Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Louisville, Ky., has embraced the next evolution in architectural design by modeling its structural standing-seam panels to work with BIM three-dimensional technology.
“The key is sharing information from the start, so everyone can avoid costly mistakes throughout construction,” said Steve Letnich, vice president of sales and marketing. “At Metal Sales, we quickly realized the value of Building Information Modeling for every phase of the process, and wanted to make sure we offered this service to our customers.”
Each BIM graphic is imbedded with all the technical details associated with the Metal Sales product it represents. In addition to seeing how the product would look within a three-dimensional rendering, developers and contractors can pull up the exact dimensions, weight, performance characteristics, environmental specifications, installation requirements, tools and accessories, shipping information and current costs. Supported by Autodesk Revit intuitive design software, BIM gives all design-build teams direct access to the data they will need to construct the project. Users report a significant reduction in pricing errors, over-or-under ordering of supplies, material incompatibility, construction delays and costly omissions.
Another benefit, according to Letnich, is the ‘what if’ scenario. “If last minute changes to the design are proposed, these computer models can calculate the time, cost and structural implications of any alteration being considered. Problems can be worked out in modeling, instead of on the job site.”
