By mid-year, the Shanghai Center — the tallest building in Shanghai — will officially begin its trial operation. Rising to 632 meters, this remarkable “super project” stood out as the most technically challenging among nine competing designs. Due to its massive scale and complex engineering, the Shanghai Center involved over 150,000 drawings. Had the traditional “blueprints plus paper drawings” method been employed, the design, construction, and management processes would have faced enormous difficulties.
Back in 2008, during the conceptual design phase, the Shanghai Center team took a pioneering step by fully integrating BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology into every stage — from design through construction to operation. For the first time, BIM requirements were explicitly included in contract terms, compelling all contractors to adopt BIM throughout the project. This innovation led to a new management model: lean management based on BIM technology, led by the construction unit and collaboratively implemented by all stakeholders.
Transforming Design Blueprints with BIM Technology
Zhou Hongbo, Chief Engineer at Shanghai Jianke Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd., responsible for engineering supervision, explained that a key BIM application is virtual construction of designs. Once engineering drawings are completed, BIM enables dynamic, 3D visualization of project timelines, manufacturers, progress, and costs. This allowed the team to identify and resolve over 100,000 potential conflicts in advance. Considering each clash could cost around 1,000 yuan, this proactive approach is estimated to have saved at least 100 million yuan.
Ge Qing, Chief Engineer of the Shanghai Center, noted, “This significantly reduces rework during on-site construction.”
During construction, BIM provided precise data that further minimized rework and material waste. For example, the Shanghai Center’s steel structure includes eight massive truss floors, acting as critical “bamboo knots” for the building. Each truss layer consists of cantilever, ring, and floor trusses; some components weigh up to 100 tons with steel plates as thick as 14 centimeters. The structure’s complexity demands strict control over deformation and installation accuracy.
Ge Qing shared that by leveraging BIM data, the team compared actual coordinates with theoretical ones and made timely corrections for deviations. This process essentially achieved “physical pre-assembly,” keeping unnecessary steel waste below 2 tons.
Applying BIM to the assembly of the exterior curtain wall improved blueprint processing efficiency by 200%, data conversion efficiency by 50%, and measurement accuracy for complex components by 10%. Over 20,000 glass curtain wall panels were delivered and installed without any rework, with only 16 workers required for rapid installation across the entire site.
For interior decoration, BIM facilitated the transport and on-site assembly of prefabricated components, raising the office interior’s industrialization rate to 85%. While ultra-high-rise building decoration typically requires over 1.2 workdays per square meter, the Shanghai Center reduced this to less than 0.9 workdays. With 12 floors constructed simultaneously and fewer than 100 workers, overall efficiency improved significantly.
Extending BIM into Operations and Management
After the Shanghai Center’s completion, BIM continues to play a vital role in property and operational management. Traditionally, building operations require extensive design and as-built drawings, making maintenance complex and time-consuming when problems arise. Through BIM’s digital models, the Shanghai Center can quickly access spatial information and equipment details — including supplier, installer, materials used, and replacement history — enabling swift maintenance and issue resolution.
Integrating BIM with operation and maintenance management systems maximizes the benefits of spatial positioning and data tracking. This integration supports the development of efficient maintenance plans, assignment of specialized personnel, and reduces the likelihood of unexpected issues during building use. For critical equipment, maintenance history is closely monitored to enable timely status assessments.
In disaster emergencies, the Shanghai Center uses BIM alongside disaster simulation software to model potential incidents, analyze causes, develop prevention strategies, and establish emergency evacuation and rescue plans. In the event of a disaster, BIM models provide rescue teams with comprehensive information on emergency locations, greatly enhancing the effectiveness of response efforts.
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