Role of Building Information Modeling in Structural Engineering

Are you going to start a construction project? You would require a structural engineer and that too from one of the Top Structural Engineering Firms, who can assess & inspect the structural plans of your building. Now, do you know that the building design image that you might have in your mind, can have some clashes in it? How can they be removed? The answer is ‘with BIM’. 

The Structural Engineering Companies in USA provide you with the finest Scan-to-BIM services in order to eliminate any or every kind of conflict that is present in the building design before the construction work begins. 

All in all, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is making and will make a big contribution in moving the structural engineering industry to a continually changing and improving sector.

Now, there are significant other roles that BIM (Building Information Modeling) plays in structural engineering. Let’s discuss them in detail.

• Structural Analysis

When the drafters initiate the drawing part and the construction documents of the building, it results in the creation of multiple drawings consisting of the same information with abundant errors. If the structural engineer wants to make any change in that building design, it will not be updated in the drafter’s copy, resulting in incompatible documents as well as striking the design validity.

This is not the case using a Building Information Model. Because, besides the physical i.e. the data used in the analysis applications; the analytical information meaning the model used in the structural analysis, are interconnected in one place. This allows its use in the structural analysis of the project along with producing the construction documents by the BIM structural firms.

Additionally, when the analysis process is completed, the BIM Service Provider can then export the model with its results. The related information and documentation will automatically be updated, meanwhile, greatly reducing the time spent in detailing and drafting.

• Construction Documents

In 2D, creating the construction documents of structural engineering is a manual process. However, with BIM, it becomes completely automated. The BIM methodology automatically generates the associated important sections viz. numbering, reinforcement detailing, and rebar schedules, saving enough effort and time for the engineers.

• Structural Design 

Utilizing the multiple models that contain uncoordinated or unsynchronized models needs a labouring effort to keep them. This results in harming the Top Structural Engineering Firms quality, flexibility, and efficiency. Here, the use of Building Information Models plays a significant role. It basically drives analysis, documentation, and coordination; reducing the problems that occurred in the manual process. 

In BIM, the step of creating several models is not present as with BIM, there is just one model. This single model includes physical representation and analytical representation, too. The physical representation drives the coordination and the structural documentation whereas the analytical representation is used for multiple evaluations. 

Consequently, the evaluation of many more design alternatives. As part of the design process, the structural engineering consulting firms can leverage the information model in order to conduct simulation and analysis. This further optimizes the design for objectives like constructability, structural safety, and sustainability.  

• Detailed Design Development 

The Structural engineers at Structural BIM Modeling Companies work thoroughly on the building designs. The scaled drawings are provided to clients, giving an outline of the project. This results in better client coordination and communication. Additionally, during the design stage, the fabricators also produce the shop (or fabrication) drawings from the BIM model that further helps in analyzing the conflicts along with its related cost.

• Structural Steel Detailing

You know, the Structural Steel Detailing Companies can create a constructible 3D model of a steel structure of an industrial building or the steel commercial buildings? Not only this, the steel structures of the stadiums and elevated buildings can also be created. How? Again the answer is, implementing BIM methodology for the steel structure detailing.

The structural engineers in Rockville, MD (Maryland) and BIM technicians can design steel frames in the Revit environment by using structural steel families. 

These are some of the key areas where BIM has an important part in the Structural Engineering Services. Now, go through the benefits it offers:

• Quick Turnaround Time: As BIM into building designs eliminates the process of moving to the next step only after the completion of the previous one, as in the traditional method of doing it, and automates almost all the processes like documentation, structural evaluation, etc., the turn around time of the construction project automatically becomes high and that too with accuracy.
• Clash Detection & Elimination: It is the most obvious merit of using the Building Information Modeling in Structural Engineering, as the conflicts are automatically detected as well as rectified within the Revit or Autodesk software.
• Coordination among team members: The Structural Engineering Companies in USA Using BIM in Structural Engineering enables all the team members related to a particular project to access a single shared file instead of only considering one’s copy.
• Reduced Errors: If each stakeholder is having his building design it will lead to more clashes or errors in it. This could be difficult for the structural engineers to match each copy and maintain the accuracy but BIM eases this process too, as they only need to consider one building design at one place.

Conclusion:

The advantages like increased productivity, improved consistency, better project management throughout the project, besides the other benefits of utilizing the building information modeling are noticeable, especially in analyzing the structural design workflow. These can be used to present ideas in describing complicated situations and helping stakeholders communicate appropriately. 

The Maryland (USA) Structural Engineers at the Top Structural Engineering Firms are harnessing the power of BIM to attain a more efficient and robust design. They are using such new methods and software to stay competitive & to improve their working, nowadays and during the forthcoming years. Working on several Structural BIM Services with extensive expertise, the Structural Engineering Consulting Firm in USA provides and ensures tailored structural engineering services for Steel Commercial Buildings’ Designs and various other clients with higher efficiency, accuracy and safety.