Super BIM: 7 award-winning BIM/VDC-driven projects

The AIA's Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Knowledge Community recently announced the winners of the 2014 AIA TAP BIM Awards.

Launched in 2005, the program honors projects that best harness building information modeling and virtual design and construction tools and processes, and related innovations.

The 2014 jury included: Norbert W. Young Jr., FAIA (Chair), Duck Cove Associates; Ajla Aksamija, PhD, University of Massachusetts, Department of Art, Architecture & Art History; Bradley E. Workman, ZweigWhite; David Fano, CASE Design; Laura Handler, Tocci Building Companies; Paul Teicholz, Stanford University, School of Engineering; and Boyd Black, COAA Representative, University of Chicago.

The 2014 AIA TAP BIM Award and honorable mention recipients are:

1. Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas

Award: Jury's Choice - Stellar Architecture Using BIM & Delivery Process Innovation
Building Team: Morphosis Architects, John A. Martin Associates, Datum Engineers, Buro Happold, Balfour Beatty Construction

Jury comments
This stood out by how it leveraged BIM not just in design but in the shop drawing process and in the fabrication and installation they achieved things in a time that would have been unimaginable otherwise. BIM assisted in fabrication, documentation, and implementation. The submitter had a willingness to share their digital files to better improve the project. Because technology was able to communicate this model, they were able to achieve what they have. They communicated effectively. It gets back to this team was cohesive. They had a shared server for the team all the way through design and construction. Their process delivery was exceptional.

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2. Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, Anaheim, Calif.

Award: Stellar Architecture Using BIM
Building Team: HOK, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Buro Happold, Clark Construction Group

Jury Comments
This is what BIM is. It is an innovative piece of architecture. A great process with many strengths. The form is one of beauty and simplicity. The use of integrated design and modeling optimized the structure. Appreciate the use of an objective-based approach to technology selection. They used the tools best necessary to accomplish the design they desired to accomplish. This group leveraged the power of BIM and it was especially valuable.

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3. Pegula Ice Arena at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.

Award: Delivery Process Innovation
Building Team: Crawford Architects, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Mortenson Construction, Thornton Tomasetti, KJWW Engineering

Jury Comments
Documented benefits of quality achieved. Feels like very strong construction through all documentation. Multiple BIM use beyond design and construction. This had a level of complexity unseen in others. The use of CAVE (virtual reality) and how they reached out to their donor base was impressive. Not many owners would think of that. They did a great way of making it understandable. This is an owner-centric message and a powerful teaching example.

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4. Outpatient Care Pavilion, Chicago

Award: Delivery Process Innovation
Building Team: Cannon Design, Lend Lease, Affiliated Engineers, Thornton Tomasetti, Pepper Construction

Jury Comments
They just hit on so many different notes and did them so well. They used BIM as it should be used. It’s a truly integrated project.

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5. Enchanted Storybook Castle, Shanghai Disneyland Park

Award: Delivery Process Innovation
Building Team: Walt Disney Imagineering, Gehry Technologies

Jury Comments
They are doing what all architects should be doing. They are saving having to reconstruct. They use many different tools that should be used on every project. The storybook castle are tools that should be leveraged in all practices.

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6. Northwestern Mutual Van Buren Office Building, Milwaukee, Wis.

Award: Delivery Process Innovation - Honorable Mention
Building Team: Eppstein Uhen Architects, Mortenson Construction

Jury Comments
The way they quantified their results, but also how the documented a cohesive team environment. They documented well the BIM design process for retrofits of existing buildings. They showed a good use of laser scanning. Also, this was the best example of prefabrication.

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7. Rehabilitation Hospital, Carolinas HealthCare System, Concord, N.C.

Award: Exemplary use of BIM in Facility Management and Operations - Honorable Mention
Building Team: Carolinas HealthCare System, FreemanWhite

Jury Comments
For using BIM to proactively analyze operational efficiency within the facility by the user. This is a very good leveraging of BIM for getting owner value out of this hospital. They used BIM to optimize clinical care activities.

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For more on the 2014 winners, visit: http://network.aia.org/TechnologyinArchitecturalPractice/home/buildinginformationmodelingawardsprogram/2014recipients

We offer the following recommendations in the hope that they will help step up the pace of high-performance building reconstruction in the U.S. and Canada. We consulted many experts for advice, but these recommendations are solely the responsibility of the editors of Building Design+Construction. We welcome your comments. Please send them to Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director: rcassidy@sgcmail.com.