PGA STATION RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT BUILDING #10, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

A residential construction project, "PGA STATION" was a large-scale development comprising multiple buildings with various unit types. The project aimed to deliver sustainable, energy-efficient homes within a tight schedule and budget. The construction team decided to implement Building Information Modeling (BIM) for improved coordination and collaboration, with Procore as the chosen platform for project management and BIM coordination.

CASE STUDY OF BIM PROJECT:

Building Information Modeling (BIM) continues to evolve and grow along with their respective application in practice. One of the key advantages of BIM is that is facilitates the development of detailed information and analysis much earlier in the building process to improve decision making and reduce downstream changes. The increases in cost of construction and combined complexity inherent in residential construction projects provides an opportunity to harness the strengths of BIM and provide much more detailed information early in the development of a residential construction project.

Total Building Floors – 08 Floors

Area – 10,000 m2 Approx.

Challenges:

1. Complexity of Design: The project involved intricate architectural designs, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) systems, and structural elements, making coordination crucial to avoid clashes and ensure seamless construction.

2. Multi-disciplinary Collaboration: Various teams, including architects, structural engineers, MEP consultants, and contractors, needed to collaborate efficiently to share and update BIM models in real-time.

3. Tight Schedule: The construction schedule was aggressive, requiring a streamlined coordination process to avoid delays and rework.

Project Phases:

1. Initiation:

•  The client outlines project objectives and emphasizes the importance of utilizing BIM for coordination.

•  BIM consultant is brought on board to oversee and implement BIM coordination processes.

2. Planning:

•  BIM consultant collaborates with all project stakeholders to establish BIM Execution Plans (BEP’s) outlining responsibilities, workflows, and software standards.

•  BIM models are identified for each discipline, and clash detection protocols are established.

3. Model Development:

•  Architectural, structural, and MEP teams develop detailed BIM models using Autodesk Revit.

•  Procore's BIM tools allowed easy integration of these models into the project management platform.

•  Regular coordination meetings are held to address design issues and ensure alignment with the project's overall vision.

4. Clash Detection and Resolution:

•  BIM coordination meetings involve running clash detection analyses using Navisworks.

•  Clash reports are generated and distributed, and teams collaborate to resolve clashes in real-time, ensuring seamless integration of various systems.

•  Procore's BIM coordination features facilitated clash detection and resolution.

•  The project team conducted regular coordination meetings to identify and address clashes, ensuring that issues were resolved promptly.

5. Collaboration and Communication:

•  The BIM coordination consultant establishes a cloud-based platform for centralized model sharing and collaboration.

•  Regular communication channels are established, and teams are trained on using collaborative tools effectively.

•  Procore's cloud-based platform enabled real-time collaboration among team members, regardless of their physical location.

•  Teams could access the latest BIM models, share comments, and make updates seamlessly.

6. Issue Tracking:

•  Procore's issue tracking feature allowed the team to log clashes and assign responsibilities for resolution.

•  Notifications ensured that responsible parties were alerted to address issues promptly.

7. Document Management:

•  All project documentation, including BIM models, meeting minutes, and communication logs, were stored in a centralized location within Procore.

•  Version control ensured that the team worked with the latest information at all times.

8. Construction Documentation:

•  Coordinated BIM models serve as the foundation for generating construction documentation.

• The documentation includes accurate details for each discipline, reducing the likelihood of on-site conflicts.

•  It also termed it as a Shop Drawings, Sleeve/Penetration (Deck, Wall) Drawings.

9. Construction and Monitoring:

•  The general contractor utilizes the coordinated BIM models for construction planning and sequencing.

•  The BIM coordination consultant continues to monitor and update models to reflect any on-site changes, ensuring as-built conditions align with the design.

Our main scope of work for the building is HVAC & Plumbing

Input Data – LOD-200 CAD/PDF Drawings

•  HVAC

•  Plumbing

The Input design data received as in LOD 200 format and the input backgrounds i.e. 3D Architecture and Structure model received in LOD 350.

MODELLING:

The next step to convert this 2D data into the 3D model using the Revit software including all code compliance. Further classified as:

1 HVAC

1.1 Supply Air Duct System

1.2 Return Air Duct System

1.3 Exhaust Air Duct System (Kitchen, Dryer, Toilet Exhaust)

1.4 Fresh/Outside Air System

1.5 Refrigerant Piping System

1.6 AHU, DOAS, Condensers, Equipment's, etc.

2 PLUMBING

2.1 Sanitary and Vent System

2.2 Garage Drain

2.3 Storm/Roof/Overflow Drain

2.4 Condensate, Pan Drain

2.5 Cold & Hot Water

COORDINATION

The next step after completing the modeling part as per the design drawing is to check the clashes within the MEP services as well as with Architecture & Structure to make & deliver the clash free model.

This step is carried out by using the Naviswork software, in that all the input data is used as NWC files which is exported from revit.

By combining/Appending all the NWC’s created the NWF file with all the clash batches/tests within the service and with the Arch. & Strc.

This is most important part of construction stage, to ensure that before construction the entire elements/Items are clash free.

Following stages will be follow during Clash coordination stage.

•  Using Clash report from model to identify the major clash and minor clash.

•  Solve the clashes based on specific criteria and update the model accordingly.

•  Prepare Clash free model to generate shop drawings.

After identifying the Major clashes, we have to raise the RFI to client to resolve the critical issues by changing in design or as per there site conditions.

SHOP DRAWING

The Coordinated dwg for the MEPF services is generated from the Revit by exporting the files for 2D information, which will be use as shop dwg input for construction.

The Coordinated dwg contains the size, dimensions and level of services with the necessary coordinate’s grids for installation.

Shop drawing for this project is segregated in following types –

• Sleeve Drawing/Penetration/Block-out Layout – It contains all the deck/Concrete, CMU wall penetrations required for pipes, ducts, etc prior to the pouring activity.

•  Shop Drawing/Plan Layout– These drawings refer to the detailed, dimensions, sizes, elevations, etc. of all the element/services.

•  Unit Drawings – It is the enlarged drawings shows all the blow out details of the particular unit/apartment.

Results and Benefits:

1. Improved Coordination:

•  BIM coordination using Procore significantly reduced clashes and conflicts in the project, leading to a smoother construction process.

2. Time Savings:

•  Real-time collaboration and issue tracking accelerated decision-making, reducing the time required to resolve coordination issues.

3. Cost Savings:

•  By identifying and resolving clashes early in the design phase, the project avoided costly rework and change orders during construction.

4. Enhanced Communication:

•  Procore's centralized platform improved communication among team members, fostering a collaborative environment.

5. On-time Delivery:

•  The project was completed on schedule, meeting the client's expectations for timely delivery.

Conclusion:

The successful implementation of BIM coordination using Procore played a pivotal role in the efficient execution of the PGA STATION residential project. The integration of BIM models with Procore's project management tools enhanced collaboration, minimized clashes, and contributed to the overall success of the project in terms of quality, schedule, and budget compliance.