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Fitting a pneumatic tubing system, steel structures to hold special lights and other medical equipment, wiring for a backup Internet system and all the regular electrical and mechanical systems into a ceiling is just one example of how building a hospital is more complicated than a typical construction project.

That’s why Weitz Iowa tried out a new process called building information modeling (BIM) on Iowa Health – Des Moines’ new West Des Moines hospital.

Still in its infant stages, the three-dimensional modeling process has already proved useful in reducing errors in construction, estimating construction costs more accurately and keeping everyone on a tight schedule. Complicated projects, such as hospitals, have been where most construction companies have initially experimented with BIM, but many large contractors are now using the techniques on nearly every job.

“I think really it is one of those shifts where it has and will change how we do business,” said Andy Moffitt, senior pre-construction manager for Ryan Companies U.S. Inc., which has implemented BIM company-wide. “The primary benefit is really bringing teams together and forcing some integration, which our industry has lacked historically.”

What is BIM?

Building information modeling is a process of generating and managing a building’s information model through three-dimensional design, rather than relying on two-dimensional blueprints.

Newer software programs, such as AutoCAD Revit, have made it possible for construction companies to use architects’ 3-D designs or create their own version and add information beneficial to their work, such as steel and concrete structures and electrical and mechanical systems.

Many companies also are using fourth-dimension features, which take into account the time needed for various steps in the process to create a construction schedule. Some also have gone to the fifth dimension, using a program that can add up the materials inputted into the 3-D model and use that list to help estimate construction costs.

BIM is part of an industry-wide trend toward design/build integration, bringing architects, contractors and building owners together early in the process to discuss how a building will come together from their unique perspectives. Three-dimensional models are a tool to spur that conversation, allowing owners to visualize how a decision they make will affect the look or functionality of a building or subcontractors to see how their piece will affect the entire project. BIM can reduce construction time and cost and increase the quality of the project by working out problems virtually before a task is done incorrectly in the real world and has to be reworked.

Complicated projects

Because most of Iowa Health’s West Des Moines hospital was designed 10 years ago, Weitz had to hire an outside consultant to turn those renderings into a 3-D model. As the architecture firm has updated its information and its subcontractors have sent 3-D models of their work in the building, Weitz has compiled that information into one virtual model and used it to search for potential conflicts, such as a steel bar going through a duct system. Dan Solem, assistant project manager and one of two Weitz employees trained on the software, updates the 3-D model once a week and issues are discussed at its biweekly planning meetings with architects and subcontractors.

This type of coordination has been especially important given the fast timeline for the project. “The whole process of being proactive about making sure things are going to work is much more streamlined,” said Gary Van Dyke, a designer in Shive-Hattery Group Inc.’s health-care services department. “You can get everyone together and sort out all the issues. That’s much more efficient than getting a phone call at 3:30 in the afternoon on a Friday, saying ‘Oh, we’ve got this problem and it’s going to hold us up and we need you out here right away,’ and the job is three counties away.”

Though Weitz has received interest in its BIM process for a few potential projects, it has only used it one other time, as a quality-control check on a Central College building. By updating construction documents to a 3-D design, it could better pinpoint potential problems before construction, such as the plumbing system being designed too high for the floor space.

Given the time it takes to input information and look for potential conflicts, Weitz Iowa President Mike Tousley said the process is more worthwhile on complicated projects than on speculative office buildings or strip centers.

Though Weitz has been just behind the first adopters of this new technology, Kansas City, Mo.-based JE Dunn Construction Co. has been experimenting with it for the past three years, especially on health-care facilities. It started out using BIM software as a visualization tool when bidding for projects and to estimate construction costs, but began using it in the field as a visualization tool for contractors on its Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes project.

“It is easy and very fast for a crew to understand what the intent is and really build it accurately the first time,” said Jeff Kleinschmidt, BIM project manager for JE Dunn.

Eighteen months later, the company has found more uses for the software. While working on a parking ramp, it mapped out how the project would come together piece by piece, so it could prefabricate most of the pieces off-site and have them arrive on location exactly when needed. On its health-care projects, it now is coordinating with subcontractors to add mechanical and electrical systems to its 3-D model and working through potential conflicts before crews arrive on the site.

“With the Mercy job, we took it out of the laboratory and put it out into the field,” Kleinschmidt said. “Now you’re seeing 18 months later, we’re well beyond that and now getting all the subcontractors involved, not just doing something for ourselves.”

Moving mainstream

JE Dunn has used BIM on more than 30 projects. It has started using BIM outside of health-care projects, but it doesn’t always use every feature the software offers. The company tends to use it more extensively on complicated projects, such as the Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo., a flagship project that “is so complicated,” Kleinschmidt said, “there aren’t hardly any straight lines.”

The number of employees trained to use the software has grown in the past year from one at its Kansas City headquarters to five, and more are stationed in offices around the United States.

Meanwhile, Ryan considers itself “on the bleeding edge” of the new BIM technology, using it on all its projects after adopting the technology two years ago. The company enjoys the added benefit of having a design department in-house and partnering with OPN Architects Inc. on many of its projects; both have made the switch to the new software. Often those involved in the design and in the construction of a project will meet regularly, and the designer will input changes to the 3-D model based on the resulting information.

“It really brings together the integration of teams,” Moffitt said, “and I think that’s something we as a company have believed in and done as a core operating philosophy. BIM has now become the catalyst that allows us to make that happen.”

Though Ryan has used BIM for detecting potential problems and as a communication tool, it is just now starting to use it as a way to estimate construction costs and plan out schedules. The technique has been used on projects such as the 450,000-square-foot Target Corp.’s distribution center in Cedar Falls and Elliott Aviation’s new facility in Des Moines.

Limitations

Because BIM software offers such a vast array of features, construction companies are still figuring out the best value for their time.

“You can get yourself caught up in this thing and make it a full-time job for a number of people,” said Tousley of Weitz, “but I’m not sure that’s what’s adding value.”

The conflict detection program alone can bring up thousands of potential conflicts, only a third of which may be issues, Moffitt said, or companies can input a wide range of information about a building, down to the make and model of an office chair and when it needs to be replaced.

BIM also requires buy-in from subcontractors. On Weitz’s Iowa Health project, subcontractors were asked to provide a 3-D model of their work that could be added into Weitz’s main model. Many subcontractors had to rush this process, because construction started before the architects had completely finalized their design. Some also had to hire outside consultants to make the models, while others, such as The Waldinger Corp., were able to use the models to prefabricate some of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The transition to BIM also requires an investment in new software and training staff, which smaller firms might not be able to afford.

But, Moffitt said, “I think we can’t afford not to do it. I think we’re already seeing the time savings, the ability to make better decisions to improve the design. Those are all very much valuable opportunities for us.”