New York City Department of Buildings approves 3D BIM site safety plans

The New York City Department of Buildings recently unveiled a safety initiative that encourages contractors working on large projects to submit 3D/BIM site safety plans. The initiative makes the City’s Building Department one of the first to accept and review safety plans in this manner.

Turner Construction Company is the first company to have their three-dimensional, Building Information Model-based plans approved by the New York City Department of Buildings.

The plans – which show the locations of site fencing, perimeter protection, cranes, hoists and other equipment and materials – were created by Turner using detailed Building Information Modeling tools and submitted to the Department of Buildings electronically in both 3D and 2D formats. Digital submission follow-up required fewer office visits and expedited the approval process as the 3D images enhanced communication between field inspectors, office supervisors and Turner. Most importantly, the virtual models and walkthroughs helped identify potential safety risks earlier in the review process, before the start of construction. The approved 2D documents and 3D models were then stored in a secure online site from which Building Inspectors could access them in the field on mobile computing devices.

The first projects that benefited from this process were the Energy Building at NYU Langone Medical Center, which will satisfy the energy demands of the University’s growing medical campus, and a new building for NYU’s College of Nursing that will also provide expanded facilities for the College of Dentistry, and create space for a new multi-school bioengineering program. +

Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.