Providing innovative engineering services for the world’s most ambitious building project

On recent projects, Pinnacle Infotech has found that Revit calculations for quantities of concrete are significantly more accurate using BIM 5D modeling, rather than relying on traditional estimating techniques. In fact, its target is to bring down the industry standard of 10% to 15% of change orders required on all aspects of a typical project to just 1% to 2%.

“The beauty of this technology is that now you’re bringing certainty into the construction,” says Patwari. “What we’re producing is a much more constructible model which is value-engineered, so your construction will be so much faster, you’ll actually be ahead of schedule.”

What’s more, if engineers can use the Revit model to help a building owner understand their options, and cost implications of different engineering decisions, they’ll be less likely to request last-minute changes in the build, avoiding costly rework that can have a knock-on effect on the mechanical, electrical and structural systems.

Pinnacle Infotech also uses Revit to analyze the impact of different materials and equipment on energy costs over the project and the building lifecycle. Pump equipment installed in large buildings is a perfect example. The firm’s engineers have used Revit to demonstrate that on certain projects, the systems can be up to 20% smaller than what initial manual head loss calculations would require. It means they are able to reduce electrical loading and the building’s energy usage will be much lower.

“Using Revit and other third party software which interfaces with Revit, we can do much quicker and accurate calculations. In several instances, we have shown the client that even 20% lower equipment sizes would work as BIM models have fixed the final routing of ducts and pipes,” explains Bimal. Moving away from oversizing or ‘right-sizing’ equipment has benefits for the whole project and the finished building, “Because if you oversize the equipment your electrical load increases – everything goes up.”

Glass curtainwall is another material that heavily impacts energy efficiency, depending on the solar and U-value coefficients of the glazing. Bimal explains how accurate engineering data in the initial Revit model can avoid challenges further down the line, “In some of our projects we do an analysis based on the glass we’re using and the path of the sun. This helps us understand what the impact will be on the project, and how we can achieve lower energy costs. So having the energy analysis early on with the Revit model, the facade material can be optimized and fixed early. On three out of five projects I’ve worked on, near the end of the project the owner will come back and say, ‘we found a glazing that we like better.’” says Bimal.

This kind of energy analysis integration not only enables companies to deliver more sustainable projects, but also to achieve even higher rates of customer satisfaction.