It's no longer enough to get the job done on time, within budget and with zero incidents. Owners want to work with architects and builders who will work collaboratively with them to arrive at the best possible way to build the project—on time, within budget, with zero incidents—but also with minimal disruption to their campuses and minimal conflict among the stakeholders.

The Promise of BIM

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is one of the technologies that is enabling Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) teams to provide this kind of proactive, relationship-building design and construction service to health facility owners. Using BIM, DPR Construction and RTKL architects are planning, designing and constructing the Del E. Webb hospital expansion in Sun City West, AZ—quietly, quickly, efficiently, intelligently and collaboratively. Sixteen months into the project, the Del E. Webb (DEW) Hospital PDC team's use of BIM is proving that the technology adds measurably more value to the project, to the process and to the primary stakeholders—the architect, the builder and, most importantly, the owner.

Project Challenges

The DEW Hospital project posed several challenges, including:
- Potential parking disruptions
- Tight floor-to-floor height, as a result of the expansion being an addition to an existing facility
- Lack of basement space, which meant all ME equipment had to be located on the building's roof

Proactive Solutions and Stakeholder Benefits

Recognizing the ability of BIM to solve the project's challenges, DPR and RTKL used BIM early in the design process. In addition to setting the project in the right direction from the start, the DEW Hospital team's use of BIM proactively solved the aforementioned problems, as well as provided additional quantitative and qualitative benefits to stakeholders. Those benefits include:
- DESIGNER/BUILDER/OWNER BENEFITS
- Increased safety due to improved workflow
- Improved budget and schedule planning and execution due to the collaborative problem solving, early conflict resolution and communication among the designer, contractor and MEP subcontractors.
- Reduced rework due to early clash detection and 3D mockups
- Less time spent on non-value added tasks such as field conflict issues or rework
- Increased workspace usability and efficiency, and the elimination of costly and time-consuming rework due to input from the medical staff on the project's 3-D virtual mockups of workspaces.
- Enhanced relationships among the designer/contractor/owner.
(can we quantify any of the above or following?)

SUBCONTRACTOR BENEFITS

- Increased project knowledge, resulting in increased quality and efficiency
- Improved productivity due to more off-site prefabrication