The Beijing Fortune Center office building is situated on East Third Ring Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing, directly opposite the new CCTV headquarters. As one of Beijing’s key construction projects in 2009, it boasts a total construction area of 175,919 m2, with 58 floors above ground and 4 underground levels, reaching a height of 265 meters. Upon completion, it will stand as one of the most prestigious office buildings in Beijing’s Central Business District and the city’s second tallest structure. The building features a composite steel-concrete frame core tube structure, supported by a raft foundation.
Given the building’s multifunctional use, its mechanical and electrical (M&E) systems are both extensive and complex. The electrical systems encompass strong and weak current systems, fire protection, and integrated wiring. Water supply and drainage include domestic water, medium water, sewage and wastewater drainage, fire hydrant water supply, and sprinkler systems. Ventilation covers air conditioning, smoke control, and positive pressure air supply systems. As a commercial building, space utilization is maximized, which limits installation space for professional pipelines. This demands careful maintenance of ceiling height and construction quality amid numerous pipeline intersections, making the construction process challenging.
To ensure smooth progress, comprehensive layout planning for the densely populated M&E pipelines is essential. Key areas for this planning include equipment rooms, public corridors, and office spaces. Most M&E pipelines are concentrated within corridors surrounding the core tube, which are only 1.5 meters wide with a ceiling height limited to 2.75 meters. Detailed and coordinated design of these systems is crucial for guaranteeing construction quality and facilitating orderly installation.
The Advantages of BIM Technology
For construction companies, Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology offers significant benefits. It facilitates coordination among various subcontractors, reducing material and labor waste from repeated disassembly and rework on site. BIM ensures efficient, one-time construction that maintains high quality, shortens the schedule, and lays the groundwork for delivering a premium project.
Traditionally, CAD software was used to overlay mechanical and electrical system drawings, which often resulted in cumbersome, confusing plans where sectional views failed to capture all project details. CAD drawings lack the ability to fully reveal clashes, clearly illustrate detailed methods, or provide strong construction guidance, reducing efficiency. Pipeline adjustments were limited locally, while global impacts required extensive manpower to manage.
By implementing BIM, a comprehensive and precise building model can be created along with individual professional models, enabling thorough coordination and optimization. This approach addresses all the issues present in traditional CAD workflows. Construction teams can accurately quantify required equipment and pipeline specifications, streamlining procurement and processing. Key components are visually presented through 3D renderings, allowing workers to execute tasks with guaranteed quality and quantity. BIM also supports 4D construction simulations aligned with project schedules, which appeals greatly to project owners.
Prerequisites for Applying BIM Technology
Implementing BIM poses challenges, especially in personnel allocation. Experienced engineers often have limited computer skills, while younger staff proficient in software may lack field experience. Before modeling, equipment specifications and dimensions—typically provided by the owner—must be clearly defined. BIM software libraries and templates are often incomplete, complicating model creation. Additionally, construction deviations require timely model updates.
To overcome these challenges, the project team selected young employees for Revit software training to develop essential modeling skills and construct the overall building model (see Figure 1). They coordinated with owners and suppliers to gather equipment specifications. For equipment with limited space causing installation conflicts in the model, the owner was promptly informed to make necessary adjustments, preventing installation issues on site. Each engineering discipline created electronic base models for water supply and drainage, electrical, and ventilation systems using shared grids and by importing the building model (see Figure 2), ensuring model accuracy.
Figure 1 Engineering building model
Figure 2 Mechanical and electrical pipelines imported into building models
Using Navisworks software, collision detection was performed with clashes highlighted in bright colors. Pipeline routes were adjusted iteratively within the model until all systems aligned without conflicts.
Implementation Process of BIM Technology
The fourth floor of the Beijing Fortune Center served as a model floor for BIM application. Models were built for ventilation ducts, air conditioning water pipes, water supply and drainage, strong and weak electrical cable trays, and fire water pipes. Upon merging with the structural model, clashes were identified and resolved. A comprehensive layout and detailed drawings were then generated, with sectional views guiding the sequential construction by various subcontractors.
The project team provided a detailed layout for the fourth-floor office area (see Figure 3) along with 3D renderings (see Figure 4), clarifying installation locations and system interrelationships, and addressing pipeline intersections strategically. Construction proceeded in sequence: ventilation and air conditioning water pipes first, followed by sprinkler and fire hydrant pipes, and finally electrical conduits. This order ensured smooth workflow, maintained project progress, reduced costs, and minimized material waste (see Figure 5). All construction stages were documented via sectional and axonometric drawings, facilitating communication with labor crews and owners, thereby reducing rework.
Figure 3 Comprehensive plan for the fourth floor
Figure 4 3D rendering of the fourth-floor office area
Figure 5 Execution effect on the fourth-floor office area
Given that public corridors are densely packed with specialized pipelines, BIM was used to generate detailed cross-sectional diagrams of corridor pipelines (see Figure 6) and 3D visualizations of these systems (see Figure 7). These drawings guided the development of the most efficient layout and construction sequence within limited space, ensuring quality while maximizing ceiling height and space utilization (see Figure 8).
Figure 6 Cross-section of corridor pipeline intersections
Figure 7 3D rendering of corridor M&E pipelines
Figure 8 Corridor constructed according to BIM rendering
After completing the model floor, standard floors were constructed following the established template, allowing multiple trades to work concurrently without interference. This minimized coordination efforts, adhered to the schedule, and avoided costly demolition and rework.
In the underground substation, designers initially overlooked the arrangement of busbars, their vertical shaft sequencing, and the spatial relationship between low-voltage cabinets and air ducts. This oversight led to numerous busbar bends. After adjustments, 16 low-voltage cabinets were repositioned, reducing busbar bends by up to 28, optimizing routing, and relocating air ducts. This reduced secondary disassembly, saved materials, and resulted in a more rational and aesthetically pleasing layout. The substation’s 3D rendering is shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9 3D rendering of the substation
Using BIM, comprehensive layout plans, sectional, and axonometric drawings were exported after model completion and professional coordination. Workers were then briefed accordingly. During installation, no rework due to clashes occurred, ensuring adherence to schedule, quality standards, and acceptance criteria.
Impact of BIM Technology Application
Through piloting BIM on this project, although additional technical staff were required for detailed drawing preparation before construction, the technology resolved clashes among disciplines, preventing material and labor waste from rework. This led to significant economic benefits. Preliminary estimates indicate BIM saved millions of yuan in labor and materials and shortened the construction timeline by up to three months.
The successful application of BIM technology at Beijing Fortune Center has demonstrated its advantages. Moving forward, efforts will focus on enhancing BIM technicians’ proficiency, expanding BIM’s application scope in construction, improving speed and accuracy, and laying a stronger foundation for future BIM integration.
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