The USGlass News Network

In 2008 interest in building information modeling (BIM) was rampant throughout the design and construction industry. Now, just three short years later, the industry has seen its first BIM-related litigation case, showing the importance of constant communication on such projects for everyone involved, including contract glaziers.

The case began when an architect and mechanical-electrical-plumbing (MEP) engineer used BIM in the design of a life-sciences building, according to news reports, the design team allegedly "did not tell the contractor that the extremely tight fit, coordinated in the BIM, depended on a very specific installation sequence,” and the contractor, when nearly finished, allegedly did not have enough room to finish. “The contractor sued the owner, the owner sued the architect and XL [Insurance] brought in the MEP engineer,” in what has been reported as a “costly claim to negotiate. The settlement is said to have been in the millions and was shared by the architect, MEP engineer and contractor.

Randy Lewis, vice president of loss prevention with XL Insurance, tells USGNN.com™ that communication on any type of construction project is critical. And while his firm only works with design professionals, he says their claims data shows that communication is one of the primary causes for those claims.

“And it’s probably the same on the construction side,” says Lewis, explaining that these projects are complicated in that they require a lot of people to do perform specific tasks; if there’s not good communication the project may not be successful.

So what can those in the glass industry learn from a lawsuit such as this one?

“The whole excitement around BIM is that it allows [the team to work in a] highly collaborative fashion. So as part of the project delivery team [contract glaziers] should get involved as early as possible so that they know when they are delivering their portion they will be meeting the owner’s expectations.” says Lewis.

While this particular case did not involve fenestration systems, if the popularity of BIM continues those in the glazing industry could possibly find themselves in a similar situation. Some groups, such as the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), are working to develop resources that could be beneficial to the industry. AAMA, for example, is developing a Voluntary Specification for Non-Residential Fenestration Building Information Modeling, which it says will standardize the expression of fenestration-related parameters within the BIM process and how they are defined for BIM Object Libraries. This, it says, will align BIM inputs and outputs with the expectations of stakeholders through various stages of the project.

“As the non-residential construction industry continues development and optimization of integrated workflow, leveraging BIM, the need for standardization and quality assurance in product models for windows, curtainwall, storefront, and skylights has become apparent,” says Rich Walker, AAMA president and chief executive officer. “Our Voluntary Specification for Non-Residential Fenestration Building Information Modeling will outline minimum requirements for Design Intent fenestration modeling and Project Execution and Coordination fenestration modeling. It is intended to be referenced in other industry standards, contract documents, proposals, and marketing materials as needed. It also provides a guide for manufacturers in assembling BIM information relevant to their standard products and services.

The task group is currently working on the second draft.

BIM has also been discussed at a number of meetings of the Glass Association of North America, as well.