On February 23rd, manufacturers and professionals of the construction world were welcomed by Polantis to attend a presentation conducted by Olivier Celnik – DPLG, founder and co-director of Z Studio agency, Co-director of the Specialized Master in BIM.
Olivier presented three architectural projects in BIM on which his agency worked. Since 1996, all the projects have been conceived on ArchiCAD.
Thursday prescription #1 with Olivier Celnik
There is no such a thing as a single line of thought about BIM
As an introduction, Olivier Celnik indicated that the projects presented were a pretext to talk about BIM and that a unique way of thinking does not exist when it comes to architecture. However, different points of views and experiences do exist.
The first project was presented right after the presentation of a quantitative study on BIM’s perception among future architects (ENSA Versailles’ students) conducted by Olivier Celnik.
ROUEN: Substantial renovation of a commercial building from the 30’s, 2 teams of architects from which Z.STUDIO, 2 teams of engineers (heating and structural engineers)
Picture: Z.STUDIO
This renovation project started with the digital modeling of the building as an illustration. Olivier Celnik specified: “we worked on the digital model from the paper plan, it needed 10 to 15 day of work that is to say 3 euros/m² (10.76391 sq. ft.) for this 5000m² building (53819.552084 sq. ft.)”.
When presenting ArchiCAD view of the project to our guests, Olivier Celnik explained: “How to imagine an architectural solution without understanding? We assume that without a 3D view, one does not understand anything about construction. Here we are talking about BIM because the digital model contains all the intelligence and precision of the construction”. He illustrated this with the example of the elevator installed at the entrance of the building to guarantee a PRM (person with reduced mobility) access.
He illustrated this with the example of the elevator installed at the entrance of the building to guarantee a PRM (person with reduced mobility) access. Even in the draft phase, the project team made sure to install the elevator taken from the catalog of a manufacturer (since the norms and dimensions are consistent with the reality). This was to ensure that the engineering design office would know how to install and place it into this specific part of the project.
Olivier added, “If I want to search this object into ArchiCAD library and that I take a product designed in Hungary or India, I am going to have a product adapted to local norms and not a product that I can insert in my Rouen’s project.
This approach allows architects to be sure about the architectural solutions proposed and about the cost of the project since the initial stage.
« BIM method allows a significant flexibility, we can change rapidly the project when working on a digital model to better match with the client’s requirements ».
The digital model can be used by all project’s stakeholders: the plans, drafts, PDF, etc. sent to them are all providing the same digital model to downsize the risks.
CAZAUX: Construction of a new building, training center of 3000 m² (32291.73125 sq. ft.), ZSTUDIO architect and authorized representative.
Picture: Z.STUDIO
This second project was the occasion for Olivier Celnik to talk about the notion of collaboration. The associated engineer of the project did not work in BIM but he participated to the collaborative approach by working on documents from the digital model with Google Sheet.
This associated engineer and the architects could look at the same document by working online. Olivier learned the lesson from this: “If we wait for everyone’s BIM level to be the same, we will not move forward. You have to know how to adapt to everyone level and propose adapted solutions so that everyone will benefit from the digital model and from the information associated with the project”.
For example, a solution would be to consider that the contractual documents will only be documents from the digital model without any other intervention. That is how Olivier’s teams help some project manager to prepare BIM Offers and can thus provide the digital model for a consultative use.
This situation corresponds to today’s practices reality and does not overwhelm the interlocutors who are not “BIM ready”.
BREST: Construction of a new 5000m² (53819.552084 sq. ft.) commercial building. Z. Studio intervenes in the BIM process and modeling along with the architects and design engineers of the project.
Picture: Z.STUDIO
The last 2 projects allowed Olivier to make a demonstration of the tools available for all the construction actors to work in digital models. Then, beyond the conception phase, the interest of BIM is to exchange more simply and more precisely.
To do so, the digital model was exported in IFC from the design software and opened on the free viewer BIM+.
Olivier’s teams propose to the clients, the companies and others to visualize the project and to make suggestions and instantaneous modifications. The software does not require a lot of power from the computer and the navigation into the project is simple so that everyone can be part of the game.
Olivier has shown how to annotate the project and how to create “subjects” identified as coming from him which could be read by all the project’s stakeholders: This type of window should be changed, the wall colour should be modified too, be careful and sure to take this support pillar into consideration…
“Mission accomplished”
Olivier ended this presentation by highlighting the pragmatism: “If thanks to the BIM use, we succeeded in securing the costs and delivery dates, if at the reception of the construction work we are not too far from the costs and delivery dates decided on the call to tender, we believe that the mission is accomplished, that we limited the risks.
At the end of Olivier’s presentation, our guests asked a lot of questions to Olivier: “What are the criteria to choose the objects to integrate into the digital model? What is the BIM evolution on in-site? Are there a lot of regional discrepancies between Paris and other regions? Do manufacturers need to have BIM software at home?…”.
A common thought of our guests: Olivier has known how to immerse them in the reality of his BIM projects by focusing on a practical and concrete case study, far from preconceived ideas about BIM and he has known how to reinsure those who did not start using BIM yet.
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