Using Building Information Modeling To Teach Mechanical, Electrical, And Plumbing Coordination

The coordination of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems has become a major challenge for project delivery teams. The MEP coordination process involves locating equipment and routing Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) duct, pipe, electrical raceway, and fire protection systems in a manner that satisfies many different types of constraints. For the past several years MEP coordination has involved sequentially comparing and overlaying drawings from multiple trades, in which representatives from each MEP trade work together to detect, and eliminate spatial and functional interferences between MEP systems. This multi-discipline effort is time-consuming and expensive. With the recent development of Building Information Modeling (BIM) this process has been able to evolve with the software technology thus enabling new teaching methods. This paper demonstrates how BIM technology can be used to teach students how to perform the MEP coordination process using a work process utilizing modeling software and information technology. Introduction and Background In recent years, there has been increasing consideration given to integrated curricula by construction engineering and management faculty and industry advisors. According to Hauck and Jackson 5 each proposal has tried to address core problems associated with an overly segmented curriculum and the lack of project based learning in different ways. A model proposed by Hauck and Jackson 5 attempts to teach construction management as a series of labs integrating the various construction management courses into an active, applied learning experience. Their integrated curriculum proposal for the construction management department is centered on the creation of seven projectbased seminars. They are as follows: ≠ Fundamentals of Construction Management ≠ Residential Construction Methods ≠ Commercial Building Construction Methods ≠ Heavy Civil Construction Methods ≠ Specialty Contracting Construction Methods ≠ Construction Jobsite Management ≠ Interdisciplinary Project Management A new curriculum recently adopted at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) is based on a model similar to that proposed by Hauck and Jackson 5 . Students receive six (6) quarter-hours of lab credit for a total of sixteen (16) contact hours per week. Similar to a studio in an architecture curriculum, each seminar is taught in a dedicated lab filled with models, samples, contracts, marketing documents, specifications, estimating guides, computer references, and other tools appropriate to that market sector, all available to students in that seminar. P ge 15320.2 The concept for the specialty contracting construction management seminar was to emphasize the work of specialty contractors who fabricate and install mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. Their work is characterized by the construction industry as being specialized and requiring a considerable amount of coordination to locate equipment and route connecting elements for each system to avoid physical interferences, ensure system functionality, and remain in compliance with differing types of criteria 6 . During the 2008-2009 academic year, a pilot lab course was developed and offered at Cal Poly for construction management and engineering students. The course curriculum focused on integrating the course content of mechanical electrical and plumbing systems with regard to design, construction, and coordination issues commonly found among specialty contractors. As noted above, the integrated curriculum model described by Hauck and Jackson 5 has the potential to provide tremendous opportunities to engage teaching strategies far beyond the common lecture approach typically utilized in many single subject courses. Various methodologies such as cooperative learning require students to be active participants in their own education 2 . Therefore, to take advantage of the studio-laboratory format of the integrated curriculum, an in-depth laboratory exercise was developed focusing on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology as a tool to perform MEP coordination in order to enhance student learning. The following sections describe the design of laboratory exercise, including the learning objectives and outcomes assessments. Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing Coordination MEP systems are the active systems of a building that temper the building environment, distribute electric energy, allow communication, enable critical manufacturing process, provide water and dispose of waste 8 . MEP systems have increased in scope on many types of projects, due to the increased requirements by building users. With the need for increased functionality of these systems, projects now include much more than the traditional MEP systems. The active systems of a building can cost up to 60 percent of the total building cost 8 and their scope now includes additional systems such as fire detection/protection, controls, process piping, and telephone/datacom. Although many of these systems seem similar in nature, different specialty contractors often install them. MEP coordination is defined as the arrangement of the building system components that must fit within the constraints of the building architecture and structure. MEP coordination is a critical activity for efficient construction and acceptable system operation. Building systems must fit within the constraints of the envelope defined by the architectural and structural systems, and meet performance expectations for comfort and safety. The MEP coordination process involves defining the locations for components of building systems, in what are often congested spaces, to avoid interferences and to comply with diverse design and operations criteria. The level of difficulty associated with this process directly relates to the complexity and number of building systems in a facility 7 . Ideally, the result of a coordination effort is the most economical arrangement that meets critical design criteria and performance specifications. Many construction industry professionals have cited MEP coordination as one of the most challenging tasks encountered in the delivery process for construction projects 9 . P ge 15320.3 In the past, there has been a wide variation in the level of technology used in the MEP coordination process. At the low-tech end of the spectrum, specialty contractors drafted plan-views on translucent media and prepare section-views when necessary. At the other extreme, progressive contractors have used three-dimensional (3-D) computer-aided-design (CAD) software to improve the process. With the recent development of BIM technology software, the process has gravitated toward the use of BIM technology as BIM is becoming standard practice now for large-scale projects and is able to provide more efficient coordination, scheduling, and cost estimating. BIM has been defined as the process of creating an intelligent and computable 3-D data set and sharing the data among the various types of professionals within the design and construction team. BIM technology enables the designer, engineer and builder to visualize the entire scope of a building project in 3-D and as well as attached schedule and cost data to the 3-D model and therefore is ideal for being able to assist improve the collaboration among project participants. Designers and builders can plan-out, in precise detail, the location and clearances needed for a complete and successful project. Therefore, the authors’ idea was to utilize BIM technology software to enhance student-learning experience as is relates to MEP coordination. MEP Coordination Laboratory Exercise: Learning Objectives MEP coordination is only one link in the chain of coordination events. It is the arrangement of various building system components, which are critical to the building functioning properly. The MEP coordination process involves defining the exact location for each building system component throughout the building to comply with diverse design and operations criteria. Often specialty contractors must arrange components in congested areas to avoid interferences with the architecture, structure, or other building system components. The process is a multi-disciplinary effort with input from many people. Iterative in nature, the process requires many revisions. This process occurs only after engineers have completed preliminary design drawings and results in a final set of coordination drawings. The current practice for MEP coordination is for design consultants, or design-build contractors who perform design, to design each MEP system independently. They prepare diagrammatic drawings indicating desired equipment locations and routing paths for their system. With this background for each type of system, coordination takes place by sequentially overlaying and comparing each system 6 . This involves all the specialty contractors, including HVAC, process piping, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, controls, etc. The integrated course described above was designed to introduce students to the scope and impact of MEP systems for buildings, which included heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, plumbing, and fire protection, while the electrical systems include power, grounding, lighting, communication, and fire detection.