Modena and A3 Architects:
It’s real. It’s coming.
It’s a BIM future.
The brand-new super-specialised Netcare Alberton Hospital opened to patients in April of this year. The 427-bed facility includes 13 state-of-the-art operating theatres, a cardio- as well as a hybrid cardio-catheterisation laboratory, 135 ICU/HC beds and NNICU cots as well as 70 specialist consulting suites. It’s a highly complex build, made even more challenging by virtue of being built in an earthquake zone.
Both Kevin Hinde, CEO at A3 Architects, the practice responsible for designing the healthcare facility, and Jay Moolman, Director and General Manager at Modena AEC and Infrastructure, are in complete agreement that the 42,915m² project could not have been successfully completed other than by utilising a Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform.
In conversation with Kevin Hinde and Jay Moolman
A3 Architects was established in 1991. Kevin has worked on 350 healthcare projects over the past 30 years and is an ardent advocate of BIM. As an early adopter of the technology, he is convinced that its intervention is non-negotiable in this day and age. On the recently completed Netcare Alberton hospital, BIM usage enabled a fast-track construction process without any compromise on project quality.
The case for BIM
“When you’re working on highly complex buildings, collaboration is critical,” he tells Asset. “You cannot have members of the project team holding intelligence in relative data streams. You have to deconstruct these silos and facilitate an open view into
every level of the design and the process. With BIM you have the amazing ability
to build a building twice. You can test it ‘live’ in a virtual space before it goes into construction. This tech platform is a highly efficient ‘language’ which allows for the communication of ideas between all members of the project team. As a leading architectural practice, we haven’t looked back since adopting BIM 360.”
Modena’s goal is to help clients deliver better projects.
Our BIM software professionals provided world-class, service-driven solutions to A3 Architects.
Our BIM software professionals provided world-class, service-driven solutions to A3 Architects.
Second Floor Co-ordination: NW Angle
Third Floor
Ceiling Plan:
Services
Coordination
Ceiling Plan:
Services
Coordination
Relating to the 3D building model of the facility was linked and incorporated to produce a comprehensive 3D model. Revit was the software which supported BIM by creating the data-based model of architectural and structural design, as well as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering (MEP) design.
The importance of speaking ‘French’
“Modena’s goal is to help clients deliver better projects. Our BIM software professionals provided world-class, service-driven solutions to A3 Architects,” says Jay. “Modena support teams have an in-depth knowledge of Revit, Navisworks and BIM 360 as a minimum. They understand BIM execution plans, can develop a company’s BIM Protocols, and train and mentor staff. We work with multiple consultants on the same job and can help those silos where there is no communication. We give highly informed input and if modelling is not aligning, we step in and assist. We try to teach everyone to speak ‘French’,” he adds, referencing an analogy which Kevin uses when explaining what working with BIM can be like for the uninitiated. For A3, BIM is essentially about communication and it’s the only language they want to use. If other members of the project team only want to speak ‘English’ and are resistant to learning ‘French’, Kevin sees them eventually getting left behind in a world where a growing number of clients, like Netcare, understand the benefits of a design language which is no longer representational but actual. He acknowledges that many players are terrified of BIM and the industry is being challenged by the slow shift of thought change management. In many fields it’s just not happening. “I’ve always maintained that we drip feed small pieces of information to players who we think are relevant when we work on a project. As the architect I give them the geometry of ‘a static box’ that they need to populate as an engineered solution so that it works as a live building. I can only hope they understand what I’m trying to achieve in that box in terms of finishes, performance, structure, the engineering solutions, the HVAC and the electrics, and that it leads to an end product which is a success.”
Working with BIM can reduce the
time spent on meetings by half.
“In the absence of BIM, silos are haphazard points of interface unless a player can interrogate my train of thought. Once BIM becomes the language used by all players I can open up my silo and show the entire project team exactly what I’m thinking in 3D. We can walk through the design; we
can ‘explode’ it; team members understand the materials being used and get to grips with the composition of the geometry both architecturally and spatially. As a collaborative language BIM allows everyone to comprehend what I’m thinking as the driver of a process. In others words, we’re all speaking French!”
Proptech pivot essential
If BIM is super-effective in preventing a conceptual disconnect, why is its adoption lagging in South Africa, and even more so globally? Jay says that worldwide the construction industry is widely recognised as the least digitised industry. Its spend on proptech has not kept pace with global innovation in other sectors. With varied skill sets present on any project, ranging from unskilled workers to MBA graduates, these differences create further complications and hamper the adoption of digital solutions.
The fact that it’s situated in an earthquake zone meant that the
building had to be equipped with seismic structural solutions.
Kevin is adamant that widespread use of BIM needs to become the norm with
all players “thinking in the same way that the model is talking”. Netcare fully bought into the digitised process, but some members of their professional team still only trusted the traditional 2D process, using a modern software translator to assist them in interacting with the BIM model. The problem which arises with this dual approach is that it’s time-consuming, doesn’t align with a lean approach to project implementation and blurs the view of exactly where ‘the truth’ lies in the design, Kevin maintains. Another barrier to widespread adoption of BIM is the licensing fee and the cost perception versus value derived. Is the cost worth it? Yes, says Jay, but you have to make its value clear by tying it back into the design and construction process. He gives the example of weekly coordination meetings which can take up to four hours and involve up to 40 professionals meeting on site. The associated professional costs are significant. Working with BIM can reduce the time spent on meetings by half, saving a substantial amount of time and money.
Kevin acknowledges that risk mitigation is another important factor in the resistance to this revolutionary and evolutionary way of working. If the processes you’re accustomed to using as a quantity surveyor or engineer are changing, how do you manage the perceived risk? He sees an enormous vulnerability and fear as to how traditional roles will change, limiting players’ capacity to pivot. But, he says, change will eventually be forced on them. The UK for example, is exploring a government-mandated process to switch to digitised design and construction models.
“It’s inevitable that the approach will change. The collaboration in terms of the consulting process is being hampered with so many thought processes all trying to develop a symbiotic solution. You can no longer do it the old- fashioned way. Today timelines are different as is risk profiling.
Together with Modena we assisted the entire project team in taking their contribution into a virtual environment.
“We’re building in components we can define and then layer in order to fast-track construction. To achieve this you need super specialised technology and software skills so that you can keep refining your project basket in terms of the speed and accuracy with which you can deliver changes.”
“It’s a massive hospital,” Kevin says, “which was built as a replacement facility for the old Union Hospital which had outlived its lifespan. The fact that it’s situated in an earthquake zone meant that the building had to be equipped with seismic structural solutions. This was a key driver in our approach and added hugely to the design co-ordination. Sheer walls had to be installed throughout to stiffen the structure and keep the slabs rigid. This impacted our planning both externally and internally.”
“With BIM we could pull the building apart, examine it with an X-ray view and see the services overlaid. Together with Modena we assisted the entire project team in taking their contribution into a virtual environment where they could converse. It was highly complex but the software allowed us to track and manage a real project with absolute efficiency in the virtual space.”
“I can get the best in the world to work in a virtual environment which offers our clients a streamlined, cost-effective and digitised solution. In the virtual space the end-game is working towards the just-in-time (JIT) system which is a lean methodology designed to increase efficiency, cut costs and decrease waste. The construction industry must start heading towards a JIT solution if it is going to be sustainable and profitable.”
Massive hospital project demanded open collaboration
The Netcare Alberton Hospital represented one of the most intensely serviced building types an architect could be faced with. To coordinate the services within budget and on time would simply not have been possible in a 2D environment according to Kevin. With so many projects taking place in lowtrust environments, there was no room in a healthcare context for anything less than the open collaboration and high level of trust provided by BIM.“It’s a massive hospital,” Kevin says, “which was built as a replacement facility for the old Union Hospital which had outlived its lifespan. The fact that it’s situated in an earthquake zone meant that the building had to be equipped with seismic structural solutions. This was a key driver in our approach and added hugely to the design co-ordination. Sheer walls had to be installed throughout to stiffen the structure and keep the slabs rigid. This impacted our planning both externally and internally.”
“With BIM we could pull the building apart, examine it with an X-ray view and see the services overlaid. Together with Modena we assisted the entire project team in taking their contribution into a virtual environment where they could converse. It was highly complex but the software allowed us to track and manage a real project with absolute efficiency in the virtual space.”
Lean methodologies are non negotiable
Both Kevin and Jay accept that the evolution of BIM to the role of being the only ‘language’ spoken on a project is still in its early stages. However both A3 and Modena are committed to encouraging its adoption and ensuring that expert support is always on hand to assist team members who need to be brought up to speed. The advantages of using it in a world where being lean is the only way to survive and where fast-track projects are the norm, are not in doubt. In addition, says Kevin, BIM opens up the industry enormously.“I can get the best in the world to work in a virtual environment which offers our clients a streamlined, cost-effective and digitised solution. In the virtual space the end-game is working towards the just-in-time (JIT) system which is a lean methodology designed to increase efficiency, cut costs and decrease waste. The construction industry must start heading towards a JIT solution if it is going to be sustainable and profitable.”
Jay Moolman
Director –
Modena AEC and Infrastructure
Do you need more info about BIM? Please get in touch with me.
jay@modena-aec.co.za
010 595 2500
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