Centra Health / Lynchburg General Hospital Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg General Hospital, VA, part of the Centra Health System, views high technology and teamwork as essential elements of patient care. Those elements were echoed in the creation of the hospital's new five-story bed tower.

During design, the team employed Tekla Structures' Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to produce a computerized 3D model of the building’s structure and major systems. In this way, Barton Malow, the architectural team (led by HKS), and our subcontractors minimized conflicts in the field, reducing the need for refabrication and reinstallation, speeding construction, and cutting expense. Additional cost and time savings were achieved by viewing the design in three dimensions as it evolved, and improving construction sequencing and coordination.

Using BIM for shop drawing preparation, the team knew, could certainly streamline the shop drawing process for key trades. But for this to happen, the different software packages used by subcontractors would need to be integrated into a single BIM model. The strategy: Banker Steel Company, the structural steel detailer, produced floor-by-floor BlM files of the entire building framework. In this format, the files could be imported into AutoCAD, the popular computer-aided drafting program, and the mechanical/electrical/plumbing detailers would not have to redraw the structure. Further, major building components (ducts, pipes, etc.) appeared as solids, making it easier to check for systems clashing with each other.

And when design required clarification, we could immediately cut and paste the required portion of the 3D model (representing shop fabrication and as-built steel, concrete, and MEP systems) and send it on to HKS. Our architect immediately understood the issue and provided timely feedback, permitting quick, streamlined coordination with other tradework.

Jim Dome, AIA, who administers Barton Malow's corporate BIM effort, sees it this way: "With a thoroughly tested design and optimal coordination among team members, Building Information Modeling helps assure greater productivity, shorter schedules, and lower costs."

You can view Tekla's case study detailing how BIM aided in project construction here.