3-D software improves building design process

Angela Tablac, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

May 2--To demonstrate the building design software his firm uses, structural engineer Andrew Gayer dragged his computer mouse along a building's floorplan.

He wasn't just drawing lines that represented beams and columns. By using building information modeling, or BIM, software, he saw three-dimensional images of the structures.

Gayer, who works at St. Louis-based Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc., and others in the design and construction process say this software is the successor to the two-dimensional computer-aided design programs that have been popular for years.

It's still the early days for widespread use of this software, developed by several competing companies, but those in the construction and architecture industry say its use is growing nationally and in the St. Louis region.

HOK started requiring the modeling software for all of its projects about 18 months ago, said Gayer, a vice president and structural engineering principal.

The software is an improvement from images drawn in CAD programs, Gayer said. To see the systems and structures of a building in the two-dimensional program, a project's architects, engineers and construction teams have to look at each of the plans separately. For example, if a structural engineer designed a building's support beams, he or she would have to manually examine the architect's drawings page by page to be sure none of the beams intersect with a window or door. CAD programs won't let users layer designs or see all floors of the building at once.

On the other hand, building information modeling blends the separate designs into one computer model that can be used by all involved. Each field can design its portion of the project in the software and then layer everyone else's work on their own. Plus, users can see all sides and cross-sections of the building.

"You build one model. You can slice it and dice it in any direction," Gayer said. "I can see my structure behind (an architect's) window to see if there's a conflict."

Errors in the design process are more apparent with the modeling software, so it saves time and money, Gayer said.

Clashes in designs happen "frequently," said Len Toenjes, president of the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis, but generally are detected during, instead of before, construction.

Detecting such issues is important for Murphy Co., a mechanical contractor in Olivette, said Kevin Cook, a vice president and professional engineer. Murphy is using building information modeling while working as the subcontractor on SSM St. Clare Health Center near Fenton, a 450,000-square-foot medical center currently under construction.

Coordinating the heating, air conditioning and piping systems is complicated, Cook said, but by having all the plans in one model, he and his team are more efficient.

Other companies, like builder Alberici Constructors Inc. in Overland, use modeling software to show clients how they'll construct a project and what a building will look like, said Bill Ahal, vice president of the pre-construction services division.

Ahal and others, though, said the modeling software has its drawbacks, including cost and complexity.

Markku Allison, a resource architect for the American Institute of Architects, said the cost of a software package varies but the highest amount he's heard is $10,000.

Then there are other costs. Companies need to update their computer systems to handle the programs and spend time training employees.

Gayer, for one, thinks it's the price paid for being ahead of the curve. He pointed out that when computer-aided design came along, it wasn't cheap.

"Eventually, everybody is going to be in BIM," Gayer said. "So the question is: Do you want to be on the leading edge and using BIM?"

atablac@post-dispatch.com -- 314-340-8140

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