For the second consecutive year, NASCC: The Steel Conference provides a glimpse into the future of technology in steel construction with the Technology in Steel Construction Conference (TSCC). This special track features nine informative sessions that focus on advanced technology use throughout the steel construction industry, from various topics on building information modeling (BIM) to interoperability.
TSCC sessions are part of the more than 100 top-notch educational sessions being offered at The Steel Conference in St. Louis, April 17-19 at America's Center Convention Complex. Admittance to all TSCC sessions is included with conference registration. To register or view an advance program, visit www.aisc.org/nascc.
Here's a look at this year's TSCC sessions for steel design and construction professionals:
T1: Leveraging Technology to Improve Project Communication (Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. — 4:15 p.m.) — How do you convey information clearly and succinctly and ensure it is understood by others? How do you know you are interpreting the information you receive correctly? This session, aimed at all roles within the structural steel industry, will discuss how to use the technology you already have, or have easily accessible, to improve communication within the project team and your own organization. Various technologies will be examined, from tools for building and reviewing BIM models and drawings, to web-based software designed to accommodate virtual meetings, to free tools to help you share files and stay mobile.
T2: IFC - Interoperability for Construction? A Practical Take for the Steel Industry (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.) — IFC does not stand for Interoperability for Construction; but it could! It's actually an acronym for buildingSMART's Industry Foundation Classes, an industry-wide open standard that is gaining traction in the construction industry, as it offers a promise unmatched by previous standards: that a single standard can be used across various trades and professions in the industry. This session will explain why AISC adopted IFC at the core of its interoperability strategy and examine the nuances of IFC files, dispelling some myths and perceptions along the way. In addition, the session will take a look at the progress being made toward actual IFC exchanges in the structural steel industry.
T3: Risk and Model Hand-Offs (Thursday, 8 a.m. — 9:30 a.m.) — In this session, you'll learn how to address risk and model hand-offs and the challenges of working with design and construction models. The discussion will also consider the new AIA BIM Protocol Exhibit 202 that defines the Level of Detail (LOD) in models on a scale of 100 to 500. These LOD concepts will then be demonstrated with case studies on projects in three different phases: design, construction and facilities management (FM).
T4: Next Generation Approval: Using BIM for the Shop Drawing Review and Approval Process (Thursday, 10 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.) — BIM models hold tremendous potential, yet they are often underused beyond the visualization and coordination stages. This session will introduce you to three pioneering companies that are taking models to the next level by using them in the review process in concert with, or even in lieu of, traditional shop drawings. Speakers will discuss various methodologies and benefits they've experienced using model review.
T5: Bridging the Gap from Design to Fabrication (Thursday, 1:15 p.m. — 2:15 p.m.) — Do you still use traditional PDF drawings? You may be running the risk of inefficiencies and opportunities for mistakes. In the new and evolving world of BIM, more designers are creating 3D models that contain an immense amount of information that can be easily accessed by steel detailers, who have the opportunity to incorporate lean processes in their workflow -- benefiting the bottom line for the entire project team. In this session, you'll hear about the steel detailing challenges, successes and lessons learned from a major healthcare project related to the structural design model and project team coordination, and how to apply these to your own projects.
T6: The True Benefit of BIM for the Structural Engineer and the Pivotal Role They Play in the BIM Process (Thursday, 3 p.m. — 4 p.m.) — Do you typically use software packages for your own domain and find that it can sometimes be a bottleneck in the BIM process? Structural engineers and designers will often use their own BIM models for design, but, for most projects, the construction documents will be produced as drawings for the steel detailer/fabricator, who then interprets the drawings for building their own BIM models for fabrication purposes. This session will examine and discuss various topics related to improving workflow both within the structural engineering office and as it pertains to sharing models with steel detailers.
T7: What Does it Mean to Be a BIM Coordinator? (Thursday, 4:15 p.m. — 5:15 p.m.) — This session will delve into the role and requirements of a 3D/4D BIM coordinator and provide objectives from the perspectives of a steel detailer and general contractor. The purposes and goals of a BIM Contract will be reviewed, as well as the expectations of each project stakeholder. The session will also examine the different BIM platforms each party uses and the benefits of identifying discrepancies earlier in the design and detailing process.
T8: Steel Procurement in the 21st Century: Current Best Practices and Future Possibilities (Friday, 8 a.m. — 9:30 a.m.) — In today's brave new technological world, paper, faxes and basic spreadsheets still dominate the world of steel procurement. This session will offer practical ways to take advantage of the technology you already own, or have easily accessible, to improve the procurement process, which will be investigated in four primary areas: Inventory availability; Request for Quotation (RFQ); order placement; and order status/delivery. It will also discuss promising future initiatives and opportunities in this area.
T9: Laser Scanning and Steel Construction (Friday, 10 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.) — In this session you'll gain a solid foundation in using laser scanning for your projects, including how to budget and specify laser scanning work. The presentation will also provide practical examples of how laser scanning is adding value, accelerating schedules, and improving quality and safety for steel projects.
More information on this year's TSCC sessions at The Steel Conference can be found in the Advance Program (pages 29-31). For more information about the conference, visit www.aisc.org/nascc.
About the American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction, headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC's mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building activities, including: specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information.
Related Stories
Concrete Technology | Jun 17, 2024
MIT researchers are working on a way to use concrete as an electric battery
Researchers at MIT have developed a concrete mixture that can store electrical energy. The researchers say the mixture of water, cement, and carbon black could be used for building foundations and street paving.
Codes and Standards | Jun 17, 2024
Federal government releases national definition of a zero emissions building
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new national definition of a zero emissions building. The definition is intended to provide industry guidance to support new and existing commercial and residential buildings to move towards zero emissions across the entire building sector, DOE says.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 14, 2024
AEC inspections are the key to financially viable office to residential adaptive reuse projects
About a year ago our industry was abuzz with an idea that seemed like a one-shot miracle cure for both the shockingly high rate of office vacancies and the worsening housing shortage. The seemingly simple idea of converting empty office buildings to multifamily residential seemed like an easy and elegant solution. However, in the intervening months we’ve seen only a handful of these conversions, despite near universal enthusiasm for the concept.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 13, 2024
Top 10 trends in the hospital facilities market
BD+C evaluated more than a dozen of the nation's most prominent hospital construction projects to identify trends that are driving hospital design and construction in the $67 billion healthcare sector. Here’s what we found.
Affordable Housing | Jun 12, 2024
Studio Libeskind designs 190 affordable housing apartments for seniors
In Brooklyn, New York, the recently opened Atrium at Sumner offers 132,418 sf of affordable housing for seniors. The $132 million project includes 190 apartments—132 of them available to senior households earning below or at 50% of the area median income and 57 units available to formerly homeless seniors.
Lighting | Jun 10, 2024
LEDs were nearly half of the installed base of lighting products in the U.S. in 2020
Federal government research shows a huge leap in the penetration of LEDs in the lighting market from 2010 to 2020. In 2010 and 2015, LED installations represented 1% and 8% of overall lighting inventory, respectively.
Libraries | Jun 7, 2024
7 ways to change 'business as usual': The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
One hundred forty years ago, Theodore Roosevelt had a vision that is being realized today. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a cutting-edge example of what’s possible when all seven ambitions are pursued to the fullest from the beginning and integrated into the design at every phase and scale.
Education Facilities | Jun 6, 2024
Studio Gang designs agricultural education center for the New York City Housing Authority
Earlier this month, the City of New York broke ground on the new $18.2 million Marlboro Agricultural Education Center (MAEC) at the New York City Housing Authority’s Marlboro Houses in Brooklyn. In line with the mission of its nonprofit operator, The Campaign Against Hunger, MAEC aims to strengthen food autonomy and security in underserved neighborhoods. MAEC will provide Marlboro Houses with diverse, community-oriented programs.
Airports | Jun 3, 2024
SOM unveils ‘branching’ structural design for new Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare Airport
The Chicago Department of Aviation has revealed the design for Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s business airports. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup, the concourse will be the first new building in the Terminal Area Program, the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s almost seven-decade history.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 3, 2024
Grassroots groups becoming a force in housing advocacy
A growing movement of grassroots organizing to support new housing construction is having an impact in city halls across the country. Fed up with high housing costs and the commonly hostile reception to new housing proposals, advocacy groups have sprung up in many communities to attend public meetings to speak in support of developments.
