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BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING: IMPLEMENTATION ON THE FLORIDA MARLINS STADIUM PROJECT

By

ASHLEY LITTLE

A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE M.E. RINKER SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HIGHEST GRADUATION HONORS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………...3

BIM INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………….4

1.1 Description of Project………………………………………………………………………..4 1.2 Need for BIM………………………………………………………………………………..5

BIM UTILIZATION & INTEGRATION………………………………………………………………..7 2.1 Barriers to entry………………………………………………………………………………8 BENEFITS TO THE PROJECT………………………………………………………………………..10 3.1 Schedule Coordination……………………………………………………………………...12 3.2 Detail Integrated Models……………………………………………………………………13 3.3 Material Take-offs…………………………………………………………………………..14 CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………………………………..15 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………………….16

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ABSTRACT Technology is forever changing and evolving. In the construction world, the latest wave of

technological innovation is the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is a digital

technology used by design and construction professionals that simulates the building process.

Additionally, BIM is an information and management tool that addresses all the primary components of

construction; planning, scheduling, and estimating. With such capabilities, BIM has become a valuable

asset that can expedite decisions and thus improve quality and profitability of projects.

Just like any other technology, BIM, is constantly being tested and tried by design and

construction professionals who are trying to optimize its potential. The purpose of this paper is to

provide an in-depth analysis of how BIM technology is being optimized and pushed to new heights on

the highly complex and high profile construction of the new Florida Marlins Baseball Stadium in

Miami, FL. The project management’s implementation process of BIM into the project was thoroughly

discussed. The paper further focused on the benefits BIM brought to the project as a result of the

innovative approach the project team took. The research presented in this paper was based on personal

interviews with key construction personnel and literature review.

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CHAPTER 1 BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING INTRODUCTION

Since its inception in the 1990’s, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been an emerging

technology within the construction industry. BIM, in simple terms, is a virtually integrated process

used for exploring design characteristics before construction to help deliver projects with greater

efficiency. BIM builds upon the use of three-dimensional (3D) technology that design professionals

have used for years to render visual representations of their conceptual designs to owners. BIM has the

ability to incorporate the use of 3D imaging with real-time, data driven, object-based imaging that can

be utilized to help integrate design and construction coordination and collaboration.(Holness 2006)

This progressive technology is changing how the construction industry operates by improving

efficiency, accuracy, and communication.

Today in the construction industry, BIM is a popular buzzword and trend due to the many

benefits it offers. BIM has been shown to improve project schedules, constructability, material

management, resource management, and the overall communication of information. As a result of

these benefits, BIM is becoming a common business practice utilized among construction companies,

architects, and owners. According to McGraw-Hill Construction (2008), 43 percent of architects, 35

percent of engineers and 23 percent of contractors use BIM on more than 60 percent of projects. The

number of engineers who rely heavily on BIM systems was projected to increase to 43 percent in 2009.

1.1 Description of Project

The project of discussion is The Florida Marlins Major League Baseball team’s new

$515,000,000 facility being built in Miami, Florida. The new facility will feature a 37,000 fan ballpark

with an 8,300 ton retractable roof, a natural grass playing field, and 50 luxury suites. While the new

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stadium will have one of the smallest perimeters in Major League Baseball, it will provide a unique

experience for fans. Playing on Miami's coastal and tropical location, the architects designed the

project with the inspiration of water merging with land. This is evident in features such as the half-acre

retractable outfield window wall and the retractable roof that can be opened to reveal the downtown

Miami skyline. The ballpark will also have two large aquariums near home plate as well as a

swimming pool positioned over left field. Once completed, the stadium is expected to be the first

retractable roof facility to earn LEED Silver Certification. (Figure 1-1 and 1-2)

Figure 1-1 – North Exterior View

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Figure 1-2 – Floor Sectional View

Construction of the ballpark began in July 2009 under the construction management team of

Hunt/Moss and is scheduled to be ready by opening day in April 2012. Hunt Construction Group and

Moss & Associates are teaming up to tackle the project as a joint venture. Hunt is known as the nations

premier sporting facilities builder while Moss & Associates is one of the largest construction firms in

South Florida.

1.2 Need for BIM on the Project

While no construction project is ever simple to build, this project in particular is daunting due to

its sheer size and complexity. The design is very unique with many curves and angles making up the

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exterior shape of the building. (Photo 1-3) Because of the complex geometric shape, adding to the

complex geometric shape is that there is not a typical level that can be reproduced. Due to the

complexity of the design and the sheer size of the project, the Hunt/Moss management team worried

about being able to conceptually understand and coordinate the project. The team eventually decided

to use 3D virtual modeling as a tool to help them comprehend the design and develop a comprehensive

plan of how to build the stadium. The Hunt/Moss team took it upon themselves to create a BIM model

of the 3000 plus construction documents despite the fact that the architect did not originally intend to

use BIM. In fact, the architect originally gave the owner the option to use BIM on the project, but the

owner declined due to the additional cost. The Hunt/Moss team, however, felt that BIM would be an

invaluable tool and thus took the initiative to create a BIM model of the construction documents at no

cost to the owner.

Figure 1-3 – Southeast exterior view

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CHAPTER 2 BIM UTILIZATION & INTEGRATION

After the Hunt/Moss team came to the decision to use BIM on this project, they had to figure

out how to implement and utilize it. Even though BIM has been around for almost a decade and used

on many projects, the sheer size and complexity of this sporting facility, presented new challenges to

both the project team and BIM software. .

The Hunt/Moss team decided to use multiple software programs to accomplish the task of

integrating all the components of the stadium into one model. To do this, the Hunt/Moss team used

Autodesk Revit Architecture and Autodesk Revit MEP software to create discipline-specific models

from the original 2D drawings and 3D MEP designs. Once all these individual models were created,

they combined them all with the Revit Structural model into a single, integrated model using Autodesk

Navisworks Manage software. The Naviswork software thus created a consolidated virtual model of

the entire project. To management team also used “Autodesk Buzzsaw software as a service (SaaS) to

help with project collaboration and centralized project information management, and Autodesk Design

Review software to support digital design reviews and signoffs.” (Autodesk 2010) By using a

combination of software, Hunt/Moss were able to build the designed project virtually before they built

it physically.

After Hunt/Moss created the preliminary integrated model of the project, their work was not

done, it was just beginning. In order to keep the BIM model up to date, Hunt/Moss updated the Revit

Architecture model daily with design revisions and changes. Then they would upload and integrate the

Revit architecture model into the Navisworks consolidated model.

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2.1 BARRIERS TO ENTRY

Although the idea of virtually constructing a building before its actual physically construction

seems like a logical way to improve the efficiency of construction, the idea to use BIM on this project

was not embraced by all parties involved initially. The first barrier the project team faced was proving

to the owner that it was worthwhile to use BIM. At first, the owner had rejected the architect’s idea to

use BIM on the project during the preliminary design phase due to the additional financial cost that

would be incurred. Once the Hunt/Moss team was hired, they decided to finance the use of BIM free

of charge. The owner, who had never built a project using BIM, is now a true believer and proponent

of using BIM. The owner claims he will never build another project without BIM.

The next challenge the project team faced was getting the subcontractors to accept using the

BIM technology. It was a requirement for all bidding subcontractors to have some BIM experience,

since they were required to submit their submittals and shop drawings in a BIM format. However,

even though the subcontractors all had used BIM in some capacity before, none of them had ever taken

BIM to the level the Hunt/Moss team hoped to achieve on the Marlins Ballpark project. As a result,

there was a huge learning curve that had to be overcome. To help expedite that learning process,,

Hunt/Moss spent a lot of time training its management team and the subcontractors’ staffs to help all

parties involved understand the value BIM was going to play on the project. Project managers,

superintendents, and foremen were all included in the training sessions where they learned general and

project specific BIM concepts. The most important thing subcontractors learned was how to integrate

their trade models into the consolidated Navisworks model and how to use various trade models for

their own coordination purposes.

The learning curve for subcontractors in the use of BIM was the toughest barrier of entry on this

project since BIM is still a new technology to many and a departure from the traditional building

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process. Subcontractors just like anyone else are resistant to change. It is hard to get people to accept

doing something differently than the way they were used to doing it for decades. However, just like the

owner, most of the subcontractors came around to the use of BIM after seeing how it improved their

functionality and the overall benefits BIM can have on their own companies.

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CHAPTER 3 BENEFITS TO THE PROJECT

The key to being successful in construction lies in the ability to plan. BIM is a tool that

enhances a company’s ability to plan, mitigate potential problems, and thus reduce risk on a project.

On the Marlins Ballpark project, BIM enhanced the job management as well as the quality of work

from the subcontractors.

One of the benefits of using BIM was clash detection. According to a BIM specialist, Edwin

Perkins of Moss & Associates, by virtually building the stadium before physically constructing it, the

project team was able to detect and mitigate roughly 20,000 conflicts by using the consolidated

Navisworks model. (Figure 3-1)

Figure 3-1 – Conflict Identification

Prior to the use of BIM the traditional method was not able to discover the majority of these clashes.

With the traditional method various consultants gave their data and specifications to the architect who

incorporated them into his master plans. This, resulted in many clashes and interferences going

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undetected. BIM has an interference detection tool that generates a report and 3D visual of every object

that is in conflict with another. On the Marlins Stadium project, the Hunt/Moss team was able to use

the BIM model’s interference detection report to show the architect and engineers the problem areas

that needed to be fixed before the project got started. By being able to extensively comb over 3,000

visual pages of drawings before the project even began, the project team was able to detect the clashes,

which in turn decreased the number of requests for information (RFI) and change orders (CO) during

the construction phase of the job saving both time and money.

In addition to the clash detection, the project also saw improved construction coordination

among disciplines and trades. The Marlins Stadium project had more than 16 different trades that have

created BIM models as well as 2 additional models just for the canopy and retractable roof. Once each

trade made their models, the Hunt/Moss team made the individual trade models accessible to the whole

project team using Buzzsaw. Hunt/Moss then combined all the models into the Navisworks model to

aid in all cross-discipline coordination. According to the project team, perhaps the most useful tool

was the ability to use these virtual as-fabricated models as a preconstruction coordination and planning

tool. On the project the virtual fabrication models were essential for the two roof systems as well as the

MEP systems. According to Edwin Perkins, the construction of the Retractable roof system was the

critical path item that benefitted the most from the use of BIM. He stated “These roof systems are

completely irregular with lots of curvilinear forms that have to be attached to huge structural trusses,

making manual coordination extremely difficult. Their (the steel fabricators) fabrication models

contained everything down to the angles, plates, and bolts-enabling us to digitally detect and correct

conflicts with these massive systems before they become costly field changes.” The simulated

construction of the roof in 4D additionally served the purpose of helping the project team to understand

the sequence of the work. The ability of the BIM model to generate workflow sequencing is an

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invaluable tool that was used for organizing subcontractors, site logistics, and to detect any unforeseen

conflicts.

The virtual fabrication models also helped with the coordination of all the MEP systems.

Combined with the complex geometry and the indoor/outdoor stadium, the sheer size of some of the

MEP components presented a challenge. Edwin Perkins stated in our interview that trying to make all

the MEP systems fit within the complex structure has been the greatest challenge on the job. For

example, some of the air-conditioning ducts are over six-feet wide and tall. The mechanical

subcontractor’s detailed model of their ductwork, equipment, and necessary spacing requirements made

coordination much easier. Being able to visualize all the components helped Hunt/Moss understand

and develop a comprehensive plan for efficient construction of the stadium. To further ensure that all

components would fit and be sequenced correctly, coordination meetings were held daily during the

first year of the project. As construction progressed, coordination meetings were held twice a week and

then weekly as needed. It should also be noted that as a result of the increased efficiency of

construction coordination, there has been less re-work performed and many of the building components

have been able to be pre-fabricated based on the BIM model.

3.1 Schedule Coordination

Another way Hunt/Moss utilizes BIM technology on the job is by using Navisworks software in

conjunction with their Primavera schedule to simulate the construction schedule. To accomplish this,

the Hunt/Moss team links the consolidated Navisworks model with the Primavera schedule the project

team has created. Once linked, Navisworks software creates a 4D construction sequencing model. The

simulation assists the scheduler and project manager with developing phasing strategies that can

improve the plan and improve communication of the plan to the project team. The major benefit of the

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sequencing model is it helps to identify conflicts in the schedule that may have been overlooked. “For

example, using Navisworks we recently discovered that several roof trusses were being lifted into place

at the same time sections of the precast seating bowl were being installed right below them.

Scheduling conflicts like this are almost impossible to detect using 2D drawings or even 3D models.”

(Autodesk 2010) By simulating the construction process ahead of time, potential conflicts can be

avoided which will save valuable time and money.

3.2 Detail-Integrated Models

One way the Hunt/Moss team has pushed the capabilities of BIM on this project is through their

dedication to making the BIM model all encompassing. In addition to the consolidated Navisworks

model, Hunt/Moss also links requests for information(RFI), drawing revision numbers, the source of

the change, and even actual photographs to the model. On a job of this size, revisions and changes that

affect the design and constructability of the project occur daily. These changes in turn then affect the

BIM model the Hunt/Moss team created. In order to keep the BIM project model up-to-date, the

project team manually updates the Revit Architecture model with any changes and then synchronizes it

with the Navisworks consolidated model. The team is also utilizing the model to include RFIs,

drawing revision numbers, and the source of these changes. By doing so, Hunt/Moss is able to easily

identify when changes were made and who authorized them. The greatest benefit of this feature is that

it facilitates the direct, seamless, and simultaneous flow of information to all parties involved. Using

the BIM as the primary communication tool dramatically reduces handling and processing costs, time

delays, and the potential for omissions or errors. This significantly reduces the number of

communication steps, which in turn reduces both time and cost while increasing accuracy and

quality(Holness 2006).

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Another useful feature that the Hun/Moss BIM includes is actual progress photos of the

construction. Hunt/Moss takes photographs of the actual building in progress and then hyperlinks them

to the appropriate location in the consolidated Navisworks model. In essence, the actual photographs

provide as-built documentation of the work completed. The project team has found this resource to be

particularly useful in resolving field issues that arise. When such issues occur, the project team is able

to use the model and photographs to compare what was coordinated versus what was actually

performed or installed. In other words, this approach helps Hunt/Moss to communicate better and to

make better decisions. This approach is also very helpful in showing and explaining progress or

problems to the owner and architect since the photos allow any party, regardless of construction

experience, to acquire an understanding.

3.3 Material Take-offs

The ability of the BIM to generate a material list is a benefit that enables the contractor to

generate an inventory of the material involved with the project. Since the project schedule is linked to

the Navisworks model, the BIM is able to generate a material list that synchronizes with the schedule.

This in turn helps the project team to keep track of when materials will be needed, the quantity of

materials needed, as well as specifications about each of the materials. On the Florida Marlins Stadium,

Hunt/Moss uses this function of the BIM to assist with its LEED submittals. The project is seeking to

achieve LEED Silver Certification and in order to receive such a rating; Hunt/Moss must prove that the

project meets various requirements. The BIM helps extract quantities and material types that are

required to attain certain LEED credits.

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CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSIONS

The Hunt/Moss team has been very successful thus far in implementing and using Building

Information Modeling (BIM) on the Florida Marlins Stadium project. At this juncture in time, the

project is moving along according to schedule to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2012

Major League Baseball season. As of February 2011, 85% of the interior walls on all levels have been

built and the finishes are under way. Additionally, erection of the retractable roof has begun. (Figure 4-

1) According to a recent newspaper article, it was noted that the project is currently on schedule and

under budget(Fernandez, 2011).

Figure 4-1 – Aerial photo of the Florida Marlins Stadium dated 09/27/10

Simply put, BIM is a tool that allows those involved with decision making to formulate better

solutions faster. For a construction team like Hunt/Moss, this means time saved on decision making as

well as accurate predictions of the construction process. On the Florida Marlins Stadium project, the

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use of BIM helped Hunt/Moss to plan, organize, and communicate more efficiently than using other

traditional methods. In turn, these benefits have resulted in cost savings to the owners and faster

construction of the project.

The Hunt/Moss team’s implementation of BIM on such a large, high profile, and complex

project has caused the construction industry to take notice as the team pushes the boundaries in regards

to its use of the latest software. Software manufactures have been following the progression of the job

and have been in constant contact with Hunt/Moss since much of the software being used on this

project have not been used on one as complex as this stadium. The project team hopes that its

experience with the software will help software companies to develop programs that will benefit the

construction industry.

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REFERENCES

Autodesk, Inc. (2010). “Hit a Home Run with BIM.”

<http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=16156418>

Holness, Gordon. (2006). “Building Information Modeling.” ASHRAE Journal, 48(8), 38-46.

McGraw-Hill Construction (2008). “SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling.”

http://construction.ecnext.com(pdf)

Fernandez, Yudislaidy. Miami Herald (2011, February 17). “Marlins Ballpark Still on Time.”

The Miami Herald