Virtual Trade Coordination & Clash Detection

As the old adage in the healthcare industry goes, "Prevention is better than cure." Not only does working with top healthcare clients give our project portfolio a competitive edge, our skillful engineers also gain insight patterns on how this can be applied in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

We show you stage-by-stage how clash detection benefits your building project:

• Design

All building projects start from design. Ideas serve as your zero starting point, meaning all project stakeholders have the opportunity for endless design iterations until the desired results conform to key criteria items for consideration. This demanding requirements can usually range from: modern building codes, laws, zoning, site location, sustainability, project budget, site logistics, quality materials and all other items industry players can factor in for efficiency.

At Nearby EngineersNew York Engineers, we give function to the form. From a basis of aesthetics, we collaborate with architects to form the structural and functional aspects of your building project. Our iterative design process works in a cyclic scale instead of linear workflow—rendering us countless opportunities to detect clashes which could otherwise be costlier to rectify in-situ.

• Construction

When all clash areas are not captured, this rolls over to construction. This is not entirely impossible, but at all costs, undesirable. What could've been spent for the critical path items of your project are now being allocated for corrective actions, resulting in wastage of valuable resources. Underutilizing BIM's core function of clash detection can spell all kinds of disaster on your building project from cost, to quality and schedule constraints.

In a worst-case scenario, even float items with slack start dates and lead times can be used up when rectification takes much longer than it needs to be. Take a column clashing with block work installations, and imagine the strains it will pull on the project drivers. Regardless of the situation given at hand, we do not veer away from any challenge. At Nearby EngineersNew York Engineers, we rise up on every occasion to deliver solutions.

• Operations

Getting your business running up to speed means your building facility should be maintained at all costs. Using all data references from the design-construction phase, you can identify through clash detection which areas need ongoing maintenance for your continuous business operations. We go back to proactivity, where we solve problems ahead of time rather than dealing with them as-built.

Solving Constructability Issues with Virtual Trade Coordination & Clash Detection

Project managers (PM) and construction managers (CM) are usually hired by top clients to act as their representatives. What could be missed out by design consultants can be identified by PM and CM acting out of the client’s best interests. In a nutshell, these two entities serve as your first line of defense in creating an optimized buildability profile for your construction project.

Case in point, your design concepts will not come to reality without a virtual constructability review in place. You could treat design documents as an overall view of your building facility, while constructability makes sure that each component is built and detailed explicitly based on functions, dimensions, specifications, detailed connections, structural integrity and clearances. This is where Nearby EngineersNew York Engineers enter the scene: we are experts in detailing all the structural and MEP components of your building facility.

In fact, here are the clash types that we look out for when cross-checking your design documents with shop drawings and fabrication sheets on BIM:

• Hard clash

Hard clashes generally refer to trade interferences that needed to be resolved before actual construction commences, as any negligence can possibly follow subpar quality, delayed timelines and overspending. Any plumbing pipelines intersecting with ducting system, or electrical conduits running through the same space as fire protection systems can serve as examples of hard clash.

• Soft clash

Instead of an actual clash, you can treat soft clash as components impinging on the spatial tolerance or buffer zones for access and maintenance. In other words, you need to adjust the components based on the specified clearances which technically complies with building codes and standards.

At Nearby EngineersNew York Engineers, we aim for your building project’s holistic compliance. That’s what makes us different from the engineering pack in the AEC industry.

Another clash type that you can take into account for is 4D or workflow clash. For project schedulers, 4D BIM is all the rage especially with all the time-related advantages that stakeholders can maximize. This is why we show you the learning curve of how 4D BIM specifically translates to minimizing client-contractor disputes.

Visual scheduling plays a role in the workflow clash detection, and instead of checking for technical compliance as per the usual hard and soft clashes, you can stack up the contractor’s actual schedule compliance against the planned dates. In other words, 4D BIM lets you know if your project delivery is late, advanced or just in time.

The lack of visual scheduling as a reference can call for legal disputes. Case in point, contractors can leverage accelerated claims for client’s unnecessary hold orders due to negative construction cash flow. On the other hand, clients can use visual scheduling as a reference that the contractors didn’t meet the milestones or handover dates for the building project—leading to contract breach and liquidated damages from the contractor’s end.

Render Clash Detection Like a Pro with NY Engineers

In a fast-paced world where time is money, consulting your building project should equate to efficiency. Clash detection delivers the solution in the form of fast and quality results. Schedule a consultation with our innovative engineers, and experience for yourself how clash detection can do wonders for your building project.