Tsaratsiry started with the presentation of Tsara Architectures. His architectural firm specialized in BIM is mainly commissioned for BIM design’s missions, BIM support and BIM management. He explained that since nearly 2 years now, Tsara Architectures has been working in collaboration with Francois Leclercq Architectes Agency, the agency where Clémence Eliard is working.
The presentation started by Francois Leclercq’s Nanterre University project. Tsaratsiry rapidly explained: « In the project, everyone is not using BIM yet « . This project was started traditionally in 2D in AutoCAD and was then continued in BIM because project owners tend to ask it more often, even if it is not compulsory.
When the question about the interest of BIM method for project contractors was asked, Clémence answered: « Private contractors have big interest asking for BIM because they can reuse the information to prepare the bills of quantities. » « Provided that they know how to use them of course » insisted Alexandre Poter (GIRPI Technical Director at Aliaxis).
« We have an increasing number of public tenders. High-Schools and Colleges are increasingly asking for BIM », declared Tsaratsiry. He adds: « 70% of the construction costs is concerning exploitation and exploitation is optimized in BIM ».
Situated in the Southwest of Paris with a significant road network as well as tramways and bus systems, the city-center was cut from the rest of the city by the forest. Clémence explained « The project’s main issue was to deal with the isolation of the city-center, a very disparate urban fabric. »
Clémence explained: « The aim was thus to recreate new connections with the city through the creation of a wide tree planted alley and a second planted alley which allowed the connection with the inner-city. The main advantage of the project was the creation of a wide square which will be vivid and will connect the two tramway stations.
Revit or Archicad?
When this question was asked, Tsaratsiry answered: « Revit is used because it is multidisciplinary. Archicad is interesting for architects but less interesting for other construction players. That is the reason why so many Revit poles of activity are created. »
This question was the occasion for Tsaratsiry to talk about a project of collective dwellings in Marseilles in collaboration with CARTA-Associés Agency and François Leclercq. « Everything is made with a digital model » he explained, « and the exchange of a digital model allows a better coordination ».
Building Information Modeling: Only for the largest companies?
« Tsara Architecture supports agencies working on projects large enough to imply working with BIM. But BIM is not excluded for smaller projects, it only requires more expertise« .
The BIM method: a methodology above all
According to Tsaratsiry, « BIM remains a working method. BIM manager is not a title, it is a role ». He added: « When we say BIM, we already talk about a project environment ».
At Tsara Architectures, the decision was made to create a charter and to have a quality control because « When you say conception it implies complete project management ».
Toward a BIM city?
The objective would be that one day, a whole city would be created in BIM. Tsara Architecture is working on a project with François Leclercq: the urban project of « Euroméditerranée » at Marseilles. The project managers and project owners with the support of the CSTB are creating a prototype of a multiscale BIM digital model for the Mediterranean urban design. Francois Leclercq Agency is in charge of the urban part of the project.
Thank you again Clémence and Tsaratsiry for your presentation!
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Olivier presented three architectural projects in BIM on which his agency worked. Since 1996, all the projects have been conceived on ArchiCAD.
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)
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.
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.
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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