When BIM Supersedes 2D Drawings, Structural Engineers Need Collaboration Cosh

May 16, 2017 -- Times are changing and so are building construction practices. Having said this, collaborative works on construction projects are becoming a trend.

To general contractors and EPC firms, how long has it been since the last time your engineers and architects dealt the entire mega construction project alone and yet successfully accomplished it? Long enough, right?

It’s been a while now that we, AEC industry professionals, are used to collaborative construction approach and involvement of multiple organizations working on a single building construction or infrastructure development project. However, despite all the collaborative approaches of BIM and partnering advocacy, even the most prominent EPC firms and construction contracting teams have experienced the silo mentality. Structural engineers, architectural consultants, MEP teams, supply chain unit and clients still belong to their own different camps when it is the case of reaching a consensus.

BIM is superseding 2D drawings

With more contractors adopting BIM platforms such as Autodesk’s Revit, Allplan etc. each passing day, it has started to overrule 2D drawings, gradually. For structural engineers, the day when 2D drawings won’t be a primary document for contract approval isn’t far.

There are umpteen occasions during design planning, and even while the construction is active, that structural engineers have to coordinate details and anticipate challenges without going back to blueprints. Numerous RFIs and construction documentations generated through intelligent BIM ready 3D models are replacing blueprints and sufficing their every single need.

Information pertaining to steel detailing, rebar detailing, truss and roof joints, joists, floor plans, and every other minute detail that a structural engineer wishes to give to contractor or a contractor demands to have is warehoused in one single file with a BIM model-centric approach. With BIM Level of Detailing (LOD) 500 structural models of to-be-constructed infrastructure is playing a significant role in eradicating drawings concept.

What is going wrong with BIM and structural engineers?

BIM has thus, time and again proved to be an extremely useful tool for structural engineers. This statement holds true in its entirety for architecture and MEP disciplines of construction as well; and AEC industry professionals have come to accept this fact. However, what we forget is we do not extend it for better collaboration by implementing BIM level 2 and beyond.

Yes, AEC professionals do collaborate their designs in Common Data Environment (CDE), but do not take it any further than clash detection and design coordination. Collaboration here is having a partnership of every stage of construction and to employ the BIM model for every aspect of construction from design to demolition.

BIM is said to be achieved when AEC professionals implement it for a well-planned and clash free building design, efficient construction scheduling, right BOQs, promptly managed supply chain, delivering a fully operational facility, facility management and refurbishment and renovation. Managing all these tasks will essentially develop a virtual environment for all the construction professionals involved in project to come together for decisions for their specified roles.

In spite of specific definitions of professionals’ roles in construction sector, if marched ahead without BIM, about 30% of construction work results in rework. Not only this, there are losses incurred on site because much of the construction information about steel details and order quantity is either incomplete or unambiguous.

Government needs to invest in BIM policies

Ultimately the waste is not only a concern for structural engineers, contractors or EPC firms but also an issue of public and environmental safety. If the government of respective nation is able to setup a procurement rule for building products manufacturer to invest in BIM, a significant amount of waste can be reduced. Revit families generated by manufacturers will work towards the benefit of reducing conflicts between construction disciplines during design stage itself and hence the waste later during construction.

With CAD technology, developing BIM content for every building product – be it a structural component, architectural unit, or MEP fitting – is becoming easier. Revit libraries generated will enable a ready BIM content along with model availability for as-built models which will essentially help in ordering right quantity to control the waste. Not only this, it will also enable structural engineers to plan their work sequence in accordance with other disciplines and avoid rework. Thus it is an onus of the government to come up with a policy that compels the very process that causes waste and avoid any further harm to environment.

Structural engineers shall enact upon the strongest cosh of BIM collaboration

Specifically for structural engineers, software such as Tekla has become an efficient tool while working with steel and rebar detailing. However, for construction project of multiple complexities, Tekla is only the beginning and BIM collaboration cosh acts as driving factor. While government is yet to take a concrete decision for establishing a policy between building product manufacturers and suppliers; it is not very wise for structural engineers to wait until then. It is thus, suggestive that these structural engineers, for their own benefits, adopt BIM enabled collaboration by collaborating with a design service partner capable of catering their needs in each aspect.

A design support service provider, in most cases, proves to be the best in terms of quality of work delivered, and also from monetary aspects.

To suffice everything, in the year of 2013, when Canada’s Ripley’s aquarium was opened, it got many eyebrows raised in shock because of its immense structure and unconventional angular shape spread over 135,000 square foot of area. However, the challenges that lied in collaborating designs of such an uncommon structure and erecting it finally were dealt with BIM coordination and collaboration across the construction, from design planning to the end of construction works. BIM made it possible to accomplish the project successfully.

BIM is thus the powerful and a strong cosh to collaborate designs that structural engineers should deploy; the sooner the better.

About Author: Hiral Patel is a news editor and has been contributing to the AEC industry since 2008. She mainly writes about the application of BIM across Architecture, MEP and Structural sectors. Her focus is towards encouraging construction companies, sub-contractors and architects to adopt right technologies to improve efficiency and profitability.