The first in our Guest Blogger Series comes from Brett Taylor, Director of Bornhorst + Ward.Brett has been the Director in charge of Bornhorst & Ward’s successful implementation of Revit. With 8 years of personal hands on use of Revit he has a vast level of experience to share. Bornhorst & Ward have fully documented 100% of their projects using Revit since the start of 2007.

He has worked on many projects where Revit has been utilised in an integrated approach to design modelling. These projects include The Village at Coorparoo, Regent Office Building, G40 Griffith Health Centre & Ergon Office Building Townsville. He has spent many hours collaborating with clients, fellow consultants, contractors and sub-contractors to develop the BIM workflow, integrated modelling approach that has enabled the successful delivery of many projects…

20% Saving in Building Costs:

For the last 8 years the team at Bornhorst & Ward have been working in the Virtual Design World to improve our work processes utilising 3D models to change how we go about delivering our civil and structural engineering services.

Since the start of 2007 we have fully documented all of our structural projects in 3D using Autodesk’s Revit software. We also link our Revit models to our design software programs. So where it took 2 weeks to create an analysis model we can obtain accurate building deflections, refer figure1, and load rundowns in a fraction of the time. This process has helped obtain more accurate structural sizing earlier in a project and enabled us to look at engineered options to develop the best solution for projects. Which helps reduce risk on the project!

Figure 1 – Deflection Plot of a typical Residential Project

The key to Virtual Modelling is to store information in the model which can be accessed by project team members to avoid duplication of information and elements within the model. We have been storing information in our models that has been used by our co-consultants. Information like concrete strengths, reinforcement rates, steel finishes & QSID. This has enabled our co-consultants like Quantity Surveyors and Steel Detailers to use our models and the information contained in them to speed up the workflow, improve accuracy and save building costs.

A good example is the steel shop detailing process. It is still common today that the following process occurs:-

Current projects go from a 3D engineering model to 2D drawings (produced by the design consultant), then a new 3D model is created to then create 2D shop drawings (by the steel detailer). The Building is then constructed. How smart is that!

The technology is currently available where 3D models can be transferred and utilised by all parties, including the fabricator in the steel factory and the builder on site. Which means 2D drawings are not necessarily required. That way anyone who views the 3D model can see the whole building, not just what is shown on the plans or sections which have been created.

We have been working with Phil Shanks at Jackson Roxborough Steel Detailers for a number of years to refine the workflow of transferring the 3D models between our offices and between the software that we both use. We can now overlay models to find any differences between the two models and the information contained in the models.

A good example of this is shown in Figure 2 below

Figure 2

The yellow screw pile in the shop detailer’s model doesn’t line up with the white screw pile that was in the engineering model. A late change to the pile location was required and made to the engineering model after the model was exchanged. This was quickly picked up when the models were checked. There was a fair chance that if 2D shop models were reviewed this issue would not have been identified and the steelwork would have needed adjusting on site causing cost and time issues.

The above examples are just small structural engineering stories from the whole building workflow but they a replicated throughout offices of companies which embraced change and are working in the Virtual Design environment. It is not a quick process to change workflows but it worth the effort as the time and cost benefits to our company, people we work with and our projects have been enormous.

Not only have we identified substantial time & cost benefits. Our project partners including the ultimate project cost have achieved time & cost savings.

I sat in a meeting recently where the UK government’s strategy for BIM implementation was explained. They had some simple objectives and requirements, a couple being

• All government projects delivered in a 3D collaborative environment by 2016
• 20% capital cost reduction for the construction phase.

On a recent pilot project they advised that the 20% capital cost reduction was nearly achieved. This then drove a change in the objective where they are now aiming for 33% cost saving in the construction costs of a project by 2025.

So where do we sit here in Australia? Well our government recently declined a request from the Building Smart organisation for funding to develop Australian Standards in BIM adoption and implementation. So it looks like it won’t just be Cricket & Rugby where the Poms are going to smash us!

It appears our government isn’t going to provide leadership. Therefore private enterprise will need to keep punching above our weight to achieve the efficiencies our construction industry needs to stay competitive globally.

There are many organisations who are extremely competent in the Virtual Design world and are providing benefits to the construction industry. If you are being told that BIM and Virtual Modelling is going to cost you more money and take longer then you are taking advice from inexperienced operators. If you aren’t walking through your proposed building using your ipad or computer you haven’t got the right design team on your project. If your builder isn’t showing you how they are going to construct your building and manage the subcontractors using a virtual building model you have the wrong builder!

If your company wishes to discuss this further and to find out how you can achieve the 20% saving that the Poms have achieved on your next Building Project please contact Brett Taylor at Bornhorst & Ward b.taylor@bornhorstward.com.au

Following on from my recent blog post about the latest release of BIMForum’s LOD Spec which defines what it is that you’re designing and the LOD of the model, I have come across 2 recently released documents which further aid consultants in setting out who does what and at what stage of the project û as well incorporating the LOD at these different stages.

The US Army Corp of Engineers æBIM Minimum Modeling Matrix’ enables a project-specific plan to be developed with input from the client. The æScope-LOD-Grade’ worksheet allows you to modify æProject Scope’ columns based on what elements are included in that scope. Furthermore you can define at which LOD they will be delivered, the way in which this information will be exchanged and who they will be delivered by.

Similarly, the Royal Institute of British Architects have recently released their æPlan of Work’ document which contains a æDesign Responsibility Matrix’ that allows you to consider the roles that are required at each stage of a project and who is best placed to undertake them, along with the core decisions on how and when each team will be engaged through the 7 project phases (1. Preparation and brief, 2. Concept design, 3. Developed Design, 4. Technical Design, 5. Construction, 6. Handover and Close Out, 7. In Use).

Both documents are simple and adaptable that once completed provide you with clear information that is presented in a way that all teams within the project can comprehend. From a consultants perspective these tools are useful to define what you are offering when you do a fee quotation. Additionally, from a project level, they’re extremely useful to manage the teams that are involved at the project at different times and project phases and for different deliverables.

For more information please feel free to email me direct or contact me at Mitchell Brandtman, 61 7 3327 5000,

watch video here: https://youtu.be/pfzQIV1KbkM

BuildingSMART brought their BIM4Construction: 4D + 5D Workshops to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in October and David Mitchell presented in all 4 locations on ‘5D BIM: Today’s Workflow for Cost Certainty‘.

David’s presentation, focused on what a 5D QS does and how these modern skills fit into the æBIM’ picture by:

• Providing context around cost certainty v uncertainty
• Explaining what 5D is: how it is far more than Quantity Take-Off and demonstrate the specialist skills that a 5D QS must have
• Explaining how a 5D methodology can be included within design workflows (the effect on existing workflows) and BIM execution plans

In attendance at the Brisbane BIM4Construction event was Cadet 5D Quantity Surveyor Toby McDonald who offered up his views on the evening’s presentations and panel discussion. Check it out here.

• PDF of David’s presentation can be seen here
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube page for alerts when we post more webinars like this in the future

This week, once again, BIM has been in the spotlight in Australia with BIM4Construction: 4D + 5D Workshops travelling around the capital cities and an article appearing in BRW.

For those who want to get along to the BIM4Construction workshops in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide there’s still a chance û I’ll cover a few of the points presented in Brisbane but highly recommend getting along for yourself.

The panel discussion at the end was lively and particularly informative! An interesting project, Sutter Health Project, that I hadn’t heard was also mentioned.

Have you heard of any interesting news articles, publications or events to do with BIM recently?

In attending the BIM4Construction workshop I was reminded that BIM is a ôdisruptive processö and it was interesting to hear how each of the the speakers were driving innovation and change to adapt and embrace new technology.

Claudelle Taylor, General Manager, Nexus Point Solutions.

Claudelle spoke of her role in the Leighton Group vision of improving productivity through the integration of estimating, planning and actual cost data into 3D visualisation.

The two projects she explored were 567 Collins Street, Melbourne and the Trivtam project Kochi, India.

Of particular interest were the challenges and successes of using RIBiTWO software to integrate with cost codes in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform. Claudelle also told of the way that data of completed construction can be used to alert project managers to elements of a build being constructed behind schedule.

Peter Kelly, CIO, Simonds Homes.

Peter’s presentation looked at the other end of the spectrum in construction and he shared some of his experiences implementing IT changes to a company that builds approximately 2200 residential homes a year.

One key point that I took away from Peter was that although estimators may see a lot of benefit in implementing new technology they are not always the best at selling these benefits to management who inevitably have to drive change.

He also talked about the potential benefits of the use of 3D models by sub-contractors in the maintenance of homes as many homes are now sold with a maintenance period of up to 10 years.

David Mitchell, 5D Quantity Surveyor + Partner of Mitchell Brandtman

David spoke of the value of using BIM in the Quantity Surveying profession and the way in which using models can create savings for different parties involved in a construction project.

He also spoke of skills that Quantity Surveyors need in order to work with 5D and showcased some of Mitchell Brandtman’s work on the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

A copy of his presentation slides can be found here.

The real use in Building Information Modeling (BIM) is in collaboration so it’s always good to know about what others are doing in the space.

Are you using 3D models in an interesting way or come across someone who is? If so how and to what end?

Three things I came across this week.

3D visualisation for Construction Engineering:

Nick Barker from Exallos, this week at an Australian Institute of Builders (AIB) breakfast, showcased projects that used 3D visualisation for Construction Engineering on major projects such as: The Shard, London; Adelaide Oval Redevelopment; and the demolition of large steel and concrete structures.

Impressively he presented from an ipad and showed several 3D animations of the projects which definitely captured the attention and imagination the audience.

One point of interest was that with complex projects featuring curved roofs structures, such as the Adelaide Oval redevelopment (http://bit.ly/1e4u2wa), he described 3D modeling as an essential tool in

• testing engineering loads and designing the structural steel pieces û as there is no way traditional 2D drawings could show this information.
• finding a construction solution that would allow temporary propping as with complex structures û they tend to only become inherently stable when the last members were in place.
• showing that the job could be done in a condensed timeline û the use of animation was used with time schedules to win the job.

Panel Discussion on Architectural Models:

There was an interesting discussion this week on Radio National’s By Design program. Listen to it here. (http://bit.ly/14v5vvZ)

• A few key points were the value in modeling for things such as explaining ideas to clients
• that physical 3D models are still used for council approval, marketing to the general pubilc and for the presentation at competitions.
• the 3D digital models of course store a lot of information that other disciplines can use (Quantity Surveyors even get a mention by Chris Paterson at Populous!).

CSIRO and mobile mapping:

This week and award was given to a group of researchers at CSIRO calling themselves öThe Zedebee teamö for the development of a mobile scanner that allows a user to walk through and area using a hand held device and produce a 3D map. Very cool stuff! Can you think of any of the applications it might be useful in? Check out the video here. (http://bit.ly/15a2kbz)

BuildingSMART – ‘5D BIM: Today’s Workflow for Cost Certainty’

BuildingSMART are bringing their BIM4Construction: 4D + 5D Workshops to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in October.

David Mitchell will be presenting in all 4 locations on ‘5D BIM: Today’s Workflow for Cost Certainty‘, which will focus on what a 5D QS does and how these modern skills fit into the æBIM’ picture by:

• Providing context around cost certainty v uncertainty
• Explaining what 5D is: how it is far more than Quantity Take-Off and demonstrate the specialist skills that a 5D QS must have.
• Explaining how a 5D methodology can be included within design workflows (the effect on existing workflows) and BIM execution plans.

The dates and locations for the 4 locations are as follows:

• Thursday 3rd October: QUT, Garden Point Campus, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD
• Monday 7th October: Building Leadership Simulation Centre, 49 Brady Street, South Melbourne, VIC
• Wednesday 9th October: UTS Peter Johnson Building 6, Level 4, Room 04.40, 730 Harris Street, Ultimo, NSW
• Tuesday 15th October: National Wine Centre of Australia, Hackney Road, Adelaide SA

Each workshop will begin with registrations at 4:00pm, and conclude at 7:30pm

To register and to the view the array of speakers please visit the BuildingSMART website here.

For all the wonders and benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM) it still takes a bit of problem solving, experience and knowledge to navigate.

It’s one thing being able to extract quantities for costing from a 3D Model but the question is; can you always trust them?

Far from being untrustworthy and unreliable, 3D models are an extremely valuable source of information and a week or so ago I was reminded of this working on an Preliminary Estimate.

The 3D model that I worked on was a revision on a previous model but the design had progressed substantially with fairly significant changes being made.

Firstly, the visualisation was a great tool which allowed the building to be reviewed from all angles and design changes were easily identified.

Quantities of roof sheeting, slab areas, and glazing areas seemed to come through well after writing a map to extract the quantities and bring these into our estimating software.

I would also like to mention some of the inconsistencies coming through the model, which by the way were definitely to be expected as the design was at an early Level of Development (LOD).

This is why experience, problem solving and knowledge come into play.

Some of the interesting things in the model were:

• Additional objects that were not required were included in the model either as space savers or indications of what might be done
• Some objects were modeled without parameters such as length or area
• And some areas such as suspended slabs were modelled as roofs.

One of the ways around this at this early stage was that the model actually contained 2D drawings.

With a bit of navigation, thanks to a Revit Course I recently did, I was able to export additional plans and information for 2D measures. This helped give indications of wall types, soffit areas and to help with Bulk Quantity Checks.

The process of having a 3D model coupled with the wisdom of our Senior Partners allowed for faster revision of an estimate and importantly for the client, greater cost certainty.

Luke Anthony has contributed to our September 2013 edition of our Cost Solutions newsletter. In this article Luke discusses Gratis Depreciation Allowances and Write-off and how it works for the tenant and landlord.

To read the article in its entirety please click here.

For more information, please contact Luke Anthony or Richard Ortmans on 1800 808 289.

The second article published in our September edition of Cost Solutions comes from Darryl Bird (Partner & 5D Quantity Surveyor).

Darryl reveals what it takes to secure finance for your development project and also talks about the key areas that help you demonstrate your depth of knowledge to your financier to form a distinct advantage in your finance application.

To read the article in full please follow this link.

For more information please contact Darryl BirdShane Brandtman, 02 9541 5000

Last week (22/8/13) The LOD Specification was released in its final draft by the BIMForum and it is a very worthy guide to consider. It was written under agreement with the American Institute of Architects and it looks at the detail of what it is that you’re designing and what it can be used for.

“We want everyone to have the same understanding about how much information should go into each element of a building model, and for what uses those models are suitable,” – Dmitri Alferieff, director of the BIMForum.

What I find interesting about this guide is that:

• It uses descriptions and images so that designers can define the model uses and limitations to downstream users.

• For contractors it introduces an additional LOD – 350 as well as the basic LOD definitions developed by the AIA for the AIA G202-2013 Building Information Modeling Protocol Form.
• The information is organised by CSI Uniformat 2010 codes. If this guide successfully gains traction around the globe then it is logical that Uniformat will become the preeminent international classification system.

The intention of ‘LOD 350’ is to enable elements to be sufficiently developed to allow proper coordination of disciplines (e.g. clash detection/avoidance, layout, etc…). This concept resonated with me because it provides guidance to contractors and subcontractors on the improvements that are required to develop a “for tender or bid” model into a ‘for construction” model. This concept can be applied to any procurement method even hard dollar (design – bid – build) contracts by adopting the “Plan to Build” model which you can see below:

From my 5D perspective BIMForum have pretty much gotten it right, except I would have preferred to have seen rebar contained within LOD 350 rather than LOD 400 because reinforcement supply costs often blow out by large margins and this isn’t evident until the last bar is delivered. Rebar that is modeled at the outset of construction is very easy to track financially.