such functionality, but at different levels. They also support different programming languages.

9) Availability of Technical Support and Community: Since the AEC industry is still in the transition process to BIM, it becomes very important to select BIM tools that come with a family of users and an abundance of local technical support and resources.

10) Cost: BIM tools are considerably more expensive when compared to regular CAD tools. Thorough feasibility studies of which BIM tool is more advantageous are highly useful.

11) Develop-ability: Availability of third-party extensions and continuous development. It is important that BIM tools offer extensions to support additional functionalities that can facilitate data exchange with other team members. In addition, it is important the BIM tools receive continuous updates and corrections in order to keep up with the changing nature and growing demands of the AEC industry.

12) Portability: The availability of a free CAD viewer for the tool’s native file format is highly desirable. This can enable sharing project information with different parties who do not have access to a full software license.

13) Learning curve: BIM tools offer different ways to structure and construct objects, produce drawings, embed information, etc. All this comes with a learning curve, which must be considered when evaluating BIM tools.

14) Support for Manufacturing: Depending on the AEC sector, some BIM models are required to support manufacturing such as metal sheet bending, nesting, score lines, etc.

15) Support for Collaboration: In addition to supporting the IFC open standards, it is valuable that BIM tools support the BIM collaboration format (BCF). The BCF file format allows for exchanging captions and views between BIM tools; facilitating documentation of design changes, construction issues, requests for information, variation orders, etc.

16) Up-to-Date Data Exchange Support: The development of the IFC file format is constant. Thus, it is important to support the latest IFC updates in order to harness the value of the open standards devised by BuildingSMART. For example, the upcoming release of IFC 2X4 is posed to support GIS data. Thus, it will open new doors for standardized file exchange with GIS software.

17) Remaining Up-To-Date: AEC needs change as architects, engineers, and contractors continue to interact with each other through BIM. Thus, it is important that the selected BIM tool supports new processes. For example, support for construction modeling, light design, MEP engineering design & coordination, among others.

18) Data integrity: BIM models are required to be robust to survive not only the design and construction stages, but also facility management and building maintenance. Thus, it is important that the selected BIM suite of tools maintains the integrity of BIM objects. Different aspects can be reviewed for this metric such as: backups and archiving methods, ownership and access rights control, robustness of BIM modeling operations and methods and its impact on the geometry and the embedded data, among others.

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ARTICLE 3

BIM TOOL SELECTIONAfter analyzing BIM tools by a number of scope-informed analysis metrics, it is important to translate the findings into understandable, logical, evaluations; by which selection can be made.

TOOL GRADINGSelection can be thought of as a small optimum-selection problem. This is suitable when evaluating combinations of BIM tools. In a highly simplistic approach (which is probably more suitable to our purposes), the BIM reviewer will associate analysis results in certain combinations to create evaluation parameters. Then, evaluation parameters will be assigned different levels of importance. This will help identify the evaluation parameters acting as constraints, those acting as free/variables, and those acting as targets (measures). After that, BIM reviewers ought to explore different combinations of parameter creation methods (associating analysis criteria for example), then different hierarchy schemes, then generate different parameter values using the defined formulas. Following this the BIM reviewer can examine different combinations of evaluation parameter values based on all BIM tools. This will help the reviewer understand how certain collection of tools may satisfy the scope requirements in comparison to others.

Another method for tool selection is developing a rating system for how well a BIM tool satisfies the analysis criteria, then defining a hierarchy of importance for each criteria by giving it weight. Finally, picking the tool (or combination of tools), which score the highest in the overall rating system.

TRIAL AND TESTINGAlternatively, another good selection method is seeking BIM tool training, prior to purchasing, from the software vendor or accredited service providers. This will help the BIM reviewer evaluate how suitable the tool is for their staff, office workflows, and client requirements. Suggested below are a number of topics to focus on when seeking BIM training.

1-Software Approach to BIM: Since software vendors offer different methods and processes to implement BIM, it becomes essential to understand how they approach BIM related concepts such as: Integrated Project Delivery, Collaboration, Product Lifecycle Management, Project Management, LEAN-Construction, and Open-BIM.

2-Collaboration and Data Exchange:In an open market, where AEC companies utilise different tools, it is highly effective to review how a specific tool integrates with other BIM tools as well as other non-BIM tools. Such situations often occur when performing engineering design and calculation tasks. Of course, data is not limited to geometry. It includes attributes, schedules, specifications, room data sheets, quantity take offs, sequencing, etc.

3-BIM authoring of standard AEC objects and customized parametric objects:Training must give equal weight to explaining procedures for creating standard AEC objects, as well as creating reusable and customized parametric BIM objects. This is especially important

not only to special equipment providers and material suppliers, but also to custom solution providers who focus on building custom libraries of reusable objects as a main income generator.

4-Maintain the integrity of the BIM model and data.For BIM data to remain reusable throughout the lifecycle of a project, users are required to learn how to maintain its integrity. This is highly dependent on user skills and software capabilities. Thus, it is important to understand the limitations and solutions one might face while modeling, updating, or editing a BIM model.

Training will give BIM reviewers deep insights into how the tool may satisfy the defined scopes, and thus will be evaluated for its fulfillment of the requirements.

ASK A FRIENDAnother method for selection can be simply made by seeking advice from trusted and experienced users who can be reached via CAD/BIM forums and professional networks, or reading software reviews, examining BIM case studies, and taking a leap of faith in making a decision.

None of the above methods are exclusive of one another; nor are they defined by hard science. They are only suggested as ideas to help identify BIM tools that exist out in the market.

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BIM Implementation & Execution PlansWHERE’S MY BIM IN A BOXPerhaps you are intrigued by the proposition of BIM and want to take it for a ‘test drive’, or you may already be convinced of the benefits and are eager to roll it out. So how do you get started? Where is the BIM in a box, and where are the instructions?

To the disappointment of many new-comers there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. The applications of BIM are too broad, the needs of the users are too diverse, and software development is in a fairly continuous state of development and transformation. Building Information Modelling is - at least in its current state - a bespoke solution.

This throws much of the onus back on the user to investigate the possible applications of BIM, the available technologies and appropriate workflow strategies. Benefits and limitations must be accurately appraised in respect to one’s business model. This is can be an arduous process, but it need not be tackled all in one go. Specific steps can be taken to make rapid inroads into the world of BIM.

The first question to ask is ‘what can BIM do?’, and secondly, ‘what can it do for me?’. Once familiar with the possibilities and the potential application in one’s own business, one can begin to set some goals and lay-out a roadmap.

The next question is ‘how do I implement this in my organisation?’ Specifically, ‘what are my current resources and capabilities and what do I need?’

Thirdly we can ask ‘what are the processes and infrastructure that can support me in achieving my goals?’ In posing this question we must recognise that processes will change as much as technology. It is not simply a question of software selection. An organisation adopting BIM must be prepared to experience a disruption (and of course an improvement) to existing processes.

GUIDE FOR BIM DEPLOYMENT This article introduces some basic strategies to support organisations in implementing building information modelling. It suggests developing a familiarity of standard BIM functions and processes from which to define one’s goals and implementation strategy. The article also provides practical guidance on developing a BIM Execution Plan, setting standards and protocols, and launching a pilot project.

BIM FUNCTIONS AND PROCESSESBIM has a broad range of application; right cross the design, construction and operation process. It is often impractical for any single BIM user to have expertise in all areas, nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the areas of application and thus be able to select which BIM functions are most applicable to one’s own business

The Pennsylvania State University Building Information Modeling Execution Planning Guide defines twenty-five distinct BIM functions. Branching into the specialist areas of BIM one could argue that there are many more. buildingSMART International currently has over one hundred BIM activities defined as individual Information Delivery Manuals (refer to following section for definition of IDM’s). Regardless of how they are defined, BIM Functions can be roughly grouped into five categories:

ARTICLE 2

DESIGN

Category Example BIM Functions

Existing conditions modelling, spatial programming, model authoring, design coordination

Structural analysis, energy analysis, lighting analysis, model auditing, code checking

Site utilisation, construction sequencing (4D) cost estimation (5D), digital fabrication, BIM-to-field

Asset & space management, maintenance scheduling, facility expansion

Collaborative platforms, change management, issue reporting & tracking, managing metadata, linkingdatabases, interoperability and file exchange

ANALYSIS

CONSTRUCTION

OPERATION

DATA MANAGEMENT

It is somewhat of a step into the unknown, however there do exist an extensive source of project references, international standards and best practices and numerous guides and references documents to support the transition.

The following two articles provide a snapshot of the process of BIM implementation, as well as offering a selection of references and practical tips.

Mark Baldwin,BIM Journal Editor

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Having a healthy understanding of these functions enables one to make an informed decision about which functions one may want to deploy. It also gives an appreciation of the activities undertaken by other parties, in which one may need to be indirectly involved (eg. in the exchange of model data).

The process of transitioning a building information model from one function to the next, and indeed the progression of the model through various levels of development, must be pre-conceived and well-structured.

For example, if one intents to perform accurate cost estimations, specific data needs to be imbedded into the model objects at an early stage of development. buildingSMART International has defined Information Delivery Manuals (IDM’s) to provide a framework for describing such model progressions. Each activity is described in a unique IDM in the form of Process Maps, Exchange Requirements and Functional Parts. There are currently over one hundred IDM’s being developed by buildinSMART members worldwide. (Further information regarding IDM’s can be found at buildingSMART International IDM website.)

DEFINE GOALS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGYOnce the desired BIM Functions and associated processes have been identified an organisation can define its goals and lay-out a roadmap for achieving these. Although the end-goal may be ambitious, it is important to establish achievable milestones. It may be advisable to initially pursue the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of BIM; functions such as 3D coordination and drawing extraction that yield the greatest return for the minimum effort. More complex functions and processes can be tackled as competency and confidence increases.

Transitioning to BIM is greatly benefitted by developing a healthy BIM culture within an by, for example, recognising BIM Champions and forming steering committees. Organisation may also choose to engage external BIM advisors or develop strategic partnerships with specialist consultants.

FOSTER A BIM CULTURE

Project processes can be mapped out in a BIM Execution plan. An execution plan establishes the project objectives, roles and responsibilities of the various parties, and required process maps and information exchanges. An excellent reference for developing a BIM Execution Plan is the Pennsylvania State University’s Building Information Modeling Execution Planning Guide.

The Execution Plan should be accompanied by a comprehensive set of standards and protocols that regulate everything from modelling practices to file-naming conventions. This takes some of the burden off individual stakeholders in defining their own standards, and most importantly ensures consistency across a project. A useful reference for BIM standards is the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Building Information Modeling Standards.

Software selection is a critical process in BIM implementation , and ought to be undertaken in consideration of specific user requirements. A useful guide for software evaluation and selection can be found in BIM Journal Issue 34: Metrics for Analyzing BIM Tools

DEVELOP A BIM EXECUTION PLAN

DEFINE STANDARDS AND PROTOCOLS

EVALUATE AVAILABLE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

It is advisable to start the transition to BIM with a pilot project that is neither excessively large nor complex. Alternatively one may choose to undertake a parallel exercise, where a BIM team operates in parallel to the standard project team (using traditional methods). This relieves the BIM team from the pressure of meeting construction deadlines, while still supporting the construction team with benefits of 3D visualisation, coordination, construction simulation, quantity take-off and other basic functions.

It is advisable to start the transition to BIM with a pilot project that is neither excessively large nor complex. Alternatively one may choose to undertake a parallel exercise, where a BIM team operates in parallel to the standard project team (using traditional methods). This relieves the BIM team from the pressure of meeting construction deadlines, while still supporting the construction team with benefits of 3D visualisation, coordination, construction simulation, quantity take-off and other basic functions.

LAUNCH A PILOT OR PARALLEL BIM PROJECT

REFERENCE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES

NBIMS - National BIM Standards v2 (USA) Senate Properties’ BIM requirements (Finland)Statsbbyg BIM Manual 1.2 (Norway)NATSPEC National BIM Guide (Australia)

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buildingSMARTLevel 2 Training BIM Process ManagementbuildingSMART Middle East has developed an openBIM training programme that addresses key concepts and issues surrounding BIM operation. The Level 2 training certificate, titled ‘BIM Process Management’, is a two-day course that overviews BIM functions and processes, and examines how an organisation can develop a customised strategy for BIM deployment.

DAY-ONEDay one of the course defines the various BIM functions that may be deployed within a project environment. It also provides a strategy for organisations to determine their current BIM capability and future aspirations. The course provides a framework in which participants can identify realistic goals specific to their area of operations, and introduces a BIM Planning Template through which participants can develop a roadmap to achieve these goals.

BIM FUNCTIONSBuilding information modelling is a vast and varied field, covering a broad scope of activities. These activities, or ‘BIM Functions’, can be roughly grouped into five categories outlined in the previous article:

•DESIGN•ANALYSIS•CONSTRUCTION•OPERATION•DATAMANAGEMENT

The Level 2 course provides an overview of the various BIM functions, as summarised in the five sections below. For technical training of specific BIM functions buildingSMART ME offers the Level 3 and Level 4 trainings which are comprised of individual modules of each BIM function.

DESIGNapplications relate to the pre-planning and planning phase of a project. This section includes initial data collection (laser surveying, existing conditions modelling and site analysis), spatial programming and design authoring. It encompasses includes design review and coordination.

CASE STUDY

ANALYSIS refers to secondary applications, often undertaken by a party who may not have authored the model themselves. Analysis activities include structural analysis, energy analysis, ‘green building’ certification, lighting analysis, mechanical system analysis, as well as other specialty disciplines. This category also includes model auditing, that is validating model integrity (how well is it built?) and verifying the model against design parameters and building code requirements.

CONSTRUCTIONfunctions refer to the deployment of BIM for construction management. This includes construction planning, (site utilisation, construction system design and 3D control and planning) as well as applications for construction sequencing (4D) and quantity take-off and estimation (5D). This section also examines shop drawing production and integration with Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). A significant part of this section addresses ‘BIM to Field’ activities such as establishing construction set-out points and recording as-built data and construction status.

OPERATION refer to BIM functions that support facility management. This includes record modelling (using laser scanning devices to capture as-built data), model maintenance and integrating the model with Facilities Management software for asset or spatial management, equipment tracking and maintenance scheduling. The sections also examines how a model can be reactivated for future facility expansion.

DATA MANAGEMENT examine best practices for BIM data structure and exchange, and how multi-model data may be regulated. This section includes an introduction to collaborative platforms and electronic project delivery systems, as well as key sessions on model collaboration, change management and issue reporting & tracking. This section also includes functions relating to interoperability and exchange formats (such as IFC), managing metadata and linking multiple databases (models and text files).

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BIM EXECUTION PLANThe afternoon of day-one introduces strategies on how organisations can plan for and implement building information modelling. Topics covered include assessing current BIM capabilities, establishing desired goals and developing a BIM Execution Plan. The BIM Execution plan is a project specific document that identifies required BIM functions, establishes project standards and protocols and develops specific workflows. These workflows include both process maps and information exchanges that regulate model progression between various functions and across multiple disciplines and/or organisations.

The last session of day-one examines strategies for selecting appropriate software and necessary IT infrastructure. This includes an appreciation of functional requirements (eg. authoring, analysis or viewing/coordination tools) interoperability issues (within organisation and within potential project teams) and collaborative platforms and data exchange

DAY-TWODay two of the Level 2 course examines central issues relating to BIM implementation both in an organisations internal structure, and in its external operations - legally and contractually. Topics covered in the morning session include developing a training programme, managing changes to internal processes (productivity, pit-falls and lessons learned) and changes to business process (resources and roles, extended capabilities, contractual considerations).

The afternoon session will provide practical information on how to safely and efficiently support the transition to BIM. This involves setting achievable goals with realistic and incentivised milestones, and providing appropriate support structure in terms of BIM champions within an organisation, developing steering committees, fostering strategic partnerships (consultants or advisory services) and initiating at an appropriate scale, with parallel or pilot projectsThe final session of the Level 2 course addresses reviewing and certification processes. This can be an internal process by establishing mechanism for project auditing and progress tracking, identifying lessons learned and future best practices, and developing internal process and procedure manuals. However it is can also be an external process by engaging a third-party auditor (‘peer review’) and by adhering to a recognised standards such as ISO/PAS 16739-2005 (IFC - Industry Foundations Classes), ISO 29481-1:2010 (IDM – Information Delivery Manuals), ISO 12006-3:2007 (IFD – International Framework Dictionary) and achieving buildingSMART project certification.





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We are ready to implement all our Building Information Modeling (BIM)

know-how in your project to help you realize cost savings, support

on-time project delivery, and ensure a high quality of building through

a reduction of defects in execution. Our concept has proven itself in

several hundred projects during the past seven years. Take a look at

all that ViCon can offer you.

Please get in touch with us:Tel: +974 4457-6878

[email protected]

HOCHTIEF ViCon

ONE STEP AHEAD.BUILD DIGITALLY FIRST.

QATAR W.L.L.

Documents

Bim Journal Vol.3 Final Low Res 1