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Page 22 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — November 2017
Development
F or apartment developers,
every square foot of space
matters. Efficient building
design practices provides
them with more rentable
square footage, taller ceilings, larger
areas for lobbies and amenities and
the opportunity to maximize the
building’s user experience and prof-
itability. Internal mechanical, elec-
trical and plumbing building sys-
tems – heating, ventilating and air-
conditioning, electrical, plumbing
and specialty low-voltage systems
– play a large role with forming the
final shape of a building. In this
case, the expression “sharpen your
pencil” has never been more true.
Fortunately for apartment devel-
opers, today’s technology far
exceeds a pencil and paper. One
of these advanced technologies
is building information modeling,
an intelligent 3-D model-based
process that gives architects, engi-
neers and contractors the insight
and tools to more efficiently plan,
design and construct buildings and
infrastructure. And BIM – and the
professionals who know how to use
it – is helping apartment develop-
ers discover precious space during
the design and construction of their
buildings.
The ability to design and build a
building three dimensionally on a
computer, before actual construc-
tion begins, helps architects and
engineers tighten up gaps and max-
imize usable square footage. With
the basic architectural and struc-
tural bones of a building in place,
major components can be added
and routed (such
as pipes, conduits
and duct work)
to help fill in and
form the building.
At the outset of
the design process,
building system
engineers work
through calcula-
tions, which then
lead to equip-
ment specifica-
tions, ductwork
sizes and piping/
conduit sizes, and
overall anticipated
routings. This information is then
provided to a BIM modeler, who has
the information he needs to work
on three-dimensional placement of
the major equipment in the build-
ing. This is critical to verify the
major equipment in the building
can be installed in the space allo-
cated. The BIM modeler continues
this process by modeling ductwork,
piping and conduit throughout
the building to achieve fully con-
nected and functional systems. The
3-D aspect enables the entire team
to visualize a building’s design in
ways that a two-dimensional for-
mat could never provide, including
orbiting the building and looking
through the structure.
Via the BIM process, the design
and construction team can iden-
tify opportunities for conserving
space. Once the building systems
MEP model has been populated
with content, a collaborative pro-
cess follows with the design team
to shift, tuck and slide systems
around to minimize space that does
not directly generate revenue for
a developer. Systems are routed
in a virtual environment with the
goal of efficiently arranging these
components to minimize the space
occupied in building walls, vertical
shafts, ceiling plenums and soffits.
Three-dimensional modeling of
MEP components can play a role
in determining the overall floor-to-
floor height of a project as well as
the overall height and footprint of
the building – big-ticket items for
the development of a project. On a
recent project, our team successful-
ly reduced the overall project build-
ing height by minimizing the floor-
to-floor space for each level of the
building through efficiently routing
and coordinating building system
components in the ceilings.
For apartments developers who
want to work with a firm special-
izing in BIM, there are a few impor-
tant things to consider:
• Does the firm specialize in
mechanical, electrical and plumb-
ing design, the three most relevant
disciplines associated with BIM? If
they do, it will lead to a more seam-
less coordination of the overall
design and make the communica-
tion process easier.
• Is the firm using the most
advanced software associated with
BIM? (For example, AutoDesk, Revit
and NavisWorks are three of the
superior software systems for the
design industry.)
• Is the firm experienced with BIM
modeling procedures and aware of
the challenges that exist?
For apartment developers, provid-
ing tenants with the maximum and
most-efficient space allowances will
make their buildings all the more
desirable and leasable by enhancing
the user experience. BIM can find
added space, while also identifying
potential design problems and chal-
lenges before construction begins.
It not only provides a “sharper pen-
cil,” but also a competitive edge to
apartment developers who decide
to make it part of their design pro-
cess. ▲
Travis
Middlebrooks
Electrical project
engineer, MEP
Engineering Inc.,
Denver
With the basic architectural and structural bones
of a building in place, major components can be
added and routed (such as pipes, conduits and
duct work) to help fill in and form the building.