AECOM applies Building Information Modeling (BIM) to major U.S. Army hospital project

AECOM is using Revit & CodeBook as part of the U.S. Army’s new Martin Army Community Hospital project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah district, in Fort Benning, Ga.

Portsmouth, RI. October 10, 2011 - Under the design-build contract with Turner Construction, AECOM – in a joint venture partnership with RLF – is using a BIM approach, along with Autodesk’s Revit Architecture, to design a 744,000-square-foot, 72-inpatient-room hospital and clinic that will replace the existing facility.

“The BIM process provided many advantages over traditional independent approaches —  we were able to work with Turner in order to collaborate in clash detection using Navisworks, and BIM also allowed the team to graphically demonstrate the sequential virtual construction to the Army in 4-D,” said J.J. Riestra, BIM specialist for AECOM’s Design Planning practice, North America.

Using Codebook, a software platform that links with Revit, AECOM was able to extract data and generate reports from components throughout the hospital and clinic BIM models. The reports generated by the process tell the client the appropriate equipment that needs to be ordered for each hospital room.

“This is the first healthcare project in which we are using Codebook to provide a methodical solution and deliverable,” said Luis Posada, senior medical planner for AECOM’s Design Planning practice, North America. “Revit Architecture, in tandem with this software platform, has also allowed us to use information from BIM to weed out any discrepancies between the model and what is required in each room.”

The team was also able to see the differences between programming requirements and what has actually been modeled.

“This project is unique in terms of the scope and complexity and the level of collaboration necessary to meet the delivery challenges,” said Michael Sheehan, project manager for AECOM’s Design Planning practice, North America. “Our Revit models reflect not only constant communication between the civil and site survey teams, but also a close collaboration with Turner’s consultants — MEP, Telecom, Parking Garage and other design assistant contractors — in several offices across the country.”

This is the first design-build hospital to be completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The Fort Benning Hospital project is a great example of AECOM’s continuous integration of technology software programs to offer solutions that add value to our clients’ projects,” said Jim Walsh, AECOM senior vice president and chief technology officer.

Construction on the project is scheduled for completion in 2014.

For more information, contact:

ñ  Paul Dickard, Vice President, External Communications, AECOM T: 646-432-8473 email: Paul.Dickard@aecom.com

Editor's notes

AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves.  AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation, and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world's built, natural, and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM serves clients in approximately 125 countries and had revenue of $7.7 billion during the 12 months ended June 30, 2011. More information on AECOM and its services can be found at www.aecom.com.