Crucial Developments in 3D Building Services Design and Coordination Field

Building services projects have benefited from many developments that have occurred in the last decade. Whether in the areas of MEP (M&E) systems design, 3D building services coordination, or interdisciplinary collaboration, the major advances seen in this field have emanated both from within the industry as well as from other sources, such as government regulations and economic developments.

•  Intelligent BIM Software for Planning and Design of Projects

One of the biggest changes in the modern building services industry is the use of intelligent building information modelling (BIM) software tools that allow for the creation of accurate and detailed representations of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems using computable data. The fact that there are BIM tools more intelligent than ever and also which work across disciplines, such as architecture, structural engineering, and building services engineering, increases interdisciplinary coordination and reduces construction waste and rework.

For instance, the BIM models created using Autodesk Revit Architecture and Revit MEP can be used by building service designers for developing concept designs, schematics, and tender drawings. The same parametric model can be worked upon and used by contractors to create detailed installation and 3D MEP (M&E) coordinated drawings, including services-specific as well as multi-service coordinated plans, sections, and elevations. Furthermore, fabricators and installers can use the BIM model in conjunction with FAB MEP, a fabrication tool, to manufacture pre-assembled modules for installation on-site.

Not only does BIM allow creation of a coordinated 3D model, it also allows for information to be added to the model that can be used for project-critical purposes, including schedule creation, cost estimation, energy analysis and facilities management.

• Greater Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Due to the growing adoption of BIM tools industry-wide complemented by the availability of sophisticated hardware systems and online collaboration channels, there is a far greater degree of interdisciplinary coordination between different stakeholders involved in AEC projects. As a result, architects, structural engineers, MEP consultants, MEP engineers, main contractors (general contractors), cost estimators, and fabricators can seamlessly collaborate during the design and planning stages and avoid costly rework during the construction stages.

For instance, large-scale construction projects generally have a complicated project structure comprising diverse project teams based in different geographical areas. During the pre-construction stage, sharing and interlinking the BIM model prepared by architects, structural engineers, MEP specialists and contractors enables respective designs to stay coordinated. Due to cloud-based collaboration tools, team members can hold review sessions online without having to be physically present together.

•   Higher Degree of Pre-Fabrication and Just-In-Time Delivery for Installation

With the widespread use of parametric modelling techniques in MEP design and planning, a major trend is to use BIM models for pre-fabrication purposes with a view to enhance the logistical cycle on the construction site. When used in conjunction with CNC fabrication applications, such as FAB-MEP, the BIM design data can be used to create fabrication drawings that can be recognised by CNC machines. Such a BIM-led prefabrication can streamline the installation process on site and avoid costly miscalculations.

Taking into account the complexities of the MEP (M&E) systems industry, BIM-driven prefabrication and modularisation has led to multifaceted benefits: reduced rework, in-time project completion, cost savings and increased efficiency.

• Government Intervention 

Another critical development from outside the industry is the government policies in different parts of the world either promoting or mandating the use of BIM in varying levels for government-funded or private projects. In the US, the General Services Administration (GSA), through its Public Buildings Service (PBS) Office of Chief Architect (OCA), established the National 3D-4D-BIM Program in 2003. GSA mandated the use of spatial program BIMs as the minimum requirements for submission to OCA for Final Concept approvals of all major projects receiving design funding in 2007 and beyond.

In Europe, the UK Government has made Level 2 BIM compulsory for all publicly-funded projects from 2016 onwards with a view to trim the cost of public-funded projects and to reduce carbon emission to meet its EU commitments. Government agencies from the Scandinavian nations have played an important role. Senate Properties, Finland’s state property services agency, required the use of BIM for its projects since 2007. Neighbouring Norway and Denmark have also made sufficient headway towards adopting BIM practises in their public-funded projects. Statsbygg, the Norwegian government agency that manages public properties, including heritage sites, campuses, office buildings and other buildings, employed BIM in all its projects by 2010.

In Asia, Singapore was in the forefront of driving the adoption of BIM. After implementing the world’s first BIM electronic submission (e-submission) system for building approvals, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) mapped the BIM Roadmap with the aim to adopt BIM for 80% of construction projects by 2015. In Hong Kong, the Housing Authority (HA) not only developed a set of modelling standards and guidelines for BIM implementation but also stated its intent to apply BIM to all its new projects by 2014-15. South Korea’s Public Procurement Service, which reviews designs of construction projects and provides construction management services for public institutions, has made BIM mandatory for all projects worth more than S$50 million and for all public sector projects by 2016.

BIM Drives Cost-Efficiencies for Plumbing Design

Since our construction industry is grappled with severe productivity issues and tight margins, the AEC industry is striving hard to come up with new ways of improving productivity, reducing construction costs and delivering a better-built building. Building Information Modeling, a new technological advancement in the AEC industry after CAD seems to have the potential to address these issues.

As per the definition of BIM by The National Building Information Model Standard (NBIMS), “BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility and it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward”. BIM has evolved from being just a buzzword to the centrepiece of AEC technology and it has significant benefits for plumbing design.

BIM enables a 3d virtual representation of the plumbing systems thus helping to better understand the final outcome, make more informed decisions and detect collisions. One of the major benefits BIM technology serves for plumbing is interference-checking. Using BIM to detect early collisions helps to prevent costly design changes during the actual construction process whilst also reducing guesswork and errors.

Since the underground plumbing lines are located in reference to the foundations; BIM enables a plumbing designer with actual building footings marked by the structural engineer to preserve the structural integrity of the building. With the help of the building footings, a plumbing designer can easily coordinate the underground routing without compromising the structural design of the building. 

Building Information Modeling is an ‘information’ rich model.  In addition to building shape, costs, design, construction time, physical performance, costs and logistics, BIM also provides information about two additional parameters in the case of plumbing fixtures – information about the required gpm flow of the standard fixture and the reduced gpm flow. 

With an aim to conserve energy and natural resources, there has been an increased focus on green building projects. BIM facilitates easier identification of systems in LEED Plumbing Design by creating different colour systems. Since there is a variation in colour, identifying grey water routing becomes easier and hence helps to prevent cross contamination with other waste systems.

BIM creates a unified working environment with multiple disciplines working together on a single file. A plumbing engineer can create a design for hot and cold water and simultaneously check the HVAC design worksheet for conflicts.

BIM serves a plethora of benefits for plumbing design such as increased efficiency, accuracy and coordination of the system as well as reducing the time and cost involved in it.

Benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Building Information Modeling ( BIM ) is becoming increasingly popular in the AEC industry as a new technology and an approach that allows viewing of a virtual model of the building before it is actually built.  BIM brings with it many advantages that facilitates the design, planning, construction and operational phase of the project.

BIM allows for easy coordination and interoperability between different domains that results in effective exchange of information.  It provides a common single integrated database to support different domains associated in the delivery process.  Since sharing of same data is possible, the loss of information in communication process is minimized.  It’s ability to produce an accurate virtual representation of a building model giving a clear idea of how the real building would look like. It reduces the total expenditure by eliminating the waste of construction material.It helps to reduce the errors and omissions resulting in less rework.
A BIM model when made as a graphical illustration helps to identify the potential failures, leaks, evacuation plans etc. It also allows estimating the cost involved. Material quantities are automatically extracted and changed as per the changes made in the model. The use of BIM yields higher productivity and reduces contingencies.The objects created using BIM are defined as building elements such as walls, spaces, columns beams etc. It can be used to demonstrate the entire lifecycle of a building from construction to facility operation. BIM technology also helps to check clashes and collisions as a BIM model is created in 3D space.  For example, it can check for collision between pipes and steel beams, walls or ducts.
BIM technology is really a breakthrough from the traditional 2D CAD drawings. With so many benefits of using BIM technology, BIM is definitely the future of the construction industry.

BIM Modelling

Building Information Modelling is becoming increasingly vital for modern construction projects. Not only does it provide a digital representation of a building project, it also allows facilitates greater levels of collaboration and interoperability within the design environment. 

Building Information Modelling (or BIM as it is commonly known) covers a range of elements including geometry, graphical information, spatial relationships, product/material information and quantity information. As such the use of a 3d BIM model is not merely restricted to architects or design engineers and is also useful to project management, cost management, manufacturing and construction teams and also the facilities management teams who are the eventual owners of such models. 

One of the key differences between modern BIM technology and traditional software is that BIM software is written and developed for the design of buildings and their components. The objects created within BIM models represent actual elements within a construction project and therefore this information becomes more useful to designers, installers and cost consultants. 

At XS CAD, we create BIM Models using Autodesk Revit software. Autodesk Revit is a multi-directional, database controlled application which allows changes in one location to be replicated automatically in all other areas where the changed item appears (including layouts, elevations, schedules or the 3d model itself). 

By using Autodesk Architecture, Autodesk MEP and Autodesk Structures, we are able to create design data for a single construction project with the same family of software. This level of interoperability provides obvious time and cost benefits but also allows the entire project team to view the impact of their individual designs with those of others and to resolve conflicts based on this knowledge. 

As part of our BIM service we are able to maintain all elements of a BIM model within our Integrated Project Delivery approach or provide a BIM service to one party involved in a BIM project but without the expertise for BIM model creation and management. 

As part of our BIM Modelling service we also create BIM or family data for Revit Architecture and Revit MEP. This data encompasses physical and graphical elements as well as technical and manufacturer information for the element being modelled. Another key benefit of BIM models are the parametric properties and family properties assigned to models. Parametric modelling allows controlled and dynamic manipulation of models. This allows models to be changed quickly and easily within their range of parameters while also maintaining physical appearance and ‘model information’ within all areas automatically. 

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