Construction Showcase 2007 By Terry Olsen We had a number of incredible speakers and timely topics at this year’s CSI Construction Showcase.  Some new vendors and many excited, fresh young faces from Dunwoody also joined us.  It is always welcome to see our next generation of architects, contractors, building product manufacturers, and other industry representatives join us at our events.  I was able to sit in on two lectures and the keynote luncheon, and I have a few notes to share with you.  Enjoy! February Construction Showcase Photos

“How to Lose LEED Credits-The Easy Way”

(presented by James Scott Brew of WA Concepts)

There is a growing familiarity with the LEED criteria establis hed by the US Green Building Council.  On a continuum, LEED projects are considered “Green”, meaning they are more environmentally friendly than our current design and construction methods; however, as these buildings still use more energy than they produce, they are not quite considered truly “sustainable”.

In the United States, our 5% of the global population generates 25% of the global warming emissions.  Regardless of one’s view of global warming, it is still a good idea to cut emissions and pollution if only because of the effects they have on public health.  If one cares beyond one's regard for human health, and takes this ethical decision into their practice, then maybe “green” isn’t enough and the continuum can be enhanced to restorative building design, or even regenerative building design. 

However, stepping back to what is currently relatively easy to implement, with some forethought and cooperation from the design and construction team, LEED criteria offer a good way to measure how well a building is working towards lessening its impact on the environment.  Some of the LEED credits seem to be basic, easy-to-achieve and are no-brainers to include in a project.  However, as Mr. Brew shared with us, sometimes these points are not so easy to achieve, or basic mistakes or omissions can eliminate being able to claim those points all together.

I’m going to interrupt for a moment, and assume you, the reader, have a basic familiarity with LEED criteria and the point system.  If you do not, you may want to hop on the US Green Building website: www.USGBC.org and look into the LEED NC for New Construction.  In particular, look at the checklist criteria and this is where my following designations come from.

Following is a list of some of the LEED credits Mr. Brew has experienced difficulty attaining, despite how easy they appeared, with some helpful comments:

Given the examples cited by Mr. Brew, it is clear that the “easy” credits still require forethought and conscientious implementation.  What that means is that a concerted effort must be made by ALL team members toward each desired goal.  In the end, the greatest benefit of working toward a LEED goal is that it gets the entire team all working together for a more integrated, higher performing building.  ;

BIM Part 1a
(presented by Dennis Shelden of Gehry Technologies)

This is truly one of those “so-sorry-you-missed-it” opportunities.  I cannot even begin to describe how exciting and dynamic the information was that Mr. Shelden presented.  The animations showing stadiums in 3-D being modeled and peeled away “live” for us was very impressive.  But even more so were the applications for this information.  Mr. Shelden demonstrated that 3-D is not just for pretty pictures to show clients, and that the information we input can be smarter and we can make it work for us.

The Weisman Museum was the last Frank Gehry project designed with physical models and then drawn in traditional 2-D representation.  Now we understand why.  The current software Gehry Technology utilizes not only generates 3-D models, but is now part of the contract given to the general contractor from which to construct.  The information is then passed on to the subs and suppliers, where even the steel shape fabricators can add their information, such as crane pick points.  Fabricators now become team members instead of end-of-the-line users of the construction document information.

The information is smart, with concrete rendered to actual thickness, but full size details are not brought into the overall model.  The design model can be used to generate air flow studies, daylighting analyses, and shading effects on neighboring buildings; all of which help to assist in design.  Filters can color-coordinate by usage, such as various required strengths of concrete throughout the building.  Probably most important in saving construction headaches, the “Clash Detector” searches for locations of beams and ducts and electrical items that intersect.  This check for object interference, that previously was easily missed or ambiguous in 2-D drawings and led to disputes in the field, has saved a lot of money from errors and omissions. 

For the drawing portion, there is parametric modeling, which ties to a spreadsheet, and where, if one item is moved or changed, it is self-propelled to calculate the next cause and effect and then the next cause and effect and so on.  For instance, if a column is moved, the beams stretch themselves and deepen depending on the span. 

There is yet another option, 4-D modeling, which is the 3-D model tied to a scheduling software such as Primavera or Microsoft Project. This then shows the building in the stages as it is being built (ok, this was R EALLY cool!).

During construction you can track RFIs on the same smart model, and record the initials of who authorized the change.

BIM TOO
(presented by Dennis Shelden of Gehry Technologies)

For those of us who couldn’t get enough BIM in the keynote session, we were treated to a repeat - more detailed - afternoon performance.  In both cases, I’m afraid my notes were rather slim, as I spent more time gawking like a kid in a candy store, than writing meaningful remarks that would have been helpful for you, the reader.

In the breakout session, Mr. Shelden was able to delve deeper into the way his software version of BIM works.  He also mentioned there are other somewhat similar software options out there, such as the popular Revit (architectural and structural packages available for small scale commercial projects and a mechanical and electrical package is just starting), Bentley, Grap hic Soft, and Mac’s Sketchup (he’s blown away with how very easy it is to get to a design level, but then it hits a wall.  But he says this is an elegant and intuitive early tool).  But Gehry Technologies uses Digital Project.  The software does not function like one huge, sluggish file, but rather like a bunch of little databases managed for optimum performance.

Over the years the trend has gone from expensive aerospace engineers performing the calculations to solve the geometries for Frank Gehry’s buildings to the “kids” in architecture schools that are now doing this and having fun in the process. 

During the demonstration session, it became clear that, unlike conventional CAD where you need to know what you are doing before you draw it or else you have to erase and redraw, here the design is fluid.  You can sketch and it figures out what you might have intended.  Then you can add constraints and lock in proportions and relationships between elements in the building.  There are no static sheet layouts to set up, as plot sheets can be made at any time.

Modifications are a breeze, and if you have a multistory building and the client decides to take out several floors of retail, based on usage the model will eliminate these floors and revise the exterior elevations, the cross sections, wall sections, and so on.

For a repeat performance, we asked for another example of “Clash Detection”, and Mr. Shelden performed the encore.  He showed that select systems could be compared, such as sprinklers versus beams.   But you can set the importance level to allow some components to actually intersect or cross.

How does one manage such a file with a team of multiple people – who owns the base file?  In this case, it is a parts-based method where thousands of parts are collected for the people who are working remotely.  It is a server-based method.

When asked where specifications fit into all this, Mr. Shelden remarked that at this time they are not fully integrated.  Uniformat and MasterFormat are both relevant and the attributes are pulled in. Looking toward the future, Mr. Shelden thought the time will come when, as an item is inserted into the model, a specification for that item will be generated.  If another unit of that same item is added, it will not duplicate the specification.  If that second unit were to be pulled out, the specification would remain.  But when the last item of that type is removed, then the specifications for that item would be removed or disassociated.  We’re not there yet.  Emphasis on the YET.

There are manufacturers providing smart information that can flag a warning if an item, like a window, is not available in the particular size or shape drawn.  This interoperability of the design is a great feature to enhance project results.