Members of Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. (TF) recently shared their current advances in BIM with4th year Civil Engineering students at the University of Toronto. This relationship has been ongoing for several years and enables faculty and students alike to see and appreciate first- hand the methodology and future impact of BIM on the AEC industry.
The focus of the presentation was TF’s adoption of BIM throughout the firm while more specifically highlighting laser scanning in clash detection through a case study of a conversion of an existing space into a grocery store. In order to avoid interferences between the design and the existing mechanical ductwork in the limited available height, the project team required detailed geometry data in order to run clash detection. The students were shown how laser scanning provided a significant ROI to the client by identifying and solving interferences in the design phase instead of during construction. The session ended with a live laser scanning demonstration including a review of the resulting point cloud.
TFA aspires to be the premier Canadian architectural firm advancing the execution of BIM and invites expressions of interest from other post-secondary institutions seeking to better understand the evolving significance of this game-changing technology. The firm’s strategic investment in skills development, process enhancements and prudent change management practices is an innovative model that tomorrow’s architects and engineers will want to examine, discuss and emulate. Presenting relevant and dynamic case studies is a proven method for enhancing their learning experience.
