TECHNOLOGY

BIM Stadia Design

esigners benefit greatly from working with

precasters who use Building Information Modeling
(BIM) programs to handle detailed facades and
model the information required to achieve high-efficiency
precast production. In the case of the recent renovation
of the football stadium on the University of Mississippi
campus, that quality not only won the job for the precaster
but produced a highly constructable design on a tight
deadline.
The precasters ability to utilize BIM in coordination
was a key factor in their selection for this fast-tracked
project, says Eddie Rivers, BIM/VDC manager for Roy
Anderson Corp., the general contractor on the project.
The ability to simplify and expedite coordination through
BIM was an important part of maintaining the schedule.
The work at Ole Misss landmark Vaught-Hemingway
Stadium is part of a series of renovations aimed at
providing an even greater game-day atmosphere and
more seating, according to the university. The program is
part of a $150-million Forward Together capital campaign
that included renovating the south end zone to add 30
luxury suites and 770 club-level seats while refurbishing
suites on the west side in 2015.
The biggest changes are coming this year, the university
says, with a facelift to the north side of the stadium. The
work will transform that entry into a new front door,
complete with a plaza and bell tower. A green space will
extend the Walk of Champions from The Grove to the new
plaza. Closing in the north end zone seating will bring
stadium capacity to 64,038 and put the polishing touches
on one of the nations elite college football facilities.

Architectural Panels Featured

Gate Precast Co. was chosen to fabricate the architectural
precast concrete panels that are being used over steel
framing to clad the new front door. They were selected
because of their ability to provide the BIM capabilities the
contractor required. The 370 panels, totaling 25,500 square
feet, feature a light sandblast, with about 3,400 square
feet including embedded thin brick to provide a traditional
appearance.
Roy Anderson considered BIM a critical aspect of the
precasters capabilities, Rivers says. The BIM model aided
in developing construction sequence and resolving issues
found in the design. It was the most efficient avenue of
communication from precaster to GC to architect.
BIM allowed the design team to supply contract scopes,
construction documents, and specification requirements
to speed the completion of shop drawings. While aiding
designers in understanding the precast system, this also
helps the precaster save time, increase profits, and improve
productivity and efficiency, says Will Ikerd, principal and
structural engineer at IKERD, a consulting group in buildings,
civil and industrial construction markets that specializes in
BIM-enabled Virtual Design Construction.

BIM Forum LOD Specs

Communicating through BIM has become more efficient
since the BIM Forum Level of Development Specifications were
developed in 2013, he notes. These are industry-changing
references that enable precasters to clarify their scope. (For
more on the details of the LOD Specs, see the sidebar.)

BIM was considered a critical aspect of the precasters capabilities in selecting a company to fabricate components for the renovation of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Ole
Miss. The BIM model aided the development of construction sequencing and resolution of design issues. Courtesy: Gate Precast Co.

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ASCENT SPRING 2016

BIMs New Vocabulary

The BIM Forum, a collaboration between the Associated
General Contractors of America and the American Institute
of Architects, began clarifying BIM vocabulary in 2013. The
results show the varying levels of LOD specifications and
how they help define the scope of detail and input minimums
for each component, says Will Ikerd, principal and structural
engineer at IKERD.
The specifications are simply a collection of definitions
describing input, information requirements, and graphic/model
examples of the different levels of development for building
elements, he explains. They create a common vocabulary
between parties on a project team.
The 2016 version of the definitions, now in their 4th edition,
will be released for public comment in April, providing five
levels of documentation:
LOD 100 [Symbolic]: The Model Element is graphically
represented, with related information (e.g., cost per
square foot) derived from other Model Elements.
LOD 200 [Approximate] The Model Element is graphically
represented generically with approximate quantities, size,
shape, location, and orientation.
LOD 300 [Specific] The Model Element is graphically
represented specifically in terms of quantity, size, shape,
location, and orientation.
LOD 350 [Detailed Coordination] The Model Element is
graphically represented specifically in terms of quantity,
size, shape, orientation, and interfaces with other building
systems.
LOD 400 [Fabrication] The Model Element is graphically
represented specifically in terms of size, shape, location,
quantity, and orientation with detailing, fabrication,
assembly, and installation information.
In some cases, the architect provides BIM plans detailed
at LOD 300, which reference typical details and project
specifications such as color, texture, finish, and joint
details, Ikerd explains. The precaster then creates LOD
350 model elements to produce shop drawings and
coordination models for other trades.
LOD 350 becomes an important step, Ikerd notes. It
takes the architects model and design intent to detailed
coordination-level models and drawings that contain
manufacturer-specific content, which coordinates with
embeds and related items of other trades.
PCI is collaborating with the BIM Forum to improve
specifications for precast terms and training/certification
with CD-BIM.com. Clearly defined scopes in BIM and
LOD 350 are the keys to creating clarity in the designto-construction process, Ikerd says. They will help
architects and precasters find profits in clearly defined
project BIM scopes.

This illustration shows the amount of detail required at Level of Development

(LOD) 350 for trade coordination. At this level, the model element is graphically
represented as a specific assembly in terms of quantity, size, shape, orientation,
and interfaces with other building systems.

Using BIM on a project like the University of

Mississippi addition has been a great tool, says
Scott Pairs, senior precast designer at Gate Precast.
Being able to run clash detections throughout the
design process has allowed all subcontractors to work
together from the beginning. Trade-specific items can
be placed in locations that will eliminate conflicts in the
field.
A key area where BIM has aided the projects fast
development has been with laying out the connection
locations, he notes. There are approximately 40
connections per spandrel that had to be coordinated
with the steel structure connections, he explains.
Being able to work through those conflicts with closeups of the details was a big help to avoid clashes.
The contractor agreed that Gates ability to use
current BIM vocabulary and designs ensured the
project moved quickly. Gates precast model was
accurate and aided in the resolution of many conflicts
between trades, says Rivers. A

Craig A. Shutt

ASCENT SPRING 2016

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