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| Rendering: courtesy Populous |
Process mapping, split models, and streamlined coordination
meetings are among the timesaving techniques AEC firms are employing to improve
BIM/VDC workflows
More than two decades into the building information modeling
movement, AEC firms are still discovering ways to utilize BIM/VDC tools more
effectively. One major current area of focus is how to cut waste in the BIM
implementation process.
Inefficient virtual coordination meetings, cumbersome BIM
files, and a “rush to model” mentality are just some of the profit-eating
miscues that are commonplace in the AEC industry.
We reached out to several BIM/VDC power users for their top
tips for eliminating waste in BIM/VDC workflows. Here’s what they said:
1. Recognize the
importance of ‘tribal knowledge’
Many large, corporate AEC firms operate their BIM-driven
projects like a manufacturing production line, with staff assigned to specific
roles—design specialists, production experts, and construction administration
specialists, all of whom move from project to project as they finish their
piece of the BIM puzzle.
While efficient in theory, this Henry Fordish workflow model
ultimately leads to waste and added costs, says Thom Chuparkoff, AIA, LEED AP,
Associate with Populous. The problem, he says, lies in the turnover of staff
during the transitions from design to documentation. At each transition, as
certain staff members exit the project and others enter, the design team loses
a bit of its “tribal knowledge”—its sense of knowing where a project came from
and where it’s going, says Chuparkoff. Consistency of the team throughout the
design and documentation phases is absolutely critical, he adds.
“It’s troublesome to have, say, five people on the
production team, none of whom had anything to do with the design,” says
Chuparkoff. “They’re scratching their heads wondering why something was done
the way it was. With construction schedules getting shorter, design teams don’t
have time to go back and try to figure out what another team member was
thinking.”
2. Master the art of
the BIM coordination meeting
BIM/VDC tools are great, but if you can’t run efficient,
productive coordination meetings, the Building Team will never realize the
benefits of true BIM coordination. Gensler Project Architect and BIM/VDC expert
Jared Krieger, AIA, LEED AP, recommends the following tips for making the most
of virtual coordination meetings:
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| By employing basic process-mapping techniques at the outset of projects, Building Teams can reduce the amount of BIM modeling required on a project and develop models that offer |
Practice and prepare. It takes skill to be able to navigate
the project model and have the correct model views loaded and visibility
settings adjusted for a meeting. Make the most of everyone’s time by allocating
at least 15 minutes prior to each coordination meeting for one team member to
load the model and specific views.
Assign a “designated driver,” someone who knows the model
and is savvy about the software platform. Models can be cumbersome to navigate.
Suffering through an inexperienced person trying desperately to steer the model
will absolutely kill the momentum and productivity of the meeting.
“We often bypass
conceptual 3D modeling software by encouraging the use of other mediums, such
as clay and digital sketch models.”
—Thom Chuparkoff,
AIA, LEED AP
Consider splitting meetings. Keep meetings focused on small
components of the project, and include only the team members directly involved.
Consider splitting meetings by profession. For example, meet with the
structural engineer first to review structural-specific coordination. Then,
have some overlap time with MEP and structural for common coordination. Finish
the meeting with MEP coordination.
Use meeting notes to stay focused. Open action items and
homework from the previous meeting should be the basis for discussion in your
next meeting. Use this structure to keep your team on track, and resolve open
coordination issues before moving on to new items.
3. Avoid double
modeling whenever you can
Even with all the high-tech design and sketching tools
available to designers, Chuparkoff advocates for a pen-and-paper approach to
working with clients on early design concepts. He argues that firms allocate
too much of their precious resources to creating overly complex 3D conceptual
models, which then have to be painstakingly re-created in a BIM environment.
“At some firms, people will spend 40 hours or more building
three different project models in SketchUp,” he says. “You don’t need three
fully baked ideas, fully modeled, to present to the client. You need five or
six good ideas, and not necessarily modeled. We often bypass conceptual 3D
modeling software by encouraging the use of other mediums, such as clay and
digital sketch models, early on to develop and refine ideas to the point where
they can be modeled in BIM for the client one time. Before you get into the
hard-line modeling, try to vet as much as you can the good old-fashioned way.”
4. Map your processes
AEC professionals have been trained to jump right in and
start building the model. But this “rush to model” mentality often leads to
inefficiencies, waste, and less-than-ideal models, says John Haymaker, PhD,
AIA, LEED AP, Director of Research with Perkins+Will.
Haymaker, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Building
Construction at Georgia Tech, recommends the use of process-mapping
techniques—including value stream mapping and business process modeling—at the
project outset to identify the decisions that need to be made during the design
process, as well as the processes required to make those decisions. When done
well, process mapping can help reduce the amount of BIM modeling required on a
project and also lead to models that offer increased value for the team and the
client, says Haymaker.
“For example, if an architect, mechanical engineer, and
contractor can get together to map out their process for performing preliminary
energy and cost analysis, the architect may realize that they only need to
model spaces and exterior surfaces,” says Haymaker. “This would greatly
simplify their modeling effort, and potentially eliminate useless or inaccurate
data.”
5. Divvy up the model
to avoid unwieldy file sizes
Four years into the Tysons Tower project in Tysons Corner,
Va., Gensler’s Krieger has just one minor regret: not managing the size of the
BIM file more effectively. “Our model is pretty big, and even with great
computers, it can become a bit of a bear at times when all the pieces are
loaded in,” he says.
Working with a central BIM model has its benefits—notably,
having a single repository for all project information. But on large, complex
projects, BIM files can become ponderous, resulting in longer load times during
virtual coordination meetings.
Splitting the model into chunks is one approach to managing
the file size. “We try to think of logical pieces to keep as separate models,”
says Krieger. “For example, if you have a tall building with a podium, you can
keep the tower and podium as separate models and reference them into each other
as needed. Or, on a building project with a complicated skin, you can keep the
curtain wall as a separate model. The earlier you plan the split the better.”
Krieger also advises Building Teams to take note of the file
size of BIM object families used on projects. Complicated projects can
incorporate more than a thousand families, and some sets can exceed 10
megabytes in size. “We are very careful about how complicated and large the
families can get,” he says.
6. Make sure someone
‘owns’ your companywide BIM/VDC standard
Given the rapid pace of change and innovation in the BIM/VDC
software industry, it is imperative that AEC firms designate an in-house power
user to maintain and update the company BIM/VDC standard.
“These tools are constantly evolving, and the company
standard needs to evolve with them,” says Adam Lasota, Junior Architect with
Rietveld Architects, New York. “Newer functions and features can make company
standards obsolete, so it’s a matter of productivity.”
7. Create a simple
BIM execution plan—and stick to it
Setting expectations and staying organized can be addressed
through a simple, straightforward BIM execution plan that covers everything from
schedule and roles to model sharing and level of development.
“It’s absolutely worth the effort,” says Gensler’s Krieger,
referring to the firm’s work setting up an execution plan for Tysons Tower.
“All the time we spent setting up views, sheet templates, and detail
organization in the beginning is paying off in the construction administration
process.”
When in the thick of a large, multi-year project, it’s easy
for a team to stray from the original BIM execution plan. Fight that urge,
because doing so can save thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars in avoided
costs during construction.
“The biggest payoff has come from our team’s early
commitment to have weekly BIM coordination sessions throughout the design
process,” says Krieger. “It has resulted in a low number of RFIs and very few
significant field coordination issues.”
Source: BDCNetwork.com
