ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN COMPUTING PHD PROGRAMME

MBL 607E / BUILDING INFORMATION MODELS

INSTRUCTOR: Salih OFLUOĞLU

THE STATE OF TRANSITION TO BIM:

THE CASE OF ENKA

523092009 Esra Gürbüz

523092015 Serdar Aşut

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INDEX

Abstract 3

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. TRANSITION TO BIM 7

2.1. Causes of the Transition 7

2.2. Training and Orientation Process 8

2.3. Hardware Requirements 8

3. THE PRACTICE OF MUSCAT AIRPORT PROJECT 9

3.1. The Content and Scope of the Project 9

3.2. Project Team and Organization 11

3.2.1. Project Team 11

3.2.2. Project Organization and Work Loads 12

3.2.2.1. Preliminary Process and Draft Model 12

3.2.2.2. Labor divisions 13

3.3. Work Process 14

3.4. Interoperability 16

4. CONCLUSION 17

References 20

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ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to analyze the process of transition to BIM for architectural

offices in Turkey and to illustrate the fundamental requirements within BIM

applications. The shift from traditional CAD practices to BIM makes it mandatory

for the companies in AEC industry to review their standards, methods and principles

in various aspects. This research focuses on the case of ENKA, which is one of the

leading companies in this industry in Turkey. The ongoing project of Muscat

International Airport is the very first experience of ENKA in using BIM, which

makes this case very appropriate to research in order to understand this paradigm.

The case shows that BIM brings about new understandings for work models and

environments comparing with traditional CAD practices.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Overview of BIM

The concept of BIM was first used by Charles M. Eastman in his book “Building

Product Models: Computer Environments Supporting Design and Construction” in

the late 1970s. He used the term “Building Product Model" basically same as BIM

term. BIM software has stimulating effects on architectural and engineering

representation and production techniques fields. Besides, the software changed

traditional architectural production techniques and decision mechanisms.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing

building data during its life cycle. Typically it uses three-dimensional, real-time,

dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and

construction. The process produces BIM, which encompasses building geometry,

spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of

building components.

Building information modeling covers geometry, spatial relationships, light analysis,

geographic information, quantities and properties of building components (for

example manufacturers' details). BIM can be used to demonstrate the entire building

life cycle, including the processes of construction and facility operation. Quantities

and shared properties of materials can be extracted easily. Scopes of work can be

isolated and defined. Systems, assemblies and sequences can be shown in a relative

scale with the entire facility or group of facilities.

BIM stands for new concepts and practices that are so greatly improved by

innovative information technologies and business structures that they will

dramatically reduce the multiple forms of waste and inefficiency in the building

industry. Whether used to refer to a product – Building Information Model (a

structured dataset describing a building), an activity – Building Information

Modeling (the act of creating a Building Information Model), or a system – Building

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Information Management (business structures of work and communication that

increase quality and efficiency), BIM is a critical element in reducing industry waste,

adding value to industry products, decreasing environmental damage, and increasing

the functional performance of occupants.

“BIM software facilitates an improved way of working collaboratively (Fig.1.), using

a model created from coordinated and consistent design information. This process

enables earlier decision-making, better documentation, and the evaluation of

alternatives for sustainable design or improvements using analysis before

construction begins” (United States, National Building Information Modeling

Standards).

Fig.1. Collaboration in BIM solutions

(http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/autodesk_revit_architecture_2011_brochure.p

df)

Company Profile

The history of ENKA begins in 1957 with the partnership between Şarık Tara and

the late Sadi Gülçelik. ENKA has set its sights on demanding contracts since its

inception. The essence of ENKA today was defined by the range of its earliest

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projects, which included the construction of industrial plants, docks, marine

slipways, shipyards, grain silos, bridges, roads and piers, all in the Istanbul area.

During the period of 1970’s and 80’s ENKA’s activities shifted from local projects in

the Istanbul region to larger and more diverse projects across Turkey and beyond. In

the early 1980s, ENKA continued to sign contracts for increasingly larger scale

projects broadening the scope of its operations in Turkey as well as in Libya, Saudi

Arabia, Iraq and Jordan. In addition, projects completed in Russia and Germany have

confirmed ENKA’s ability to compete with international companies on their own

territory.

By 1990, ENKA had begun to rank among the top general contracting companies in

the world, offering a comprehensive range of services from design and procurement

to construction, erection, operation, maintenance and management. From the 1990s

onward, ENKA’s operations continued to expand in different parts of the world.

Fig.2. Headquarter building of ENKA in İstanbul

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Fig.3. A highway and an industrial plant project of ENKA

The contact person

To collect information about BIM and ENKA personal interviews and electronic

correspondences have been done with Özlem Yurttakal, who is working as a senior

architect in ENKA, since 2006. Besides, web site of the firm is used as a major data

source.

Muscat International Airport Project’s modeling process which is ENKA’s first

experience about BIM, have been handled in the scope of this study.

2. TRANSITION TO BIM

2.1 Causes of the Transition

The encounter of the company with Revit as a BIM solution was through the offer of

the software vendor. When ENKA bought AutoCAD three years ago, Revit was

given for free by the vendor and that is how ENKA first met BIM. However, the

company did not start busing BIM immediately after this offer. The contract of the

Muscat International Airport Project was demanding the company to use BIM. Using

BIM solutions for the Muscat Airport Project was the requirement that was put

forward by the employer of the project, who is the Sultanate of Oman. In this way,

ENKA had to start using BIM as a work constraint.

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After the BIM training which was first given to a limited number of senior architects

in the company, the necessity of reviewing the existing work standards and shifting

to a new understanding became obvious. While working on the airport project,

ENKA ran a learning and transition process synchronously.

2.2 Training and Orientation Process

The software vendor provided various training and consultancy opportunities for

ENKA. However, the training first, was for a limited number of staff. These trained

staff then started to assist the other staff of the company. During this training and

orientation process, all the staff who are in the BIM process individually, self trained

themselves through the online forums and software guides in order to reach a more

advanced level in BIM. However, the first serious applications and hands on

practices started by the Muscat Airport Project. Training and orientation process of

the office is explained more detailed in part 3.2.1.

The case showed that using BIM as the work constraint became an advantage for

ENKA. The ease in obtaining material lists precisely and fast and easy and

simultaneous update of data and output are the first advantages that they are

expecting to have. Özlem Yurttakal pointed out that, ENKA decided to use BIM not

only for this project, but also for their further projects.

2.3. Hardware Requirements

Using BIM software makes it necessary to advance the qualities of the computers in

the work environment. This is mainly because a BIM model of a project is a very

large and extensive package that contains various types of information. The alpha-

numeric and geometric information of each single building component and all data,

parameters and outputs related to design, construction, or management make BIM

files substantially large. For this reason, BIM software demands a high and advanced

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level of computer system specification. Especially large scale projects, such as the

Muscat International Airport Project of ENKA, make it necessary to use computers

with high-end CPU charts, memories, and more importantly video cards.

Additionally, the interfaces of BIM software are usually relatively more complex,

contain various palettes and menus, and therefore require screens with high

resolution and preferably large dimensions. One can say that, each new version of

any BIM software does not reduce these system requirements but demand more

advanced work stations progressively. This situation points out the fact that BIM

users have to be able to allocate a continuous specific budget to set up the necessary

work environment and follow up the innovations.

When ENKA decided to use BIM, they had to update their computer systems

because of the situation described above. Company’s old computers, which were

appropriate for traditional CAD software, had to be updated according to the new

system requirements. And the velocity of the innovations in BIM software shows that

this process of update needs to be continuous. The importance of hardware for BIM

users also indicates that BIM users need to have a sufficient knowledge about

computer hardware. The users need to be able to follow the innovations in hardware

technologies in order to sustain their competitive power within BIM.

3. THE PRACTICE OF MUSCAT AIRPORT PROJECT

3.1 The Content and Scope of The Project

The Ministry of Transport and Communication of Oman plans to expand the

passenger terminal in Muscat International Airport, located in Seeb, Muscat, Oman.

The purpose of the project is to increase the airport's capacity from 5 million

passengers per year to 12 million passengers per year. The project calls for

construction of a 332,000 m² terminal. The main building will be 460 meters long

and 200 meters wide. It will include a four-star hotel with 90 rooms. Project’s

estimated value is 1.8 billion USD. Expansion of Muscat International Airport - New

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Terminal Building project’s main contractors are ENKA, Bechtel and Bahwan

Contracting Company. The terminal is expected to be completed in 2014.

Fig.4. New Muscat International Airport

ENKA began the project 1.5 years ago; however because of the economical crisis

and bureaucratic processes the work started in full extent recently. During these 1.5

years, they started to work on the rough model. This period was an effective training

and preparation period for the staff. During this time, with the help of the online

forums, guides and vendor’s assistance, the firm started to generate its own methods

and strategies in using BIM. And at the end of this period, they had a rough model to

be detailed, and a trained staff that consists of 10 people. Normally, waiting for such

a long time for a construction company would have been an important drawback;

however, this time had been a good transition for BIM for the company.

The architectural project (conceptual design) of the airport was sent in a DWG

format by JV of COWI & Partners and Larsen Architects and Consulting Engineer.

ENKA was asked to produce a three dimensional BIM model that incorporates the

static and mechanical projects.

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3.2 Project Team and Organization

3.2.1 Project Team

When ENKA bought BIM software there was not any staff who was experienced in

BIM. The software vendor offered a training program which was at an introduction

level, for a limited number of staff. Afterwards, 4 people from this group, who will

be in charge of the project, got an extra period of training.

At the moment, there are 80 people working for the Muscat International Airport

project. For this project approximately 60 architects were hired. The most important

criteria for the company to hire these architects were their experiences and skills in

BIM. However finding experienced BIM users was not an easy task. Therefore, they

even had to hire some architects with no BIM knowledge at all. The hired architects

were mostly young architects and new graduates. Knowledge and experience levels

of the staff now are quite diverse. Every individual is personally working to improve

themselves to catch up with the project requirements. Seminars and trainings are

organized for the new staff. Also some architects follow independent trainings on

their own support. It takes at least 15 days for a new staff to adapt the office’s

requirements and BIM principles. Then they start working with an experienced

architect of the company and learning by assisting him/her.

Fig.5. A view from architecture department of ENKA

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3.2.2 Project Organization and Work Loads

One of the most important aspects of BIM is that, the process is based on a practice

where different actors take part in a project work together on one single model, and

all the information flow is realized through this model. This makes it easier, more

practical and precise for different actors from different disciplines collaborate with

each other. In order to make the collaboration run easier, more practical and precise

as desired, the methods of collaboration and the organization of the collaborators are

vital. A well modeled team organization leads to an efficient workflow and a clearer

and reliable communication with engineers, contractors, fabricators and owners.

3.2.2.1 Preliminary process and draft model

From the early phases of Muscat International Airport project till today, project team

organization changes due to the workload of the phase. In the early phases of the

project (first 1.5 years) there were 3 main teams in charge and each team consists of

approximately 10 people. One group was to generate the model libraries, the second

to generate the model, and the third one for generating the drawings. Even though

there might have been different types of labor division, this model of organization

was sufficient for this very first phase for ENKA. In this organizational model, the

first group was working to create a unique model library for this particular airport

project. This library was following the standards of ENKA, the standards that have

been used and inured since years during the previous experiences of the company.

However, the new library had to be appropriate for the particular airport project,

while being suitable and efficient to be used in BIM process. Therefore a team which

works on the transition of the existing standards into the BIM process of the new

project was necessary. The second group who was working on the model generation

was using this new model library. And the third group was using this model to

generate the drawings out of, since conventional drawings still constitute an

important and valid medium.

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3.2.2.2 Labor divisions

After ENKA officially started the airport project, the number of employees was

increased and therefore the project team organization was changed. As mentioned

before, at the moment, there are 80 people working on the model. Such a large

amount of team members who work on the same model makes the definition of the

obligations and responsibilities of each single member very crucial.

The first things to consider when starting a shared project are the team sizes

according to the project size and roles of the team members. The control mechanism

and hierarchy on the work sharing, which are crucial matters within the division of

labor, is formed per se according to the architects’ personal experiences in BIM and

architectural materials. For each project matter, there is a team of approximately 10

people in which 2 or 3 of them are responsible for the coordination. And the entire

team is coordinated by a team leader and the project manager. Everyone has to

follow certain well defined roles and methods in terms of the labor division. In order

to define this division for the airport project, the model was first divided into sub-

parts. Different groups of building components such as walls, ceilings or structural

elements were defined as the sub-parts of the model. Then each group got the

responsibility of one single component group of the building and started working on

their own pre-defined tasks. For instance, there was a group of architects which was

responsible for the walls while there was another one which works on the ceilings.

These building components that are used by different groups in the model were the

ones that were generated by another group which was responsible for creating the

libraries.

The building components that need to be completed first are the walls. Because every

component in the building is related to each other and the tasks of teams should

follow each other. Once the walls are defined, the generation of structural elements

and other building components such as slabs can be done. In other words, after the

rough model that is made out of the walls is generated, all the team can start working

on their own work sets simultaneously.

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While working separately on different sub-parts of the same model, the qualities of

the software which makes it possible to view the updates of other teams made it

possible to collaborate between the groups and work accordingly. This work sharing

across the project team provided simultaneous access for different groups to the same

shared model. Each group was working on their own work set while being able to

view the development of the other sets; however they were not able to do any change

on them. This quality of the software prevents the conflicts which can cause big

errors in the entire project.

3.3 Work Process

“Building information models may be shared during a project in many settings. In

full-service design and engineering organizations, information may be shared during

the design phase across several engineering disciplines (Fig.6). Such sharing would

require the identification of which group in the firm has access to add, edit, and

delete specific types of building systems and/or components. Procedures for version

control and check-in/check-out of individual parts of building models must be

established within these firms. Information assurance to identify who made what

changes and when is critical to future confidence in the information. Checks based

on the contents of the BIM for completeness, consistency, and collisions are enabled

when sufficient progress is made on the shared building model” (United States,

National Building Information Modeling Standards).

One important aspect of the work process is that it is also a learning process at the

same time. Since almost everyone is working on BIM, there are always interactions

among the staff within learning and improving. The company is constantly working

on building their own corporate standards and decisions for BIM use. Since the main

focus of the company is application projects, it is a very important matter to work

precisely. The qualities of the building components such as walls or doors are to be

decided precisely. The precision here refers to having all the information, both

geometrical and alpha-numeric, correctly. Because the drawings which will be used

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at the construction site and the manufacturing details for prefabricated components

are generated directly from the model. Therefore preparation period for any project

becomes a vital issue.

Fig.6. Facility Lifecycle BIM Repository (United States, National Building Information

Modeling Standards).

The first issue to be completed in a work process is to gather the data, classification

of the data and accordingly building up the model libraries, and defining the model

types. What to be used as data and what to be defined as a type need to be well

defined. For instance, if an interior wall is defined as a type, then every team member

should use that type of the wall. That is why there is one specific team which is

responsible for generating the model libraries.

It requires a certain amount of time to start the BIM process of a project. It is because

it takes a while to gather the data in order to define the model base and get the main

project decisions. Hence, if this period is handled effectively, the following steps

become much faster. This means the work system needs to be precisely and well

defined at the beginning.

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One of the very important aspects that are provided by BIM is the ease of revisions

on the project. As different representations of a building, such as the plans, sections

and elevations are separate medium when working with traditional CAD software,

any small revision that needs to be applied should be considered in all these different

mediums. However in a BIM model, all the information is stored in one single model

which also is used for generating the drawings. So any change that is applied on the

model updates the information in any types of mediums, and also different outputs

such as the lists and schedules. This feature of BIM does not only save time, but also

allows more precise and correct work process.

Still, 2 dimensional drawings, which are usually in dwg file format in CAD practices,

are valid. That is mainly because using the BIM model for construction on site is not

practical. Therefore 2 dimensional application drawings are generated through the

model to be used on site. These drawings can be generated in different scales such as

the site plans or 1/1 detail drawings. However, as Yurttakal mentions, ENKA does

not find it practical to try to generate each single construction detail from the same

model and they prefer to work on the details on 2 dimensional CAD software. This is

because a model that includes each single detail becomes too large and difficult to

handle. And such a model that is shared by a big number of team members has

potentials for any errors and break down. Because of these reasons, ENKA continues

using AutoCAD to generate these 2 dimensional detail drawings. Generating certain

drawings in two dimensional software is still a custom that makes the process faster.

And this working principle is also recommended by the software vendor as well.

This shows the fact the BIM solutions have to be interoperable with other CAD tools

such as 2 dimensional drafting or rendering software.

3.4 Interoperability

One of the main issues that need to be handled in a project is the work coordination

between collaborating companies. The three dimensional coordination between the

architectural, structural and mechanical solutions is very vital. Therefore ENKA

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works with companies who use interoperable software. It was also a constraint in the

contract between ENKA and employer to work with companies that use such

software that can operate with Revit. For example one of the collaborators is using

Tekla.

ENKA is also planning to use Navisworks for coordination between collaborators. In

this way the overlapped architectural, static and mechanical areas will be pinpointed

and they will report and forward to the concerned collaborator so that they make the

necessary revisions.

4. CONCLUSION

The architectural project of Muscat Airport was prepared by JV of COWI & Partners

and Larsen Architects and Consulting Engineers. ENKA was responsible for

generating the BIM model through the geometrical models which were already

generated and prepare the constructional application project. This very first

experence of ENKA in using BIM is seen as a good example in terms of the

transformation of the work environment from traditional CAD practices to BIM.

ENKA, which is one of the leading architectural and constructional offices in

Turkey, had a great experience and their own standards and principles in using CAD.

However, the shift to BIM made it necessary to review these standards and principles

and model new ways of work and models of work environment. This paper aims at

researching this case and pointing out the crucial matters within transition to BIM.

One of the most important aspects of this case is that it is not only a process of a

work on a new project, but also a learning process for ENKA. During this process the

company encountered the innovative requirements that BIM brought about and they

had to update their work environment in terms of various aspects such as the

qualities of the staff, labor division among team members, corporate standards,

collaborational models and hardware capacities.

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The architectural design of the airport was not a consideration for ENKA. Instead,

the task was to prepare the constructional application project. Therefore the material

information and constructional details for both the on-site construction and

prefabricated components needed to be well defined. This required to start the model

by generating the model libabries. The model libraries consisted of the detailed

components to be used in the model. The generation of these libraries was the first

step in the work process and labor division. The building component types were

defined as sub-groups and each sub-group is assigned to a different project team. The

simultaneous work of different project teams on the shared model and the overall

coordination became possible with the qualities of the software used.

The case shows that traditional models of team organization can not be anymore

valid for BIM. As a very novel practice, BIM requires to generate a virtual prototype

of the building which will be accessible to all of the collaborators. In other words,

unlike the traditional methods, the collaborators do not have their own spesific

medium to work on, but rather they work on the same medium, while each

collaborator have their own spesific work-set. Therefore the definitions of the work-

sets, the limits, obligations and responsibilities of each collaborator needs to be well

defined during the preperation phases of the work.

Using BIM, in one sense, makes the companies in AEC industry dependent on the

software vendors. Because interoperability, which is a very crucial aspect of BIM,

can only be realized between the collaborators who use the approriate software that

can operate together. One can say that only AEC companies who can follow the

innovations in the software industry can sustain their competative power in the

market. And this brings about the necessity to follow the innovations in hardware

technologies as well, as the new versions of the software demand more advanced

levels of hardware spesification. This points out to a new sort of economical cost for

the companies’ budget. Therefore it seems that only the companies who are able to

spare such a budget can sustain their existence in the market. Or on the other hand,

the companies with smaller budgets need to find new types of collaborations that will

help them to compete with the leading companies.

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BIM leads to a new type of expertize definition in the market. In the close future, the

market will be demanding specialized BIM experts in terms of both the offices and

individuals. This is, in a way, the transformation of the practice of preparing

constructional application projects. Therefore this new definition will affect the

companies who compete in this field, while the ones who focus on the conceptual

design projects will be affected relatively less. The forthcoming BIM companies will

need to hire architects and engineers with the spesific knowledge and skills. And this

situation may refer to the remodelling of the curricula in the universities who aim at

educating professionals to easily fit into the market cycle.

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REFERENCES

National Institute of Building Sciences, 2007, United States, National Building

Information Modeling Standards, Version-1, Part-1: Overview, Principles, and

Methodologies.

Url-1 < http://www.enka.com >, [Date Visited: 18.01.2011].

Url-2 <http://www.bechtel.com >, [Date Visited: 18.01.2011].

Url-3 < http://usa.autodesk.com/>, [Date Visited: 18.01.2011].

Url-4 < http://www.zawya.com/projects/project.cfm/pid130707112031?cc>, [Date

Visited: 18.01.2011].