BIM Enables Integrated Project Delivery
School buildings are not simply passive containers that house children for the better part of the year, they are nurturing environments for teaching, learning and discovery. They are also incredibly complex assemblies of advanced building systems and carefully configured spaces.
While the true value of a new school building can’t simply be measured in terms of square feet of floor space, cubic yards of concrete, or linear feet of ducts, these are all pieces of information that must be quantified, priced, tracked and managed to ensure a successful transition from concept to reality.
Building information modeling, a computer-aided design tool that has been widely adopted by design firms, can have a tremendous impact on the bricks-and-mortar and infrastructure considerations that are required for every school project.
BIM, and it’s ability to visualize building elements in three dimensions, can eliminate conflicts between building systems — such as a structural beam that interferes with a fire sprinkler line — that can lead to costly redesigns and changes during construction.
But visualization and “clash detection” is only part of BIM’s potential. A BIM is a customizable database of building elements. That database can be queried for quantities, or linked to a growing array of software that can evaluate costs, analyze structural capacity, calculate energy efficiency and much more. The greater the amount of information added to the database, the greater the potential for its use.
BIM technology is also changing the way design and construction professionals collaborate to achieve project goals. Contractors, manufacturers and product vendors are integrated with the design team to provide valuable insight that can reduce the cost of construction without compromising project design goals.
The process, called integrated project delivery, promotes open, collaborative and early contributions of knowledge and expertise. The success of the team is directly tied to the success of the project.
The benefits of this collaboration can be seen at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn.
The City of Hartford chose S/L/A/M Collaborative, an architectural and engineering firm based in Glastonbury, Conn., to design an addition to the school because the firm’s integrated project delivery approach would allow the facility to be completed on an aggressive construction schedule.
S/L/A/M’s structural engineers consulted with prequalified steel fabricators, and hired a structural steel detailer to be part of the design team and assist in developing a BIM. That BIM was then transferred to the successful bidder, and ultimately linked to automated shop production equipment.
The BIM contained substantially more information than a traditional set of two-dimensional drawings.
The model, containing every beam, bolt and plate required to fabricate the project’s superstructure, was provided to bidders at a level of completion that normally wouldn’t be available until months after a contract was awarded.
The additional expertise provided by the steel detailer and fabricators prior to issuing bid documents enabled S/L/A/M to economize details, resulting in lower bids. Every fabricator submitted a bid that was below the established budget, and the low bidder was 25 percent below the budget.
It is estimated that the use of BIM shaved six to eight weeks off the project schedule. The savings allowed the owner to pay for other enhancements that had a direct impact on the student body.
Peter Griem is an engineer at S/L/A/M Collaborative.