BIM technology has become widely adopted across various sectors within the construction industry, including software companies, BIM consulting firms, research institutes, design institutes, construction companies, and real estate developers.
Currently, only a limited number of laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines within the construction industry have been updated or introduced to support BIM technology. Most remain undeveloped or inactive. On May 10, 2012, the “Network Suggestions for the Thousand People Participation Plan of Chinese BIM Standards” was launched on the Chinese BIM portal. This initiative is led by the national standard “Unified Standard for Application of Building Engineering Information Modeling,” which was approved by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and authorized by the China BIM Development Alliance. Chaired by He Guanpei, the main goal is to engage a broad range of professionals nationwide through online collaboration, pooling expertise across the construction industry to jointly explore BIM technology development in China and to innovate the national standard preparation process for engineering construction.
China has gradually integrated BIM technology into several practical engineering projects, including the China Pavilion, Shanghai Center Building, and China Zun Tower. Located at 501 Yincheng Middle Road, Lujiazui, Pudong New Area, Shanghai Center covers a site area of 30,000 square meters with a total construction area of 576,000 square meters. The building reaches a thematic height of 580 meters and a total height of 632 meters, comprising 121 floors above ground, 5 underground floors, and 5 podium levels. Together with the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, it forms the high-rise cluster at Lujiazui Financial Center.
The decision to utilize BIM technology for the Shanghai Center project was driven by its complexity: multiple disciplines are involved, with intricate branching systems and numerous stakeholders, presenting challenges in information exchange and interoperability. Additionally, the project’s extended construction timeline significantly complicated cost control. Coupled with the relatively low overall industry standards, there was a pressing need to boost competitiveness through advanced technological innovation.
The Shanghai Center is a uniquely shaped skyscraper featuring a double-skin façade design. The inner skin follows a conventional geometric form, while the outer skin is rotated. In the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering disciplines, architectural and structural complexities result in numerous intersecting rods within the equipment layers. Traditional two-dimensional design approaches could not adequately address these challenges.
Therefore, BIM technology was adopted, utilizing Autodesk Revit as the primary modeling tool, complemented by Navisworks for clash detection and Ecotect for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. This integrated workflow enabled the successful completion of the entire equipment layer’s design.
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up