BIM | Effective use on Masdar HQ | Brewer Smith Brewer Group

BIM | Effective use on Masdar HQ

Words by BSBG Media Team, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Improving communication between design and construction, maximising drawing productivity and evaluating projects in 3D before construction has been made possible through the successful implementation of BIM on the Masdar HQ project.

Everybody knows what BIM does and its use is widespread, however finding a good example at the end of a construction project can be challenging. Masdar provided a high aspiration within their brief for an integrated design solution that could be carried through to an As-Built model. This incentive drove the BSBG team, in their role as BIM coordinator, to develop a solution and deliver this requirement.

Maximising drawing productivity

The use of BIM on the Masdar project allowed sections and elevations to be coordinated more efficiently and the structural design model formed a key part of the architectural drawings. Any inconsistencies between the architectural and structural models were apparent on the drawing sheets, and were therefore brought to the attention of all involved. When working across multiple models, it is important to develop a process that ensures crucial information is not turned off or hidden to create a short term fix. Clashes between disciplines are better to be highlighted than hidden.

BSBG uses Revit to increase productivity and improve the coordination of information across all projects. The transition to new software can be challenging, but once embraced and understood it leads to a more efficient process, with an inspired team who understand in greater detail the variety of components required to complete any drawing package.

Communication between deisgn and construction

Working with a BIM-enabled contractor is essential. This allows native format files (Revit in this case) to be sent directly to the contractor for their review and comment. The working process was developed during the creation of the ‘BIM Eexecution Plan’ which was used as a working document during the project. The formation and development of this document was key in delivering the design phase of the project in a condensed fast track programme.

Clearly defined naming conventions and project information was provided in a format that was specific to the drawing software, ensuring its use as a reference document for the drafting teams across the project.

Evaluating projects in 3D

The curved building form and the complex geometries within the lobbies and bridge link spaces made visualising the solution an important part of the drafting process. BSBG and Multiplex used a 3D viewer (Navisworks) that provided clash detection to navigate the large quantities of 3D information in a time efficient manner). This also allowed non-technical users to walk through the building and understand the level of information that had been developed.

It is important to clearly define the Level of Detail (LOD), in order to manage the expectations of all parties – so for example when finishes, thresholds and skirting boards are not visible, it is understood that this does not form part of the 3D deliverables. On the Masdar project, each consultant primarily focused on what was needed to deliver their drawings,, making best use of the software. Information that wasonly required on one drawing sheet did not necessarily need to be modelled in 3D, as coordination across multiple drawings was not required. In many cases, such detail can be covered in 2D lines, or intelligent 2D tags (rather than text), helping to facilitate the management of information changes.

Level of detail

The focus of the detail was to deliver sufficient information to allow the project to be built and managed in the future. The delivery of sub-contractor models was a useful addition to the modelling process. The primary use of this was to deliver an accurate As-Built model to the client for their facility management purposes. The high level of detail in the final execution of the models provided the reader with a true interpretation of the built product that was to be delivered.

Eversendai’s model in Tekla had the additional benefit within the design coordination process that it was used to manufacture the steel. This was a brilliant addition to the process allowing visual review of the 3D information and automated clash detection before the steel was produced. This is familiar ground for many steel sub-contractors, however BIM software for other sub-contractors has not yet reached this level of sophistication. Reproduction of drawn information in another software is a time consuming and costly process. Whilst the end result is spectacular, it would have been of greater benefit to the project if it had been possible to easily produce the BIM models to create the shop drawings as part of the approval process.

Credits

Client
Masdar

Lead Consultant / Architect / BIM coordinator for Design
Brewer Smith Brewer Group

Main Contractor / BIM coordinator for Construction
Multiplex

MEP Design
Hoare Lea

MEP Sub-Contractor (As-Built BIM model)
James L Williams

Structural Design
BG&E

Structural Steel Sub-Contractor (As-Built BIM model)
Eversendai

Facade Sub-Contractor (As-Built BIM model)
Folcra Beach

BSBG Media Team

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