News
BIM, 'BURG & BALLS
May 26, 2010
| The Jerome Robbins Theater at the Baryshnikov Arts Center on W. 37th Street delivered two months ahead of schedule. That feat wouldn't have been possible without BIM, Harry Spring, senior managing partner of WASA/Studio A, told us when we visited his 740 Broadway office recently. |
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| WASA began using BIM (that's Building Information Modeling, for you old school types) in '08 and now uses it for all designs. The process electronically generates and manages building data throughout a project's life cycle—keeping all documents updated for architects, engineers, developers, and other consultants. WASA is currently working on the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center residential and outpatient treatment facility (construction begins this year), and the Kupferberg Arts Center at CUNY Queens College. |
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| WASA biz dev wiz Stephen Fishkin checks out part of a BIM model. When the technical information for an architectural/MEP engineering project is inserted into the 3D-BIM model in the design phase, errors and conflicts are detected and immediately eliminated. And when something is changed in a project, like a window placement or mechanical system, the revision is automatically updated and reflected in the design documents. We think the use of BIM is quite the leap for a 121-year-old firm—WASA came to NYC as a result of winning the competition to design Grand Central Terminal. We wonder how much shorter the station's 10-year buildout would've been if BIM was around in the early 1900s. |
