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"The BIM Boom"

by John Klockeman FAIA, LEED AP 
Originally Posted: March 1, 2010

 

Walls & Ceilings Magazine - March 2010

Subcontractors can now work with manufacturers and design teams to create a precise and accurate model of projects working with 3-D modeling.

Let’s talk about what that means for the wall and ceiling industry moving forward. The numerous advantages to BIM can be boiled down to two primary values: Reduction of costs by increasing work efficiency and eliminating unnecessary waste of time and materials. The overall intention here is for a more streamlined process that reduces and ultimately eliminates waste (time and materials). The benefits to the elimination of waste are pretty obvious. By reducing waste, you buy only the things necessary to build a project and allow more to be built for the same overall price tag. With energy efficiency and waste reduction being front page topics today, this type of savings is on the top of everybody’s lists. This also benefits everyone involved in the project (including subcontractors) by keeping your costs competitive and uncertainty, as you assemble your quote to a minimum.

Improvements in quality of the finished construction through improved communication throughout the process. This process (also referred to as Integrated Project Delivery) brings together the whole project team sooner and encourages collaboration by tapping into the expertise and knowledge of every team member. This collaboration can and often does eliminate bad design choices during early design stages when these changes have the most positive impact. "Clashes" are greatly reduced or eliminated. Hard clashes occur when two or more things try to occupy the same location. Soft clashes occur when two or more things are so close to each other that it isn’t practical for installation or maintenance. When clashes are eliminated so is head scratching on the jobsite and so is downtime. Pieces go together as planned and the final result is a product that fits the way it was intended.

SIMPLIFIED CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

BIM shifts the work from figuring things out through waiting for answers to simple assembly. All this effort up front allows for the actual construction process to become more of a simplified assembly process. Of course, unplanned conditions still pop up, but the goal is to eliminate the "big, hairy" ones on paper (or on screen) before they get transferred to an actual piece. Pieces that adhere to the design model fit reliably without the interference of other components or systems. Costs of material and labor are reduced and profits rise because you can accomplish more with less. Think of it as polishing the process until it shines. Too often in the past, ineffective processes have eaten projects alive. In fact, according to a recent study, the only non-farm industry that hasn’t significantly improved productivity since World War II is our building industry … think about that. Building Information Modeling shouldn’t be viewed as a four-letter word. It’s the future of building design and construction because it emphasizes resolving issues much earlier through collaboration and removes much of the on-site uncertainty that leads to ill-conceived "fixes" that create more problems. It is coming like a tidal wave (and in many cases is already here), so you have a choice to make—sooner rather than later. You can either ride the wave or get washed away. The choice doesn’t have to be scary. This article is intended to walk you through the basics of BIM and show you how you can plug-in and prosper—not just tread water.

BIM is the process of drawing all the main components of the project as a virtual (computerbased) 3-D model. The project team (ideally everybody involved) then uses that model—or a portion of it—to work out all the details and resolve the potential conflicts before any framing piece hits the job site. This process pushes more resources to the front end of the project in an effort to save time and money later by eliminating a significant number of RFIs, on-site fixes and change orders. It also leads to increased quality in the completed project because fewer unintended and unexpected job site fixes are required and there is less down time waiting for answers.

Is BIM a magic wand or magic button to push? No. Instead it’s a way of improving process and getting to the right answer sooner in the design/construction timeline. It really boils down to getting the right people at the right table at the right time to get the right answer? Seriously, that is a good way to summarize this. It’s more about the people than the tools.

You’ll notice that since more effort is spent in early design collaboration, the more experienced people are at the table, the better this works. Great news for the jobtested designer, detailers and those skilled with BIM tools. When these skilled contributors are teamed with other people (if necessary) skilled at using the tools, things begin to happen quickly. Ten person project teams become 2-3 person teams and productivity soars.

How do I ride the wave? I’m sure you’ve seen more and more projects coming across your desks that are requiring BIM capability to be part of the project team. If you don’t already have this capability, you may be thinking, "Now what?" There are alternatives that allow you to jump on board by outsourcing, contracting for services from a third-party vendor to acquire that expertise for the project. This allows you to stay in the game without huge overhead or training expense.

THIRD-PARTY HELP

A vendor can bridge the gap so that you can decide, in a less pressured environment, when or if you want to develop your own independent BIM capability.

Let’s look at an example of how this works from the real world. Recently, Radius Track was contracted to do the 3-D modeling work and light gauge steel framing for the Madison Site Theater, in Santa Monica, Calif. By working directly with both the architect and the construction team, the company was able to model the ceilings of the various performance spaces of the facility. The subcontractor’s fabricator was also at the table with the architect and the general contractor collaborating on solutions. The manufacturer’s experience meshed with the design intent and means and methods to produce expedited and effective results.

The provider then cleaned up any unwanted irregularities from the original model’s surface curvature and extracted the data to produce the precisely curved pieces (usually track, studs, angle, or composite pieces like box beams or headers) necessary to accomplish the design intent. By being able to perform curvature analysis on these surfaces, we were able to make the corrections and adjustments necessary before any members were fabricated or any clashes had to be addressed on-site. This eliminated many on-site fixes and streamlined the process greatly. Again, the emphasis here is on analysis and correction then on fabrication. It is this process and sequence that makes all the difference in the finished product itself and how you get to it.

Experience counts in an outsourcing partner. Since we have been doing BIM design and 3-D modeling for the last 12 years, the company has learned a lot about using direct digital transfer from the 3-D computer model. The company translates this data directly to the fabrication process. This direct linkage allows the user to fabricate reliably precise and accurate pieces to exactly match what the project requires. W&C 
 

  

"Innovations in Curved Framing:  From the computer screen to the job site"

 

by John Klockeman, FAIA, LEED AP 
Originally Posted 03/01/2010

 

"Metal in Architecture Magazine - March 2010

 

Recent innovations to the light-gauge steel framing industry have followed a pattern of integrating design with production/fabrication.
The creativity being exhibited by today’s designers has challenged the industry to find new solutions that are more efficient and affordable, while structurally accommodating these new, bold forms. This increased demand for curved and warped surfaces of all description has driven the metal fabrication industry to move to more automated processes that utilize 3-D computer modeling tools, CAD/CAM integration, building information modeling, and a full reliance on virtual modeling techniques to resolve conflicts and geometric irregularities before material reaches the job site. In addition, contractors/fabricators are invited into the process earlier to lend framing and material expertise as the designs are being developed rather than coming in after the design is finalized. This change will likely have the most lasting impact. 

Integrating Design with Production/Fabrication 
It is no longer unusual in this technology climate for designers to hand-off the 3-D computer models they have been developing directly to the fabricator for further refinement and development. This breakthrough in team integration is streamlining the transfer of information without the knowledge loss that often follows the translation of 3-D elements into 2-D documents. With a rectangular solid building design this wasn’t such an issue, but as the complexity of surface design has ratcheted up, clear communication has taken on new importance. 

The 3-D computer model has become the conduit of this information/communication flow.Over the last eight to 10 years huge strides have been made in the convenient interface between design concept and modeling. No longer confined to the aerospace industry, 3-D computer models are taking the virtual construction“mock-up” to new heights. Systems that need to interface and fit together are test fit in the model. BIM processes utilize the 3-D computer model to resolve conflicts, called clashes, early in the process to save material, labor miscues and ultimately construction dollars. 

Transition to New Processes 
This idea of the transition that team integration has experienced was exhibited to full effect for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles,designed by Frank Gehry Partners. The Disney project was conceived during an era (the late 1990’s—seems like so long ago) when the primary way to curve structural framing elements was through the “stretch forming” process. This process, while effective, was not very affordable. In stretch forming, members are literally stretched and bent around a specific sized, custom-built form. The stretch forming process was used for the exterior framing for the concert hall. In order to make it affordable,the designers had to settle on a limited number of radii, to limit the number of custom forms needed to be built, and adjust the design to utilize only those radii. 

With the bending innovations brought into the industry by companies like Radius Track Corp., Minneapolis, stud and track bending has become a more affordable option while retaining predictability and accuracy. Radius Track developed a new way of accomplishing on-site bending and shop-fabricated, pre-curved members. This approach uses calibrated crimps, or bends, in the web and/or flange of tracks and studs to precisely curve members to match any design intent. This innovation replaced the stretch form method with a more affordable and versatile approach. The interior framing utilized in the concert hall was no longer limited by pre-built forms, so a much broader range of radius options was now available to the designers with dramatic results! 

Today, Radius Track’s bending technology—in just those last 10 years—has advanced to such a degree that the majority of surface framing systems including heavier structural stud and track elements can now be efficiently produced with larger pneumatic benders. These machines when coupled with the data extracted directly from 3-D computer models can bend (web) or crimp (flange) much heavier gauge material and much deeper sections. The ability to roll track(stretch it’s flanges, leg out) or crimp (compress it’s flanges, leg in) added the capability for compound bend/crimp or roll/bend configurations.This removed the final limitations on designers for all manner of compound-curved surfaces. 

What You See is What You Get 
With this full set of manipulation skills in hand, expertise and equipment now exist to produce complex, curved framing solutions limited only by the creativity of designers. But that’s not all. Add to this capability the ability to analyze and fine tune all manner of curved surfaces using software tools like Rhinoceros 3-D and Solid- Works, fabricators have emerged as leaders in multi-dimensional framing solutions. 

This digital capability has provided the added value of making sure that what you see on the computer screen is what will end up on the job site. Tools that are integrating the computer model with the production process make this precision and consistency possible. Companies that have integrated design and fabrication data achieve the best results. One set of data makes for reliably consistent product. 

Fabrication 
The next step in automation and process refinement was the integration of the 3-D modeling software with the fabrication process. Radius fabricators at the forefront of technology have developed Computer Numerical Controlled systems which couple geometric algorithms with mechanical design technology to create abstract shaped steel studs and track. In simpler terms this is a method of transferring the data, extracted directly from their computer model, into an automated production process. This process integration ensures reliable and precise curved members that perform to the exacting standards of the 21st century marketplace for both structural and non-structural applications. 

Data Extraction 
Data extraction was probably not a term you often heard in a metal fabrication shop 10years ago. The Digital Age has led to new service offerings including BIM design and 3-D computer modeling. In the walls and ceilings marketplace, some fabricators have set them- Innovations in Curved Framing From the computer screen to the job site By John Klockeman, FAIA, LEED AP selves apart with the ability to be a bridge for contractors currently without BIM or other 3-D modeling capability. As an outsourced team member, these BIM-enabled fabricators bring the unusual combination of light-gauge steel framing expertise and 3-D modeling savvy— gift-wrapped with a BIM bow. In today’s climate, this agility finds an eager audience. 

A Demanding Marketplace 
The demands of the market and innovative design challenges have driven today’s leading metal fabricators to recognize market needs and respond to them with innovation and creativity.As in any industry this is the hallmark of success. The well-publicized Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute-Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center project (pictured above)in Troy, N.Y., is an excellent example of the innovation required by challenging design solutions. This project, designed by New York City-bases Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, required the prefabrication of light-gauge steel framed panels to construct a dramatic inner, wood-clad cocoon. 

It was accomplished with the complex curvature of the finished surfaces and the panelization structure. Building panels like these off site, to be later erected into position would not be feasible without 3-D computer modeling and the precision it can deliver when skillfully engaged. RPI-EMPAC required a timeline an methodology that challenged the team to be creative and innovative. Once the procedures were finalized and the panels built, it was the modern advancements and reliable quality assurance that delivered. 

Finally, it is critically important to remember that machines do not produce the quality these projects and customers seek—people do. Innovators that are unafraid to explore new technologies and techniques make the difference. The people and companies that are undeterred by challenges have pushed the metal fabrication industry to new value in the marketplace. In this economic arena, value is the bottom line. 

John Klockeman, FAIA, LEED AP, is design manager at Radius Track Corp., Minneapolis.