2018 international Award Winner for construction Pontsteiger’s Innovative use of openBIM® Sets a New Standard for Construction Project Overview About Project Pontsteiger the models delivered conformed to the BIM Project Pontsteiger Residential building “Pontsteiger” is the agreements. For many parties, this meant an tallest of its kind in Amsterdam, Netherlands, adjustment of their existing workflows and ICT Location: rising 90 meters out of water in the IJ canal. infrastructure. The BIM agreements created the Amsterdam, Netherlands This unique location is northwest of the city right conditions for real openBIM collaboration center in a large-scale redevelopment area. between the different parties which enhanced Objectives: This project hosts 366 apartments, 1400m² the design team to make an integrated design Inspire design collaboration, commercial real estate, 500 underground and enhanced the suppliers and producers to integration and alignment; reuse parking places, and a marina for 40 yachts. optimize the process from BIM to production information throughout the whole The building is surrounded by water but lifted and assembly. supply chain and stimulate on pillars to allow for retail and public use. forward integration of knowledge The planning, development and construction Concurrent Engineering from suppliers and producers. was done by De Nijs and Dura Vermeer and During the initial design phase, and due to the an extensive list of architects, designers, time limit on filing for a building permit, models Software used: engineers, co-makers, sub-contractors and were exported to IFC and checked by the Allplan, ARCHICAD, BIMcollab, suppliers. contractor every two weeks with results shared Docstream, Solibri Model and discussed. During the next phase of Checker, Tekla Structures, The project made extensive use of openBIM design, BIM directors oversaw clashes between Vectorworks processes and collaboration and set a new the architecture, structural engineering and standard for construction engineering by building services. Additional “co-makers” were buildingSMART tools: developing a strategy for the use of Industry added to the project. Weekly meetings were IFC 2x3 Foundation Classes (IFC). The design started held to resolve clashes and other model related BCF in April 2014, with construction starting in issues. Subsequently, during the construction October 2015, and the first residents moving phase, an openBIM approach was also applied. in in May 2018. Modelers from every subcontractor were required to come to the building site to work Mandating IFC together as in the design or technical phase. Bouwcombinatie Pontsteiger is It was important from the outset that data the tallest residential building in would be made open and available throughout Model Coordination Amsterdam, Netherlands.This the various phases of the project. One of the One of the project challenges was that all unique location is northwest of driving factors behind this project was the building information needed to be available the city center in a large-scale use of IFC as an open standard approach before production. No cutting and drilling on site redevelopment area. This project to delivering data to the various teams. This would occur. For building speed, the project had hosts 366 apartments, 1400m² helped data fidelity and collaboration among to make use of prefabricated materials as much commercial real estate, 500 the team members and helped ensured data as possible. Demand models were developed underground parking places, and a models were developed before construction, to look at all disciplines to a level at which marina for 40 yachts. ensuring better planning, design and clash production could participate in making their detection. Due to a lack of material support own supply models. For each discipline within Highlights: however, De Nijs and Dura Vermeer needed the demand models, a production partner was to develop their own IFC strategic plan for the brought in. BIM coordinators were appointed • 85 project participants successful delivery of this project. onsite, coordinating and checking all models worldwide and working together with the site engineering • 75% of all concrete and 100% Managing BIM Agreements team who were responsible for the program, 2D of all steel structures produced Management across the project parties was output and contracts. off-site achieved by defining mandatory conditions • 3000+ versions of IFC models and developing supporting documentation, Working with Solibri Model Checker and IFC • 6000+ BCF issues to be educating parties during kick-off meetings, as models, several coordination models were built managed well as performing entry inspections to ensure to allow for coordination and checks. Because the building was so large, it was split into four The IFC demand models of the architect, parts, every part had his own life coordination structural engineer and building services model. BIM coordinators kept these models engineer were shared on the document “This project was a joint ambition, up-to-date and added new supply aspect management system with the suppliers who transparency and perseverance to models as they came in. In the coordination used them as a reference model to engineer stick to the plan that was essential to models, the demand models were completely their products, ensuring they would fit with the classified with the project’s classifications building and were able to be assembled onsite. optimally realize this building using in order to have a good overview and make The suppliers used their own software and open standards” automatic and visual checks between aspect exported provision and voids to separate models easier. All clashes and issues where models to make it easy to import the supply Jeffrey Truijens kept digitally, using BCF zip files. Finalized models. IFC was used for information sharing BIM Manager aspect models were frozen in the document and this provision and voids were integrated Dura Vermeer management system so production could into the supply model. Workplans for the start. Final models formed a base for other assembly of the large prefabricated elements “openBIM gave us an incredible insight partners to confirm their aspect models to. simulated with the models including the cranes into the way models are used by other and other temporary equipment. Due to the openBIM workflow, the status of people. IFC standards are solid and engineering was always clear and 90% of By using only IFC and BCF, the use of paper proven. Understanding classifications the building was modeled in 3D and free of was minimized, and a highly integrated BIM and parameters that give structure to clashes. IFC allowed everyone involved to coordinated model was created. The demand the building model gave us a better be on the same page and the total collection and supply models substantially reduced costs. understanding of (the) building itself” of IFC models formed the SMC coordination model. Safely Bringing it All Together at the Site Remco Wieringa The general contractor managed the site BIM Manager facilities, props and scaffolding, safety Issue Management Workflow Arons & Gelauff Architects A major challenge was the scale of equipment, cranes and scaffolding. Demand models during the process of designing and supply models were shared with the and engineering. Managing remarks on engineers for all temporary services at the “Because all construction partners hundreds of dynamic models with many site. They were required to make models of work with the same models using an project members was very difficult. An issue their equipment in the right position in and openBIM, everyone speaks the same management workflow was developed to around the virtual building in order to make language. Communication is improved resolve this. First, all models were combined workplans and coordinate the anchoring to and adjustments or changes to a model in one coordination file. These IFC files were record prefabricated elements. Interfaces are better coordinated” checked on both data and geometry. When with related elements were also coordinated. errors were found, issues were logged and Models of site facilities with unloading docks Dennis Frankot exported to a BCF file. The BCF files were and crane positions were made. Construction uploaded to BIMcollab and the issue owner site managers had large screens in their offices Project Manager received a notification. The owner could then and onsite meeting rooms for access to up-to- Buiting Machinebouw en Staalconstructie use the BCF file to locate the error and adjust date model information. B.V. the model and mark the issue resolved. The renewed models and the resolved For more information about issues were loaded into the coordination buildingSMART International, file, checked, and reactivated or closed if please visit: resolved. All closed issues were archived but remained accessible for review. The issue www.buildingSMART.org management workflow made it possible to manage, engineer and coordinate this very : difficult project, resulting in a coordinated Or contact us : [email protected] model within time and budget. Complete Email Tel: +44 923 277953 issue management of over 6000 issues was The Results achieved with BCF and BIMcollab. This project proved that highly complex multi- disciplinary design and production coordination Prefabrication and Assembly through IFC is possible. It entailed more than The production time onsite had to be 50 disciplines delivering