Key takeaways:

• How data center construction projects benefits from BIM process during space planning phase?
• Prefabrication coordination needs BIM to deliver uber fast track projects.
• Data center construction phasing management in BIM
• Raised floor / false floor coordination with MEP systems using BIM
• Coordinating services inside BIM models before actual construction
• Enabling commissioning and O&M record keeping in 3D BIM Revit models
• Air Flow Analysis & Simulation (CFD) using BIM

Generally, everyone talks about benefits of BIM for coordination and clash detection on projects but when you talk about all the complex electrical conduits lines that you are running through tight spaces, its much more complex environment with tight spaces.

The more coordination becomes important, the more application of BIM in data center construction becomes useful.

We reached out to many professionals specializing in data center projects to identify the areas of planning, design & construction and how they are getting the most value out of BIM / VDC coordination.

Space Planning

Typically, data centers are having huge mechanical and electrical capacities compared to their built up area. More than 25 times the typical commercial buildings. The equipments are typically placed near to server rooms to reduce the risk of IT equipments. together, these factors create incredibly dense equipment spaces and major ducts, pipes and conduits are required.

Application of BIM in data centers helps designers to confirm that equipments and services distribution can fit to these tight spaces allowing maintenance and service area clearances are achieved. Furthermore, it allows to analyze voltage drops and pressure drops with actual routing. Similarly, underground electrical feeders can become so dense that they could overheat (Eddy current loss appears in the form of heat) and melt if not designed properly. BIM allows precise routing which enables electrical engineers to model the heat dissipation and adjust the electrical ducts / bus bars configuration accordingly.

Prefabrication Coordination

Clients including wholesale operators, technology companies, and financial institutions are pushing the speed of new construction and retrofitting projects. Fast track is past, ultra fast track projects are the new standards which are looked by clients to get their data centers up and running sooner.

To help speed up the construction of data center projects, contracting companies are prefabricating many of the building systems and components from enclosure to mechanical and electrical systems. BIM / VDC is critical for designing and testing prefabrication concepts with respect to logistics such as material handling, path of travel and installation sequence.

We have delivered logistics planning visualization to several prefabrication contracting companies. Majority of such project requests comes from Middle East, South Asian Countries including India and Singapore.

says Marketing Manager from Vee 7 Information Technology LLC, Dubai, Middle East

To keep up with the speed, several prefabrication contractors are constantly pushing the amount and types of items they fabricate at their facilities. This allows them to minimize the amount of fit-up and welding in field environment and allows to maintain excellent quality assurance due to the majority of their work being built in a controlled, workshop environment.

A recent example of a completed data center project required 500 welds for the piping system, out of which only 30 was needed to be performed on site. The reduction of onsite welding required only one welding machine onsite. It also decreased field installation time from about 30 working days to only 8 working days.

Tip: Ensure to include system hangers in BIM models which helps to fabricate all piping supports and hangers in bulk, deliver early to site and have installation completed prior to piping and ductwork material deliverables.

Project Phasing Management

Generally Data Center construction is phased to avoid building out expensive capacity which is not required on day one. Often, the initial capacity target shifts during design development and construction activity due to leasing activity and the difficulty of projecting the need for computing power.

By utilizing phasing feature that BIM offers, teams can analyze the cost, schedule and energy consumption at different phases. BIM supports phasing of projects by quickly allowing the team to modify the design drawings and documents by adding or subtracting modules of power and cooling. After day one construction is complete, BIM helps in future development with an accurate record of the as-built condition allowing teams to plan further deployments with confidence.

Integrating raised access floor layouts / false floor layouts

False floors or raised floors can be tricky, especially because most of the floor installers do not model their installations or adjustments for structural bridging and supports are typically planned onsite. By developing the BIM model of the raised flooring allows the installation teams to understand where MEP systems are located in conjunction to pedestal support system.

By coordinating and integrating this into 3D modeling process, flooring contractors can see where they need to modify their support framing early in the process and fabricate the necessary bridging and support components which spans across the MEP systems wherever required. This helps in eliminating time and efforts it would take to do this in field once MEP systems are installed thereby decreasing the field installation time.

Conflict free routings

The capacity transmission from densely packed equipments requires multiple layers of stacked conduits, ducts and piping. Using the BIM model, the detailers can pick up where the designers left off adding more information to each elements.

Tight construction schedules don’t allow field routings to solve conflicts, therefore the routing must be solved during the detailed design stage allowing for 99 percent conflict free installations.

Commissioning and O&M tasks

To ensure performance and reliability, robust commissioning processes are required for data centers. Commissioning information such as tags for each equipments and feeder are added to 3D BIM models for keeping a live database of commissioning process status.

For greenfield data centers or newly built data centers, the information is must valuable to operation staffs. Mainly submittals, O&M manuals, as-built plans and sections, balancing reports, commissioning reports which are generally never transferred to them and are often lost over the years as personnel are changed during the lifecycle of projects.

When this type of information is present in 3D BIM models, these information can be retained and viewed for each piece of equipment rather than separate volumes. Whether they are facing problem or trying to improve energy efficiency, data center operators are benefitting from such comprehensive set of information.

Air Flow analysis

Analyses such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations inside BIM models allows engineers to fine tune the server layouts based on thermal modeling approach. By incorporating that process in Revit models, clients are able to visualize how the air flows are forming inside the data center and temperature variations are happening based on air flow movements.

It is essentially helpful in being able to see how servers in a computer room receive cold air and how hot air is removed.

CFD modeling and analysis is more as a design verification of engineering calculations than as a design tool. It is really a fine tuning process.

We develop 3D models using BIM process for design and construction phases of data center projects. If you are looking to implement 3D BIM Revit models into your delivery of data center projects, get in touch with us at contact@oneclickbim.com.

VDC is for everyone working on construction projects allowing them to participate in the process and provides with the ability to collect digital knowledge and information during construction project life cycle. It allows constantly improve the way of working.

Difference between VDC and BIM

BIM and VDC are not same, but are closely related with each other. Building Information Modeling (BIM) involves 3D modelling and information about physical objects. BIM involves virtually building an object and attach information associated with it whereas, VDC uses BIM models to plan construction process from start to end. VDC focuses on construction planning of BIM model and includes elements such as budget, cost estimation, scheduling, etc.

Value Added BIM services used within VDC

4D BIM Construction Simulation

4D BIM in construction planning and simulation adds business value as an extension to 3D BIM or Building Information Modeling on projects. Using 4D BIM capabilities, you can visualize time for better decision making at pre-construction, during construction and post-construction stages. Site logistics planning, pre construction sequencing, time visualization, slab cycles, construction updates, etc is hassle free and digitized for every stakeholder.

5D BIM Cost Estimation

5D BIM is related to the process of obtaining quantity and cost estimates additional to 4D BIM or it can be standalone too. Quantity surveyors and cost estimators can quickly perform the quantity take-offs using few clicks and have the quantity schedule in excel linked to their respective WBS or Work Breakdown Structures.

Even when a new updated 3D BIM model is received after having some design updates, QS and estimators can validate and update the costs and estimates within few minutes.

COBie Data Integration

COBie stands for Construction Operations Building Information Exchange. It is an international standard commonly used for exchanging useful building information from construction team to facility management or asset management team. It includes assets such as mechanical equipment, electrical fixtures and electrical equipment, Information and communication technology equipment, architectural features, structural components, piping equipment, fire fighting equipment, etc.

Facility management team or asset management team requires precise locations of assets and procurement data along with management data such as:

• when those assets were procured and installed,
• where they are installed,
• how to access them,
• who installed it,
• what are their technical specifications
• what is their warranty period
• when their warranty is expiring
• who is the service provider, etc

Usually these asset information is responsibility of the project owner to provide it to the facility management team. These information lies with the construction team and procurement team which is necessary to be transferred to facility management team for smoother operations and cost effective asset management.

We at OneClick BIM has helped dozens of general contractors and sub-contractors since 2015 in visualizing their VDC processes utilizing BIM models in regions such as Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia, India, and many more. If you are looking for having support in your VDC processes, we will listen to your needs and provide you with end to end BIM Solutions for contractors and contracting companies.

In this blog post, we will understand the definition of Integrated Project Delivery or IPD.

Integrated Project Delivery or IPD versus Virtual Design and Construction or VDC

IPD concept requires approach to project delivery as a team including architect, engineer, contractor and developer or owner whereas VDC process requires full integration of all elements contained in a  project with sharing of design and construction models within the team. Majority of project developers or project owners are considering the traditional delivery methods so IPD is emerging as an important alternative.

What is IPD or Integrated Project Delivery in detail?

IPD is all about the process by which people, business structures, systems and practices are combined together to achieve optimized project outcomes, enhanced efficiencies, reduce waste and gain insights from all stakeholders involved in design, fabrication and construction phases. The initial idea is to identify which team or who is best able to achieve the completion of task, even if the team primary role is different or outside traditional roles. Continuous improvement and staying focused on achieving the project objectives is inbuilt in the process.

The important component of IPD implementation is the roles assigned to team members. Instead of focusing solely on their issues, they are required to focus on what is best in the interest of project. The entire team should be committed to engage in following tasks:

• Collaboration: Behavioral change from independent contract to collective project
• Trust: Reliability to build trust among all parties
• Commitment based management: Focusing on systems and project performance, not just on performance.
• Continuous improvement: Learn instantly from outcomes that comes from uncertainty

Teams and team members are expected to go through the following five phases during the IPD process:

• Establishing objectives, goals and metrics;
• Understanding the design elements and intent;
• Refining the design parameters of project;
• Documenting the process; and
• Execution

The teams’ needs to focus on doing the right thing and doing it right i.e. focusing on who is best to perform certain tasks regardless of their company and role. IPD is about outcome driven, consensus based, multidisciplinary and depends on shared accountability.

Three groups comprises the IPD management structure and help determine its success.

Project Management Team or PMT

They act in collaborative manner and provide management related leadership during the entire design and construction process in concentration to achieve the project outcomes as planned. They are responsible for managing the budget, schedules and administration related aspects of project. They should comprise of owner / developer representatives, project architects, engineers and construction managers.

Senior Management Team

They comprises of executive level representatives from each party that signs the agreement. They are referred to matters by PMT.

Project Implementation Team

They lead the execution, spearheading the innovation and aiming to reduce waste in the process. They are represented by civil engineers, landscape architects, project architects, designers, planners, structural engineers, interior designers, MEP engineers, etc.

Every stakeholder is responsible for meeting the agreed cost of contract involving the financial benefits based on total project outcomes and not on individual group results.

In honest terms, the IPD process is followed on projects from conceptualization through implementation and final handover which is significantly different from non IPD involving projects. IPD results in more intensity, increased team involvement in early phases of design. The design will follow from establishing relationships with project goals to what will be built and how design needs to be realized.

Current project phases such as schematics design, design development, construction drawings, etc creates workflows that has boundaries and are misaligned with collaborative process.