11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013

If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics. The following collection of feature stories and case studies is based on the number of BDCnetwork.com readers who clicked on the article in the past 10 months. The topics range from BIM for facilities management applications to modular data centers to augmented reality.

1. “BIM Becomes VDC”

By John Tobin, LEED AP, Director of Architecture, EYP Architecture & Engineering

The disruptive growth of BIM has been largely due to the unanticipated interest contractors have taken in the technology. Contractors have grasped the power of BIM with far more vigor than designers. Contractors look at BIM models and immediately understand how they could be used for VDC tasks. www.BDCnetwork.com/vdc

2. “Augmented reality goes mainstream: 12 applications for design and construction firms”

By David Barista, Editor-in-Chief, BD+C

Thanks to inexpensive mobile devices and increasingly advanced software apps, Building Teams are finally able to bring their BIM models to life on the job site. This article offers a dozen distinct applications for augmented reality and profiles one of the nation’s largest AR implementations: the Oakland Medical Center Replacement. www.BDCnetwork.com/ar

3. “’My BIM Journey’ – 6 Lessons from a BIM/VDC Expert”

By Jared Krieger, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager, Gensler

From applying the two-inch rule to simplifying the BIM execution plan, Gensler’s Jared Krieger offers valuable advice for taming BIM/VDC workflows based on his five-year journey with the technology. Krieger discusses how to prepare for virtual coordination meetings, work more effectively with subs on BIM-driven projects, and apply clash detection tools more effectively. www.BDCnetwork.com/mybim

4. “World’s tallest children’s hospital pushes BIM to the extreme”

By David Barista, BD+C

Learn how the Building Team for the 23-story Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago implemented an integrated BIM/VDC/IPD workflow. This report includes an in-depth look at the coordination of the tower’s 10th-floor mechanical space, which, according to the Building Team, could not have been built within the time frame and budget without the use of BIM and VDC. www.BDCnetwork.com/bimhospital

5. “Level of Development: Will a new standard bring clarity to BIM model detail?”

By Jeffrey Yoders, Contributing Editor, BD+C

This article breaks down the Levels of Development Specification developed by BIMForum. The document will allow Building Teams to specify and articulate with a high level of clarity the content and reliability of BIM models at various stages of development. www.BDCnetwork.com/levels

6. “BIM 2.0: AEC firms share their vision for the great leap forward in BIM/VDC implementation”

By David Barista, BD+C

For our 2013 Giants 300 Report, BD+C reached out to dozens of AEC firms that made our annual BIM Giants lists and asked one simple question: What does BIM 2.0 look like to you? What they had to offer ranged from augmented reality applications to “smart” job sites to BIM for O&M tasks. www.BDCnetwork.com/bim2.0

7. “5 tips for running a successful BIM coordination meeting”

By Jared Krieger, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager, Gensler

BIM tools are great, but if you can’t run efficient, productive coordination meetings, the Building Team will never realize the benefits of true BIM coordination. The author offers helpful tips for making the most of BIM coordination meetings based on his experience working on BIM/VDC-driven projects. www.BDCnetwork.com/5tips

8. “Hospital project pioneers BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery”

By Jeffrey Yoders, Contributing Editor, BD+C

Everyone talks about the need to bring together BIM/VDC and integrated project delivery in the design and construction of complex projects, but so far there have been few cases of true integration. Jeffrey Yoders profiles one of these rare projects: the Marlborough Hospital Cancer Pavilion. www.BDCnetwork.com/ipdhospital

9. “Electronic surveying improves accuracy on BIM-driven hospital project”

By Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director, BD+C

In the rapidly changing world of virtual design and construction, the MEP component of building information modeling has earned a reputation as something of a technology laggard. That negative perception is changing, as MEP engineers find new ways to put BIM to use. www.BDCnetwork.com/surveying

10. “BIM-driven prototype turns data centers into a kit of parts”

By Ryan Schultz and Timothy Connor, Architects, Sheehan Partners

Considering their predominantly functional and technical nature, data centers are becoming as much a product as they are a building. This article explores a BIM-designed data center prototype that takes advantage of mass customization of assemblies to achieve higher levels of efficiencies. www.BDCnetwork.com/bimdatacenters

11. “7 ways it pays to use BIM for data centers”

By David Barista, BD+C

Perhaps no other project type stands to benefit more from coordination using BIM and VDC than data centers. This article explores how AEC firms and owners are getting the most bang for the buck when using BIM/VDC on data centers. www.BDCnetwork.com/7ways

For more BIM articles, visit: www.BDCnetwork.com/bimit.

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.