Daniel Lanca

One of Portugal’s largest banks is currently developing its new headquarters. The project has a total gross building area (GBA) of approximately 50.000 sq. m. and comprises the refurbishment of existing buildings and the construction of a new set of workspace wings, blended into a landscaped masterplan. The design and construction is being supported by the use of BIM, a process in which Limsen was appointed as BIM Manager. The first steps taken, regarding BIM, involved the clear definition of BIM goals, along with the early development of a BEP and Scope assignments. To begin the project, the existing conditions of the buildings were scanned in 3D and modelled. This process helped reveal different stages of conservation that enabled the design team to tune their approaches. From the onset, a Common Data Environment was established as a single source of information, allowing for collaboration among all parties involved in a transparent and inclusive process. This was particularly important during the fast-paced phases of the project. During the construction phase, standardising various processes and workflows helped manage communication and information sharing among the three different contractors, each with their own tools and capabilities. Additionally, all MEP models were regularly updated to reflect the necessary on-site changes. This ensured the reliability of the As-Built models and allowed for COBie information to be correctly placed on all required assets. This, in turn, enabled the possibility to use valuable information in the building's operations. It's worth noting that no project is perfect and this was no different. We’ve certainly had our share of difficulties and frustration, which only increased the feeling of accomplishment in the end. While managing this process we’ve learned: Leading delivery teams with different BIM capabilities can be challenging. However, these discrepancies can sometimes be bent and some teams are willing to outperform themselves, despite their initial gap in resources/knowledge; The industry is indeed changing. As we came aboard as BIM Managers working on behalf of the appointing party, we were generally regarded as a team with no clear scope or role. Time was keen on proving that assumption wrong: using BIM to effectively revise and validate design solutions, generate construction drawings, extract and verify quantities and deliver COBie is a process that has to be managed. Three years ago neither the client nor the project manager had a clear understanding of this. Today, they know it for a fact.