|
This high-tech green building was designed, quantified, and
analyzed during schematic design, using nine different software
tools, without redrawing or reentering data. The project won
honorable mention in TAP’s 2005 BIM Awards.
 Project
Summary
The Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) of
Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) developed a schematic
design-level proposal for a new laboratory building to consolidate
labs scattered across the LBNL campus. The building itself was
designed to be a living laboratory for the study and measurement of
energy efficiency and sustainability.
A typical DOE building request consists of a number of standard
forms, preliminary building plans and elevations, and a narrative
describing how the building will function. EETD decided to attract
the attention and interest of the DOE selectors by also providing
the results of computer simulations of the performance of each key
energy and sustainability feature.
Each simulation required the use of different software, and each
software program required input of the building geometry. The
design team eliminated the need to enter the building geometry
multiple times by developing a building information model (BIM)
that was compliant with the IFC data standard and then using
interoperable (IFC-compliant) software for the simulations. Another
significant benefit was a reliable cost estimate. The first
external cost estimate, using traditional gross-area calculations,
came in at $20 million. Using precise quantity take-offs from the
BIM, the estimate was reduced to $14.5 million.
This project highlights how a BIM can support integrated
practice:
- It allowed for the creation of much more information early in
design to support decision-making.
- It reduced the need and time required for redundant data
entry.
- It permitted more accurate cost estimates to be developed early
on.
- It supported more in-depth analyses (simulations) to ensure the
building would meet life-cycle operational goals.
- It allowed high-quality 3D images to be produced as a
by-product.
The complete project description can be accessed at www.aia.org/siteobjects/files/elab.pdf.
See Technology Focus to learn more about the IFC data
standard.
| 
