Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.
WEB BIM MANAGEMENT: SAVING TIME AND MONEY
Gafcon manages some of the biggest construction projects in Southern California as an owner’s representative and construction consultant. “Very significant time and money can be saved by combining cost, schedule, inspections, drawings, and financial information in one system accessed through a Web portal,” said CEO Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen. “We found that a lot of contractors and design firms are involved in part of the building process to make their own delivery efficient, but there really wasn’t a tool devoted to the entire process, from design to construction.”
ALSO SEE: The world’s first building made from carbon-fiber reinforced concrete starts construction in Germany
In 2006 Gafcon created a sister company, SharePoint360, based in San Diego. Utilizing Microsoft’s SharePoint Web collaboration platform (with significant customization for building owner and construction company clients), SharePoint360 provides a portal to tie together all the AEC software used on a project. Industry-specific applications such as Expedition program management software from Primavera Systems can integrate data with SharePoint360, making that information available to all team members within a SharePoint site without purchasing additional licenses. Using SharePoint360’s model viewer, all Building Team members can view a Revit model no matter what stage of design or construction the project is in.
“We created an interface with Revit that enables owners and facilities managers to get the necessary data from Revit models for their needs and purposes without needing a Revit license,” Gaffen said. “Building engineers in the field can access the model (through the Mobilize360 mobile app) and navigate through it in the field to isolate problems using GPS coordinates. You can pull all documentation (including model and shop drawings), view it from the field, and mark it up in a tablet PC and automatically transfer that information back to the rest of your team.”
Because SharePoint360 is not a proprietary platform, any individual building project’s SharePoint website can be customized for that particular project’s needs. Most of the hosted sites that the company runs are turned over to building owners and facility managers after construction is completed, providing the owner with a record for later use in operations and maintenance.
“The knowledge of using SharePoint’s engine to drive specific applications is the intellectual property we have related to AEC,” Gaffen said. The contracts stipulate that the hosted sites can be transferred to another hosted platform.
SharePoint was the program management tool used for the renovation and expansion of three community colleges and six continuing education campuses in the San Diego Community College District, a $1.5 billion construction program that began in 2007. Using SharePoint360 reduced the number of software licenses necessary for the project by hundreds.
SharePoint360’s AEC industry-specific services include an NSPEC inspection module, intranet and extranets for building projects that offer real-time access to information from any location. The resulting business data allows Gafcon and its clients to track and report on important project information, including billable hours and employee progress. By analyzing this data project managers can run tighter ships as well as collaborate better.
Because SharePoint360 is not a proprietary platform, said Gaffen, “You’re not held hostage by one software vendor. The platform is agnostic and can tie into any line of business.”
REVIT ADD-ON AUTOMATES WALL CREATION
ClarkDietrich Building Systems, headquartered in West Chester, Ohio, is the largest manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing in the U.S. They also produce structural studs and joists, metal lath and accessories, and shaft wall studs and track. While the company maintains it can provide any cold-formed steel frame design necessary for commercial and residential construction, it kept running into problems with projects modeled in Revit, with information in a 3D model, that either wasn’t used properly, conflicted with itself, or had specifications made during construction.
“Everyone is making custom shapes and it’s all test-based,” based on STC or UL/fire rating, said Robert Warr, PE, director of engineering services at ClarkDietrich. “Small things like adding insulation or adding resilient channels can change your whole framing system profile.” Warr says his group talked to “some of the bigger architecture firms” and came away with the understanding that they wanted to put a high level of detail in their wall objects but needed an easier tool to work with than was currently available.
There are hundreds of different wall types being used in steel framing today; the ones that do have 3D BIM objects, ones that can be dropped into a model during design, were created by architects and BIM managers whose job it is to maintain Revit libraries for their entire firms. Consequently, accuracy across several projects was not always a priority. Warr and his team came up with a BIM Wall Creator add-on for Revit that’s database-driven and asks designers questions up front before construction, to eliminate a lot of what used to be a gray area.
“Information often doesn’t match between an STC rating and a fire rating,” Warr said. The new tool “gives architect an accurate picture for both ratings,” he says.
BIM Wall Creator allows you to specify if you want to design a wall for limiting height, an STC rating, a UL rating, a LEED specification, or some combination of these factors. The wall is then built inside Revit by the add-on as a new object. All information about wall height, STC rating, UL rating, and LEED is saved into the model for use downstream by fabricators and contractors.
The Wall Creator is a free add-on for Revit and has a link to the fabricator’s product submittal system. ClarkDietrich is developing additional features, such as shaft wall framing, for 2012 release. BD+C
Related Stories
| Jan 31, 2014
LEGO, Google partner to develop 3D modeling tool for LEGO structures
The free tool, called Build, allows Chrome users to create virtual 3D structures using any shape and color in the LEGO catalog.
| Jan 30, 2014
See how architects at NBBJ are using computational design to calculate the best views on projects [video]
In an ideal world, every office employee would have a beautiful view from his or her desk. While no one can make that happen in real life, computational design can help architects maximize views from every angle.
| Jan 15, 2014
6 social media skills every leader needs
The social media revolution—which is less than a decade old—has created a dilemma for senior executives. While its potential seems immense, the inherent risks create uncertainty and unease.
| Jan 12, 2014
CES showcases innovations: Can any of these help you do your job better?
The Consumer Electronics Show took place this past week in Las Vegas. Known for launching new products and technologies, many of the products showcased there set the bar for future innovators. The show also signals trends to watch in technology applicable to the design and building industry.
| Jan 12, 2014
5 ways virtual modeling can improve facilities management
Improved space management, streamlined maintenance, and economical retrofits are among the ways building owners and facility managers can benefit from building information modeling.
| Dec 31, 2013
Top 10 blog posts from 2013
BD+C editors and our contributors posted hundreds of blogs in 2013. Here's a recap of the most popular topics. They include valuable lessons from one of the first BIM-related lawsuits and sage advice from AEC legend Arthur Gensler.
| Dec 31, 2013
BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013
The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.
| Dec 17, 2013
IBM's five tech-driven innovation predictions for the next five years [infographics]
Smart classrooms, DNA-based medical care, and wired cities are among the technology-related innovations identified by IBM researchers for the company's 5 in 5 report.
| Dec 16, 2013
Is the metal building industry in a technology shift?
Automation is the future you can’t avoid, though you may try. Even within the metal building industry—which is made up of skilled tradesmen—automation has revolutionized, and will continue revolutionizing, how we work.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
