gHAFAri served as the architect/engineer and 3D integrator on a series of
six design-build projects for General Motors where 3D-enabled delivery
and Building Information Modeling (BIM) were a requirement. The highly
collaborative project teams include GHAFARI’s engineering teams, General
Motors engineers, general contractors and primary subcontractors,
fabricators, and detailing teams. Lansing Delta Township Assembly Complex,
a 1. 4 million-square-foot facility in Dearborn, Mich., was the first in the series.
The challenge of designing and detailing the facilities’ systems using best-in-class BIM platforms was met by implementing TriForma-based BIM solutions.
Using Bentley products, multiple team members could produce or have
access to the right information at the right time, ensuring the required level
of detail at the appropriate point in the project. The challenges of document
sharing, distribution, and control were met by implementing the Project Wise
collaboration system.
The project team accessed 3D models on a daily basis and within a
compressed design/construction schedule. The team also managed and
distributed hundreds of the models and thousands of drawing files and
submittals in real time across multiple geographic locations. As the projects
neared completion, the team shared more than 80,000 documents, 2D and 3D
model files, and more than 85 gigabytes of data, all of which were updated and
maintained by numerous participants within the United States and Mexico.
This schedule-driven project used lean methodologies enabled by the innovative
use of 3D BIM to eliminate waste. The team saved money and time with
off-site fabrication and just-in-time delivery techniques. This was achieved
through a commitment to build from comprehensive 3D models defined by
facility geometry and refined by the team with fully incorporated structural,
mechanical, and electrical details. The result accelerated the schedule by more
than 12 percent, saved $100,000 in print costs, and trimmed the construction
budget by 3 to 5 percent through reduced errors and omissions.
