04Tru wkbk lo - Hospitals Design, Construction & Operations · While the advantages of BIM to the health care interior design profession are apparent, there is still a lot of room

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BY PENNY M. JOHNSTON, AAHID, IIDA, EDAC, LEED AP

Building information modeling (BIM) is a new buzz phrase in the planning and design profession.However, the general train of thought is that BIM is just a new piece of software that makes itpossible to create a more complex building model.

While it is true that a three-dimensional (3-D) model is generated in the process, BIM is much morethan just a 3-D model or a software tool that architects and designers are using to create constructiondocuments.

BIM is intelligent. It can be used by a multitude of disciplines and across software platforms to shareinformation about a building from early design concepts through construction, to the facility manage-ment of a building. It is an ever-changing model, just like the buildings in which we live and work. »

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BIM allowed designersto quickly and easilyportray the potentialof an existing elevatorlobby at Mary LanningMemorial Hospital in

Hastings, Neb.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE...This feature is one of aseries of quarterly articlespublished by Health Facilities Management(www .hfm maga zine .com) magazine in partnershipwith the American Academyof Healthcare InteriorDesigners (www.aahid.org).

INSIDEVIEW HOW CAN BIM HELP THE INTERIOR DESIGN PROCESS?

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Design team collaborationThe traditional process of designing andconstructing a building can be comparedto a relay race. Every discipline is waitingfor its turn to grab the baton and run withit. Along the way, batons are dropped andimportant information is lost. The processunder BIM is more like a rowing team.All disciplines are working on the samefile at the same time. Everyone is in thesame boat working together with thesame goal in mind — to create an effi-cient, easy-to-maintain building designedfor healing.

According to San Rafael, Calif.-basedAutodesk Inc.’s white paper on “BIM forInterior Design” (http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/ files/ bim _for_interior_design_jan07_1_.pdf), the key advantages ofBIM include the following:

• The speed and ease of creating aninterior-design model, coupled with theability to visualize that design;

• The ability to capture and manage thedesign as multiple options such as spacelayout and material selection within a sin-gle model; and

• The richness and reliability of thedata embodied within the model.

The tools within a BIM software sys-tem make it easy to communicate ideas,analyze and evaluate the space, and givean advantage to predicting real-worldperformance of the finished building. Adesigner is able to easily study multipledesign alternatives that are reflected

accurately in all related schedules, viewsand drawings.

Planning coordinationThe most significant benefit interior design-ers experience with BIM is the degree andease of coordination possible among archi-tects, engineers and interior designers.Because everything is modeled, and themodels from all consultants are linked, aninterior designer is able to see every electri-cal box and plumbing or light fixture. Asan elevation of an interior wall is created,for example, the interior designer instantlycan see if the electrical engineer has pro-vided the junction box behind a base cabi-net or above the countertop.

In the past, this level of coordinationdidn’t happen until the construction doc-uments were nearly ready to be sent outthe door, and this was done by looking attwo-dimensional plans. The byproduct ofthis coordination is a significant increasein communication among the designer,engineer and, ideally, the subcontractorsin the earliest stages of design, ratherthan after the fact in the field.

Key areas of concern for interiordesigners include the following:

Furniture and equipment. BIM is apowerful tool for placing, documentingand scheduling such items as furnitureand equipment.

The ability to sort, count and filter thedatabases are endless and accurate.Every object placed in the model has

parameters, such as modelnumber and cost, fromwhich the schedules pulltheir information. As longas the information enteredinto the object is accurate,the schedule will be spot-onand instantly updated everytime the floor plan is modi-fied. Designers are able tostart scheduling furnitureand equipment the momentthe object is added into themodel.

This saves significant timewhen the purchasing agentneeds budget numbers andquantities. It can save evenmore time if the purchasingagent is involved with theselections as the data isbeing entered into theparameters of the objects.Some manufacturers arecatching on quickly to the

BIM movement and have started provid-ing their products to designers alreadymodeled with all the information neededto specify and purchase their products.

Accurate furniture and equipmentcounts lead to accurate schedules forthose items. This, in turn, leads to mini-mal late changes and more precise equip-ment counts.

Finishes. Finishes that are modeled,such as flooring, can be tagged, sched-uled, quantified and even can be put into“take-offs” while they’re being selected.

If a department director decides tochange the flooring patterns for an entirefloor the day before the subcontractorneeds to place the order, for example, thedesigner can instantly and accuratelyschedule the carpet quantities for theareas affected and tell the contractorexactly how many square feet of differenttypes of carpet tile need to be ordered tomeet the deadline.

The ability to calculate area and quan-tity of materials effortlessly and reliablyreduces the overall project cost by pro-ducing accurate estimates and minimiz-ing orders of excess or unnecessary mate-rials. Accurate area measurements lead toaccurate finish budgeting for items likecarpet and ceiling tile.

Benefits during constructionArchitects and interior designers shouldallow, and even encourage, contractorsand suppliers access to the information in

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Using BIM, the designteam is able to experi-ence the entrance to adepartment before thespace is even built.

» INSIDE VIEW

the 3-D model as soon as the contractor isa part of the team.

In an ideal world, an integrated projectdelivery method would be used. Theopen sharing of information builds trustand a sense of collaboration among teammembers, which can reduce time andcost to the owner.

With BIM, there is a significant reduc-tion in change orders as well as requestsfor information from the contractor andtheir subcontractors. Because BIM is a 3-D model, there is no fudging of dimen-sions. In two-dimensional software pack-ages, dimensions can be overwritten,making the completed document inaccu-rate and often resulting in a change orderduring construction. BIM software won’tlet designers make up numbers and enterwhat they think it should be. It is as itappears, and if it’s modeled wrong, itmust be fixed immediately.

Construction can be streamlined evenmore with project information manage-ment (PIM) software and electronic docu-mentation. With PIM, submittals, requestsfor information, change orders and trans-mittals are exchanged immediatelybetween team members with notifica-tions arriving in everybody’s inboxes.

This dramatically improves the con-struction administration portion of theproject. For example, it allows interiordesigners to turn around a paint submit-tal the same day the contractor submitsit. Other members of the constructionteam will see similar benefits.

BIM after constructionThere is currently a convergence ofopportunities brought on by technologyand new business processes. With thiscomes a strong desire for more pre-dictable, accurate and responsible out-comes from heath care facilities.

The accuracy and level of detail possi-ble through BIM also segue into moreeffective ways of managing and operatingthe resulting facility. The building ownernow has the ability to track occupancy,space allocation and assets.

Thus, BIM can make life much easierfor facility managers. A facility manage-ment software package that utilizes thebuilding information model easilyenables the facility manager to track fin-ishes, furniture, equipment and otherassets. An old set of paper plans rolled upin a box with red lines and taped-ondesign modifications are in the past.

Opening up the 3-D building informa-

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BIM helps design team achieve goals

When a design team planned to inexpensively renovate two 50-year-oldpatient wings into private rooms at Butler County Health Care Center, DavidCity, Neb., they sought to help reduce patient and staff falls and improve

patient satisfaction scores. Additionally, the team wanted to minimize change orderssignificantly from the industry average by utilizing building information modeling (BIM).

With the existing structure, there was little room to create safe and accessiblepatient rooms. This forced the design team to create an efficient layout.

BIM was used to show three-dimensional (3-D) design solutions incorporating evi-dence-based features from The Center for Health Design and other industry databases.The 3-D solutions made it easy for the building owner and representatives to visualizethe potential of the renovated rooms.

With enthusiastic support from hospital administration, chipboard mock-up roomswere created in the facility’s maintenance vehicle bay. The mock-up room was basedon the preferred 3-D design solution. Nursing staff and medical staff simulated patienttransfers, code blue situations and toilet assistance.

Design was monitored by architectural personnel and hospital representatives. Withslight modifications to the original building information model, the design team wasable to move quickly into documenting the project.

The first 12 months of monitoring indicated a reduction of 80 percent in patientfalls. Monitoring will continue for a minimum of two additional years. If the results areconsistent for 36 months, the entire design fee will be recovered through savings fromprevented patient and staff injuries alone.

The combination of a building information model, the inclusion of the nursing staff,hospital representatives, architects, engineers, interior designers and the creation of amock-up room allowed for a better solution early in the design process. This minimizedchange orders to 1 percent of the total project cost. �

The furnitureprocurementprocess wasquick and accurate

through BIM.

BIM improvedthe decision-

making processfor patient

headwalls dur-ing the designphase of theButler CountyHealth Care

Center project.

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tion model of a hospital on a computerand quickly filtering the information togenerate life-safety reports is a usefulfacilities management tool. Likewise, byselecting a piece of furniture on thescreen, the facility professional instantly

can know the manufacturer, model num-ber, warranty and contact information forreplacement parts.

Moreover, if a damaged ceiling tileneeds to be replaced, the exact productinformation is at hand. A health facility

professional no longer has to searchthrough four different project-specifica-tion books, old submittals and a set ofconstruction documents to figure outexactly which ceiling tile is the existingproduct type.

Room for improvementWhile the advantages of BIM to thehealth care interior design profession areapparent, there is still a lot of room forthe technology to grow into a fully func-tional interior design tool.

In many ways, the software doesn’ttranslate well to what interior designersdo every day and how they document aproject. For example, the room finishschedules are not able to pull informationfrom the floors, walls and ceilings. Thisleaves designers manually entering thisinformation similar to how it was done 10 years ago. Unless the finish is mod-eled, it cannot be parametrically taggedand scheduled. When the software is ableto do this, the accuracy of these sched-ules will be just as tight as the furnitureand equipment schedules.

It is only a matter of time before theseitems will be worked out, however, andthe job of an interior designer to docu-ment the interior finishes of a healthfacility becomes just as accurate andparametric as furnishings and equipment.

It is sometimes hard to know howmuch information needs to be modeledin BIM. It is a balancing act and withevery project designers are learning andchanging their processes to become moreefficient and accurate.

Taking advantage of BIMA building owner needs a team of repre-sentatives, architects, engineers, interiordesigners and contractors developing anaccurate building information model fromthe very beginning of a project to takeadvantage of everything BIM can offer.

From the health care interior designer’sperspective, BIM is helping to improvecontract documentation, preconstructionestimating, procurement, scheduling,coordination, cost-efficiency and closeoutdocuments for the finishes, furniture andequipment that are integral to the envi-ronment of care. HFM

Penny M. Johnston, AAHID, IIDA,

EDAC, LEED AP, is an interior design-

er at Visions in Architecture, Lin-

coln, Neb. She can be reached at

penny.johnston@vi architecture.com.

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BIM allows designersand potential users toquickly see such designoptions as the layout ofcasework and finisheson the floors and walls.

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» INSIDE VIEW