DPW Facility Manager’s Program May 12, 2010 Building Information Modeling

1. DPW Facility Manager’s ProgramMay 12, 2010 Building Information Modeling • BIM (Building Information Modeling) What is it all about? • Another effort by the construction industry to move into the future. BIM has been used by the Manufacturing industry for years. The exploding drawings of automobiles you have seen on TV are an example of how the manufacturing industry builds their products. Locally, Pratt & Whitney have been using this technology for years on the building of the aircraft engines.

2. DPW Facility Manager’s ProgramMay 12, 2010Building Information Modeling • The designer now takes information from manufacturers, suppliers and places that info. into their computer, establishes guidelines for the structure size and brings into the plan the information that is already stored on the products that he/she wishes to use. Essentially they build the building in three dimension prior to actually constructing the building. They can utilize this system to detect conflicts, estimate quantities of materials and check to make sure that every product they used has an associate specification included in the project.

3. DPW Facility Manager’s ProgramMay 12, 2010Building Information Modeling • We initially felt that the rest of the industry would be either lagging or at least resistant to the process. We are finding that all of our major contractors are now demanding this of their major suppliers and if the model is not available are undertaking it themselves. It seems that most if not many of the MEP contractors are actually using the model to fabricate many of the products such as duct work, piping, etc. Structural steel suppliers have been using this methodology for years. It got its first introduction due to the outrageous steel configurations that Frank Gehry’s designs demanded. No one else could shape the steel without the use of the computer.