Blog article written by Celeste Martinez, Student, CM 132-Advanced Architectural Graphics/Building Informational Modeling, California State University, Fresno (Fresno State University)
If you’d like to ask Celeste a question, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page!
Other blog posts in this series
We last left off on an introduction to a joint course project; used to educate a group of design and construction management students in efforts of educating sustainable building practices. To sum up, this collaborative project joins Professor Wu’s Advanced Architecture Graphics and Vivien Luo’s Sustainable construction course at Fresno State. Each group is composed of four to five students with the mission to create a more sustainable design for the soon to be Jordan Agriculture Research Center located at Fresno State. Through the design process students use a variety of Autodesk software and programs such as Revit, Navisworks, Screencast, and the BPA Certificate as resource tools and learning guides.
The Design Process Continues…
Deliverable 3: BIM Execution Planning Revisit: Creating the Business Process Map for Energy Simulation Using BIM
Organization and planning is crucial during collaborative work among a team environment. Identifying goals and the process of how to achieve them leads the team into creating successful results. After creating a conceptual energy simulation for the Jordan Research Center students were asked to reflect on the process their team went through towards achieving a more sustainable design alternative. This helped to create a business process that helped identify the following:
- Comparison of workflows using different energy simulation software packages
- The roles and responsibilities of individual parties in the energy analysis process
- Information flow between software and group members
- Lessons learned and defining the best practices in Energy Analysis using BIM
Deliverable 4: BIM for Site Analysis and Project Logistics/Safety Planning
Prior to the start of any construction project, site logistics and coordination must be planned in order to maintain safety and achieve efficiency during the construction phase. During this course SketchUp was utilized to create a site logistics plan for the Jordan Ag Research Center.
Conducting a site analysis and logistics plan also helped identify LEED site credit requirements. Some credits teams came up were maximizing and optimizing the open area of the job site, creating a shade structure for parking spaces, and creating parking for sustainable alternative such as bicycles and hybrid vehicles.
Deliverable 5: Model-based Quantity Takeoff and Estimating
This final deliverable was assigned in the course to familiarize student with Navisworks and how estimating could be used within this software. Estimating is one of the main concepts construction managements students must be familiar with prior to entering the field. The ‘old school’ way of estimating and creating quantity take-offs through excel is slowly diminishing. Larger sized construction companies are using BIM to create model-based quantity takeoffs and estimating to create greater accuracy in overall construction costs.
Our team found using Navisworks a lot more efficient as opposed to excel. We were able to generate calculations a lot faster and also made it easy for us manipulate during design changes. Cost of proposed alternatives were easily identified for comparison and helping depict the best solution. Model-based estimating is a great workflow tool that is beneficial to all projects despite its complexity.
Stay tuned for the blog, and how students take project final presentations to a whole new level.
Build towards a better future.
Your friend---C. Martinez