Fire Sprinkler Design and BIM
The construction industry moves toward BIM compliance.
Paul A. Basherian
Vice President
paul@mepcad.com
M.E.P.CAD, Inc.
431 Eastgate Rd., 3rd Floor
Henderson, NV 89011 USA
001+1-702-380-3200
Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Becoming common for projects to be designed in 3D BIM

Ready or not, the construction industry is rapidly moving away from
traditional 2D CAD design tools and toward this modern method of
design

UK market is moving toward BIM compliance
Building Information Modelling (BIM)

3D: intelligent object building model for spatial coordination

4D: Construction Time and Scheduling

5D: Cost

6D: As-Built Working Model for Maintenance and Building Life Cycle

Possibly More Levels to Come
Level of Detail(LOD)

Typically, Too Much Information (detail) is provided for sub-contractors
in the working model

High LOD = very large files (> 1GB!)

Requires a significant investment in hardware and training

Ideally, Extract only Trade-Specific information from model

No industry standard for BIM Levels!

Other standards and levels: COBie (0 – 3), 1-4, G0 – G3, & more…
Why Change?

Why should our industry move away from traditional design tools?

Why should we abandon years of investment in software and training?

Mainstream Architectural BIM software is very powerful, but somewhat limited for
a fire sprinkler designer
 No welded outlets
 No complex hydraulic calculations involving unlimited loops, pumps,
multiple water sources, and more
 No curved pipe
 No stocklisting for fabrication
 Massive file sizes : workflow slows to a crawl
Limitations of 2D CAD – “The Hammer”

“When all you have is a Hammer, everything starts to look like a Nail”

Dependent on a command-driven, layer-dependent 2D CAD engine,
which is not BIM

The 3rd dimension must be constantly thought about since it is not on the
screen during design and within the design program

Requires training for 2D CAD engine, the fire sprinkler design add-on
program, a separate coordination program, and possibly the program
used to create the building model

No internal intelligence of elements

Draw with lines, blocks, and attribute tags (electronic hand drafting)

CAD = Computer Aided (Hand) Drafting
Limitations of 2D CAD
•
•
No immediate feedback for spatial coordination – info must be sent to:
External coordination program does not allow modifications, hydraulic
calculations, or fabrication stocklisting
•
Time consuming back and forth (2D – 3D) process
FLOWCHART
Traditional Coordination
2D
Design
Repeat
Create 3D model,
then open and view
in coordination
program
All revisions must be made
in 2D design program –
repeat process as many
times as necessary until
design is collision-free
Yes
Collisions?
Design
Repeat
Convert
Check
No
2D
Design
3D
Design
Maintain 2
versions of the
same system (2D
and 3D)!
FLOWCHART
BIM-Compliant Coordination
Design
Complete!
Analysis
Revisions
3D
Design
Collisions?
Yes
No
Done!
All revisions made in design
environment for immediate
hydraulic and cost analysis
Maintain only 1
version of the
system
(3D
BIM)
Automobile Design Analogy
Back to the Old Drawing Board
Good
Not Good
Definitely Not Good
Brilliant
The challenges of 3D building plans
•
•
Increasingly complex buildings
Reveals the limitations of 2D CAD
The challenges of 3D building plans
The same building in 2D
BIM for your Business Model
•
Resisting this only serves to stifle innovation and limit your company’s
flexibility. Both are bad news for a Business Model.
•
•
What does all of this mean for your Business Model?
Transitioning to modern technology before your competition does will
allow you to acquire or maintain a competitive advantage.
Business Model Analysis – The Kodak Corp.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Perfect example of a company resisting change.
Initially ignored the shift away from film and toward digital imaging
Ultimately cost them their position at the top.
Massive legacy costs in hardware
Skepticism and dismissal of new technology
Instead of a bigger and better hammer, a completely different tool was
required
Benefits of 3D BIM – “The Anti-Hammer Device” a.k.a. The Right Tool for the Job
•
•
•
BIM is more than just nice looking 3D pictures or models.
Improved system design through better collaboration with all trades
Coordination becomes a Team Effort
Benefits of 3D BIM – “The Anti-Hammer Device” a.k.a. The Right Tool for the Job
•
•
•
Risk is reduced by eliminating unknowns
Increased accuracy in ordering materials and fabrication
Delivery of products and services are accelerated through better
efficiency
•
Fewer changes on job site – less wasted material and labor (Increased
Profits)
•
Better predictability of costs and scheduling – again, due to the
elimination of unknowns
BIM for Fire Sprinkler Design
•
Instead of lines representing pipes, blocks for fittings, inherent properties instead
of attribute tags, full BIM compliance requires intelligent parts in a threedimensional model. This is the “I” in BIM. Without this, the model is just a 3D
picture.
•
Intelligent parts contain the product data sheet, hydraulic properties, weight,
cost, and more.
BIM for Fire Sprinkler Design
Water
Flowing
•
No Water
Flow
Each parameter can be changed, which changes the object’s
appearance and behavior. For example, a check valve would behave
exactly as its real world counterpart would. If it’s oriented in the wrong
direction, the clapper within the valve should close and not allow the flow
of water in the opposite direction.
BIM for Fire Sprinkler Design
•
Fire pumps, water storage tanks (including water level information to
establish QMax and QCap data), fire sprinklers, hose valves, etc. should
all know their role in the system and interact with each other
appropriately.
Fire Sprinkler Design and BIM – Q&A
The construction industry moves toward BIM compliance.
Kevin Maddux, PE
President
kmaddux@mepcad.com
M.E.P.CAD, Inc.
431 Eastgate Rd., 3rd Floor
Henderson, NV 89011 USA
001+1-702-380-3200
Paul A. Basherian
Vice President
paul@mepcad.com