Designing Both the Product and the Process Simultaneously Through Virtual Design and Construction Helps Maximize Productivity in the Field, Saves Time and Money

Ideology and technology have converged to create an explosion in the use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) on projects across the country. According to Center for Integrated Facility Engineering at Stanford University, whose mission is to be the world’s premier academic research center for Virtual Design and Construction of AEC industry projects, the use of VDC has been growing more prevalent, offering even more widespread promise for the future as both the technology and its application continue to be refined and improved One question that remains, however, is what returns project stakeholders can anticipate based on their initial investment in VDC.

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To gain the greatest value during construction, the investment in VDC must be made up front when it can have the most influence over the project. In most cases, the initial expense of implementing VDC averages approximately half-a-percent of the total construction cost, and if done ideally at project start, can potentially yield a return of more than two or three times the early outlay. The owner, as the primary stakeholder with the money and expectation of gaining the most value, must be willing to make the initial investment.

However, VDC implementation should really be looked at as an investment by the whole team, with each team member taking responsibility for that return. The process starts with the owner but also includes specialty contractors, who have been asked to detail their installations in 3-D.

“Experience has taught us that technology by itself will not produce the results we are seeking,” said Atul Khanzode of DPR. “It is really the application of technology within a collaborative approach that offers the greatest potential to improve quality, while lowering cost and shortening the project delivery cycle.”

For example, on the 250,000-sq.-ft. medical office building under construction in Mountain View, CA, for Camino Medical Group, the use of VDC to support the lean project delivery approach has significantly improved work crew efficiency. The project is currently experiencing an overall 20 percent increase in productivity rates over traditional industry standard rates, with no rework required due to clashes being detected in the coordinated 3-D model.

Extensive prefabrication and planning have also allowed Southland Industries, the mechanical contractor, to further reduce its crew size by a full 33 percent from what was projected when it submitted its Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), which had already taken into account a reduction due to lean practices and VDC. If the project, which is more than half way complete, continues to trend accordingly, Southland anticipates returning between three and four percent of its total contract value back to the owner. In addition, both the plumbing and electrical contractors have reported labor savings due to extensive prefabrication and increased productivity of their crews.