The Building Information Modelling System

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

In this essay, I will propose a Building Information Modelling (BIM) system for the design and the delivery of the Leadenhall building in London. After reviewing similar cases of BIM implementation, I will construct an implementation plan for the BIM system layout of Leaden hall building. Although you may have not notice, but BIM is the future of Building, it represents a shared digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of any built object including buildings, bridges, roads, process plants and more forming a reliable basis for decisions.

The Structure of this essay is the key to understanding why BIM is so important. The essay will be constructed in the following sequence:

Literature research into background of the building project.

Identify and evaluate the information and functional needs of the information system.

Explain the concepts of BIM and its role across various professions within the project team.

Survey, compare and evaluate currently available BIM software.

Appraisal of similar BIM cases.

Construct feasible designs and evaluate their advantages.

Propose an appropriate implementation plan for the system across the project team.

In conclusion, by progressing in this sequence, it will provide a clear projection of what is being explained while keeping a constant interest on viewing how BIM can be used to it full potential and to also construct my final implementation plan for the Leadenhall Building.

Literature research into background of the building project

Located at coordinates 51.5138° N and 0.0821° W, a new landmark for the city of London in 2014 known as the Leadenhall building and nicknamed the "Cheesegrater," is currently being modelled. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the skyscraper stands vertically at 224 meters (736 ft) consisting of 52 storey with a distinctive mega frame every seven floors constructed mainly from steel and glass. Informed by the need to keep particular view of St Paul Cathedral Cleared before planning, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners design the challenging Leadenhall Building in the shape of a Cheese grater to take the form of a perimeter braced tube so that when viewed from the west will appear to ‘lean away’ from St Paul’s Cathedral in respecting their views.

Before the Leadenhall even existed, the site was occupied by a building owned by the developer British Lands and designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership that was constructed in the 1960s. Demolishing of the building began in December 2006 in preparation for redevelopment of the site. The site was cleared by December 2009, but the construction had stalled. Due to financial crisis, the project was initially delayed, but was revived in October 2010 and oxford Properties is now co-developing the property in partnership with British Land on a 50:50 agreement. Moreover, in a battle between Skanska and Laing O'Rourke, British Land and Oxford Properties have confirmed the appointment of Laing O’Rourke as the main contractor on the £340m Leadenhall Building because of their outstanding BIM Implementation. Construction of Leadenhall Building began in July 2011 with at least 83 percentage of the construction work taking place off site, which resulted in reducing the delivery schedule by approximately six month.

The Leadenhall building has a total available space of 382,000 square-feet. It provides 610,000 square-feet of Grade A office accommodation with retail and leisure facilities with high level floor ranging from 6,000 to 16,000 square-feet available with a stunning view across London from all available floors. The lower 7 storey levels of the building are recessed on a raking diagonal to create a large public space that opens up to the south. It is also known that over 190,000 sq. ft. is lease to Aon and over 110,000 are lease on non-binding terms to Amlin.

Identify and evaluate the data/information and functional needs of the information system

Modelling vs. 2D Drafting: Building modeling improves over 2D drafting by allowing designers to view the building and its contents from all angles, and revealing problems at earlier stages to allow for correction without costly change orders. Truly parametric design saves time by creating and editing multiple design portions simultaneously. Sections, elevations and three dimensional views can be created instantly, reducing the need for check plots. Changes to any one of these elements affect all of the others, including materials, costs and construction schedules. The two-dimensional printed documentation becomes the quick and accurate byproduct of parametric design.

Leveraging Data: The Building Information Model is a database that contains manufacturer information, pricing, physical information and electromechanical data for many of the devices in the building. Leveraging this data means that very accurate material schedules can be created from the parametric model elements and they will change automatically with visual component. Having accurate material schedules allows designers and integrators to project material usage before construction is complete and to create real-usage reports for building management after construction

Improved Coordination: With BIM, detailed information about each building component is contained within its modeled element. BIM allows all team members easy access to information to verify that the building element in question will be compatible with the components of the building for which they are responsible. BIM improves coordination among team members by making design changes, and all consequences of those changes, evident and available to all users of the model and to all parametric model elements.

Improved Accuracy and Efficiency: BIM affords integrators increased accuracy for quantity takeoffs. Metadata attached to objects allows for accurate counting and price modeling, improving the accuracy of bids and project pricing. Designers can enjoy receiving fewer requests for information and change orders. Integrator scheduling based on material availability and construction progress can be mapped visually. This allows project managers to quickly optimize construction schedules with ever-changing material deliveries, seasonal costs and availability.

Delivery Process Efficiencies: Design and drawing production requirements should evolve so that managers, designers and drafters spend less time developing designs and more time providing creative solutions for clients. The physical demand for the creation of multiple views of a building in 2D can be reduced to a short time with a BIM solution. A workflow shift should begin to occur in design departments following the adoption of BIM practices, moving away from lower-level drafting positions and toward the creation of more technical design positions.

Facility Management: BIM can link data from manufacturers, construction data and communications into one fully integrated and robust facility dashboard. Facility managers can use BIM to gather usage data, prepare maintenance schedules using predictive data, manage daily operations and plan for future purchases and construction additions. Full equipment data including operating parameters, usage data, predictive data, service history, replacement price and links to other manufacturer data, combined with a fully rendered 3D depiction of the equipment creates a powerful tool for facility managers.

Explain the concepts of BIM and its role across various professions within the project team

The concepts of BIM and it role across various professions within the project team is to allow the team to follow easily with the project while also allowing the project to have a steady workflow. In the construction world, coordination between construction trades can be challenging. The traditional 2D drawing‐based process is often times difficult to follow for the project team. Identification and resolution of issues often requires a great deal of technical skill and experience. 3D Building Information Models and touch screen presentation technology makes process easy to understand for all project participants. The ease in which issues can be identified and presented helps to facilitate communication among the trades and leads to more proactive interference resolution. The Virtual Trade Coordination process is a valuable process that can be performed during the preconstruction process and during the MEP coordination process in the construction phase.

Designers and subcontractors create digital, 3D models of their respective scope of work based on their design documents. These models are then uploaded to a common server which then integrates the design, discipline and trade specific models into a consolidated 3D‐model, and from this integrated model, creates Clash Reports. The model and the Clash Reports in coordination meetings with the designers and subcontractors, are reviewed and solutions to the identified problems are discussed. Based on these discussed solutions, the designers and subcontractors revise their designs and 3D‐models and re‐submit the 3D‐models for the next iteration. This process is repeated until all involved parties have confidence in the constructability of the coordinated design.

The MEP‐coordination process is non‐linear, meaning that the subcontractors develop their models in parallel, beginning with vertical shafts, major pieces of equipment and trunk and main lines. Once these components are coordinated the subcontractors elaborate on branch lines and details.MEP Manager / Engineer determines the pace and sequence of coordination and elaborates the BIM can be used to establish a comprehensive model of the quantities of a construction project. Model Based Estimating systems enable Estimators to assign properties to 3D building elements. By using Model Based Estimating system, Estimators can easily extract quantities, identify constructability issues and create cost estimates.

Survey, compare and evaluate currently available BIM software

Autodesk Navisworks project review software products help architecture, engineering, and construction professionals gain control over project outcomes. Integrate, share, and review models and multiformat data with all your project stakeholders. A comprehensive set of integration, analysis, and communication tools helps the team better coordinate disciplines, resolve conflicts, and plan projects before construction or renovation begins. Navisworks supports Building Information Modeling (BIM) for building and infrastructure, as well as 3D model-based design for process and power plants.

Autodesk Revit Structure software integrates a multimaterial physical and an independently editable analytical model for efficient structural analysis, design, and documentation. It improves the way structural engineers and drafters work. It minimizes repetitive modeling and drawing tasks, as well as errors due to manual coordination between structural engineers, architects, and drafters.

Tekla BIMsight is a professional tool for construction project collaboration. The entire construction workflow can combine their models, check for clashes, and share information using the same easy-to-use BIM environment. Tekla BIMsight enables project participants to identify and solve issues already in the design phase before construction.

Arktec Tricalc is an integrated structure analysis software, that enables to analyze and detail all structural elements: members, slabs, walls, foundations; in concrete, steel, wood and masonry. Its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, in creating and modifying models, is a suitable tool to develop the complete structural project.

Tekla Structures is Building Information Modeling (BIM) software that enables the creation and management of accurately detailed, highly constructable 3D structural models regardless of material or structural complexity. Tekla models can be used to cover the entire building process from conceptual design to fabrication, erection and construction management.

Appraisal of similar BIM cases

ArtScience Museum, Singapore http://www.tekla.com/sg/solutions/references/PublishingImages/artsciencereflections.JPG

Based on this case study, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay resembles an open hand containing 21 gallery spaces spread out over 4,600 sq m (50,000 sq ft) of exhibition space. The Engineering firm Yongnam, based in Singapore, was responsible for doing the detailing and fabricating of the steel skeleton of the ArtScience Museum.

Yongnam’s designers re-drew everything within Tekla BIM software to produce the relevant workshop drawings for each part of the museum from a wire frame model as well as the 3D model. These workshop drawings would then be used to fabricate the steel structures needed for the museum’s unusual design.http://www.tekla.com/sg/solutions/references/PublishingImages/artsciencemuseum6.jpg

Arnold C. Hipolito, the Deputy Engineering Manager at Yongnam noted that, "The museum is a complicated structure and the steel members had different geometries, you need to know the coordinates in order to get the correct geometry of all the members." http://www.tekla.com/sg/solutions/references/PublishingImages/artsciencemusuem2.JPG

Getting the geometry wrong would mean that the parts would not fit. The need for precision made Tekla software a crucial tool for Yongnam. Yongnam produced about 5,000 steel parts and their respective workshop drawings. The entire process of designing and fabricating the steel parts for the ArtScience Museum took about two years and eventually opened in February 2011.

Construct feasible designs and evaluate their advantages

Propose an appropriate implementation plan for the system across the project team.

Goals and Objectives: The goal is to complete the constructing of the Leadenhall Building Project for 2014 by proposing an appropriate implementation plan for the system across the project team. Using BIM as the Foundation, the objective is to improve business function so that collection, use and maintenance of facility information are a part of doing business by the authoritative source and not a separate activity.

Implementation Plan

Information Management

Business Society

Education & preparation

Project Team

Quality Information

Technology

Quantity Information

Information Formats

Business Process

Preparation & Certification

Cost Data

Software

Improvement

Technology Change

Project Complete in Budget

Safe Site Management

Consolidate for Lifecycle

Project Complete in time

Potential Improvement

Services /Product

Quantity Data

Organizational promptness

Scheduling

Data Handling

Referencing