INNOVATION IN BUILDING
PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Inc.
Virginia Data Center 6
Ashburn, Virginia, United States
This $78 million LEED-certified data center in Ashburn, Va., is designed to
remain fully functional—ensuring zero downtime for servers—during and after
a seismic event. The building is the sister to a data center designed for the
same owner in another region. Although the first building has different seismic
tolerances, the project team was able to reuse the previous RAM model.
Working with new seismic parameters, the design team used RAM Structural
System to do multiple iterations of the model and optimize steel sections and
structural framing. This not only reduced engineering hours but also ensured
that the client would not waste construction costs on unnecessary steel and
building materials. Bentley software helped the team achieve the building’s
mission-critical criteria in the most cost-effective way.
Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc.
U.S. Army’s First Warriors in Transition Complex
Fort Riley, Kansas, United States
The project team for this $11 million U.S. Army complex in Fort Riley, Kan., used
building information modeling (BIM) technology to meet a highly compressed
schedule. The team convened for five weeks to combine the various design
models and create one comprehensive, dynamic 3D model for real-time use.
Linking models across disciplines resulted in a faster design process, enhanced
visualization, and increased timely coordination among all team members
and stakeholders.
Bentley BIM technology enabled accurate analysis of building designs as well
as better management of future building data over its lifecycle. The tools
enabled clash detection, which permitted Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan
to identify and eliminate structural, mechanical, and electrical issues, which
reduced the number of RFIs from the contractor. Interference checks conducted
at each design phase eliminated potential design errors prior to construction.
