The MEP design and set up workflow includes a lot of stakeholders and events which might be collectively accountable for overseeing a collection of levels that can end result within the constructing engineering (or constructing services) to be deliberate, designed, spatially coordinated, fabricated, put in, commissioned and maintained. Sometimes, the constructing services design stage follows the preliminary architectural design, from which level it could actually normally be designed in parallel with additional architectural in addition to structural design modifications.

The engineering groups that usually design constructing services options are normally in certainly one of two teams. The primary group is often the constructing designer, also called the guide engineer or the design engineer. It’s the position of the design engineer to work carefully with the architect to develop the general constructing engineering components together with lighting, cooling, heating, drainage, waste, hearth prevention and safety services. Historically, the design engineer won’t be concerned within the detailed spatial design of those services. As an alternative the detailed spatial design and set up would usually be dealt with by the second celebration, often called the MEP contractor (M&E contractor) or trade contractor. The MEP or trade contractor is accountable for evolving the preliminary guide design right into a workable and installation-ready constructing services resolution.

In some cases, there’s additionally a third celebration concerned – the fabricator, who will likely be accountable for creating MEP parts resembling ductwork or pipework components or in some cases pre-fabricated options that encompass pipework, electrical ladder, plumbing, ductwork and sprinkler inside a body (module) that’s delivered to website for set up in risers, plant rooms and corridors.

This text is worried with the position of the MEP designer and MEP contractor, particularly, the main focus for this text is to debate how BIM (Constructing Info Modelling) has influenced the MEP design workflow between the designer and the contractor.

Present MEP BIM Workflow Choices

Primarily there are 5 completely different MEP design workflow eventualities that at the moment exist and these will likely be mentioned within the article. They’re as follows

1. Conventional 2D design and 3D BIM coordination
2. 3D MEP design and 3D BIM coordination
3. Designers 3D BIM design and coordination
4. Contractor 3D BIM design and coordination
5. Normal contractor 3D model coordination

Conventional 2D Design and 3D BIM Coordination

Contemplating the normal MEP method first, that is the place a guide will create 2D design outputs, which embody 2D plan layouts, 2D sections and MEP (M&E) schematics. This can point out the design intent for the constructing primarily based on the use specified by the architect. As soon as the guide has accomplished this design info he’ll cross on the data to an MEP contractor who will likely be accountable for creating the MEP coordinated resolution. This text assumes that the contractor will create a spatially coordinated 3D BIM model utilizing BIM instruments resembling Revit MEP and Navisworks. The contractor will use the design info and create an installation-ready resolution which takes into consideration set up, effectivity of pipe runs or duct bends, house for lagging and hanging the services, entry for submit set up upkeep and so forth. This conventional MEP method, from a 2D design to a 3D model has existed for the previous couple of a long time and permits the contractor so as to add extra info into the model that can be utilized by him and by services management firms after the set up. Using the 3D tool resembling Revit is after all helpful as it’s an clever model, with parametric parts and subsequently, in addition to permitting the contractor to establish and resolve clashes earlier than any time is spent on website, it has different makes use of and purposes the place model ‘info’ is used and relied upon.

3D MEP Design and 3D BIM Coordination

The second workflow technique is extra straight influenced by BIM. Because the MEP designer, one will use BIM instruments to create a 3D model and related drawings throughout his preliminary design part (relatively than a 2D design) earlier than this info is handed throughout to an MEP trade contractor. The MEP design engineer will usually create a 3D model because of buyer specs and necessities for a BIM model, as in lots of cases a federated model (which mixes the opposite disciplines in a single model) is required by the shopper for a weekly evaluate and therefore the MEP guide can’t merely present a set of 2D drawings. On this workflow, the BIM model is successfully a 3D illustration of what would in any other case be a 2D deliverable. It is going to subsequently encompass areas the place additional modifications are nonetheless wanted by a trade contractor. Such examples embody using library gadgets relatively than particular MEP trade contractor procured components that could be used within the model. The creation of a 3D BIM model at this stage by the guide can also be topic to a number of architectural and structural model modifications. These have a knock-on impact on the MEP resolution as it’s successfully a work-in-progress model for MEP with fixed architectural and structural modifications and subsequently won’t ever have the identical stage of effectivity, when it comes to format of services, in comparison with an MEP model the place the architectural and structural fashions are frozen. The draw back of this workflow technique is after all the additional time taken to create a BIM model by the guide group. Added to this difficulty is the truth that 3D modelling experience and expertise inside a consulting engineering group can generally be restricted. As soon as the guide completes his model and passes it to the MEP contractor, the choice as as to whether the contractor ought to adapt the model or begin the modelling course of from the beginning is admittedly primarily based on the standard of the model to begin with. In reality each eventualities will exist, in some cases the MEP trade contractor is best off beginning the BIM model once more utilizing solely the 2D design drawings which might be created by the guide from his BIM model, whereas in some uncommon cases the trade contractor will use the consultants MEP BIM model and adapt and modify it along with his modifications, to make the model prepared for set up. In each eventualities, the MEP contractor will all the time look to make worth engineering additions and modifications to the model in addition to procurement led model modifications.

Designers 3D BIM MEP Design and Coordination

The third MEP design workflow technique is a extra pure and direct consequence of BIM and it really additionally begins to advertise the good thing about BIM extra considerably because it will get nearer to ‘virtual design and building’ goals of the trade. On this workflow the method of design engineer is to create a BIM model that’s spatially coordinated and that’s utilizing the precise specified parts for the mission. Sometimes, the guide throughout this part may have an extended time period to create the model, permitting him to soak up the modifications from structural and architectural disciplines as they progress via the detailing levels. The truth that the model is then coordinated with the construction and structure in addition to different MEP services permits the guide to create a model that’s being created in accordance with an set up normal that’s now extra usable by an installer or fabricator. When the model on this workflow technique is handed on to a contractor, the contractor should want to make closing modifications and changes in a spherical of worth engineering. Sometimes, the contractor will use the identical model on this workflow and make modifications to the model offered by the MEP design guide. Moreover, it’s possible that the guide engineer won’t have offered invert (peak) ranges or dimensions from gridlines and partitions for the MEP services on his drawings. In such cases the contractor will subsequently must create extra element within the drawings, however once more contractor might use the guide’s drawings and progress them in additional element for his/her use.

Contractor 3D Design and Coordination

The fourth workflow technique includes MEP contractors (or trade contractors) taking up the design accountability in addition to the coordination accountability. While the coordination accountability is a longtime skillset with expertise of growing detailed and complete vertical and horizontal methods for coordination being a part of the contractor’s core expertise, the design accountability is a brand new component for the contractor. This was historically often called a design and construct method; nonetheless, it’s now changing into more and more widespread particularly in cases the place firms are looking for to have speedy design and detailed coordination accomplished. Sometimes, the parts for use will likely be specified by the tip shopper, permitting the contractor to design and model earlier than creating his detailed coordinated drawings from the model, to permit set up and fabrication if wanted. The explanation that this explicit workflow technique just isn’t the preferred at current is just as a result of quantity of labor out there and in addition the design accountability that additionally needs to be assumed as in most cases, contractors might not want to settle for this danger or certainly they might not have the sources to finish the design work. For this workflow technique to exist in any respect signifies that the contractor has to make use of design workers straight and supply design legal responsibility insurance to permit him to design the MEP resolution in addition to set up it. The advantage of this workflow possibility is clearly the time effectivity that’s realized and subsequently the fee profit, as the price of utilising contractor useful resource will normally be decrease in comparison with costly design engineering corporations. Nonetheless, it does include some danger because the design experience that design engineers possess can’t be simply replicated by contractors, even when they do make use of in-house groups bim service.

Normal Contractor 3D Model Coordination

The fifth variant of MEP design workflow is predicated on creating coordinated MEP fashions just like the normal 2D to 3D method however for a distinct buyer group. On this workflow technique a 2D architectural, structural and MEP design that’s for use by a predominant contractor (or basic contractor) is then progressed right into a 3D BIM model by the contractor to evaluate the validity and completeness of the model. In some cases, among the design components from the completely different disciplines could also be offered in 3D whereas others could also be in 2D. It is usually potential that completely different disciplines might present fashions in several software program that will or might not current software program interoperability challenges. In such cases, a group will usually be employed to make use of the design knowledge from architectural, structural and MEP designers to then create a 3D BIM model primarily based on precise knowledge. The intention is to establish any inconsistencies within the design knowledge by figuring out any clashes within the model, permitting the contractor in such a workflow technique to successfully mitigate his/her potential danger. Any issues discovered inside the model are normally handed again to the designers to make amendments to their 2D design for subsequent modifications to the 3D BIM model which is finally owned by the principle contractor. This BIM workflow resolution is changing into much less widespread now as a result of MEP contractors and designers are creating BIM fashions themselves.

In abstract, BIM has launched a lot of new workflow variants to the MEP design services sector. The beforehand tried and trusted technique of a 2D design, from a designer, that was developed right into a 3D coordinated MEP model by contractor is now not the workflow resolution used as corporations now have many different variants and alternate options accessible. Together with BIM Modeling, different developments within the building sector, together with collaborative online working and work sharing have additionally contributed to the uptake ranges for BIM and impacted the modifications to workflow.

By way of the MEP design workflow choices, the preferred of those as we transfer ahead would be the third possibility, which is the guide making a BIM model that’s spatially coordinated, or the fourth possibility which is the contractor taking up the design accountability in addition to creating the coordinated BIM model. Each choices are successfully a change to the normal method for MEP design and each level to a single supply for the model and drawings versus the historic two-tier design method. All choices mentioned would require competent BIM coordination and MEP modelling groups and sources. XS CAD, with its giant MEP coordination group and MEP engineering design group, which consists of mechanical and electrical engineering professionals, is effectively positioned to cope with such initiatives for firms primarily based within the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. As all are areas the place BIM is now the popular resolution, XS CAD, with greater than 16 years’ expertise and a presence in every market is a perfect possibility for such firms.