BIM Specified: Q5..or equal

As mentioned recently after the project award, we were selected to facilitate construction-BIM utilization for Pier A, a renovation project for Battery Park City Authority (BPCA). As our involvement in the project grows deeper and deeper, we have learned more about the client and their excitement about BIM.

BPCA was first educated on the benefits of BIM from H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, who began the project with a laser scan and conversion to BIM. With H3’s counsel, the owner focused on a few project-specific benefits:

• Coordination between existing building and new systems
• Improved implementation of design intent and maintenance of historic intent
• Coordination between new systems, expediting schedule
• Accurate as-built model, enabling future fitout and renovations

More important than the benefits of BIM, is how Pier A asked for BIM in a way to achieve the desired outcomes. H3 included a BIM requirement in specification section 013300-5 Submittals, requiring contractors and prime subcontractors to:

• prepare a BIM to a specific LOD
• perform clash detection and resolution
• extract coordination and shop drawings from the BIM.

Section 013300 also included required level of detail and reference to access to design BIMs

An interesting (and self-serving) note is how H3 specified the quality of work for BIM. Since most of the contractors bidding on the project were “deer in headlights” with regard to BIM, H3 instructed them to select a BIM Facilitator or Consultant to fulfill the requirements. To set the standard for completion of the work and indicate a preferred facilitator, H3 named Q5.