Leveraging BIM to Reduce Risk

Kyle Holmes Vice President of Support Operations The Brandt Companies, LLC kholmes@brandt-companies.com

TOPICS

• Very Brief Corporate Overview

• Myths To Dispel

• Why do BIM?

• The Seven Dimensions

• Making the Model Do Work

• So What?

• BIM Productivity Pitfalls

• Practical “Holy Grail” for BIM

OVERVIEW

Brandt is the largest mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services provider in Texas. For 61 years we have been designing, building, upgrading and maintaining energy efficient building systems for our customers.

$310 Million (US) in 2012 2000+ Employees 41 Engineers on staff Offices in Austin, Dallas,

Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Waco

Brandt renovated an existing structure to create a new headquarters building that achieved LEED-Gold status. We focused on five LEED categories which are Brandt’s area of engineering and design expertise: Energy Efficiency, Mechanical Innovation, Water Efficiency, Sustainable Site, and Recycling/Reuse.

Myths to Dispel

Myth #1 – BIM is a “magic bullet”

A BIM

Miracle Occurs

Myth #2 – BIM solves all problems

• BIM is no substitute for planning

Poor

Planning

Non-BIM

Process

Poor

Results

Poor

Planning

BIM

Process

Poor

Results

The Reality

BIM Provides a Digital Mockup

So Builders Can Confirm What They Will Actually Build

Before They Build It

(Decisions Made Earlier)

Why do BIM? The Long Answer

SHORTEN SCHEDULE PROMOTE FABRICATION USE INTEGRATED FABS

BETTER HOUSEKEEPING J.I.T. DELIVERY

LEAN CONSTRUCTION PEAK SHAVING

BETTER DESIGN ASSIST DIGITAL SUBMITTALS

FACILITIES MGMT.

THE “OTHER” BIM (Beautiful Images for Marketing)

Why do BIM? The Short Answer

A PROPER BIM PROCESS

generates an

OPPORTUNITY

that can allow

PLANNED FABRICATIONS

to

REDUCE ONSITE RISK

7D of BIM According to Salesmen

• 3D Modeling work x,y,z

• 4D Scheduling work

• 5D Itemizing/Buying work

• 6D Documenting work

• 7D Facility management work

How Salesman RANK the dimensions

• 7D Facility management work

• 6D Documenting work

• 4D Scheduling work

• 3D Modeling work x,y,z

• 5D Itemizing/Buying work

A more productive RANKING

• 3D Modeling work x,y,z

• 5D Itemizing/Buying work

• 4D Scheduling work

• 6D Documenting work

• 7D Facility management work

Why?

3D - Modeling work x,y,z • Dimensional accuracy reduces risk

5D - Itemizing/Buying work • Purchasing accuracy promotes fab

• Fab reduces risk

Aren’t all press fit copper elbows equal?

Aren’t all press fit copper elbows equal?

The two “leftover” dimensions

• 4D - Scheduling work

‒ You must have the 5D data for 4D to work well

‒ Tools for scheduling exist today outside of BIM

• 6D/7D – Documenting/Facility Mgmt.

‒ Convenience (but who is the customer?)

Electrician

Fire

Sprinkler

So What?

Two keys for BIM productivity

• PULL BIM Schedule from GC Schedule

• Make the COORDINATED MODEL do as much work as possible

Schedule Secret

• The critical path for schedules used to be long lead equipment/material items

• The new critical path for schedules is actually the MEP coordination process ‒ This is particularly true as more projects begin

construction before MEP design is complete

Scheduling

• Synchronize

• Sleeves

• Coordination

• Fab shop

• Field work

• Pull sleeves from structure

• Pull rest from MEP rough in

Sleeves

Coord

Fabs

Field

We do this for every job, and we maintain it because…

… BIM is a shop with a production schedule…

… like every other kind of shop.

Making the Model DO WORK • If you have done 5D (Procurement)

properly, a coordinated model can tell you:

‒ Bill of materials PURCHASING

‒ Field hours LABOR PLANNING

‒ Shop Hours SHOP PLANNING

‒ Projected cost FINANCIALS

‒ Critical locations SLEEVES/INSERTS

‒ Metrics ESTIMATING

Our Mantra

“We MODEL what we SUBMIT,

BUY what we MODEL,

FAB what we BUY,

INSTALL what we FAB,

ESTIMATE what we INSTALL.”

What does that REALLY look like?

Where can you gain even more fab productivity to reduce risk for the owner?

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Integrated Fabs – Multi-trade

Productivity Pitfalls

• Your organization

• Construction schedule

• BIM Expectations

• Speed of decisions

• Protocol

ORGANIZATION “THEN”

MECH

OPS NTX

OPS

STX

OPS

PM Team

FIELD Team

Engineering

BIM

P/P Fab

Shop

PM Team

FIELD Team

Engineering

BIM

P/P Fab

Shop

S/M Fab

Shop

Supply

Demand

One way One way

ORGANIZATION NOW

MECH

OPS NTX

OPS

STX

OPS

PM Team

FIELD Team

PM Team

FIELD Team

Engineering

Director

BIM

Director

Fabrication

Director

NTX Team NTX Team NTX Team

STX Team STX Team STX Team

SUPPORT OPERATIONS Supply

Demand

STANDARD DELIVERY FOR ALL TEAMS

Productivity Pitfalls

• No respect for schedule

‒ Would we get chillers on time if their delivery dates could change drastically 75% into production?

Productivity Pitfalls

• No respect for BIM expectations

‒ Builders’ BIM > Designers’ BIM

‒ Mechanical > Electrical

‒ GC > Subcontractors

• The BIM spec/execution plan must be reviewed prior to bid or qualified by Subcontractor if not provided

Productivity Pitfalls

• No decision-making early enough

‒ Selections > Specifications

‒ The only thing worse than being too late is being too early

• Value Engineering can impact BIM

• Changes in specific products can completely de-rail your 5D BIM efforts if you are not careful

Aren’t all press fit copper elbows equal?

Decision Making & Equipment

• 110,000 ft2 hospital, CAD hours for:

Chillers/Boilers 24

AHU’s 22

Terminal units/FCU’s 64

GRD’s 30

FD’s/FSD’s/SD’s 15

• The quantity of the items, not their size (or cost), matters most

Protocol – The WRONG Way

BIM Dept.

Field PM GC

Arch M/P Eng Other

Trades

Protocol – The RIGHT Way

BIM Dept.

(40 people)

Field PM

GC

Arch M/P Eng. Other

Trades

BIM

Manager

(1-2 people)

The Most Expensive Pitfall

NO GC SCHEDULE

=

BIG PROBLEM

(Especially if design is CHANGING)

The Holy Grail – Accurate Metrics

“We MODEL what we SUBMIT,

BUY what we MODEL,

FAB what we BUY,

INSTALL what we FAB,

ESTIMATE what we INSTALL.”

BOWS

Brandt Orders

Workflow System

Manages Risk

BOWS “ties” it all together

BTime

Time Management

Fast Duct/Pipe

Estimating

Wennsoft Financials

Autodesk

BIM Workflows

Reporting Custom Metrics

Primavera

Scheduler

Exchange

Email / Security Share Point

Document File Server

Closing Points

• BIM is a tool, nothing more

• BIM must be scheduled

• BIM reduces risk by streamlining fabrication opportunities

• BIM is helping the evolution of construction into more integrated delivery

• Builders, not designers, are leading that evolution today