USACE Buffalo district commits to BIM across construction projects

Dive Brief:

• As the federal government pushes for greater technology adoption in the permitting process, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District has implemented building information modeling across its design and construction projects, according to an Aug. 13 news release.
• The decision to adopt BIM district-wide builds on lessons USACE learned from a pilot program the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the USACE New York District conducted at the Asymmetric Warfare Group complex at Fort Meade, Maryland, per the release.
• On the project, which started in 2013, BIM was successfully used to track and manage real-time data from design through construction and into operations, which demonstrated just how quickly design solutions could be drawn up, according to the news release.

Dive Insight:

Major benefits of BIM, according to ERDC, which documented the Fort Meade project, include:

• Reduced design and construction costs by preventing errors and coordination issues.
• Faster construction planning through linked scheduling and visual modeling.
• Improved maintenance and facility operations through integration with systems like the General Fund Enterprise Business System.
• Enhanced lifecycle management by digitizing and tracking equipment warranties, room layouts, utilities and emergency systems.

Going forward, the Buffalo District is using BIM to model projects such as miter gates for the Black Rock Lock in downtown Buffalo and remediation work at the Niagara Falls Store Site.

Despite challenges that include ensuring file compatibility and enforcing data standards, the Buffalo District views BIM as an investment in future technology, according to the news release.

“The entire scope of data that is collected helps to plan projects, design repairs or upgrades, track construction progress, monitor changes over time, and maintain and manage infrastructure,” said Kevin Lesika, a geodesist with the Buffalo district’s survey team, in the release.

The move comes amid a push by the Trump administration to make federal permitting agencies embrace technology. For construction, this means using it in federal environmental reviews and other endeavors. Dustin Tellinghuisen, civil engineer at USACE Buffalo District, told Construction Dive in an email that the USACE’s adoption of BIM was a direct result of the government’s push for modernization, digital transformation and improved data management in infrastructure delivery. 

In the private sector, contractors have long used BIM, and funding exists through the federal government to encourage state departments of transportation to use technology. Last November, the Federal Highway Administration disbursed a wave of grants worth $16.6 million to eight states under the Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems program.