Bim for muLtipLe discipLines
This category applies to creative and effective integration of the information and
processes between multiple disciplines. Of particular interest are projects in which
BIM was used to integrate and coordinate the work of multiple disciplines.
WINNER eview and Study of the Opera Theatre Interior and New Works, Sydney Opera House arup
A partnership of Utzon Architects + Johnson Pilton
Walker with consulting engineers Arup worked
closely on the review and study of the Sydney
Opera house’s interior. The primary goal was to
create a base-coordinated structural, architectural,
and MEP as-constructed model. This as-built BIM
allowed further internal building studies and
scheme documentation to be completed with a
great deal of confidence in the redistribution of
internal space and existing structural constraints.
Because of the complexity of the acoustic paneling
throughout the auditorium, a building surveyor
performed a 3D laser-scanning survey. Other
modeling challenges included the concourse-long
span beams and the complex shell ribs and
pedestals. Once the as-built architectural and
structural models were completed, engineers
studied a range of potential reconfigurations of
auditorium surfaces, all within the overall constraint
of the opera house’s iconic shell roof. A new
western foyer colonnade, completed in 2006 at
a cost of $70 million, was fully modeled in advance,
along with pre-existing structural conditions.
In conjunction with the as-built modeling, structural
and architectural components were assigned
invisible descriptions to indicate drawing information
sources. This information can be extracted as an
h TML report that contains hyperlinks to a CD of all
structural and architectural drawings. The linking
of the structural model to the master door schedule
makes it possible to locate a door number in the
external facilities management database and then
view all the information about the wall containing
that door.
Bentley Structural and Bentley Architecture were
used by the various project disciplines to facilitate
interoperability between their models. Bentley’s
BIM solutions demonstrated how easily an
extremely complex geometry could be generated,
manipulated, and documented. The ease of integration of other subconsultant documentation —
such as DWG and IGES formats — without the time-consuming conversion process saved numerous
man-hours.
