Leveraging complex models and technology to advance the design process

Bodwé technicians capture existing conditions of built environments using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology that takes hundreds of thousands of precise measurements every second to create detailed 3D models of existing conditions. Spaces that were once difficult to access or measure can now be accounted for accurately and confidently to 1/16” and the data is easily imported into BIM or CAD packages. The laser scanner is placed at various locations strategically throughout a building or exterior space and rotates on a tripod to complete a 360-degree scan of its surroundings. 3D laser scanning saves time and money by limiting staff needed on site during field investigation and minimizes disruption to the environment in the areas being surveyed.

In-house 3D printing technology allows the Bodwé architecture and engineering teams to create building and site models easily and accurately. 3D printed models illustrate the connection between structural features in multiple configurations and help visualize spatial relationships between key design elements. Our teams find these models particularly useful in bringing projects to life for our clients, including campus and master plans as well as additions, where understanding context and connectivity with the existing structures is essential.

Our multi-disciplinary teams across the Bodwé family of companies collaborate in real time through 3D virtual software programs such as AutoCAD, Revit, and SketchUp. Each of our integrated project teams collaborate using the same software packages and versions, connected through a unified network and BIM system. Bodwé designers also use Adobe Cloud for graphic layers and elements imported into 3D models to enable comprehensive architectural, interior design, landscape, and wayfinding renderings. These visualizations help clients better understand the process and design by illustrating what the space will look like after construction, enhancing communication and reducing design duration.

The Bodwé Buildings Services team uses BIM to manage building data, design geometry, and site criteria, creating real-time interactive models based on user input that accurately depict the interconnectedness of a building and help plan and validate the final product before breaking ground. Our team taps into BIM for project design coordination, such as in the tight spaces overhead, to decrease costly change orders during construction. BIM also facilitates analysis of the sustainable aspects of a building and impacts to a site, enabling informed decisions regarding stormwater management, lighting, solar orientation, carbon footprinting and other vital components. BIM minimizes the loss of information on complex projects where multiple teams handle specialized components of the whole. Whether a project is designed and engineered completely with in-house Bodwé staff or in collaboration with outside consultants, BIM allows the entire team to work together from a single information source in real-time.

An essential component of our Building Information Modeling (BIM) process, clash detection software allows Bodwé teams to resolve construction conflicts during the design phase. Clash detection integrates structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings into a single BIM model, allowing faults to be identified well before groundbreaking, rather than on site and with high cost and schedule implications.