The benefits of Autodesk BIM at a project and city scale

CALTRANS PRESIDIO PARKWAY
When I got this AUGI opportunity to do a story around Sustainability, Revit and how it’s been applied to an important transportation or city-scale infrastructure project, one particular project came to mind. The Caltrans Presidio Parkway project in San Francisco was already using an integrated Civil3D, Navisworks and 3dsMax Design model for engineering & construction and was featured in 3 different AU main stage presentations last year, see Figure 1. It was a great project to talk about given its sustainable approach to environmental, economic, social, and infrastructure safety concerns. There was a Revit Structure pilot being considered to improve upon current 2D bridge design methods being employed and further enhance the BIM modeling effort already underway. There was also an effort to incorporate new high definition laser scans from Caltrans survey department into this BIM-centric model. This would help verify accuracy of the BIM model and existing conditions, while providing a more comprehensive and holistic digital means to support other contracts and tasks for this billion dollar project. This BIM use, and re-use, was in effect creating a new kind of “digital sustainability” that would serve the project, city and regional needs today as well as tomorrow. Seemed like a perfect fit.

Figure 1- Presidio Parkway Project – Navisworks 5D model integrating cost loaded schedule form Primavera with Civil3D design model

A BIGGER STORY

I then spoke with the BIM Project Manager, Brady Nadell P.E. with Parsons Brinkerhoff(PB), who had been leading this innovative work and asked him what he thought about writing this story. He said it sounded like a good idea, but suggested there was an even bigger and better BIM story beyond this project. He said that PB was in fact using Revit in conjunction with Civil3D, Navisworks and other Autodesk BIM solutions on a number of transportation and infrastructure projects, from roads to rail to airports and even entire city models. PB had actually been building a BIM base model for San Francisco and the Bay Area that was being used to support ongoing BIM efforts on several different projects. I soon learned that there was in fact a more important story to tell about how BIM was being applied at an city or urban scale and how tools like Revit and others were making a dramatic impact in winning and delivering new work in a better way. This is how the story unfolded.

It all started about four years ago, when a Navisworks 4D modeling task (3D model + schedule) for the Caltrans San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge project was proposed to look at constructability issues related to having multiple large scale independent construction contracts occurring concurrently within a tight confined area. This BIM work expanded to working with TY Lin, the structural designers of the bridge to perform clash detection between the PB designed MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) within the TY Lin designed self anchored suspension bridge. PB had been steadily improving its BIM capabilities on other projects, so when large set of 2D MEP drawings and specifications were delivered to Caltrans, and needed to be coordinated with the structural and architectural elements of the bridge, PB was ready to meet the challenge. “It was hard to understand how all the parts would fit together and get constructed” commented one project engineer. BIM or 3D/4D modeling looked like the right way to go. The deliverable was a fully coordinated model that allowed team members to see the design and plan for construction in a way that had previously not been achievable using 2D methods, see Figure 2. The impacts of moving from 2D to 3D to Building Information Modeling (BIM) on this one task created additional opportunities to address similar needs on other parts of the project.

Figure 2- SFO Bay Bridge Project – Navisworks 4D model showing master construction schedule simulation

A Navisworks 4D model was then requested to look at construction phasing for the overall bridge and approach structures. Autodesk BIM tools and deliverables were then used to look at pre-fabrication and construction logistics for several construction elements and contracts. Navisworks deliverables even got specified in an integrated shop drawing contract where clash reporting and schedule simulations became the norm. What started as a Microstation 2D design standard had become an Autodesk BIM deliverable and it didn’t stop there. The project has gone on to utilize Autodesk BIM solutions to visualize, simulate and communicate numerous complex project issues. As in the Presidio Parkway project, PB has also integrated point cloud data from Caltrans into the Bay Bridge BIM model which has improved its accuracy, integrity and extensibility. There is even a new bike and roadway design project for the City of San Francisco that interfaces with the Bay Bridge project and PB already has the BM base model ready to take this effort forward using Civil3D in conjunction with the overall BIM model that already exists.

EXPANDING SCOPE
Even more intriguing is the fact this Bay Bridge BIM effort and evolving city-scale BIM base model has gone on to be used for Presidio Parkway and other key projects. PB is now providing design services to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on the Central Subway Project where both Revit and Civil3D have been written into the contract. PB has been able to utilize this BIM “Base Model” for the greater San Francisco city area on all three projects and this has saved considerable time and money over having to build accurate base models and shared elements for each project individually, see Figure 3.

Figure 3- SFMTA Central Subway Project – Revit and Civil3D used for tunnel, track and station design.

In between all this work, PB has successfully implemented BIM solutions and deliverables on other projects in the area. For the Caltrans District 4 880/92 Interchange reconstruction project, PB developed a comprehensive Civil3D and Navisworks model used for constructability review, construction planning and logistics. This project took 2D design and 3D DTM data that enabled Caltrans and project team members to see the project in a new way and address costly issues in a more collaborative and intuitive way. They found and fixed potential issues ”virtually” in the computer first, before any construction began in reality. “All projects should be done this way” commented Caltrans leaders on several occasions (see Figure 4 for an example).

Figure 4- Caltrans 880/92 Interchange Reconstruction – Civil3D / Navisworks 4D Model

GOING FORWARD
What began as an internal BIM initiative at PB, and an MEP 4D modeling task order for the Bay Bridge project, soon turned into a robust BIM base model for the Bay Area and a new set of BIM specifications, deliverables and opportunities for other critical city and regional infrastructure projects. Technical and non-technical stakeholders have been able to understand these projects better and be assured that what they see is more accurate and accountable over traditional 2D ways of doing things. Project teams and leaders say they want to do all projects this way in the future and achieve this kind of digital sustainability to support the actual sustainability of their cities, buildings infrastructure. Autodesk BIM solutions like Revit, Civil3D, Navisworks and others have played a significant role in this transformation. The city of San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area now have a credible BIM foundation for these projects and others that will better serve the needs of its agencies, professionals, communities and citizens for years to come.

First published in the Spring 2010 issue of AUGI AEC Edge, reprinted with permission from AUGI AEC Edge

For over 24 years, Doug Eberhard has created and implemented innovative computer model-based solutions on over $120 Billion of Capital Planning, Design and Construction projects around the world. As the former CTO of Parsons Brinckerhoff(PB), Doug helped pioneer numerous unique and award-winning solutions to visually and virtually manage and communicate proposed projects using 3D visualization, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Web Collaboration and Project Information Management Systems. Doug started PB’s strategic technology and BIM initiatives in 2003 and founded several computer modeling, visualization and technology group during his 18 years there.

Doug has been a featured speaker at numerous industry, media and academic events and is a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board – Geometric Visualization Committee. Doug was named to the Carnegie Mellon Presidents Advisory Board in 2007 and has been an advisor to several AEC companies and industry consortia.