Construction Management Through 5D Building Information Modeling With Alternative Design Considerations

Construction Management through 5D
WPI Sports &

Building Information Modeling with
Recreation Center
Alternative Design Considerations
Christopher Baker
Andrew Beliveau
Nica Sylvia
Machell Williams
GFS 1203
WPI Recreation Center:

Construction Management through Five-Dimensional
Building Information Modeling
with Alternative Design Considerations
A Major Qualifying Project Report

Submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Bachelor of Science
Submitted By:
Christopher Baker
Andrew Beliveau
Nica Sylvia
Machell Williams
Sponsoring Agencies:
Gilbane Building Company
Cannon Design
Cardinal Construction
Submitted To:
Project Advisor: Guillermo Salazar
Project Co-Advisor: Mingjiang Tao
Date: March 1, 2012

ABSTRACT
This project utilized Building Information Modeling to produce a 5-dimensional model of the
WPI Sports and Recreation Center. The model was used to perform a construction schedule
performance analysis of major work packages. In addition, alternative analysis and design was
performed on the structural, geotechnical and functional aspects of the connection between
Harrington Auditorium and the Recreation Center.
ii
CAPSTONE DESIGN STATEMENT
The design capstone requirement of this Major Qualifying Project was met through the
exploration of structural, geotechnical and functional design aspects related to the physical
connection of the new Sports & Recreation Center and Harrington Auditorium buildings at the
WPI campus. We also used Building Information Modeling methods and to review the design
constructability of the new Recreation Center and developed a 5D model of for the foundation,
structure and façade.
The new Recreation Center is being constructed in close proximity to the pre-existing
Harrington Auditorium, therefore there were inherent design considerations relating to this
relationship during the design phase. Our analysis addresses three design factors involving the
two structures: geotechnical design for excavated soil and underpinning of existing foundations,
framing design for the tie-in between the buildings, and space reconfiguration design of the
trainer‟s room which will be directly impacted by the tie-in. We analyzed and designed for each
aspect individually and then developed a proposal for the interaction between the buildings based
on our findings.
The first feature we explored was the geotechnical design of the foundation along the
west side of Harrington Auditorium, which was subjected to a loading condition caused by the
loss of support from surrounding soil during excavation. We proposed the use of micropiles as
the primary foundation stabilization support during excavation, a type of underpinning that uses
grout and steel to support compressive loads. The underpinning layout was designed to produce
the most economical solution possible. We tested eight different designs configurations and
chose the design that reduces the amount of required material for installation, while maintaining
structural stability.
The second aspect we investigated was the connection, or “tie-in” between the Recreation
Center and Harrington Auditorium. From the beginning of the design phase of the Recreation
Center, it was decided upon to connect the two buildings to provide space for robots to be stored
and operated on during robotics competitions held at Harrington. The connection will be on the
gymnasium floor level of Harrington Auditorium and on the Robotics Pits level of the Recreation
Center, acting as a pathway between the two for Robotics Competitions and for simple
circulation purposes. The design would require a portion of the Harrington exterior brick-CMU
iii
wall to be removed, so we developed a framing support for the new opening. We decided to use
lintels as the primary load support, as oppose to a two-column/beam system. The decision to use
lintels would minimize the cost of the tie-in since it uses substantially less material that the
alternative design proposal.
The final characteristic of the interaction between the buildings that we studied was the
effect the tie-in would have on the trainer‟s room in Harrington Auditorium. The connection
between the buildings runs directly through the trainer‟s room of Harrington, which will remain
fully-operational in the future, despite the addition of a new training area in the Recreation
Center. Therefore, the room would need to be reconfigured to allow for the tie-in and the
resulting hallway that would run through it to the gymnasium floor. We took into consideration
the functional, social, economical and constructible aspects when designing a reconfiguration of
the room. We designed a hallway that would function as the primary route for robots during
competitions by making it wide enough to support traffic in opposite directions simultaneously.
Our design also limits the interference between the hallway and the trainer‟s room by
maximizing the space of the trainer‟s room given the dimensional constraints. By addressing
both the trainer‟s and robotics team‟s design recommendations we were able to design a socially
accommodating layout. We addressed the economic and constructability aspects by developing
a design that reduces amount of exploratory work and demolition/reconstruction needed to
perform. This reduces both the cost and the time it takes to reconfigure the area.
In addition to the design considerations pertaining to the two buildings tie-in, we also
reviewed constructability aspects of the design of the Recreation Center. We used existing 3D
models of the Recreation Center, developed by Cannon Design, and linked them to construction
schedules generated by Gilbane, the construction manager. This allowed us to visually display
the construction of the Recreation Center design as it progressed over time, commonly referred
to as a four-dimensional model. We developed two separate 4D simulations; the first showed the
planned schedule developed prior to construction, and the other of the actual progress of the
construction project. We tracked the progress of the actual construction by attending project
owner meetings, reviewing web-cam time-lapsed footage, and by studying various project-
related documentation. By comparing the two models, we were able to determine the schedule
performance index (SPI), as well as determine the cost effectiveness of the construction process
iv
based on the success of specific trades. By developing this methodology, we were able to
conduct an overall five-dimensional review and analysis of the Sports & Recreation Center.
The construction of the Sports & Recreation Center also had various social implications,
most prevalent amongst the student body was the campus disruption and coordination required
because of the construction site. As with any construction project, the surrounding area will be
affected and in the case of the Recreation Center, the quad was reduced in size, haul
roads/parking areas reconfigured, and Harrington Auditorium trainer‟s area reconfigured. We
took these aspects into consideration while developing our project. What‟s more though, is the
lasting impact the Sports & Recreation Center will provide for the WPI Community. Prior to
construction WPI did not have a facility that allowed for students, faculty, varsity athletes,
robotics competitions, and meeting spaces to all coexist in one facility. The creation of the new
building on campus will reshape the physical layout of our campus, but it will also force the WPI
Community to rethink the way we view our facilities. While this project is but a small part in the
development of this change, we are proud to have served our University in this capacity.
v
AUTHORSHIP PAGE
ABSTRACT - BELIVEAU
CAPSTONE DESIGN STATEMENT - BAKER
1.0 INTRODUCTION - BAKER
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 WPI Recreation Center - BAKER
2.2 Recreation Center Project History - BAKER
2.3 Recreations Center Project Team and Organization – BAKER/SYLVIA
2.4 Owner’s Meetings – BAKER/BELIVEAU
2.5 Project Budgeting, Cost Estimating, Payments and Bidding - SYLVIA
2.6 Project Scheduling - BAKER
2.7 Earned Value Analysis (EVA) - SYLVIA
2.8 Building Information Modeling – BAKER/SYLVIA/WILLIAMS
2.9 Harrington Tie-In & Geotechnical Aspects - BAKER/SYLVIA/WILLIAMS
3.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT & BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING -SYLVIA
3.1 BIM Execution Plan - SYLVIA
3.2 Four Dimensional Analysis (4D) - BELIVEAU
3.3 Five Dimensional Analysis (5D) - BELIVEAU
3.4 BIM’s Potential Uses in Communication – Owner’s Meetings – BAKER/BELIVEAU/SYLVIA
3.5 Summary of BIM Findings: 4D, EVA, & Communication - SYLVIA
4.0 RECREATION CENTER & HARRINGTON AUDITORIUM CONNECTION - BAKER
4.1 Underpinning Design: Methodology & Results – BAKER
4.2 Structural Interaction – Tie-In Framing Design – BAKER
4.3 Functional Design – Trainer’s Room Reconfiguration – BAKER/WILLIAMS
5.0 CONCLUSION – BAKER/BELIVEAU/SYLVIA
vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to personally thank all those involved in the development of this Major Qualifying
Project. Without your assistance, this project and the conclusions we have drawn could not have
been possible. We appreciate your time, your willingness to teach, and your commitment to the
advancement of engineering education at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We would like to extend
a special thank you to:
Gilbane Building Company

Bill Kearney, Project Executive
Neil Benner, Sr. Project Manager
Melissa Hinton, Project Engineer
Cannon Design
Lynne Deninger, AIA LEED
Dominic Vecchione, Sr. Assoc. Architect
Scott Lindberg, Construction Administrator
Cardinal Construction
Brent Arthaud, President
Michael Andrews, Sr. Project Manager
Representatives from WPI

Jeffrey Solomon, Executive Vice-President/CFO
Dana Harmon, Director of PE, Rec, and Athletics
Ann McCaron, Assoc. Athletic Director
Janet Richardson, VP of Student Affairs & Campus Life
Alfredo DiMauro, Asst. VP of Facilities
Sean O’Connor, Asst. CIO
Shawn McAvey, Athletics Facilities Manager
Aimee Sevigny, Assistant Athletic Trainer
Kenneth Stafford, Director of the Robotics Resource Center
Project Advisors
Dr. Guillermo F. Salazar
Dr. Mingjiang Tao
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….i
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................... ii
CAPSTONE DESIGN STATEMENT .................................................................................................................. iii
AUTHORSHIP PAGE ...................................................................................................................................... vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................. vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................. viii
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................... xi
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................xiii
1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1
2.0 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 WPI Recreation Center........................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Recreation Center Project History ...................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Recreation Center Project Team and Organization ............................................................................ 5
2.3.1 Project Manager – Construction Manager at Risk – Gilbane Construction ................................. 6
2.3.2 Designer – Cannon Design ........................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3 Owner’s Agent – Cardinal Construction....................................................................................... 8
2.4 Owner’s Meetings ............................................................................................................................... 9
2.5 Project Budgeting, Cost Estimating, Payments and Bidding ............................................................. 10
2.6 Project Scheduling ............................................................................................................................ 13
2.6.1 Critical Path Method .................................................................................................................. 14
2.6.2 Gantt Chart................................................................................................................................. 15
2.6.3 Primavera ................................................................................................................................... 16
2.6.4 WPI Scheduling Techniques ....................................................................................................... 17
2.7 Earned Value Analysis (EVA) ............................................................................................................. 18
2.8 Building Information Modeling ......................................................................................................... 19
2.8.1 BIM History ................................................................................................................................ 20
2.8.2 BIM Uses in Industry .................................................................................................................. 21
2.8.3 Use of BIM on the Recreation Center ........................................................................................ 22
2.8.4 Previous MQP BIM Findings ....................................................................................................... 23
2.8.5 BIM Execution Plan .................................................................................................................... 24
2.9 Harrington Tie-In & Geotechnical Aspects ........................................................................................ 26
viii
2.9.1 Harrington Auditorium ............................................................................................................. 26
2.9.2 Geotechnical Aspects of Recreation Center Construction ......................................................... 28
2.9.3 WPI’s Harrington Tie-In Proposal ............................................................................................... 30
3.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT & BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING ...................................................... 35
3.1 BIM Execution Plan ........................................................................................................................... 35
3.1.1 Project Goal................................................................................................................................ 36
3.1.2 Team Member Responsibilities.................................................................................................. 36
3.1.3 Project Phasing Network............................................................................................................ 37
3.1.4 Software for Each Phase ............................................................................................................ 40
3.1.5 Detailed Project Phase Procedures ............................................................................................ 41
3.2 Four Dimensional Analysis (4D) ........................................................................................................ 45
3.3 Five Dimensional Analysis (5D) ......................................................................................................... 51
3.4 BIM’s Potential Uses in Communication - Owner’s Meetings .......................................................... 55
3.5 Summary of BIM Findings: 4D, EVA, & Communication ................................................................... 57
4.0 RECREATION CENTER & HARRINGTON AUDITORIUM CONNECTION ................................................... 59
4.1 Underpinning Design: Methodology & Results................................................................................. 59
4.1.1 Loading Conditions & Dimensions ............................................................................................. 60
4.1.2 Pile Size/Surface Area Calculations ............................................................................................ 61
4.1.3 Axial Loading Capacity Calculations: Design Bond Length & Embedment Depth...................... 64
4.1.4 Grout-to-Concrete Connection Calculations.............................................................................. 66
4.1.5 Final Underpinning Design Recommendations .......................................................................... 70
4.2 Structural Interaction – Tie-In Framing Design ................................................................................. 73
4.2.1 Determining Tie-In Dimensions ................................................................................................. 74
4.2.2 Calculating Loading Conditions .................................................................................................. 76
4.2.3 Lintel Size Calculations ............................................................................................................... 79
4.2.4 Tie-In Design Results & Recommendations ............................................................................... 81
4.3 Functional Design – Trainer’s Room Reconfiguration....................................................................... 82
4.3.1 Current Trainer’s Room Layout & Proposed Tie-In Location ..................................................... 82
4.3.2 Design Requirements – Trainer’s Room/Robotics Hallway ....................................................... 85
4.3.3 Proposed Reconfigurations – Trainer’s Area/Robotics Hallway ................................................ 86
4.3.4 Recommendations for Trainer’s Area/Robotics Hallway ........................................................... 91
5.0 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: .............................................................................................. 94
ix
5.1 BIM/4D/5D Conclusions & Recommendations ................................................................................. 94
5.1.1 BIM as a Project-Tracking Tool................................................................................................... 94
5.1.2 BIM’s Increasing in Necessity ..................................................................................................... 95
5.1.3 Future BIM Research.................................................................................................................. 95
5.2 Harrington Auditorium Connection: Conclusions & Recommendations .......................................... 96
5.2.1 Geotechnical Design................................................................................................................... 96
5.2.2 Structural Tie-In Design .............................................................................................................. 98
5.2.3 Functional/Architectural Design ................................................................................................ 99
5.3 Overall Conclusion from Project Work ........................................................................................... 100
BIBILIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 101
APPENDIX A: Project Group Contractual Agreement .............................................................................. 103
APPENDIX B: Activity Identification Coding System ................................................................................. 105
APPENDIX C: Primavera-and Excel Scheduling Process ............................................................................ 106
APPENDIX D: Revit Element Identification Process ................................................................................. 113
APPENDIX E: Material Quantity Takeoff Process ..................................................................................... 116
APPENDIX F: NavisWorks Simulation Process .......................................................................................... 126
APPENDIX G: NavisWorks Transparency and Color Change ..................................................................... 135
APPENDIX H: Step Solve Shared Project Errors ........................................................................................ 137
APPENDIX I: Monthly Construction Phases with Corresponding Material Quantities ............................ 143
APPENDIX J: Monthly Construction Phases with Percent Complete and Cost ......................................... 150
APPENDIX K: Planned vs. Actual Material Quantities By Month and Trade ............................................. 165
APPENDIX L: Underpinning Design Calculations & Related Sources........................................................ 173
APPENDIX M: RISA 2D Steps to Create a Beam w/ Loading Conditions ................................................... 179
APPENDIX N: Interview with Professor Stafford (Robotics Dept.) ........................................................... 182
x
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: WPI Recreation Center Rendering (View from Quadrangle) ........................................................ 4
Figure 2: Construction Management at Risk Arrangement ......................................................................... 7
Figure 3: WPI Recreation Center Organizational Breakdown ...................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Critical Path Method Network Diagram ...................................................................................... 15
Figure 5: Gantt Chart.................................................................................................................................. 15
Figure 6: Gilbane Primavera Schedule ....................................................................................................... 16
Figure 7: Recreation Center by Sections .................................................................................................... 17
Figure 8: Typical CPI-SPI Graph .................................................................................................................. 19
Figure 9: Comparative BIM Models of the Recreation Center Construction 2011 (Fournier, 2010) ......... 24
Figure 10: BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure .............................................................................. 26
Figure 11: Topographical View of WPI Quadrangle (provided by Hadrey Aldrich).................................... 27
Figure 12: A Typical Soil Nailing Schematic (Elias, 2003) ........................................................................... 29
Figure 13: Floor Plan of Harrington Auditorium Tie-In (provided by Cannon Design)............................... 31
Figure 14: Simplified Harrington Tie-In Loading Sketch ............................................................................. 32
Figure 15: View of the West side of Harrington Auditorium and the Proposed Tie-in.............................. 32
Figure 16: An AutoCAD Sketch of the current layout of the Harrington Gym Training Room................... 33
Figure 17: BIM Project Map ....................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 18: Primavera Schedule with Activity ID link .................................................................................. 46
Figure 19: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – August 2010 ........................................................ 47
Figure 20: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – September 2010 .................................................. 47
Figure 21: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – October 2010 ...................................................... 48
Figure 22: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – January 2011 ....................................................... 49
Figure 23: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – April 2011 ............................................................ 50
Figure 24: Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of WPI Recreation Center Project...................................... 52
Figure 25: Monthly Brick and Precast (Façade) Concrete Quantities ........................................................ 53
Figure 26: Total Monthly Project Cost ....................................................................................................... 53
Figure 27: Project Performance Comparison ............................................................................................. 54
Figure 28: Owner’s Meeting with Google Sketch Up Representation ....................................................... 57
Figure 29: Dimensions of the Harrington Auditorium Section Used for Designing Underpinning ............ 60
Figure 30: Cross Section of Underpinning Used Beneath Harrington Auditorium .................................... 62
Figure 31: Average Bond Values for Various Soil Parameters (NHI/FHWA, 2006) .................................... 64
Figure 32: Ultimate Load vs. Length of Anchor for Various Soil Parameters (FHWA) ............................... 65
Figure 33: Simple Schematic of a Footing with an Angled Micropile ........................................................ 68
Figure 34: Effective Angle vs. Diameter of Micropile Hole ........................................................................ 69
Figure 35: Minimum Diameter and Angle Requirements .......................................................................... 70
Figure 36: Plan View of Location of Underpinning at Harrington Footing................................................. 71
Figure 37: Final Proposed Underpinning Design ........................................................................................ 72
Figure 38: Recreation Center/Harrington Auditorium Tie-In Plan View .................................................... 73
Figure 39: Trainer’s Room w/ Location of Column and Entrenchment ..................................................... 75
Figure 40: Tie-In Dimensions...................................................................................................................... 76
xi
Figure 41: Triangular Load Distribution Acting on an Exterior Wall Opening ............................................ 77
Figure 42: Shear-Moment Diagrams for Distributed Triangular Loads (Mathalino, 2021) ........................ 78
Figure 43: RISA 2D Screenshot for the Tie-In Loading Conditions on an L- 4x4x1/2 Steel Lintel .............. 79
Figure 44: AutoCAD Drawing of Trainer’s Room as Originally Constructed .............................................. 83
Figure 45: Current Layout of Trainer’s Room w/ Dimensions.................................................................... 84
Figure 46: Trainer’s Area with Labels ......................................................................................................... 85
Figure 47: Reconfiguration Option#1......................................................................................................... 88
Figure 48: Reconfiguration Option #2 ........................................................................................................ 89
Figure 49: Reconfiguration Option #3 ........................................................................................................ 91
Figure 50: Final Design Configuration for Robotics Hallway & Trainer’s Room ......................................... 93
Figure 51: Geotechnical Design Proposal (Plan View Above, Cross-Section Below) ................................. 97
Figure 52: Plan View of Proposed Configuration of the Trainer’s Room ................................................... 99
xii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: WPI Work Breakdown Structure (2/2/2012)................................................................................ 12
Table 2: BIM Execution Plan Goal Description ........................................................................................... 36
Table 3: Project Phasing Network .............................................................................................................. 38
Table 4: Project Phase-Software Relationship ........................................................................................... 40
Table 5: Compressive Load Limit Calculations for 6” Diameter Micropile w/5000psi Grout & #8 Rebar . 62
Table 6: Structural Compressive Failure Capacity for Potential Design Configurations ............................ 63
Table 7: Alternative Design Depths and Their Corresponding Safety Factor............................................. 66
Table 8: Rock/grout Bond Values for Calculating Grout-to-Concrete Connection (PCI)............................ 67
Table 9: Masonry Units and Weights ......................................................................................................... 77
Table 10: Lintel Sizes, Properties & Deflections (Size Information from Engineering Toolbox) ................ 80
Table 11: Pros & Cons of Each Reconfiguration Design ............................................................................. 92
xiii
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In May of 2010 construction of a fully operational, state-of-the-art recreational facility

began on Worcester Polytechnic Institute‟s campus in Worcester, MA. The $53 Million building
features a 29,000 square foot gymnasium, a natatorium containing a 25-meter competition
swimming pool, rowing tanks, squash courts, robotics pits, 11,000 square feet of fitness space,
and an additional 5,000 square feet of multipurpose rooms (WPI Press Release, 2010). Despite
the massive size of the structure and the complexities of the construction site, the project will be
completed within two years. The ability for projects, such as the recreation center, to be
completed in such a short amount of time is due to a large extent to changes in the construction
industry over the years, including the addition of powerful modeling computer software.
The construction industry is constantly shifting in an effort to streamline the construction
process, minimize material waste, decrease overall cost, accelerate project completion, and
improve communication between all parties involved. The implementation of Building
Information Modeling (BIM) related software, such as Autodesk‟s Revit and Nemetschek, into
construction projects contributes to making these changes in the industry possible. Although
BIM-related software has been around since the 1980‟s, it has only recently found acceptance in
the AEC industry, but experts estimate that within a few years BIM will be a standard tool
utilized on most projects (Reinhardt, 2010). A Building Information Model is a computer-
generated 3D model that allows the user to visualize the project beyond just three dimensions by
incorporating time and money. By introducing time, the BIM model becomes “4D” and can be
used to track the progress of the project during construction from inception to completion. With
the 4D model, project teams can view the proposed structure throughout its different phases of
construction and organize the building process before construction even begins. This can help
reduce the timeline of the project by creating a better understanding to those parties involved in
the construction process as well as by detecting issues before they occur, such as spatial
interferences. It also helps in anticipating the difficulty of changes in design as the project
progresses. Building Information Models can also include money tracking throughout the course
of the project by applying costs to the different elements of the building, thus creating a 5D
model. This helps the owner or project manager understand how the money is being spent over
the course of the project and recognize how to allocate the funds during different stages of
construction. .
1
Although Building Information Modeling has provided evidence of its capability to
significantly improve the efficiency of construction projects, it has still not been adopted
throughout the entire industry. Most projects are driven primarily by budget (money) and
schedule (time). The 4D-5D capabilities of BIM allows for both the budget and schedule to be
visually linked to the 3-dimensional model of the project itself. These models also make it easier
to perform Earned Value Analysis, which is a method of assessing how well a project is being
managed.
During the design and construction of the Recreation Center, BIM was employed in a
limited fashion; during the design phase by creating a 3D model that helped in producing
construction documents, and during the construction phase for coordinating M/E/P and Fire
Protection. The focus of our Major Qualifying Project explores the extension of BIM modeling
by developing 4D and 5D models of the WPI Recreation Center. This was accomplished by
tracking the progress of the WPI Recreation Center construction from when concrete was first
poured on August 7th, 2010 to when the façade reached substantial completion in March of 2012.
BIM modeling and scheduling software was used to evaluate the overall progress of four of the
primary construction phases: concrete, steel, roof, and façade. We were able to obtain Revit
models and construction schedules of the Recreation Center, which we used as the foundation of
our 4D-5D model development. However, these were not sufficient enough to accurately track
the project, so we also performed interviews with project staff, studied webcam footage of the
construction site and attended weekly Owner‟s Meetings which gave us greater insight into the
week-to-week project decisions over the course of construction. Once the model was complete
an Earned Value Analysis was conducted to determine how well the project was managed. From
what was learned suggestions were provided as to how using BIM models throughout the
construction process could have positively impacted the project, in terms of its ability to improve
communications between parties, potentially reduce project costs, and increase the efficiency of
the project processes.
An interesting aspect of the construction of the Recreation Center is its connection with
Harrington Auditorium, which will be used as the main passageway between these two
buildings, and in particular for robotics competitions. In this regard, this study also includes a
structural-geotechnical as well as a functional design review of the connection between these
buildings. The foundation underpinning and soil nailing is reviewed in detail as well as
2
functional and operational aspects involved in changing the current use of the space currently
dedicated to the trainer‟s room in Harrington,
In its essence, the results obtained from this Major Qualifying Project show the potential
benefits of using five-dimensional modeling with regards to time and cost management. Also,
the results we obtained regarding Harrington Auditorium‟s interaction with the Recreation
Center outline the necessary procedure and the key aspects that need to be considered when
planning and designing the construction of a building near a pre-existing structure.
3
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 WPI Recreation Center
A large construction project is currently taking place at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

that will be yet another display of excellence in engineering and design on the WPI campus. The
project is the development of a brand new, state-of-the-art Sports and Recreation Center that will
promote student and faculty involvement in athletics and fitness. The facility is a 5-level,
140,000 square foot structure located at the west end of the campus quadrangle overlooking
Alumni Field. The Recreation Center will feature a natatorium, a fitness center, a four-court
gymnasium, a suspended indoor running track, rowing tanks, racquetball courts, dance studios,
and office and meeting spaces for the coaches and staff of the Department of Physical Education,
Recreation, and Athletics (Mell, 2009). In addition to the athletic features that the building
provides, it will also include space for robotics competitions, career fairs, admissions open
houses, and alumni events; utilizing the buildings capability for all students, faculty, and alumni
to enjoy. A rendering of the WPI Recreation Center provided by Cannon Design can be seen
below in Figure 1.
Figure 1: WPI Recreation Center Rendering (View from Quadrangle)
4
In addition to the many functions that the building will offer, it will also be an excellent
display of modern architecture and environmentally friendly design. The majority of the
building‟s exterior will consist of glass curtain walls that will provide excellent views from
inside and an aesthetically-pleasing structure on the outside. Also, the building aims to become
LEED-certified when complete, meaning that it will meet the highest standard of
environmentally-friendly performance (Mell, 2009). WPI plans to achieve a high level of
sustainability in the new facility through the use of a Building Management System that will
integrate all mechanical and electrical systems in the building. This includes the abilities to
balance building-wide power consumption with available renewable, natural power production
from both a large array of solar panels and the extensive network of power-generating fitness
equipment. Once complete, the new Recreation Center will undoubtedly become a staple of the
WPI campus and be treasured by the WPI community for many years.
2.2 Recreation Center Project History
The idea to build a new recreation facility on the WPI campus has been around for years
amongst the Institute‟s community. The combination of a recent growth in student body
population and the outdated athletic facilities currently offered at WPI made it apparent that a
new, state-of-the art recreational facility would be required on campus to accommodate these
needs. In the spring of 2009, construction was scheduled to begin on the project; however it was
deferred due to economic conditions (Mell, 2009). Then, on October 30, 2009, the Board of
Trustees met at its annual fall meeting and unanimously voted to proceed toward construction of
the facility, setting May of 2010 for ground-breaking. The decision to commence with
construction was made after reviewing the Institute‟s continuing financial, academic, and
enrollment strength. The building is set to be complete and fully-operational by the start of the
2012-2013 academic year.
2.3 Recreation Center Project Team and Organization
Most projects and contractual agreements consist of three main teams working together:
the owner, the designer and the contracting teams. However, there can also be additional parties;
such is the case in the WPI Recreation Center, as Cardinal Construction acts as WPI‟s
representative party. Members of the owner‟s team must provide the project‟s needs, the level
5
of quality expected, a permissible budget, and the required schedule. They must also provide the
overall direction of the project. The design team, chosen to be Cannon Design for the Recreation
Center project, generally develops a set of contract documents that meets the owner‟s needs,
budget, required level of quality, and schedule. In addition, the work specified in the contract
documents must be constructible by the contractor. The contractor‟s team, Gilbane Construction
in the Recreation Center project, must efficiently manage the physical work required to build the
project in accordance with the contract document (Oberlender, 2000). The success of a
construction project is often dictated by the ability of the three principal contracting parties to
work effectively together.
Before construction began on the Recreation Center, WPI had to choose design and
management teams and determine which type of contractual agreement would best suit the
project. Determining the contractual agreements provides a blueprint for the hierarchy during
construction and to a large extent influences the harmony of the relationships among participants.
This choice is based on how well defined the project is before construction begins, as well as the
owner‟s experience in the industry.
2.3.1 Project Manager – Construction Manager at Risk – Gilbane Construction
Project management is “the art and science of coordinating workers, equipment,

materials, money, and a project schedule, in order to successfully complete a project on time and
within budget” (Oberlender, 2000). An effective project manager must be able to organize
people to focus on the goal of the project at hand, in addition to efficiently communicating and
motivating their workers. Every project is different due to its location and magnitude, therefore
as a project manager it is important to be educated about various aspects of each project. The
project manager is typically assigned to a project at its start, and will work closely with the
owner until completion (Oberlender, 2000).
Project Managers are utilized on all construction projects regardless of size and the
capacity in which they perform is dictated by the contractual agreement of the specific project.
There are many different contract arrangements for construction projects but WPI chose to
implement a Construction Management (CM) at Risk arrangement for the Recreation Center
6
project, with Gilbane Building Co. (Gilbane) performing the role as Project Manager or CM. A
Construction Management (CM) at Risk arrangement is a four-party arrangement involving the
owner, designer, CM firm, and contractor. On a CM project, a construction management firm
coordinates with a design firm, although they are under separate contracts, and they report to the
owner throughout the progress of the project. The basic CM concept is that the owner assigns a
contract to a firm that is knowledgeable and capable of coordinating all aspects of construction to
meet the intended use of the project by the owner. (Oberlender, 2000) The construction
management team is usually responsible for determining and hiring out all of the work to
subcontractors. Figure 2 below shows a CM @ Risk contract:
Figure 2: Construction Management at Risk Arrangement
Gilbane is based out of Providence, Rhode Island, and is one of the largest privately held
family-owned real estate development and construction firms in the industry. Gilbane has well-
established history with WPI, having led the construction of several WPI facilities in the past
including East Hall and Bartlett Center. WPI‟s CM at Risk agreement on the Recreation Center
project includes cost-plus compensation with a Guaranteed Maximum Price. As part of
Gilbane‟s role as CM at Risk, they hire and manage the majority of sub-contractors throughout
the project, besides several specialty packages which WPI takes direct responsibility. Since they
hire the sub-contractors and set the GMP, they are essentially the party taking the greatest
financial risk in project if it is to exceed the GMP.
7
The Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) within a CM at Risk contract is beneficial to the
owner because it allows them to establish their budget, and hold the CM accountable for any
money spent beyond that limit. This is one of the valuable characteristics of a CM at Risk
contract and likely the main reason WPI chose it for the Recreation Center project. The WPI
Recreation Center agreement holds Gilbane liable for completing all work outlined in the
provided plans within the Guaranteed Maximum Price, and it is understood that any change
orders can either increase or decrease the overall cost, as they are considered work that is out of
the original scope of the project. Although Gilbane was brought onto the project during pre-
construction, they didn‟t officially submit the finalized GMP until late 2010. WPI decided to
postpone the submittal of the GMP until after all bidding was completed, including certain
specialty items within the facility that delayed bidding. By waiting until all bidding was
complete, Gilbane was able to provide a more accurate GMP with fewer contingencies, and
ultimately less risk to the owner. The finalized GMP was set at $53M and that includes all work
as well as a built-in construction fee to Gilbane.
2.3.2 Designer – Cannon Design
The design team was chosen early on in the project to be Cannon Design. As lead
designer, Cannon Design works through a contract directly with WPI, as is the general
contractual arrangement in a CM @ Risk project. As part of their contract, Cannon Design
remains in direct contact with WPI from inception to completion of the entire project. They
coordinated with Gilbane during the design phase however they were under separate contracts
with WPI. They also continue to collaborate with the management teams throughout the project,
since the work that is performed day-to-day depends solely on the design from Cannon.
2.3.3 Owner’s Agent – Cardinal Construction
WPI also chose to hire Cardinal Construction to represent them throughout the
construction process through a contract arrangement commonly known as Owner/Agent, which
is often implemented not only CM @ Risk projects but many different types of projects. This
type of contractual agreement gives Cardinal Construction the authority to perform as the
8
owner‟s representative for the entire project, and as such, act as the voice of the University in all
settings related to the design and construction of the project to ensure that WPI‟s best interests
are always represented. Cardinal Construction has worked for WPI and alongside Gilbane on
several previous WPI construction projects and WPI certainly felt comfortable hiring them again
based on their experience. Cardinal is not contractually attached to Gilbane or Cannon, however
they work very closely to ensure that WPI is being effectively represented.
The organizational breakdown of the Recreation Center project can be seen in Figure 3
below.
Figure 3: WPI Recreation Center Organizational Breakdown
2.4 Owner’s Meetings
Representatives of each of the major participants of this project meet weekly with WPI in
the form of an Owner‟s meeting where they update the owner and other WPI representatives of
all progress and potential changes of that week. Each meeting is discussion-based, and serves as
an opportunity for all parties involved in given decisions to fully discuss the changes before
appropriate action can be taken. The weekly owner‟s meetings for the WPI Recreation Center
project are attended by a number of individuals and organizations whom have their own
individual objectives and goals. WPI is represented weekly by Janet Richardson, the VP of
9
Student Affairs; Dana Harmon, Director of Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics;
Jeffery Solomon, Chief Financial Officer; Alfredo DiMauro, Assistant VP of Facilities; Shawn
McAvey, Physical Education Facilities Manager; Anne McCarron, Associate Athletic Director;
and Sean O‟Connor, Assistant Chief Information Officer. Gilbane is represented by Neil
Benner, the lead project manager, Bill Kearney, the project executive, and Melissa Hinton, a
project engineer. While Neil organizes and facilitates each weekly meeting, Bill Kearney is still
ultimately responsible for all of Gilbane‟s involvement in the construction of WPI‟s new
Recreation Center. Cannon Design is regularly represented by architects Lynne Deninger and
Dominic Vecchione. Cardinal Construction, the construction firm representing WPI is typically
represented by Brent Arthaud and Michael Andrews.
Neil Benner prepares the agenda and chairs each meeting, while Project Engineer Melissa
Hinton takes notes on updates and changes. An agenda and lately weekly change orders are
provided to each attendee, however progress updates are given verbally. Computer generated
models or other visual aids are not used during these meetings. In the meetings all parties must
work together to achieve a completed project that is under budget and on time, based on the
schedule. Although WPI has hired a construction representative, they remain highly involved in
the weekly tasks, the schedule and the budget of the project.
Among the obvious benefits of the owner‟s meetings is the fact that all stakeholders can
voice their opinions and stand up for what they see is most important. By hosting a weekly
meeting, Gilbane can consistently update WPI regarding time and cost, and WPI can be open and
realistic with their expectations. Cannon‟s presence at the meeting ensures that the design and
execution of the agreed upon plans are met appropriately.
2.5 Project Budgeting, Cost Estimating, Payments and Bidding
Along with determining contractual agreements it is imperative to establish how the

project will be financed. This includes the budget of the project, as well as the terms of payment
to the architect, CM, and sub-contractors; therefore it is essential to select the most practical
method for a project, and the members involved.
10
The bid is created prior to the start of the construction phase, making it crucial for the
completeness of the design to determine the most sensible way to finance a project (Oberlender,
2000). If the design is not finalized before the start of construction then it is imperative to finance
the project using a cost reimbursable method, however if the design is finished before the bid is
placed then a price fixed method can be used.
Lump sum and unit price are the two systems used under a price fixed project, because
they allow for the contractor to price out the project, to completion, before any work is started. A
lump sum allows for only one price to be quoted to the owner. This price represents the total cost
of the project including the materials and equipment used, labor, subcontracted work, overhead,
and profit (Oberlender, 2000). The figure produced will be the exact amount the owner pays,
unless the owner decided to change the design after the prices has been established. When
fabricating a lump sum the contracture uses Construction Specification Institutes (CSI)
MasterFormat (Oberlender, 2000). This format recognizes 16 major divisions within the
industries standards. These divisions include general requirements, site work, concrete, masonry,
metals, woods and plastics, thermal and moisture, doors and windows, finishes, specialties,
equipment, special construction, conveying systems, mechanical, and electrical. Each Division
will be further broken down using a Work Breakdown Structure, in order to determine the total
cost of everything within the respective divisions.
Table 1 is the actual work breakdown structure developed by Gilbane for the WPI
Recreational Center, it includes all bid packages and change orders up-to-date. The first section
“Packaged Work” includes the cost for all work packages. The second section includes General
Conditions and summarizes costs directed toward the CM such as contingencies and overhead.
The third section contains Change Orders and their respective costs. The project GMP is showed
at the bottom and consists of all the above costs summed up; over the course of the project this
figure changes depending on additional change orders.
11
DESCRIPTION GMP Amount Current Amount
PACKAGED WORK ITEMS (Includes Owner Allowance Amounts)
Sitework $3,923,616 $3,923,616
Landscaping – Owner Allowance $220,550 $220,550
Concrete Foundations $2,785,421 $2,785,421
Structural Precast $1,597,000 $1,597,000
Brick & Precast $1,236,513 $1,236,513
Structural Steel $3,497,809 $3,497,809
Misc. Metals $575,319 $575,319
Millwork $300,000 $300,000
Spray Fireproofing $224,500 $224,500
Waterproofing and Caulking $658,081 $658,081
Roofing $1,602,401 $1,602,401
Firestopping $123,300 $123,300
Doors/Frames/Hardware $231,192 $231,192
OHC Doors/Loading Dock Equipment $39,000 $39,000
Glass & Glazing $2,985,066 $2,985,066
Drywall $1,985,500 $1,985,500
Ceilings $599,500 $599,500
Painting $284,901 $284,901
Synthetic Sports Flooring $539,438 $539,438
Carpet/Floor Tile/Rubber/Linoleum $244,686 $244,686
Ceramic/Porcelain Tile/Precast Terrazzo $764,760 $764,760
Wood Athletic Flooring $259,689 $259,689
General Trades/Specialties $615,000 $615,000
Interior Scaffolding $193,400 $193,400
Turnstiles $80,000 $80,000
Fixed Natatorium Seating $50,000 $50,000
Sports Equipment $249,715 $249,715
Pool $2,045,661 $2,045,661
Indoor Rowing Tank – Owner Allowance $453,000 $453,000
Squash/Racquetball Courts $181,430 $181,430
Elevators $262,857 $262,857
Fire Protection $294,887 $294,887
Plumbing $1,150,307 $1,150,307
Mechanical/Controls $5,360,000 $5,360,000
Electrical & Tel/Data $2,964,677 $2,964,677
Early Site Electrical $120,275 $120,275
SUBTOTAL – PACKAGED WORK ITEMS $38,159,401 $38,159,401
General Conditions
Original CM Contingency $801,347
CM Contingency Added from Buyout N/A
CM Contingency Committed to date N/A $561,373
CM Contingency Projected to be Spent N/A $239,974
CM Contingency Remaining N/A $0
CDI – Subguard $457,913 $457,913
CM Preconstruction Services $150,000 $150,000
CM General Conditions $2,527,123 $2,527,123
CM General requirements $1,160,816 $1,160,816
Permits $299,151 $299,151
Liability Insurance $375,470 $375,470
CM Fee $878,624 $878,624
APPROVED CHANGE ORDERS
TOTAL APPROVED CHANGE ORDERS:

Change Order #1 $79,064
PROJECTED FINAL GMP w/o Potential Costs $44,809,845 $45,909,053
Potential Out of Scope Costs N/A $626,267
PROJECTED FINAL GMP w/ Potential Costs $44,809,845 $46,535,320
Table 1: WPI Work Breakdown Structure (2/2/2012)
12
Cost reimbursable agreements, also known as cost plus agreements, are typically used
when unique features, that could not be easily estimated, are a part of the project, or when the
construction starts before the design is complete and the owner wants to continue to make small
changes on the project (Oberlender, 2000). This type of agreement allows for a rough estimate
for labor, equipment and other services to be determined ahead of time along with the contractors
commission for the project, in the form of a fixed fee or a percentage of the total price. In order
to keep the cost of a project down owners will set a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) with
incentives to push the contractor to the lowest achievable price (Oberlender, 2000). These
incentives may state that if the price is below the GMP then the owner pays the contracture an
extra percentage of the difference in the price, and that if the project goes above the GMP then
the contractor will have to pay a percentage of the extra cost (Oberlender, 2000). WPI chose to
finance their recreational center using a cost plus agreement with a GMP. This agreement was
most suitable due to the unique features of the recreational center, including the rowing tank,
robotics pit, hanging running track, and 25 meter competition length swimming pool. In order to
keep the cost of the project down, WPI agreed to a $53M GMP set by Gilbane.
2.6 Project Scheduling
The project schedule dictates the pace at which construction is performed and sets a
timeline for project completion. It is important to have a well-defined schedule so that all parties
understand the activities that need to be completed as well as those that are most critical to the
projects on-time completion. Project schedule is subject to change due to many reasons
including inclement weather, design change, lack of worker production, poor scheduling, and
lack of funds among many others. Since some of these reasons are unpredictable, such as poor
weather conditions, there is often extra time built into the schedule to account for the potential
additional setbacks.
Computer software has transformed the way in which projects are scheduled. Project
schedules are vital to the construction process, making massive projects manageable by breaking
them down into individual parts. Construction projects consist of thousands of individual
activities that are to be performed over the course of the construction, all of which are
13
interconnected. This vast network of activities makes scheduling a very complex and timely
process. However, computer programs, such as Primavera, have been created to make the
process of creating a schedule more efficient.
Project schedules are comprised of individual activities that are either critical or
secondary. Critical activities are those that have no lag time, meaning they must have no extra
time built in for them to be completed. These activities need to be completed on time or the
entire schedule will be forced back. Non-critical activities do not dictate the schedule as directly
as critical activities since they have lag time built in, however if they are not completed on time
they can delay the overall schedule. A single project can have tens of thousands of activities that
need to be completed before the project is finished, so it is vital to determine the relationship
between them and their level of critical completion.
There are several ways of designing a schedule which include the Critical Path Method,
Gantt Chart or a combination of the two. Both methods take the scheduling activities and
display them in a way that makes it easier to visualize the overall scheduling process.
2.6.1 Critical Path Method
The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a procedure for using network analysis to identify
those tasks which are on the critical path: where any delay in the completion of these tasks will
lengthen the project timescale, unless action is taken. (Prensa, 2002). The CPM identifies which
tasks can be delayed (those not on the critical path) for a while if resource needs to be reallocated
to catch up on the other tasks and also identifies the minimum length of time needed to complete
the project.
When creating a CPM, all activities must be identified before starting. Each activity has
its own properties which include duration and dependency, which tasks must be completed in
order to proceed with the next task. Once these characteristics are determined, a CPM network
can be drawn to illustrate the precedence among the activities. Figure 4 below shows a CPM
network diagram with eight activities and includes all necessary information to determine to
critical activities.
14
Figure 4: Critical Path Method Network Diagram
Critical Path Analysis is especially effective and powerful in assessing the shortest time
in which a project can be completed as well as the sequence of activities, scheduling, and timing
involved in reaching completion.
2.6.2 Gantt Chart
A Gantt Chart is a project scheduling model that shows activities in a bar chart. Much
like the CPM, a Gantt Chart shows the critical activities and how they are connected but in a
easier to visualize model. However, a Gantt chart is more powerful in that you can break
activities down into subcategories such as masonry, concrete, or steel to help determine when
and for how long different contractors will be working on the construction site (Hall, 2002).
This makes cost estimating more accurate since the project manager knows the duration of how
long they‟ll need to hire certain contractors. Figure 5 below is a simplified version of Gantt
Chart.
Figure 5: Gantt Chart
15
2.6.3 Primavera
Primavera is a project scheduling software package that is very powerful and has become
the standard in the construction industry. Primavera is the primary scheduling software
implemented by Gilbane for the WPI Recreation Center project. In addition to its scheduling
capabilities, Primavera software helps companies propose, prioritize and select project
investments, and plan, manage and control the most complex projects and project portfolios
(Penner, 2008). Primavera allows the project scheduler to submit thousands of activities and link
them together to create a working schedule. It has hundreds of features that make organizing and
visualizing different aspects of the schedule very easy. For instance, activities can be grouped
by work breakdown structure so the scheduler can determine when and for how long to contract
out certain aspects of work, such as concrete and steel erection. Also, it is very easy make
adjustments to the schedule over the course of project, allowing the project manager to determine
how different processes will impact the overall duration of the project. These are only a few of
the many advantages of using Primavera during a construction project.
Figure 6 below is a screenshot of Gilbane‟s construction project schedule for the
Recreation Center using Primavera. This particular section of the schedule shows several of the
activities for the Design & Preconstruction of the project. The columns include pertinent
scheduling information for each activity such as Activity ID, Activity Description, Duration,
Early Start/Finish, Bid Package Number, Total Float, and Delay. These columns can be arranged
and organized in any fashion that the project scheduler wishes within PRIMAVERA. On the
right hand side the activities can be viewed in their relative duration to the calendar, and the
color of each bar can be used to distinguish critical activities from secondary activities.
Figure 6: Gilbane Primavera Schedule
16
2.6.4 WPI Scheduling Techniques
The scheduling of the WPI Recreation Center is performed by Gilbane using Primavera.
During the pre-construction phase of the project, Gilbane developed a schedule for the entire
construction process that included thousands of individual activities. Once every month they
update the schedule by adding any new design or construction changes and removing all
completed activities. As the project progresses, the level of detail of certain construction
activities also increases.
Gilbane sometimes changes the organization of activities within Primavera. Some

months they will organize activities into Work Breakdown packages, such as sitework, concrete,
steel, millwork, etc. This method is helpful in determining the duration of certain package types
and hiring subcontractors to complete the work package. Another way they sometimes organize
the schedule is by building section: A, B, C, and D. The Recreation Center is broken down into
four different sections and when they organize the schedule by these sections it is easier to
visualize how the construction will progress throughout the building. Figure 7 shows the four
sections of the Recreation Center.
Figure 7: Recreation Center by Sections
17
2.7 Earned Value Analysis (EVA)
The Earned Value System tracks the work being done on a project by comparing the
projected work to the actual work completed. The projected work is found by cost loading the
CPM diagram to establish the distribution of the projects cost over the course of the project,
therefore finding the budgeted cost of the work scheduled (BCWS) (Oberlender, 2000). The
actual cost of the work performed (ACWP) is found by tracking the receipts of the project, to
determine the money spent on the project at any given time. The percent of the work completed
at any time can then be multiplied by the budgeted amount for the work to determine the amount
of money earned at any point. The money earned is known as the budgeted cost of the work
performed (BCWP) (Oberlender). A lazy S curve can be created by graphing the BCWS, ACWP
and the BCWP. The BCWS, ACWP and the BCWP can also be used to find the Cost Variance
(CV), Scheduled Variance (SV), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and the Schedule Performance
Index (SPI), as shown below:
 Cost Variance, –
 Scheduled Variance, –
 Cost Performance Index,
 Scheduled Performance Index,
The Cost Variance shows the actual work paid for versus the actual work completed,
while the scheduled variance shows the actual work paid versus what was planned to be paid.
The cost variance explains if a project was overrun or not by the use of a number less the one on
the cost performance index (CPI). Overrun projects have more money was paid in a period then
was budgeted for that period. The scheduled variance shows if the work is ahead or behind
schedule, by determining if the budgeted work hours are less than the earned work hours, or not.
If a project is ahead of schedule then the scheduled project index (SPI) will be greater than one,
however if the project is behind schedule then the SPI will be less than one (Oberlender, 2000).
The CPI and the SPI are regularly tracked in order to determine if a project in on target.
By tracking a project the construction manager can determine where the project fell behind
18
schedule, or is over budget. The construction manager can then use that information to determine
the best approach to mitigate the problem. Figure 8 below is an example of a SPI and CPI graph.
1.5 CPI
1.4
1.3
Week 4
1.2
Week 6
Week 5
1.1
SPI Week 3
1
0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
Week 7 Week 1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6 Week 2
0.5
Figure 8: Typical CPI-SPI Graph
2.8 Building Information Modeling
Usually, drawings and computer-aided design (CAD) files (two-dimensional documents)

are the primary media for communicating graphic information among project participants. While
all participants in this process are assumed to be familiar with 2D documents, the use of these 2D
documents could cause situations in which complex details of a project are often not represented
accurately causing problems for all parties. Using traditional tools and processes, the complexity
of a specific situation often is not fully understood until construction has begun and costly
changes have to be done. (Reinhardt, 2010)
19
A Building Information Model is computer-driven representation of a facility for the
purpose of design, analysis, construction and operation. A BIM model consists of geometric, 3D
representations of the building elements plus additional information that needs to be captured
and transferred in the AEC delivery process and in the operation process of the facility.
(Reinhardt, 2010)
2.8.1 BIM History
Even though Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been around since the mid-1980s
only recently has it risen in popularity within the Architectural, Engineering and Construction
(AEC) industries. Due to rise in popularity the AEC industry has created a demand for well-
trained individuals capable of implementing BIM technology in the work place.
Before BIM the use of 2D CAD was used to present information graphically. The
program "Sketchpad" was developed by Ivan Sutherland as part of his PhD thesis at MIT in the
early 1960s. Sketchpad was especially innovative CAD software because the designer was able
to directly interact with the computer by using a light pen to draw on the computer's monitor.
First-generation CAD software systems were usually 2D drafting applications developed by a
manufacturer's internal IT group and primarily intended to make very repetitive drafting tasks
easier to complete. (CAD Software History, 2004)
The first 3D solid modeling program was SynthaVision, from MAGI (Mathematics
Application Group, Inc.), which was released in 1972, not to be used for CAD but for performing
3D analysis of nuclear radiation exposure. These models were solid models similar to the CSG
(constructive solid geometry) models used by later 3D CAD software. However, despite steadily
increasing computer performance, solid modeling was still too computer intensive for 3D
Modeling use. With the increase in power of computers, and the introduction of lower cost
minicomputers which had an optimized Fortran compiler and graphics capable terminals, were
beginning to make 3D CAD software more available to engineers on a wider scale. Throughout
the 1980s, the new generation of powerful UNIX workstations and emerging 3D rendering was
inevitably shifting the CAD software use to 3D and solid modeling. (CAD Software History,
2004)
20
The history of BIM dates back to 1982 with Graphisoft‟s development of ArchiCAD,
virtual building solution for the Apple Macintosh computers. Introduced to the public in 1986, it
was the first personal computer based product capable of rendering parametric 3D models
(Darras, 2011). This was important because architects and engineers were then able to store large
amounts of data sets „within‟ the building model. These data sets include the building geometry
and spatial data as well as the properties and quantities of the components used in the design.
The growth of BIM in the AEC Industry has been remarkable one. Since the first use of
Computers to create isometric models of constructed elements in the 1950s, the subject of BIM
has intrigued researchers, software developers and visionaries. For a long time BIM found very
little acceptance in the AEC industry in the United States. However in the last few years, many
major players in the AEC industry have adopted BIM, and experts estimate that in a few years
BIM will be a standard tool that will be used on most projects. (Reinhardt, 2010)
2.8.2 BIM Uses in Industry
BIM has many uses that can be of value for the user. The uses usually vary depending on
the project delivery method and the timing of the user‟s initial involvement in a project. BIM can
be a useful tool throughout the entire project. The construction uses includes, but not limited to:
visualization of design, coordination between trades, visualization of construction sequences and
extraction on quantity information from models.
Pertaining to the first use mentioned above, visualization is one of the main construction
uses of BIM. Unlike the construction documents typically found at the job site, the BIM allows
every member of the construction team to see the relationship between different elements of
construction in one place. The BIM Model is extremely helpful for understanding how different
elements fit together. With this information in one place one is able to visualize each element
which allows for more efficient communication, construction, and more accurate estimating.
Another set of uses of BIM is Spatial Coordination, Clash Detection and Collision
Detection. Early communication and coordination between trades potentially has the greatest
impact on the project‟s cost and schedule. The ability to visualize the relationships between each
construction element prior to starting construction allows for early procurement of materials, and
with this information shop fabrication of equipment and the placement of each trade‟s work one
21
could avoid clashing with that of the other trades and overall reduce cost and increase
productivity.
There is also the Scheduling and 4D Modeling use of BIM. The 4D Model is created
when the element of time is added to the 3D Model by creating a link with the model and the
critical path method schedule. This can be done using a single application or by combining
model collaboration software with standard scheduling software. The 4D Model is an essential
tool to the BIM Process because it identifies collision between construction activities. 4D
Modeling is used to identify activities that are out of sequence, flow of trade work and
relationships between construction equipment. The 4D Model can also be useful for analyzing
different construction scenarios and determining the most efficient sequence of work and with
this information one can tell whether the work is on time or whether the project is behind.
NavisWorks is a computer program that supports BIM model and project scheduling
integration. It acts as a platform for combining a BIM model with a Primavera schedule and
creating a 4D model. The 4D model allows the user to simulate construction schedules and
logistics to visually communicate and analyze project activities, and help reduce delays and
sequencing problems. (Walker, 2010). Although NavisWorks wasn‟t used on the Recreation
Center project, we utilized its features as part of our project to create a 4D model.
The Estimating and 5D Modeling use of BIM entails using the data stored in the BIM to
extract information and transfer that information into construction estimates. As the design
progresses or changes occur, these estimates can be quickly updated based on information
derived from the BIM model. There are many methods to link model quantities to estimating
systems, but each company determines which methods suits them the best based on its internal
estimating practices. (Reinhardt, 2010)
2.8.3 Use of BIM on the Recreation Center
During the design and construction of the Recreation Center, BIM was employed in
several different capacities. During the design phase a 3D Revit model of the Recreation Center
was produced by Cannon Design. The model was created to help in producing construction
documents as well as providing WPI and the Recreation Center management team with a visual
representation of the structure. The Revit model (which is a form of Building Information
22
Modeling) consists of two separate, but interlinked, files: an Architectural model and a Structural
model. The Architectural model consists of elements related to the architectural design of the
Recreation Center such as façade, drywall, lighting, flooring, doors, and the location of desks,
tables, chairs, sporting equipment, etc. The Structural model is comprised of structural elements
of the building such as steel beams, columns, girders, concrete footings, foundations, cast-in-
place concrete sections, roofing elements, trusses, etc. Although Cannon created this very
detailed Revit model of the proposed structure during pre-construction, no updated versions have
been completed since.
Another capacity in which BIM was employed on the Recreation Center project was for
its clash detection capabilities. Prior to installing the mechanical, electrical and plumping units
(MEP), Gilbane used Navisworks to simulate the MEP installation throughout the Recreation
Center building. The simulation helped detect clashes between MEP elements before they
occurred during the actual construction. This ability to conceptualize the construction and detect
errors beforehand, reduces time that would be spent on the jobsite developing a new plan and
saves money that would be required to pay for extra materials to re-route the issue.
2.8.4 Previous MQP BIM Findings
As mentioned before, our project is a continuation of a previous MQP (Fournier, 2011)

which tracked the early stages of the Recreation Center construction, including concrete and steel
erection. They produced actual and planned BIM for the construction of the Recreation Center
from August 15, 2009 to April 15, 2010. Using the Revit model created by Cannon Design as a
basis, they created 16 BIM models total (8 actual and 8 proposed), using 30-day phases, starting
and ending on the 15th of each month. Figure 9 below shows BIM models produced by the
previous MQP group of the proposed and actual construction of the Recreation Center that
occurred during the phase of January 15, 2011 to February 15, 2011.
23
Figure 9: Comparative BIM Models of the Recreation Center Construction 2011 (Fournier, 2010)
The previous group‟s BIM models and analysis showed that construction was behind
schedule to varying degrees for nearly every phase, generally due to unpredictable weather
conditions. The models created by the previous MQP group are the only visual representations
of the progress Recreation Center.
2.8.5 BIM Execution Plan
A BIM Execution Plan should be created towards that start of the project in order to develop
a closer relationship between the different parties involved in the project. The execution plan
should outline the various uses of BIM in the project, as well as an extensive plan of the
interactions between BIM and the project throughout the extent of the project (BIM Execution
Planning Guide, 2009). Each BIM Execution plan should be catered to the project at hand, and
therefore should be unique to the project. Throughout the project the execution plan should be
revised and updated, in order to be deemed successful for the duration of the ever changing
project. By creating an execution plan the many important principles of the team members can be
reached. Some of these principles included in the BIM Execution Plan Guide include:
24
 All parties will clearly understand and communicate the strategic goals for implementing
BIM on the project;
 Organizations will understand their roles and responsibilities in the implementation;
 The team will be able to design an execution process which is well suited for each team
member‟s business practices and typical organizational workflows;
 The plan will outline additional resources, training, or other competencies necessary to
successfully implement BIM for the intended uses;
 The plan will provide a benchmark for describing the process to future participants who
join the project;
 The purchasing divisions will be able to define contract language to ensure that all project
participants fulfill their obligations; and
 The baseline plan will provide a goal for measuring progress throughout the project
In order to create an effective BIM Execution Plan four stages must be completed. These
stages are to identify the BIM goals and uses, to design a BIM project execution plan, to develop
information exchanges and to define supporting infrastructure for BIM implementation (BIM
Execution Planning Guide, 2009). When identifying the BIM goals and uses the team must first
determine different ways BIM can be used within their project. From these they can then create
goals related to project performance and to expanding the team members‟ skills. Once goals have
been determined the team members must decide on the different ways BIM can help achieve
these goals. Next a map of the project must be created in order to show the order of each process
phase of the project. More detailed maps can be made for each process phase to show the entirety
of the phases. Upon making a map the phases can be used to determine any information needed
to be exchanged at each phase to allow the project to run more smoothly. Lastly the
infrastructure necessary to run this BIM project needs to be fashioned. This includes the
technology needed, the communication procedures, and the contractual language (BIM
Execution Planning Guide, 2009). Figure 10 below is a map of the four stages taken from the
BIM Execution Plan Guide as proposed by the Penn State Research group:
25
Figure 10: BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure
2.9 Harrington Tie-In & Geotechnical Aspects
As part of our project, our team focused on the connection between the pre-existing
Harrington Auditorium structure and the construction of the new Recreation Center. Our review
includes analysis of the Harrington substructure during the excavation process, the design of
which consists primarily of underpinning and soil nailing. We also explored the tie-in between
the two structures and developed a support system design adequate to support the loading system
applied to it. Our analysis considers the constructability of the design, functionality of the
completed project, and the structural integrity of the total system, as well as a study of the impact
on the configuration of the trainer‟s room, which will be directly affected by the new tie-in.
2.9.1 Harrington Auditorium
Harrington Auditorium is the current gym facility at WPI, and was constructed in the
1960‟s of steel, concrete, and brick. The building is located on the northwest side of the
quadrangle, adjacent to Alumni Auditorium and opposite Daniels/Morgan Dormitories. The new
Recreation Center is being constructed perpendicular to Harrington Auditorium, within relatively
close proximity, and will therefore play an integral part in the design and construction of the new
26
facility. Harrington Auditorium has a regulation size basketball court and stadium seating and is
used not only for basketball and volleyball games but also for large functions and robotics
competitions. Due to the importance of these robotics competitions, the two building will be
connected, or “tied-in” together on the Harrington gymnasium floor level. This tie-in will act as
route between the robotics pits in the Recreation Center to the competition floor in Harrington, as
well as a general means of circulation between the buildings. Figure 11 is topographical view of
the WPI quad developed by Hadrey Aldrich during Subsurface Exploration; the locations of
Harrington Auditorium and the Recreation Center are outlined.
Figure 11: Topographical View of WPI Quadrangle (provided by Hadrey Aldrich)
27
2.9.2 Geotechnical Aspects of Recreation Center Construction
During the excavation of the new Recreation Center, the design team had to determine a
suitable approach to maintain the structural stability of Harrington Auditorium. Since
Harrington is in close proximity to the Recreation Center, its structural integrity would be
jeopardized by the massive amount of excavation. The large volume of soil removed would
decrease the lateral support of the soil surrounding Harrington Auditorium, reducing bearing
capacity of the foundation footings underneath Harrington Auditorium and potentially causing a
structural failure. To counteract this loss in support, underpinning was placed beneath the west
side of Harrington Auditorium, the section most directly affected by the excavation, and also the
location of the tie-in between the two buildings.
A considerable amount of soil was excavated along the west side of Harrington
Auditorium during the construction of the Recreation Center. To ensure slope stability during
excavation, engineers designed a soil nailing layout beneath the existing structure. The soil nails
were employed to strengthen the soil and eliminate the risk of slipping or settlement of the
Harrington Auditorium foundation. There are many configurations that soil nails can be
constructed and the design usually depends on the specific loading conditions and soil properties
of the structure.
Soil nailing is a common technique used in the United States to reinforce a sloped area
that is subjected to external loading (Zhou, 2009). Soil Nailing is regularly used because it has
many advantages along the lines of cost, performance, and construction (Elias, 2003). A soil
nails main use is to resist tensile forces caused by the mobilization of frictional forces along the
entire soil nail (Cheuk, 2009). These nails are typically steel bars placed in predrilled holes at a
345 degree angle to the horizontal. Grout is applied around each steel bar to help transfer the
stress from the ground onto the steel bar (Elias, 2003). A washer, Hex nut, and barring plate is
fastened to the head of the steel bar. These components bond the bar to the facing. Figure 12 is a
schematic of a soil Nail produced from the Geotechnical Engineering Circular No. 7: Soil Nail
Walls document:
28
Figure 12: A Typical Soil Nailing Schematic (Elias, 2003)
Soil nailing was not only used beneath Harrington Auditorium, but also throughout the
entire face of the hill (East side of the Recreation Center) to support it from failing. The
construction team used additional soil nailing beneath Morgan Hall also, to maintain its
structural integrity. However our main focus was that of the soil nailing constructed beneath
Harrington.
Another feature included in the geotechnical design for Harrington Auditorium was
structural underpinning. The main function of the underpinning was to restore load bearing
capacity and to prevent excessive lateral movements of the foundation footings of Harrington
Auditorium during excavation and while constructing the soil nail wall.
Micropiles were used in this project as the underpinning to help support the existing
structure. Micropiles have been used mainly for foundation support to resist static and seismic
loading conditions and less frequently as in-situ reinforcements for slope and excavation stability
(FHWA, 2000). A micropile is a small-diameter (typically less than 300 mm), drilled and
grouted replacement pile that it typically reinforced. A micropile is constructed by drilling a
borehole, placing reinforcement, and grouting the hole. Micropiles can withstand axial and/or
lateral loads, and may be considered a substitute for conventional piles or as one component in a
composite soil/pile mass, depending upon the design concept employed. The installation of
micropiles only causes minimal disturbance to adjacent structures, soil, and the environment.
29
Micropiles can be installed at any angle below the horizontal using the same type of equipment
used for ground anchor and grouting projects.
Most of the applied load on conventional cast-in-place replacement piles is structurally

resisted by the reinforced concrete; increased structural capacity is achieved by increased cross
sectional and surface areas. Micropile structural capacities, by comparison, rely on the high
capacity of steel elements to resist most of the applied load. These steel elements have been
reported to occupy as much as on-half of the holes volume. The special drilling and grouting
methods used in micropile installation enable the development of high grout/ground bond values
along the grout/ground interface. The grout transfers the load through friction from the
reinforcement to the ground in the micropile bond zone in a manner similar to that of ground
anchors. Due to the small pile diameter, any end-bearing contribution in micropiles is generally
neglected. The grout/ground bond strength achieved is influenced primarily by the ground type
and grouting method used.
The design and construction of underpinning is the primary focus of the design portion of
our project. Although soil nailing was also employed as part of the geotechnical design for
Harrington Auditorium, the underpinning required more focus an intensive design and planning.
2.9.3 WPI’s Harrington Tie-In Proposal
The Harrington tie-in is designed to connect Harrington Auditorium to the Recreation

Center. The connection will be on the basketball court level of Harrington and the second floor
of the Recreation Center. The exact location in Harrington is on the west end of the building,
directly into the wall what is currently occupied as the trainer‟s rooms. As for the Recreation
Center, the tie-in will occur on the second floor on the east side of the building in the robotics
pits area. The purpose of the tie-in is to create a route between the two buildings for both
circulation purposes and for ease-of-travel during robotics competitions. Figure 13 below shows
the floor plan for the design of the tie-in.
30
Figure 13: Floor Plan of Harrington Auditorium Tie-In (provided by Cannon Design)
The current design calls for an approximate 8‟-6”X8‟-0” area of Harrington Auditorium‟s
wall to be removed and supported by a framing system for a basic double door. The wall is an
exterior non-load bearing wall comprised of brick, CMU, and an air gap between the two. The
plan is to cut an exploratory hole through the wall to determine the exact make-up of the wall as
well as its depth. From there, they will continue removing the wall and providing support
systems accordingly, noting the location of any support columns. Once they have the desired
area removed they will construct a framing system for the doorway, likely a lintel with
reinforcement. Figure 14 shows a sketch of the proposed framing system with dimensions.
31
8’
8’-6”
Figure 14: Simplified Harrington Tie-In Loading Sketch
Figure 15 is a Revit model of the West side of Harrington Auditorium; it shows the
proposed location and the relative dimension of the tie-in.
Figure 15: View of the West side of Harrington Auditorium and the Proposed Tie-in
32
Since the tie-in will be obstructing the use of the trainers rooms, the construction is to
take place during a time of limited student activity, likely the break between C- and D-term of
2012. The entire process should take approximately one week, so its interference with the
trainer‟s room during the construction should be minimal. However, after the school year is
complete the trainer‟s room will have to be reconfigured to allow ease of traffic between the two
buildings, through the tie-in connection. Figure 16 is an AutoCAD drawing of Harrington
Auditorium, specifically the southwest corner on the gymnasium level, where the tie-in will be
located. Based on the location of the tie-in, the trainer‟s room will clearly require rearrangement.
The design of the proposed configuration is still under development, however as part of our
project we proposed our own design for the reconfiguration of the trainer‟s area, as well as the
expected pathway of traffic from the tie-in to the gymnasium floor.
Figure 16: An AutoCAD Sketch of the current layout of the Harrington Gym Training Room
33
As the basis of the design capstone of our project, we performed a structural analysis of
this entire process and determined a framing system design based on our review. We also
considered the project management aspect of the tie-in, specifically the interaction with the
trainer‟s rooms during construction and the constructability of the tie-in. We outline in greater
detail the processes we took to obtain the necessary information to conduct the analysis and also
provide our proposed design further in our report.
34
3.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT & BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING
We employed various methods to reach our goal of creating a 5D model of the

Recreation Center and performing an Earned Value Analysis. As mentioned before, our project
is to some extent a continuation of a previous Major Qualifying Project (MQP) completed by a
group of students in 2011 who tracked the Recreation Center during the first 6 months of
construction and produced a 4D model and Earned Value Analysis (EVA) for this process
(Fournier et al, 2011). We used their project as a foundation for ours, using many of the same
methods they used and expanding upon them. The previous MQP project tracked the Recreation
Center construction throughout the entire excavation and concrete foundation phase and into the
majority of steel erection. We used this information to help develop the schedule for the steel
and concrete work performed early on in the project, and continued by tracking the progress of
the remaining steel and concrete, as well as the façade and roof. Just as the previous group, we
used various computer software programs, reviewed old and new schedules, and examined
photos and time-lapsed videos. Prior to the initiation of this work we created a BIM Execution
Plan that outlines in further detail the methods used in the development of this project.
3.1 BIM Execution Plan
The methods used in completing the phasing, scheduling, and EVA analysis of the
Recreation Center project were outlined in the BIM Execution plan we developed. The
Execution Plan identified the major goal of this project as well as the objectives accomplished
over the course of the project. It also includes team member responsibilities and distribution of
work. The BIM Execution Plan also summarizes the different phases of the project and the
relationship between each phase. Creating this network allowed each team member to
understand how his/her work relates to the others’. This resulted in a better understanding of the
project.
35
3.1.1 Project Goal
The ultimate goal of our project was to investigate BIM‟s efficiency and effectiveness in
determining the work completed on a monthly basis and to demonstrate this usefulness to the
project owner. The goals we aimed to achieve and their corresponding potential BIM use can be
seen in Table 2.
Goal Description Potential BIM Use
Tracking progress during construction Visualizing project performance through a 4D

model
Tracking percent complete in terms of quantities Determine Earned Value of work in progress
Table 2: BIM Execution Plan Goal Description
3.1.2 Team Member Responsibilities
In order to reach our goal it was determined that the team would need to be responsible
for the entirety of the project; however we also decided to elect different members of our team to
be in control of different aspects of the project. We created and signed a non-binding contractual
agreement stating our roles and responsibilities of the project at the start of the project. This
contractual agreement can be found in Appendix A. Our head of the scheduling department was
Christopher Baker. He was in charge of creating the projected schedule as well as the actual
schedule. In order to fulfill his responsibilities Mr. Baker used both Primavera Project
Management software and NavisWorks. In charge of the modeling department were Andrew
Beliveau and Machell Williams. Mr. Beliveau and Mr. Williams were in control of creating three
dimensional models for the provided schedules, as well as performing a quantity comparison of
these models. They used the Revit and NavisWorks software to complete their tasks. Nica
Sylvia was in charge of the analysis between the scheduling and the modeling, and therefore
helped Mr. Baker, Mr. Beliveau and Mr. Williams. Ms. Sylvia was also in charge of using the
quantities found of materials to create the cost analysis. To complete her tasks Ms. Sylvia used 7
Zip, Primavera, NavisWorks, Revit, and Microsoft Excel software.
36
3.1.3 Project Phasing Network
To determine the necessary steps to reach our goal we broke the project down into six
different phases and found the important details of each phase. These phases included
scheduling, three dimensional modeling, four dimensional modeling, tracking and monitoring,
material quantities, and Earned value analysis. Table 3 below is a chart explaining the details of
each project phase:
FIGURE TOO LARGE FOR SPACE: SEE NEXT PAGE
37
Project Phase Phase Details
Identified work packages to be tracked and included into the 4D model

Condensed Gilbane’s Primavera file activities to a manageable number
of activities
Retained all critical activities to determine time constraints
Scheduling Created Activity ID’s using a coding system developed through the use
of the CSI MasterFormat.
Separated schedule into monthly phases starting on the first day of the
month, and ending on the last day of the month
Made sure that each activity ID correspond to an ID element within the
Revit model
Created a model which represents the activities chosen in our schedule
Formatted each of these activities in the model so that they have the
3D Modeling
matching activity ID’s
Determined the total quantities of materials (part of 5D)
Displayed the 3D Model in progressive monthly increments
4D Modeling Showed quantities (5D) of each material that accrued each month
Displayed both the total percent of material used since tracking began,
and the total percent of material used in each one-month period
Determined the actual timeline of the project using photographic
Tracking and Monitoring evidence, time-lapse videos and information gained from owners
meetings.
Determined the actual quantities of materials
Quantities Calculated quantities used in each monthly phase
Determined the cost of each material from Gilbanes work breakdown

structure
Determined the expected cost of each material and activity at given time
periods
Earned Value Analysis
Generated graphical analysis to display our results
Compared the actual cost and actual work done, to the expected cost
and expected work done
Determined the project’s progress and overall value
Table 3: Project Phasing Network
38
From these detailed phases we created a map, which links each phase to show the overall
flow of the project, as well as showing the necessary information needed to complete the phase.
Figure 17 below is our project map:
Figure 17: BIM Project Map
39
3.1.4 Software for Each Phase
Next we determined the software necessary to complete each project phase. To do this
we created a chart of the phases and the relative software. Table 4 shows the software used for
each project phase.
Project Phase Relative Software
Scheduling Primavera
3D Modeling Revit Architecture

Revit Structures
Revit Architecture
4D Modeling Revit Structures
NavisWorks
Primavera
7 Zip
Tracking and Monitoring Primavera
NavisWorks
Revit Architecture
Quantities Revit Structures
Microsoft Excel
Earned Value Analysis Primavera
Microsoft Excel
Table 4: Project Phase-Software Relationship
There are several software tools that can be utilized in the process of creating and
tracking construction projects. The software we used to track the WPI Recreational Center
building included Primavera, Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, NavisWorks, Microsoft Excel,
and 7 Zip. Primavera is used for tracking the progress of the project and for contrasting the
planned schedule of construction against the actual schedule of activities completed. The Revit
programs are modeling software tools that enable designers and construction managers to
visually conceptualize the project in three-dimensions. The model can then be employed to find
quantities of different materials. Also each part of the model can hold information stating not
40
only size and type of material but also an activity ID, which can be linked to the activities in the
Primavera schedule. NavisWorks has the ability to integrate both a Revit model and a Primavera
schedule, and can be used to track the scheduled activities from the Primavera schedule within
the Revit model, thus showing how a building is built in time. Microsoft Excel is a simple tool
we used to analyze information and display our findings graphically. 7 Zip is a utility that allows
us to transfer large files, and is particularly useful when working with BIM. These files when
used in conjunction allowed us to create an accurate and effective BIM model.
3.1.5 Detailed Project Phase Procedures
Our last step to completing the BIM Execution Plan was to create in-depth explanations
of the project phase procedures. We created both a readable explanation of each phase procedure,
found below, as well as step by step directions, which can be found in Appendices B-G.
We followed methodical approaches to create the planned schedule and the actual
progress of constructions. We used previous schedules generated by Gilbane to determine the
planned schedule and a combination of photographs, information received from the owners
meetings, and webcam footage of construction to determine the actual progress of construction.
We also used excel to organize and consolidate the activities into packages that were easier to
manage. Then using Primavera we imported the activities and created the schedules.
We focused on four different major work packages for the construction and tracked their
progress: steel, concrete, roofing, and façade. These four work packages make up approximately
30% of the total cost of work package items for this project. We chose these work packages
since they would be occurring during the time that we spent on the project and would be easier to
track and also because of their structural importance to the building. We began by reviewing old
schedules created by Gilbane and choosing the activities that related to the work packages we
would be modeling and tracking. We created an excel file with individual sheets for each work
package, and imported all of the activities from the Gilbane schedule into the excel sheets for
organization. This excel file included a description of the activity, the Gilbane ID code, the work
package, the planned start and finish date, our MQP ID code, as well as other relevant
41
information. The dates we received from the previous Gilbane schedule would become the
foundation for our planned schedule.
We used the same activities from the planned schedule, but a slightly different approach
to create the actual schedule. We studied photographs of construction, time-lapsed video and
attended weekly owners meetings to determine the actual start and finish dates of each activity.
This process was far more in-depth comprehensive and required greater attention to detail. Once
we had all of the dates secured we exported the excel file into Primavera. We ran into some
troubles while exporting the excel file and had to troubleshoot as we proceeded. The dates did
not transfer correctly so we had to input each date into Primavera individually, as well as
organize each activity into its respective work package. The step-by-step process we followed to
import the Excel schedule into Primavera is outlined in Appendix C. Once we had the dates in
Primavera we were able to visualize the activities and the flow of the project progress using the
powerful software.
For every activity in our schedule an ID was created in order to easily identify the activity
without reading its description. Each ID was made using an activity coding system made up of a
sequence of thirteen numbers and letters. This sequence first identifies the project phase, then
one of the sixteen trades found in the CSI MasterFormat, the level of the building, next area of
the building in which the activity exists, and lastly the type of structural element. For example if
one were to identify the activity “concrete slab third floor area A” he or she would first chose the
project phase, for this activity the project phase would be under construction, so the letters “CO”
would start the ID. Next he or she would determine under which division of the CSI
MasterFormat concrete is, which is under concrete, so he or she would add the numbers “03” to
the ID. Since the activity exists on the third floor the next set of numbers added to the ID would
be “03”, followed by an “A” because the activity is in area A. Lastly “00100” would be added to
the end of the ID because the activity is a slab. Therefore the whole ID for this activity would be
“CO0303A00100”. Once every ID had been created they were used within the Revit Structural
model, in order to identify the object linked to the scheduled activity. The Activity Identification
Coding System is outlined entirely in Appendix B.
Once every activity had been identified the ID was used in the Cannon 3D Revit Model
in order to link the corresponding objects to the activities found in the Primavera Schedules. To
identify these objects we created a Parameter to hold the information for the ID. To do this we
42
went to the Project Parameters and created a parameter labeled “Activity ID” whose future use
was to contain the text data of the code for each activity.
Once the Activity ID Parameter had been defined we went into the 3D Model and
highlight the different objects corresponding to the same activities in the Primavera Schedule.
With all the objects highlighted we inputted the ID code pertaining to that specific activity. This
was done to each object in the model which pertained to the activities in the Primavera Schedule.
Once completed, we were able to show the progress of the construction of our four chosen work
packages using the 3D Model on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. We used two different Revit
models – Structural and Architectural – because all elements are not included in one centralized
model, however we used the same exact process for each. The Structural model contained the
concrete, steel, and roof elements, while the Architectural model contained the façade elements.
This entire Revit Identification Process is clearly outlined in Appendix D.
Once both the structural and architectural models identification process had been
completed we conducted a materials quantity takeoff. This takeoff gave us the needed quantities
(in both square and cubic meters) of each material identified by its activity ID. To learn the step
by step Revit process used to complete a material quantity takeoff turn to Appendix E The
information we received from the quantity takeoff we later used to establish our earned value
analysis.
Successive to the completion of the Primavera schedule and the object identification in
the Revit Structural and Architectural Models both the Revit models and the Primavera schedule
were exported in a manner which would allow them to import into NavisWorks. Upon the
exportation of the schedule and models, each model was opened in NavisWorks. From there we
imported the schedule and created a rule which we labeled “LinkElemementToSchedule”. This
rule allowed NavisWorks to link that object ID from the Revit model to the matching activity ID
in the schedule. Once the rule was created we went to the simulation tab in NavisWorks and
clicked “construct” on each activity. Lastly we ran the simulation and reviewed it for any
potential identification errors. We created different simulations for both the planned schedule
and the actual schedule so that a viewer could watch the two simulations simultaneously. The
detailed directions on how to export both Revit and Primavera files into Navisworks and running
the subsequent simulation can be found in Appendix F.
43
Once the simulation was created we were able to pause the simulation on the last day of
each month in order to obtain the month-by-month pictures. These pictures would be used in the
future for our quantity takes-off and ultimately for our earned value analysis.
NavisWorks can not only run simulations to construct models, but the program also has
many other useful features. One of these features includes color coding or transparency coding
object in the simulations. We chose to change the color of each work breakdown structure so that
each when constructed different activities would show up in different colors. We chose to have
all concrete activities show up in yellow, steel in blue, façade in red, and the roofing to be green.
We also created a transparency change so that when an activity‟s construction started the its
object would show up in the model with 60% transparency and when the construction on that
activity was completed the object would become opaque, allowing the viewer to acknowledge
that construction was finished without looking at the schedule. The step-by-step directions on
how to change activities color and transparency is outlined in Appendix G.
Our last step to creating our five dimensional model was to create an earned value
analysis. To do this we first exported both the planned and actual schedule from Primavera to
Microsoft Excel. We made two separate tables, one for the planned schedule and one for the
actual schedule. In both schedule we matched each activity ID to their respective quantities,
which we had found during the material quantity takeoff. We then created a month-to-month
schedule breaking down the quantities of each activity into the months associated with that
activity. For example in the actual schedule activity ID CO0507D02001 “Erect Area D Steel &
Deck” started on January 10th, 2011 and ended on May 7th, 2011. This activity spanned over 85
workdays, 16 of them in January, 20 in February, 23 in March, 21 in April, and 5 in May. For
each of these five months we multiplied the material quantity by the number of workdays in that
month over the total number of workdays. Using this equation we found the amount of material
that was used for that activity each month. Once we had completed this process with all the
activities we calculated the total material quantity per month of each of our different material
types. We then found the work packages from Gilbane‟s work breakdown structure that was
associated with the different materials that we were monitoring. We multiplied the percent of
material used each month by its work package to determine the total cost of the materials and
work associated with those materials each month. From there we created bar charts representing
44
the planned vs. actual cost each material and work per month. As well as the planned and actual
total cost of the project on a month-to-month basis of the steel, concrete, façade, and roofing.
Through the use of our goals, project phases, including their phase detail and related
software, and our project map we will have determined the necessary components of the project.
With the use of the responsibilities assigned we were able to utilize the components of the
project and transform them into a finished 4D design with a cost and material quantity analysis.
3.2 Four Dimensional Analysis (4D)
The four dimensional analysis of the Recreation Center considers the 3D model that
graphically displays all of the building‟s information, and the time that construction took and
was planned to take to complete the project. When compared, there is much that can be learned
from examining the planned build of the project to the actual construction schedule. Nowhere in
the project is the comparison more clear than in the Navisworks models that were assembled to
display the 3D models building themselves over the time periods that the scheduled. In order to
most effectively show the progress of the building, images were taken from both models at the
conclusion of each month. More than just determining if the building was on or behind schedule,
the 4D model allows for an understanding of the difference in materials based on schedule or
construction changes.
In order to build the 4D model, and to integrate all models and schedules in Navisworks,
we developed a link between each aspect of the project. By adding data to the schedule, and then
having that data be tied to each model, we could coordinate changes across all platforms without
any loss of data. Below in Figure 18 you can see part of the project schedule, complete with the
additional data column, “Activity ID.”
45
Figure 18: Primavera Schedule with Activity ID link
When compared side by side, the differences between the actual construction of the
project and the planned schedule of construction can be seen easily. During the beginning of the
project, Gilbane was ahead of schedule, and the pouring of the concrete footings were moving
much faster than expected. Unfortunately this progress and good fortune only lasted a few
months. Figures 19 shows models of the planned progress and the actual progress in August
2010.
46
Figure 19: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – August 2010
Further, in September 2010, the schedule becomes even further ahead. This can be seen
below in Figure 20.
Figure 20: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – September 2010
47
As you can clearly see in these pictures, a significant amount of work was completed on
the cast-in-place foundations and footings before it was expected to have occurred. In each of
these cases additional materials had to be ordered to meet the faster-than expected pace of the
project. This impacts not only the way in which Gilbane can procure materials, but also to the
overall cost per time of the project that WPI budgeted for when the project was proposed.
Interestingly though, while the concrete roared ahead of schedule, the erection of the steel
significantly stalled progress on the building.
The steel structure in area A of the building was the first steel to be built. While the steel
started construction on schedule, it immediately fell behind schedule. In Figures 21 and 22, you
can see the differences between the planned schedule and the actual construction of the building,
and how the two schedules began to deviate significantly. At first, we notice that the steel in area
A wasn‟t completed on time, but then we realize that the construction of precast concrete in area
B and the steel in area D are behind schedule and out of the scheduled order.
Figure 21: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – October 2010
48
Figure 22: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – January 2011
As you can see, the steel slowed the progress of the project, and forced a reevaluation of
the schedule. Since work cannot cease, other activities that were planned for later construction
began much earlier, while at the same time, work on the steel areas was pressured to continue.
Unfortunately the slow steel process only worsened, and looking at the comparison between
planned and scheduled events in April 2011 (Figures 23) definitively shows how far behind
schedule the project had fallen. Notice that the planned schedule called for completion of the
steel trusses, the completion of the roof structure, most major work on steel was to have been
already completed, and that brick veneer was expected to be appearing on the façade. In the
actual progress, you can see that the trusses are still under construction, that the roof hadn‟t
begun work yet, and that the steel in area A, the first area to receive steel, was still under
49
construction. In the actual progress data, the façade didn‟t receive brick veneer until August
2011, a considerable four months behind schedule.
Figure 23: Planned vs. Actual Construction Progress – April 2011
Ultimately the result of the four dimensional model that we developed was a greater
understanding of the progress of the project, and how that impacts the parties involved in the
construction process. By linking the project schedules to a visual model of what is actually
happening, it becomes exponentially more imaginable what the issues may be, and what
solutions we may use to solve them. By understanding the progress, we can also begin to predict
other resultants from altered schedules. More than just the erection of the building, the schedule
depicts the timing of the cost of labor, the timing of the cost of materials, and it lays the
50
foundation for determining the earned value as the project progresses. The difference between
the actual and planned schedules can be seen easily in the four dimensional model, and the
scheduled variance (SV) can be determined by comparing the models. Ultimately the four
dimensional model proved to be an easy method of estimating the schedule performance index
(SPI) of the specific trades that were modeled. Appendix I and K show the all of the monthly
phases of progress (actual and planned) and their corresponding percent complete.
3.3 Five Dimensional Analysis (5D)
In order to advance our project from a four dimensional model to a five dimensional
model, we took the existing visual model paired with the project schedule and integrated the cost
impacts of the changing schedule. In order to fully examine the cost distribution of the project
and to determine the value of the service WPI had received, we conducted an Earned Value
Analysis. By extracting the quantities of materials for trades we examined directly from Revit,
we were able to accurately determine the percent completeness of each trade per month. This
information then allowed us to determine the percent cost that had been spent in comparison to
the amount of work that had been completed. We then also compared the amount spent to the
amount expected to be spent for the work performed. In general, our EVA for the Recreation
Center compared the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS) to the Budgeted Cost of Work
Performed (BCWP), which yielded an accurate estimation of the cost performance index (CPI)
for the trades modeled in our project.
The first major result that our EVA produced was the evaluation of the SPI. The schedule
performance index determines if the work performed on the project is over or under valued based
on the money that they project has cost the owner to date. In our project we compared the
amount of work performed to the expected amount of work performed. In this project, an SPI
value of greater than 1.0 meant that the project was under-valued for the amount of work
performed. More commonly though, if the value was less than 1.0, than less work than expected
had been completely. Since the cost of the project did not vary based on man-hours or work
packages, it can be argued that being behind schedule is also a sign of being over-budget for the
51
amount of work performed. A display of the Recreation Center‟s SPI can be seen below in
Figure 24.
1.10
1.00
0.90
0.80
SPI
0.70
0.60
May-10 Aug-10 Nov-10 Feb-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11 Apr-12 Jul-12
Figure 24: Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of WPI Recreation Center Project
The second result from the project‟s EVA was a direct comparison from month to month
of the expected cost to the actual spent cost of the project. This information is based on the
expected cost of the work package as provided by Gilbane Co. Based on the percent complete of
each schedule activity at the end day of each month, we calculated the percent of the total cost
that was spent. As the schedule changed, so did the value of work that was completed. As you
can clearly see in Figure 25, the façade was behind scheduled for the entirety of its construction.
What‟s more, is that time allotted for assembling the façade was shortened drastically, but that
the materials purchased and the cost of the work increased.
52
800000
700000
600000
Square Feet
500000
400000 Planned
300000
Actual
200000
100000
0
Jun-11
Oct-10
Oct-11
Aug-10
Feb-11
Apr-11
Aug-11
Apr-12
Feb-12
Dec-10
Dec-11
Figure 25: Monthly Brick and Precast (Façade) Concrete Quantities
Most importantly though, is the impact the schedule has on the cost distribution on a
project. In the case of the Recreation Center, Figure 31 shows just how offset the project
schedule became. Figure 26 also shows the effects on the project‟s total cost that they
construction delays had. Looking closer, you can easily see that the final cost of the project
increased by a significant amount simply by extending the number of months that construction
took place. Originally the schedule called for the completion of certain trades by September
2011, and in this model, the actual work performed for those same trades extends to May 2012.
2500000.00
2000000.00
Cost ($)
1500000.00
1000000.00 Planned
500000.00 Actual
0.00
Figure 26: Total Monthly Project Cost
53
By extending the working months, WPI was then liable for payments they could not have
previously anticipated. Further, when shown side by side linearly, you can easily see how the
delays from the beginning of the project compounded and created a consistent delay in
construction. Figure 27 clearly compares the expected construction performance to the actual
construction performance. A more extensive version of this information is displayed in
Appendix K, which outlines the cost computations used to derive this graph.
$14,000,000
$12,000,000
$10,000,000
$8,000,000
Planned Performance
$6,000,000
Actual Performance
$4,000,000
$2,000,000
$0
May-10 Aug-10 Nov-10 Feb-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11 Apr-12 Jul-12
Figure 27: Project Performance Comparison
Potentially the most useful part of any five dimensional analyses is the ability to
appropriately budget for and correct budgets of construction projects. By tracking the progress of
a project via its performance to its schedule and understanding that performance‟s impact on the
budget, smarter financial decisions can be made regarding project scope, project changes, and
any additional work necessary to complete the project. Appendix J includes all of the quantity
takeoffs for each trade and is organized by each month for the duration of tracking
54
3.4 BIM’s Potential Uses in Communication - Owner’s Meetings
Our group attended the weekly WPI Recreational Center Owner‟s meetings for first-hand
insight into the progress of construction, as well as to determine if the implementation of
Building Information Modeling (BIM) during meeting could improve communication between
the parties. To gain a better understanding about how BIM could advance meetings we found
that it was important to actively participate in the meetings. Therefore we took detailed notes,
obtained and studied the weekly agenda, engaged in discussions where we felt we could provide
useful input, and spoke directly with representatives after meetings on issues that were relevant
at that time.
Through our experience attending the Owner‟s Meeting, we were able to see firsthand the
potential usefulness of BIM in a meeting setting. We recognized several instances where BIM
could have been used during the meetings to help solve misunderstandings about the
construction. Although the Recreation Center can be seen from the meeting room, it is often
difficult to visualize certain locations of the building during discussions, sometimes resulting in
parties being confused. Due to lack of visualization it was apparent that not every person was
always aware of what was being discussed or decided upon. This confusion often led to a longer
than expected debate with parties typically going in circles trying to explain their best solution to
a problem. Many times the discussion had no clear outcome and failed to produce a decision,
requiring the project manager to wait longer to take action and raising the cost of construction.
With a few simple clicks BIM would be able to show any aspect of the construction project,
which would allow for all interested parties to have a better understanding of what is being
discussed, all available options, and the costs associated with each option. BIM would therefore
allow for shorter discussions that ultimately result in more effective and logical solutions.
During the owners meeting we attended, we noticed many instances where confusion
could have been alleviated with the use of BIM. One specific example was during a discussion
in early October when Gilbane was explaining an issue with the framing system on the roof
designed to block the mechanical systems from view on the quad. The problem was that one of
the crossbars in the frame was designed too low, resulting in limited access to a door on one of
the mechanical systems, requiring a change order. This dilemma was presented to the group at
the owners meeting, however there was immediately confusion as to the location of this issue
55
and an overall misunderstanding of the problem altogether. It took nearly 15 minutes for the
issue to be further described but there were still some members whom remained unsure and a
solution was still not obtained. If a model were available in the meeting, the problem would
have been clarified almost immediately, allowing the group substantial time to focus on a proper
solution as oppose to wasting time trying to figure out the nature of the issue.
Another example we recognized was during a discussion about the location of the bathing
suit dryers. The locker-room with pool access will include bathing suit dryers, which require
drainage below them. This requirement was not shown in the drawing, and therefore became a
change order. The change order became a discussion spanning several owners meetings. They
considered alternative locations from the original design; however there was confusion as to
where they were talking about and whether drainage could be provided that these new locations.
Excessive time was spent on this issue, especially considering that it was discussed several times.
If a computer model was implemented at the meeting, they could have clearly identified the
locations they were considering as well as examine the potential availability for drainage and
provide information about the dimensions and area of each potential location. This could have
greatly reduced time spent on this issue and allowed the group to continue onto other pressing
matters.
As the construction of the recreation center got closer to its completion dates it became
apparent that there was less time to discuss change orders. During the meetings both Cannon and
Gilbane started bringing in visual representations of necessary information regarding the change
orders to help explain exactly what needed to be adjusted to the project. One example of this was
during a discussion regarding the drainage issue of the canopies. Scott Lindberg, a Construction
Administrator for Cannon Design created a Google Sketch Up representation to help show a
possible solution to the proposed drainage problems. Figure 28 shows two photos from the
Owner‟s Meeting when Scott was demonstrating the Google Sketch Up model. The photo on the
left shows Scott using the mouse to manipulate the drawing and show it from different angles.
The photo on the left shows the television screen that the image was projected on. This visual
representation provided equal awareness to everyone in the meeting and expedited the decision-
making process. Seeing the benefits of BIM in this specific setting through this example made it
apparent just how much more could have been accomplished at each owners meeting if every
person in the room could easily understand the issue being discussed.
56
Figure 28: Owner’s Meeting with Google Sketch Up Representation
Through attending the owners meetings we also noted that the meeting updates were
delivered only verbally and in the form of change orders. A BIM model could allow for the
project manager to give the updates visually as well as verbally. This would provide the
attendees at the meeting a more accurate understanding of the progress and in turn allow them to
participate more actively during the meetings.
3.5 Summary of BIM Findings: 4D, EVA, & Communication
Throughout the process of creating a schedule, tracking the construction, identifying the
model and running a cost analysis we learned about the efficiency of BIM for both tracking a
project and problem solving at an owners meeting. Through the use of our schedules, models
and quantity takes offs we determined that while the WPI Sports & Recreation Center‟s
construction started by pouring the concrete ahead of schedule it quickly fell behind schedule
when erecting the steel. After construction fell behind schedule Gilbane had to move around
their schedule, overlapping some activities and completely switching the order of other activities
in order to complete the project on time. Due to the scheduling changes the cost of the work
groups was not necessarily distributed as planned, causing the earned value analysis to show as
behind schedule or over budget.
57
Sitting in on owners meetings gave us firsthand knowledge into the construction of the
project. This helped us gain a better feel for the target completion dates of different activities. It
also allowed us to get to know the key members involved in the project and to determine
possible uses for BIM in owners meetings. From these meetings we learned that incorporating
BIM into an owners meeting could be a very useful tool for explaining to current construction
phases of the project as well as for explaining issues within the project and for exploring the best
possible solutions to solve those issues. Sitting through meetings we saw exactly how
implementing visual models can substantially decrease the time it took to establish and agree
upon a solution for a construction problem rather than verbally explaining the issues and possible
solutions.
From this project we determined that BIM may be a key aspect in the future for tracking
construction projects and relating construction knowledge to an owner in a simple way.
58
4.0 RECREATION CENTER & HARRINGTON AUDITORIUM CONNECTION
For the design portion of our project, we analyzed the geotechnical, structural and
functional aspects relating to the connection between Harrington Auditorium and the new
Recreation Center. Our analysis included a review of the geotechnical design beneath
Harrington necessitated by the excavation at the adjacent Recreation Center construction site.
Based on our review, we developed an alternative underpinning design to address the issues
induced by excavation and the building connection. Another focus of our analysis was the tie-in
between the two buildings, in which we explored both the structural components and the inherent
functional implications of connecting the building directly into a fully-operational trainer‟s room.
We employed multiple methods to address each issue effectively. The procedures we followed
and the results we obtained are outlined in the following sections.
4.1 Underpinning Design: Methodology & Results
The first thing we examined when beginning the design portion of our project was the
geotechnical design beneath Harrington Auditorium. Due to the massive amount of excavation
that occurred during the construction of the Recreation Center, part of the original foundation of
Harrington Auditorium will experience a reduction in loading capacity. Thus, geotechnical
engineers had to devise a plan to ensure the stability of Harrington Auditorium. Gilbane hired
GZA GeoEnvironmental, a geotechnical engineering firm, to perform the soil analysis and
develop a stabilization design for Harrington. We reviewed both their design and other related,
well-established sources and established a potential alternative.
We began by contacting Gilbane directly and they provided us with the documentation
we needed to perform effective and accurate analysis. The documents included GZA
GeoEnvironmental design specifications as well as correspondence documents between the two
firms that occurred during the planning stage. The correspondence documents tracked how the
design changed and developed over time as new pertinent information became available. By
examining the changes that were made before a final design was agreed upon we were able to
understand the exact needs of the design given the conditions of the site. We used the documents
59
primarily to understand pre-existing conditions and dimensions of the area. The GZA design
documents provided data pertaining to loading conditions and dimensions of the foundation wall
and footing, information we would not have been able to determine elsewhere. However, when
creating our own alternative design we performed calculations independently from the GZA
design. Instead, we based our design on underpinning design procedures developed by the
Federal Highway Administration and other related sources (FHWA Pub. RD-75-129).
4.1.1 Loading Conditions & Dimensions
The first step of designing the underpinning was verifying the loading conditions applied
to the footing of Harrington. The loading conditions consist of the weight of the roof which is
comprised of a waffle slab, T&G roof, and snow load, as well as the weight of the wall resting on
the footing. The roof load has a tributary width of 8 feet and the wall has a height of 14 feet.
Figure 29 shows the basic dimensions of the structure that will be underpinned. We used the
same quantities used by GZA to determine a distributed load of 3.9 kips per linear foot of
footing. The calculations for determining the load as well as all calculations steps that follow in
this methodology section can be found in Appendix L.
Figure 29: Dimensions of the Harrington Auditorium Section Used for Designing Underpinning
60
4.1.2 Pile Size/Surface Area Calculations
Micropiles were chosen as the type of underpinning to be used for the geotechnical
design of the Recreation Center. We also used micropiles as the primary geotechnical
component of our design. There are several essential design aspects of underpinning micropiles
to prevent all possible failures, including axial loading capacity, allowable maximum
compression stress, contact bonding between the micropile and the existing footing. Axial
loading capacity deals with the resistance of the soil against the micropile and failure occurs
when the soil does not properly support the micropile and slipping occurs. Compression stress
failure occurs when the compressive strength of the materials within the micropile cross section
cannot support the applied compressive load and usually results in the fibers/materials breaking
down. Contact bonding failure occurs when the contact surface between the micropile and
existing footing does not remain static and slips. We addressed each of these failure modes
when developing our micropile design to ensure that it is structurally sound.
After determining the loading conditions, the next step was calculating the minimum pile
sizes required to support the distributed load of 3.9 kips per linear foot (klf) along the footing.
The maximum allowable spacing of piles for Harrington is 8‟, so we calculated the total load per
pile to be 31.2 kips (8‟ x 3.9 klf). In essence, each pile would experience a maximum load of
31.2 kips individually and would need to be designed with a loading capacity greater than this.
The available capacity of a pile is predominantly dictated by its surface area and structural
capacity of both the steel and grout combined. Safety factors require the allowable stresses of
steel piles to be no more than 40% of its yield strength (0.4Fy) and for concrete piles no more
than 33% of its compressive strength (0.33f‟c), (FHWA, 1983). Once factored, the strength of
both steel and concrete (typically in ksi or psi) are multiplied by each respective area and added
together to get the overall allowable capacity.
We considered several different configurations for micropiles with different grout-to-
steel cross sections and calculated their available capacity. For example, one configuration we
considered was a 6” diameter pile size comprised of 5000 psi grout, a #8 steel reinforcement bar
(Grade 75ksi), and a 3” diameter steel pipe. A cross section of this particular micropile
configuration is shown in Figure 30.
61
Figure 30: Cross Section of Underpinning Used Beneath Harrington Auditorium
Based on the area and structural capacity of both the steel and grout combined (steel pipe
is not considered since it is only installed for construction purposes), we determined the overall
capacity of the micropile. These calculations are organized within Table 5. Based on this
specific design, the micropile has a compressive failure loading limit of 68.9 kips, which is
greater that the applied load of 31.2 kips (calculated previously), ensuring that it is structurally
sound under the compressive load of 31.2 kips.
REDUCTION
AREA (IN2) STRENGTH CAPACITY (kips)
FACTOR
STEEL 0.79 in2 0.4 Fy = 75 ksi 23.7 k
GROUT 27.4 in2 0.33 f’c= 5000psi (5 ksi) 45.2 k
COMPRESSIVE LOAD LIMIT FOR 6” PILE w/ 5000 PSI GROUT & #8 STEEL REINFORCEMENT: 68.9 KIPS
Table 5: Compressive Load Limit Calculations for 6” Diameter Micropile w/5000psi Grout & #8 Rebar
The configuration previously discussed was the actual design used for the Harrington
Auditorium underpinning. Although this design met structural requirements, we tested several
other designs to determine if there were other configurations that could have been applied that
would reduce material but also be structurally sound. We tested the structural capacity for
preventing compressive failure of several different grout-to-steel combinations and determined if
they would withstand the actual compressive loading forces applied to (31.2kips). We organized
them and performed our calculations within an Excel spreadsheet and created a table which can
be seen in Table 6.
62
MATERIAL AREA (sq. SAFETY STRENGTH CAPACITY
inches) FACTOR (kips)
DESIGN 1: STEEL 0.79 0.40 75 23.7
5" DIAMETER; GROUT 18.84 0.33 5.0 31.09
#8 STEEL
Maximum Compression Load: 54.79 kips
DESIGN 2: STEEL 0.79 0.40 75 23.7
6" DIAMETER; GROUT 27.4 0.33 5.0 45.21
#8 STEEL
Maximum Compression Load: 68.91kips
DESIGN 3: STEEL 0.79 0.40 75 23.70
7" DIAMETER; GROUT 37.69 0.33 5.0 62.19
#8 STEEL
DESIGN 4: STEEL 0.60 0.40 75 18.00
5" DIAMETER; GROUT 19.03 0.33 5.0 31.40
#7 STEEL
DESIGN 5: STEEL 0.60 0.40 75 18.00
6" DIAMETER; GROUT 27.67 0.33 5.0 45.66
#7 STEEL
DESIGN 6: STEEL 0.60 0.40 75 18.00
7" DIAMETER; GROUT 37.88 0.33 5.0 62.50
#7 STEEL
DESIGN 7: STEEL 0.44 0.40 75 13.20
5" DIAMETER; GROUT 19.19 0.33 5.0 31.66
#6 STEEL
DESIGN 8: STEEL 0.44 0.40 75 13.20
6" DIAMETER; GROUT 27.83 0.33 5.0 45.92
#6 STEEL
DESIGN 9: STEEL 0.44 0.40 75 13.20
7" DIAMETER; GROUT 38.04 0.33 5.0 62.77
#6 STEEL
Table 6: Structural Compressive Failure Capacity for Potential Design Configurations
63
4.1.3 Axial Loading Capacity Calculations: Design Bond Length & Embedment Depth
Next, we determined the minimum bond length using the FHWA chart of Allowable
Bond Values seen in Figure 31 (NHI/FHWA, 2006). Based on the “Compact Sand” soil
parameter, the range of bond values is 5-10 k/ft. The calculation for bond length is determined
by dividing the actual load by these bond values (both 5k/ft and 10k/ft) in two separate
calculations. Whichever produces the largest value for bond length will be used as the minimum
bond length. In the case used by GZA this was the 5k/ft value which produced a minimum
length of 6.24 feet when using the actual load value of 31.2 kips.
Figure 31: Average Bond Values for Various Soil Parameters (NHI/FHWA, 2006)
The next step in designing the underpinning was determining the necessary depth that it
needs to be embedded into the soil, which is based primarily on the soil properties and the design
load to be resisted. The soil underlying Harrington Auditorium is composed primarily of very
dense cemented glacial till which has a unit weight of 125 pcf (GZA, 2009). We used several
different well published sources, mainly the Federal Highway Administration, to determine
embedment depth requirements and calculations. The sources as well as calculation procedures
we used to determine the embedment depth can be seen in Appendix L.
The first step of determining embedment depth is choosing an anchor length and finding
the corresponding ultimate load. Figure 32 shows a chart of Ultimate Load (kips) vs. Length of
Anchor (ft) with varying soil parameters (Goldberg/FHWA, 1976). The soil underlying
64
Harrington Auditorium falls under the “Sandy Gravel” consistency, as shown in the Figure. By
choosing a test anchor length you can plot what the estimated Ultimate Load will be. We used
the minimum design length of 6.25 feet which we calculated earlier as a starting point and then
tested other designs with greater lengths and found their corresponding ultimate loads. The
Ultimate Load factor is then used to calculate the Safety Factor (Ultimate Load divided by
Actual Load). According to the FHWA, the ultimate load should be at least 150% of the actual
load, which is also a factor of safety greater than or equal to 1.5
Figure 32: Ultimate Load vs. Length of Anchor for Various Soil Parameters (FHWA)
We organized and performed our calculations within an Excel spreadsheet. Table 7

shows the design calculations for different embedment depths of the underpinning corresponding
to different FS values. We examined seven different embedment depths to determine the
minimum depth necessary to properly secure the footing while minimizing the amount of
material. We chose a design depth of 9‟ for our underpinning design because it easily meets
safety design requirements but also reduces material compared to longer designs. Our design
recommendations are discussed in further detail later in this section.
65
Table 7: Alternative Design Depths and Their Corresponding Safety Factor
4.1.4 Grout-to-Concrete Connection Calculations
The final step is checking the grout-to-concrete connection and assuring its contact
bonding strength will not result in failure. The grout-to-concrete connection is the product of
surface contact area between the grout and the footing and the bond strength between them.
Bond Strength
We began by finding the ultimate bond value, which is the strength between two surfaces
in pounds per square inch and depends on the type of materials in contact. Table 8 contains
ultimate bond values between grout and various types of rock. Using this table of rock/grout
bond values from the PCI publication “Foundations in Tension” we obtained the ultimate bond
value for “Weathered Granite” which is in the range of 217-365psi. The reason we used
Weathered Granite is because it is very similar concrete in bond value, which is 200-400psi
(Williams, 2011).
66
Table 8: Rock/grout Bond Values for Calculating Grout-to-Concrete Connection (PCI)
Factor of Safety & Ultimate Capacity
Next, we determined ultimate capacity of the anchor which is a function of the allowable
capacity and the Factor of Safety. According to the FHWA, the minimum safety factor for a
rock-grout bond should be no less than 2.0. Using a factor of safety of 2.0 and the already know
allowable capacity of 31.2 kips we calculated ultimate capacity to be greater than or equal to
62.4 kips. The following calculations show this procedure quantitatively:
 Pu = F.S. x Pa = 2.0 x 31.2 kips = 62.4 kips = 62,400 lbs
Where:
Pu = ultimate capacity
Pa = allowable capacity
F.S. = Factor of Safety
Contact Area
Next, we calculated the contact area between the grout and concrete footing. Figure 33
shows a schematic of a micropile/footing connection. Since micropiles are installed at an angle,
the contact area between the pile and the footing is a function of the angle at which the pile is
installed:
 Contact area = (π x Dp x Lf ) / cosϕ
Where:
Dp = diameter of pile hole (in)
Lf = length/thickness of footing (in)
ϕ = Effective pile angle
67
Figure 33: Simple Schematic of a Footing with an Angled Micropile
If you think of this calculation conceptually, when the angle is increased, the contact
between the pile and footing is also increased, thus increasing the overall surface area. Also,
when the diameter is increased, the surface area is also increased. The issue when developing
our design was that we had to find both a diameter and angle that would satisfy the grout-to-
concrete connection. Since these factors were unknown (or undecided) we had to develop a
calculation where we had the angle as a function of the diameter. We did this by reorganizing
the ultimate capacity equation, which can be seen below.
 Pu = [π x Dp x Lf x δ ] / cos ϕ
Where:
Dp = diameter of pile hole (in)
Lf = length/thickness of footing (in)
δ = Bond strength (psi)
ϕ = Effective pile angle
 In terms of Effective Angle, ϕ= cos-1[(π x Dp x Lf x δ) / Pu]
After plugging in all of the known factors (Lf = 12”; δ = 200psi; Pu = 62,400 lbs), we were able
to develop a simple relationship between the diameter and the angle: ϕ= cos-1(0.1208Dp). With
this relationship, when testing different micropile designs, we could find the necessary minimum
embedment angle necessary for any diameter micropile. Figure 34 shows this relationship
graphically given the constant, known factors of the Harrington footing.
68
Diameter vs. Effective Angle
70
60
50
Angle (degrees)
40
30
20
10
0
4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5
Diameter (in.)
Figure 34: Effective Angle vs. Diameter of Micropile Hole
We used this graph to develop the optimum diameter/angle combination. According to

FHWA, the effective angle should not exceed 45 o and it general designs are within the range of
20o to 40o. By simply looking at the graph you can see that all diameter sizes before 5.75 in
require an angle greater than 45o, so any size larger would be suitable at its given angle. Figure
35 better shows this point.
69
Figure 35: Minimum Diameter and Angle Requirements
4.1.5 Final Underpinning Design Recommendations
Based on all of the design criteria that we determined, we developed a design for the
underpinning that would be both structurally sound and have a relatively minimal material
requirement. Since the minimum diameter hole is 6” we decided to use a 6” cross area micropile
which creates a 7” hole during drilling, so it is on a conservative measure by one inch. We
didn‟t want to go much larger than this in an effort to minimize material. We also chose a
5000psi grout cross section reinforced with #7 steel rebar (Grade 75 ksi), which can be seen in
Figure 37. This design results in a compressive capacity of 63.6 kips, which is over twice the
required capacity of 31.2 kips. Also, the axial loading strength we determined was based on a 9
foot pile embedment which results in a 105 kips capacity. Although this is a very conservative
measure, we couldn‟t really reduce size since it was constrained by the required diameter. Also,
the available capacity would have reduced significantly if we chose a rebar size any smaller.
Lastly, when choosing the effective angle we wanted to use a conservative approach that would
meet the grout-to-concrete requirements but also supply lateral support to the structure.
Therefore we chose an effective angle of 40o, which met the required angle of at least 30o for a
7” drilling hole.
70
In addition to the cross section and effective angle we proposed, we also designed for
micropile spacing and bond length. Since the max pile spacing is 8 feet and the total length of
footing is 52 feet, the resulting minimum number of piles is 6.5, which rounded up is 7. After
viewing the layout of the footing, we decided to have 8 piles total: one at each end of the footing
(2), one at each indent for the doorway (2), and four more evenly dispersed between. Figure 36
shows this layout schematically in a plan view. As for the length of the piles, we chose 9‟ which
meets the minimum requirement of 6.25‟.
Figure 36: Plan View of Location of Underpinning at Harrington Footing
Our design meets all design specifications and also reduces material while maintaining
structural stability. Our final design can be seen in Figure 37. Compared to the design used by
WPI, our design uses one less foot of material per footing and 0.19 in2 less steel (#7 bar vs. #8),
reducing the amount of steel necessary by 31.6%. All results and calculations are outlined in
Appendix L.
71
Figure 37: Final Proposed Underpinning Design
72
4.2 Structural Interaction – Tie-In Framing Design
In addition to analyzing the geotechnical design beneath Harrington Auditorium, we also

examined the connection between Harrington and the Recreation Center and developed a
framing system design for the tie-in. We designed the system to adequately support the loading
system applied to it and to minimize lateral deflection. Figure 38 shows a plan view of the
proposed connection between the Recreation Center and Harrington Auditorium.
Figure 38: Recreation Center/Harrington Auditorium Tie-In Plan View
Before we began the design of the framing system for the tie-in, we studied structural
models of both Harrington and the Recreation Center to gain a better understanding of how the
two buildings will interact with each other. There was limited information on the structural
components of Harrington since it was built in 1960, however Cannon developed a Revit model
73
of Harrington based on observation. The model was not in-depth but it did allow us to view the
floor plans and gain a better understanding of the dimensions and location of the tie-in. Cardinal
Construction also supplied us with AutoCAD files of Harrington that were used by SMMA, the
subcontractor hired to perform the construction of the tie-in. We used the AutoCAD file in
conjunction with the Revit model to improve our overall comprehension of the proposed tie-in.
As for the Recreation Center, we reviewed their structural Revit model which was
incredibly detailed, providing us with elevations, dimensions, areas, and location of the tie-in.
We originally thought that the connection was to occur at the foundation wall, which would have
a large structural impact on the underlying footing and geotechnical structures. However
through reviewing the models and speaking with construction representatives, we discovered that
the wall was simply an exterior wall, with basic loading properties, and with little impact on the
underlying structure. Although this reduced the level of structural analysis we had to perform,
we still had to design the framing system to withstand the distributed load and meet all safety
criteria.
4.2.1 Determining Tie-In Dimensions
We began our design by first determining the dimensions of the tie-in. We used several
methods to estimate the height and width of the connection. First, we examined the area while
taking a tour of the Recreation Center during construction with Michael Andrews of Cardinal
Construction, prior to breaking through the wall. We didn‟t take any measurements but instead
just made visual observations. We observed that the right wall (south side of the connection)
runs parallel to an entrenchment for a mechanical unit attached to the exterior wall of the
trainer‟s room. We used this information when viewing Revit models later on in the project. We
also observed that the concrete slab in the Recreation Center was within 2 inches of the exterior
wall of Harrington, which we expected would be sealed when the connection was made. Also
during our tour, Mr. Andrews explained how the width of the wall would be restricted by an
interior column within the Harrington Auditorium wall on the left side of the connection.
Therefore, our tour made us aware of the confinements of the connection: the interior column
and the entrenchment. The location of both the column and entrenchment are identified in
Figure 39.
74
Figure 39: Trainer’s Room w/ Location of Column and Entrenchment
We then studied the AutoCAD floor plans of the gymnasium level of Harrington
Auditorium, the floor in which the tie-in will be taking place. The drawings showed the location
of the column that restricts the width of the tie-in, however the dimensions were not specified,
and we could not make exact measurements because we didn‟t know the accuracy of the drawing
since it was developed many years ago and then put into CAD format. However, we found it
safe to assume that the location of the beam and estimate it within 2feet of its location.
The final step we took in estimating the dimensions of the tie-in was taking
measurements of the trainer‟s room in the area of the proposed tie-in. We were able to locate the
entrenchment since it was also the same location of a window in the trainer‟s room. We also
spoke with the Assistant Athletic Trainer Aimee Sevigny who was working in the trainer‟s room
when we visited. She explained how construction workers had performed an exploratory drill
hole in the wall in her office recently and showed us the location. The hole had been covered up,
but we used that as an assumed location of the column and measured the distance between that
and the entrenchment. We found the width to be approximately 10 feet and estimated that the
75
tie-in width would be about 8 feet which is the width of a large double door with a few extra
inches to spare.
As for determining the height of the tie-in, we spoke with construction representative of
Cardinal Construction and Cannon Design and they said the height would be 8‟-6” (102”). We
also measured the height of the ceiling within the trainer‟s room to be 93”. The difference
between the height of the tie-in and the height of the trainer‟s room ceiling would then be 11”,
which we were told would be evened out using drywall. The final dimensions we settled on for
the tie-in was 8‟-6” x 8‟-0”, which is shown in Figure 40.
Figure 40: Tie-In Dimensions
4.2.2 Calculating Loading Conditions
After establishing the dimensions of the tie-in, we had to determine the loading system
that would be applied to it. Through speaking with Michael Andrews during our tour of the
Recreation Center, we found that the wall is a simple exterior wall composed of brick and
concrete masonry units (CMU) with an air gap of approximately 9” between. The brick portion
of the wall runs the entire height of the building, while the CMU units run from floor to floor.
Therefore, we would have to provide separate calculations and designs for the brick and CMU.
76
The fact that the wall is an exterior wall means that the tie-in would only have to resist forces
caused by the weight of the materials (dead load) as opposed to a load-bearing wall which resists
structural loads of the building. Once we knew this we researched the average weight of both
bricks and CMU‟s per square footage according to industry standards. Table 8 shows different
types of masonry sizes and their corresponding weights (Muller, 1995).
Masonry Walls Load (psf)

4” Brick 42
8” Concrete Block 55
12” Concrete Block 80
Table 9: Masonry Units and Weights
Once we knew the composition of the wall and its corresponding weight, we were able to
determine the distributed load across the horizontal span of the tie-in. When analyzing the
distributed load above an opening, the span experiences a triangular load acting at 45o angles
from both ends from the above material as shown in Figure 41 (Stuart, 2009). The maximum
concentrated load, which acts at the center of the span, is the product of weight of material per
square foot (psf) and the tributary height triangle (L/2). Since the length of the span is 8‟, the
corresponding height of the triangular load is 4‟. Therefore, the peak load is 168plf, or the height
(4‟) times the weight per square footage of the brick (42 psf).
Figure 41: Triangular Load Distribution Acting on an Exterior Wall Opening
77
When designing a support system it is essential to know the internal forces that will be
acting upon it, which is a direct result of the loading system that is supporting. We developed
shear-moment diagrams based on the distributed load and span, following the standard statics
model for triangular distributed loads in Figure 42. The resulting maximum shear and maximum
moment experienced over the span are 336 lb and 816 lb-ft, respectively.
Figure 42: Shear-Moment Diagrams for Distributed Triangular Loads (Mathalino, 2021)
78
4.2.3 Lintel Size Calculations
After determining the dimensions and loading conditions of the tie-in we were able to
design a lintel size to support the brick exterior wall. The primary design parameter for lintels is
to minimize deflection. The maximum allowed deflection for any steel lintel, per the Brick
Industry Association (Technical Notes 31B, 5/87), is L/600, where “L” is the span of the lintel in
inches. Therefore, we knew we had to minimize the deflection to 0.16 in., calculated from the 8
foot (96 inches) span divided by 600.
We used RISA 2D, a structural analysis computer program, to perform deflection

calculations. This program generates minimum and maximum values of moment, shear,
displacement, and deflection based on the load, boundary conditions, moment of inertia, and
steel area. We recreated the lintel and loading conditions of the tie-in to find the maximum
deflection. We tested several different lintel sizes by plugging in their respective moment of
inertia and area, and checked deflection of each to ensure it meets the design requirement of 0.16
in maximum deflection. When plugging in the values for different lintel sizes, we also had to
consider its own dead weight, which is considered a distributed load across the span. Figure 43
is a screenshot of RISA 2D that shows the loading conditions and span of the tie-in, and the
corresponding deflection for an L - 4x4x steel lintel. This lintel size, given its specific area,
dead weight, and moment of inertia, will undergo a deflection of 0.015 inches. The technical
step-by-step approach of creating such a beam and loading conditions in RISA 2D is outlined in
Appendix M.
Figure 43: RISA 2D Screenshot for the Tie-In Loading Conditions on an L- 4x4x1/2 Steel Lintel
79
We followed these steps for several different lintel sizes, using a trial-and-error approach
in attempt to find the most economical size that could also meet the deflection requirement of
0.16 inches. Table 10 shows a variety of different size lintels that we tested and their
corresponding properties and deflection.
Designation Depth Width Thickness Sectional Area Weight Moment of Inertia - I Deflection
in in in in2 lb/ft in4 in
L8 x 8 x 1 8 8 1 15 51 89 0.001
L8 x 8 x 3/4 8 8 0.75 11.4 38.9 69.7 0.002
L8 x 8 x 1/2 8 8 0.5 7.75 26.4 48.6 0.003
L6 x 6 x 1 6 6 1 11 37.4 35.5 0.003
L6 x 6 x 3/4 6 6 0.75 8.44 28.7 28.2 0.004
L6 x 6 x 1/2 6 6 0.5 5.75 19.6 19.9 0.005
L5 x 5 x 3/4 5 5 0.75 6.94 23.6 15.7 0.007
L5 x 5 x 1/2 5 5 0.5 4.75 16.2 11.3 0.009
L4 x 4 x 3/4 4 4 0.75 5.44 18.5 7.67 0.013
L4 x 4 x 1/2 4 4 0.5 3.75 12.8 5.56 0.015
L4 x 4 x 1/4 4 4 0.25 1.94 6.6 3.04 0.033
L3 x 3 x 1/2 3 3 0.5 2.75 9.4 2.22 0.045
L3 x 3 x 1/4 3 3 0.25 1.44 4.9 1.24 0.081
L2 x 2 x 1/4 2 2 0.25 0.938 3.2 0.348 0.222
Table 10: Lintel Sizes, Properties & Deflections (Size Information from Engineering Toolbox)
80
4.2.4 Tie-In Design Results & Recommendations
Since the brick veneer and CMU interior wall were essentially two separate entities, we
developed different design proposals for each. For the brick veneer exterior wall, we chose to
use a lintel to span the 8-foot tie-in and support the overlying load. Based on the loading
conditions and the Building Code Requirements for maximum deflection in lintels, we chose to
support the brick veneer with an L- 4x4x1/2 lintel. We tested over ten different lintel sizes and
calculated if they could effectively withstand the applied loading conditions (weight of the brick
above the opening). Nearly all of them passed, however we chose a size that would also be
economical and practical. The 4x4x1/2 lintel would easily support the load above the span and it
was also a size that was not too small or too large, making it the most practical choice.
As for the CMU, we decided to completely eliminate all of the units up to the height of
the ceiling. The CMU units in Harrington Auditorium are stacked from floor-to-floor, as oppose
to the brick which runs the height of the building. So instead of installing a lintel to support only
one CMU unit, we decided to demolish all CMU units from the width of the tie-in up to the
height of the ceiling. This approach requires far less construction efforts and material than
installing a lintel for the CMU. The difference of heights between the brick lintel and the ceiling
of the trainer‟s room could then be transitioned using drywall. This design would result in a
smooth transition from the brick veneer facing the Recreation Center to the CMU wall on the
interior of Harrington Auditorium. Also, this approach would be economical and reduce the
amount construction necessary.
81
4.3 Functional Design – Trainer’s Room Reconfiguration
In addition to the structural analysis we performed on the Harrington tie-in, we also

considered how the new connection would interact with the spacing and function of the trainer‟s
room in Harrington Auditorium, which will be directly affected by this construction. The space
occupied by the trainer‟s room will require a reconfiguration to allow for a hallway to run
through, starting at the location of the tie-in. The hallway will function as a route between the
gymnasium floor and the Recreation Center robotics pits, and must include design considerations
for the size and traffic of the robots during competitions. We used several different methods to
gain a better understanding of the trainer‟s room area and develop a plan of reconfiguration of
the space.
4.3.1 Current Trainer’s Room Layout & Proposed Tie-In Location
We began the process of designing a reconfiguration for the location directly affected by
the tie-in in Harrington Auditorium by studying the layout of the trainer‟s room. As mentioned
before, Cardinal Construction provided us with AutoCAD files of Harrington Auditorium
blueprints. These blueprints were very helpful in showing the scale of the trainer‟s room in
relation to the gymnasium and also in locating walls, elevator shafts, columns and doorways.
However this file was based on the blueprints that were developed when the building was
constructed in 1968 and the building has undergone changes since then. The room now used as
trainer‟s room was originally used as a Food Service Area during sporting events. So not only
has the space changed, but its function has also changed. Also, the drawings showed no
indications of dimensions. Figure 44 shows the trainer‟s room as represented in the AutoCAD
file based on original as-built drawings.
82
Figure 44: AutoCAD Drawing of Trainer’s Room as Originally Constructed
Although the drawing didn‟t portray the up-to-date layout of the trainer‟s area, we used it
as a foundation for creating a new version that accurately represents the current conditions. We
visited the trainer‟s room and took measurements throughout the entire area and applied the
dimensions to an updated AutoCAD drawing of the room. We also took note of type of
materials used for each wall (CMU or drywall) as well as the location of fixtures (lighting,
electrical, and plumbing). We used this information when considering different reconfiguration
designs for the trainer‟s room/robotics hallway. Figure 45 shows the updated AutoCAD drawing
of the current trainer‟s room layout. The blue lines in the drawing indicate walls we drew into
the file which were constructed after the original construction (drywall), and the white walls are
83
CMU walls constructed during initial construction of the building. Dimension lines are also
included and are measured in “inches.” The tie-in is also located on the left side of the drawing.
Tie-In
Figure 45: Current Layout of Trainer’s Room w/ Dimensions
84
We also developed a drawing with labels to provide a qualitative representation of the
trainer‟s room layout, as well as show the location of the tie-in and the location of the trainer‟s
room in context of the entire gymnasium floor; this drawing can be seen in Figure 46.
Figure 46: Trainer’s Area with Labels
4.3.2 Design Requirements – Trainer’s Room/Robotics Hallway
Before beginning our design for the reconfiguration of the trainer‟s room, we had to
consider the design requirements of the hallway to support traffic during robotics competitions.
We gathered all necessary information related to the robotics hallway by interviewing Professor
Kenneth Stafford, Director of the Robotics Resource Center and also an Architectural Advisor
for the Robotics Pits in the new Recreation Center, appointed directly by WPI President Berkey.
Notes from the interview with Professor Stafford can be found in Appendix N. In summary, the
85
ideal design parameters for the robots hallway are a width of 8 feet and a height of 8 feet
throughout the length of the hallway. This would allow traffic in both directions between the
robotics pits in the Recreation Center and the competition floor in Harrington Auditorium and
also allow for easy clearance. This was a critical design requirement and dictated our design
suggestion for the reconfiguration of the hallway through the Harrington trainer‟s room.
Another consideration we examined was the needs of the trainer‟s room. We spoke in an
informal conversation with the Assistant Athletic Trainer Aimee Sevigny to determine the
requirements for the trainer‟s room after reconfiguration. The trainer‟s room will remain fully
operational in the future despite the fact that the new Recreation Center includes a newer, larger
training area. The reason it will remain open is to offer training room assistance to athletes
playing in sports that will continue competing in Harrington Gymnasium, including basketball,
volleyball, and wrestling. On the other hand, the trainer‟s room in the new Recreation Center
will be utilized to support athletes who compete on the field levels such as football, field hockey,
baseball, softball, track and field, etc. So the occupancy of the Harrington trainer‟s rooms will
be drastically reduced since the majority of sports will now report to the Recreation Center
instead. However, it will still need to support all of the basic functions of a standard trainer‟s
room.
4.3.3 Proposed Reconfigurations – Trainer’s Area/Robotics Hallway
Using the dimensions of the trainer‟s room that we determined in conjunction with the
location of the tie-in and the necessities of both the trainer‟s area and the robotics hallway, we
devised several potential reconfigurations of the space, and chose one that would best optimize
the area. We drew the potential designs within AutoCAD and compared them. We based our
comparison on functionality, constructability, and how well they met the requirements of both
the trainer‟s and robotics users.
Within each drawing the proposed Robotics Hallway is designated by the red lines; and
yellow lines represent pre-existing walls that would have to be demolished in order to either
accommodate for the new hallway or to connect separate areas to make one primary trainer‟s
86
room. Also, all Robotics Hallways were designed to have a minimum width of 8feet and this
design criteria is reflected in each drawing.
Option #1: Our first design configuration, Option #1, consists of having the Robotics
Hallway enter the trainer‟s area and turn northward through the pre-existing hallway. This
hallway would exit into a lobby behind the bleachers, where the robotics competitors would then
have to navigate around to reach the gymnasium floor. The design drawing can be seen in
Figure 47. The advantage of this design is that it would allow competitors to choose which side
of the bleachers they‟d like to enter onto the gymnasium floor at from the lobby area. Another
advantage is that the trainer‟s room would still have a relatively large area. The disadvantages
are that both storage areas would be demolished or at the very least, greatly reduced in size. The
trainer‟s office would also have to be demolished, however regardless of configuration this room
will have to be removed so we did not consider this while factoring in each options potential.
Also, the bathroom wall would potentially have to be reconstructed which is a more major issue
than other walls since it contains plumbing utilities. Another disadvantage, from the robotic
standpoint, is that this option would require some maneuvering of the robots since it contains a
nearly 900 turn. And finally, although the trainer‟s area would remain quite large, it would
require a wall to either be demolished to connect the two areas or a door frame to be installed.
Also, it would have an awkward layout which could impact its overall function. Overall, this
option has its pros and cons from each viewpoint: trainers, robotics, and construction.
87
Figure 47: Reconfiguration Option#1
Option #2: The second reconfiguration layout we considered, Option #2, consists of the
Robotics Hallway running straight through the trainer‟s room, perpendicular to the east wall of
the room. This proposed layout can be seen in Figure 48. The advantages of this design are that
it would minimize the distance that the robots would have to travel and would completely
eliminate any complicated maneuvering since there are no turns or curves. The disadvantages
are that the hallway would completely dissect the trainer‟s room, leaving two open spaces on
both sides, and interfering greatly with the function of the trainer‟s area. Also the wall that the
hallway would break through would require exploratory work and may potentially contain
columns or plumbing utilities running through it. Overall this option is highly favorable from the
robotics standpoint, but unfavorable from both a trainer‟s and a constructability point-of-view.
88
Figure 48: Reconfiguration Option #2
89
Option 3: The third and final configuration we considered, Option #3, includes the Robotics
Hallway running flush with the west and south walls of the trainer‟s room and exiting out of the
pre-existing doorway onto the gymnasium floor. This layout can be seen in Figure 49. The
advantages of this design are that it would utilize a pre-existing exit and would require only
demolition of drywalls which contain only electrical utilities (no plumbing). Also, the trainer‟s
areas would be combined leaving a large open space, easily large enough to support the expected
activity within the room. Also, the two storage areas and bathroom would remain untouched.
Another advantage, from the robotics standpoint, is that the hallway would exit directly onto the
gymnasium floor/competition area. The disadvantages are that the hallway contains a turn,
which would require some maneuvering of the robots, although minimally. Also, although the
hallway will be utilizing a pre-existing exit, the doorframe would need to be extended an extra
two feet from its original size to accommodate for the robotics traffic. Overall, this option is
highly favorable for the trainers, relatively favorable for robotics, and evenly favorable from a
constructability point-of-view.
FIGURE TOO LARGE FOR SPACE: SEE NEXT PAGE
90
Figure 49: Reconfiguration Option #3
4.3.4 Recommendations for Trainer’s Area/Robotics Hallway
After developing the three different potential reconfiguration designs, we analyzed the
advantages and disadvantages of each to determine which would be the best design overall. We
performed our analysis from a completely unbiased point-of-view and took into consideration the
necessities of each individual party, weighing them equally. We organized our information with
a table that shows the pros and cons of each design and from the standpoint of the robotics
people, the trainers, and constructability, which can be seen in Table 11. This made it easier for
us to compare and contrast each design, and inevitably develop a more accurate and well-thought
recommendation.
91
Option #1 Option #2 Option#3
PROS: Sufficient PROS: Storage & PROS: Large, Open,

Trainer’s Space Bathrooms Unaffected Sufficient Size Room;
Storage & Bathrooms
Area CONS: Awkward CONS: Dissects Unaffected
Setup; Demolition of Trainers Area
both storage areas
PROS: Exits into PROS: Minimizes PROS: Exits Directly

lobby Travel Distance; No To Gym Floor/
Robotics Curves/Turns; Smooth Competition Area
Hallway CONS: Long, Curved Transition
Route CONS: Includes a Turn
CONS: Clashes with PROS: Pre-existing

CONS: Exploratory
a lot of drywall; Exit
Construct- interferes w/ CMU
Work Required; Wall
May Contain Plumbing
ability wall containing
or Column
CONS: Doorframe Must
plumbing Be Extended 2'
Table 11: Pros & Cons of Each Reconfiguration Design
After carefully considering each design proposal, we determined that Design Option #3
provided the best overall layout. The final design can be seen in Figure 50 with dimensions and
approximate square footage of both the Robotics Hallway and Trainer‟s Area. The major
advantages we found when looking at this design is that it maximizes the space for the trainer‟s
room while meeting all the design criteria of the Robotics Hallway. The Robotics Hallway will
be a minimum of 9 feet which is at least 1 foot wider than the design standard of 8 feet, resulting
in a smooth, uninhibited transition between the Robotics Pits and the Harrington Gymnasium
floor. This design also minimizes the interference that the construction would have on the
92
trainer‟s room considering both storage areas and the bathroom would remain untouched, and the
trainer‟s room would undergo only minimal reduction in size. Also, this design provided
benefits from the constructability standpoint in that it would take advantage of a pre-existing
doorway and no exploratory work would be required. In general, this design offers favorable
advantages from all points of view and minimizes negative aspects.
Figure 50: Final Design Configuration for Robotics Hallway & Trainer’s Room
93
5.0 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
This section includes a summary of the results we obtained from the BIM portion of our
project, as well as the results of design we developed for the different aspects of the Harrington
Auditorium and Recreation Center connection. Also, we provide final conclusions and
recommendations for both aspects of the project.
5.1 BIM/4D/5D Conclusions & Recommendations
This major qualifying project used a variety of methods to examine the effectiveness of
Building Information Modeling as a tool in Construction Management. A key development that
came as a result of the project was the creation of a methodology for linking multiple BIM
models and schedules together. By combining multiple modeling tools we were able to show the
usefulness of a complete BIM model to all parties involved in a construction project. As an
architect, BIM provides others with a better understanding of your building design, and a better
final product can be produced with a clearer understanding of the project and all its implications.
For a construction manager, BIM provides a better visualization of the project, a more accurate
depiction of the materials needed, and provides an integrated method to show how the project
will be built and where construction issues could be expected. As a tool for a building owner,
BIM can be used to communicate needs to the architect, to understand the construction
managers‟ schedule, to understand the progress of the project more fully, and to prepare budgets
far more accurately. Building Information Modeling has great potential, and our project tapped
into just some of the features offered by the system.
5.1.1 BIM as a Project-Tracking Tool
A major conclusion of this project was the establishment of BIM as a project-tracking

tool. Due to the linking of the schedule and multiple 3D models, we were able to visually model
the progress of the construction project. Further, with the addition of the material takeoffs, we
were able to clearly model the cost of the project as it was constructed. In essence, we
demonstrated the procedures that a project owner could follow to visually track the progress of a
94
project in terms of schedule, materials, and cost. Understanding that this information provides
the user with an accurate idea of schedule and cost performances, this tool can be used to
evaluate contractors, construction managers, and owners‟ representatives.
5.1.2 BIM’s Increasing in Necessity
It is also important to highlight the increasing necessity of BIM, and its overall cost-
effectiveness. When it comes to the decision-making process, no tool outperforms BIM in clarity
of purpose and scope. Each week in the owner‟s meeting, we observed a communication process
that was primarily dependent on oral exchange among meeting participants supported by 2D text
and graphics. When the digital drawings are brought out though, a decision is often made in
only minutes. As projects become increasingly complex, BIM becomes more and more necessary
for all participants to understand what is taking place. It could also be argued that the financial
savings of efficient decision-making and fewer project changes will cover the cost of
maintaining an accurate model. It is likely that complete BIM services will pay for itself over the
life of a project. It is for these reasons that this major qualifying project recommends a gradual
investment in BIM technology for all applications in Construction Project Management.
5.1.3 Future BIM Research
As this project was completed we recognized one area that further research can be
focused on. We suggest that further research be conducted on determining BIM‟s cost
effectiveness as a construction management tool. We found that there was no simple method to
measure the potential cost savings that could be realized over the life of a construction project
that used BIM versus a project that did not. Although these savings were not readily quantifiable,
it was clear that when the 3D model was used (like in the case of verification of floor-to-ceiling
height in the Robotic pits area) potentially costly modifications during construction were
avoided. The 3D MEP coordination process was another example of how BIM tools improved
communication and understanding of complex spatially related issues. Further consideration
should be provided here to determine the exact cost benefits of the use of BIM in these cases,
95
because this argument is essential in convincing Construction Management firms the financial
and scheduling advantages of incorporating BIM into their projects.
5.2 Harrington Auditorium Connection: Conclusions & Recommendations
Based on our review and analysis of the connection between Harrington Auditorium and
the new Sports & Recreation Center, we were able to offer alternative design recommendations
for the three main components of the connection: geotechnical, structural, and
architectural/functional. The benefits of our proposed solution cannot be verified or properly
assessed until the actual work takes place (beside the underpinning design which has already
occurred) however we made educated assumptions to determine a design that we found most
appropriate given the constraints and conditions of the entire connection.
5.2.1 Geotechnical Design

The geotechnical component of our design consisted of analyzing the underpinning
layout beneath the foundation of the west side of Harrington Auditorium and developing an
alternative design. This location was directly impacted by the excavation during construction
and required geotechnical support to ensure its continuous stability. We created a layout that met
all safety requirements to properly secure the footing. The design consisted of eight micropiles
evenly spaced over the length of the footing, embedded nine feet into the soil at a 40o effective
angle, and a 6” cross-sectional surface diameter reinforced with a #7 Grade 75 steel core bar.
Our final design recommendation can be seen in Figure 51.
96
Figure 51: Geotechnical Design Proposal (Plan View Above, Cross-Section Below)
Our design reduced the amount of steel by 31.6% when compared to the actual design
used on the Recreation Center. We found other potential design sizes that could have reduced
the quantity of steel even more and still meet safety criteria. However, structural capacity is
greatly lessened with the reduction of steel, so we settled on our design because it had over twice
the necessary capacity while still reducing the quantity of steel by 31.6%. In conclusion, there
were many alternatives that could have been used for underpinning, but we created design that
satisfied the safety requirements while remaining economical.
If a group were to expand upon our work, we would suggest trying different types of
materials. We explored only 5000 psi grout and simple 75000psi steel rebar, since they are the
standard used in the industry, however there are many different steel and grout property
variations available in the world. An exploration of underpinning using steel and grout with
97
different properties, or even completely different materials altogether such as composite
materials, could be interesting and potentially produce a design that is more cost-effective.
5.2.2 Structural Tie-In Design
The structural aspect of our design included developing a support system for the
connection between the Sports & Recreation Center with Harrington Auditorium while
considering the constructability and practicality of the design. The two buildings will be “tied-
in” through the exterior wall of the trainer‟s room in Harrington Auditorium, which is comprised
of brick and CMU. We devised a simple but practical approach that would address the brick and
CMU separately, and then combine the individual designs into a smooth transition between the
buildings.
We chose to support the brick veneer with an L-4x4x1/2 lintel. We tested over ten
different lintel sizes and calculated if they could effectively withstand the applied loading
conditions (weight of the brick above the opening). Nearly all of them passed, however we
chose a size that would also be economical and practical. The 4x4x1/2 lintel would easily
support the load above the span and it was also a size that was not too small or too large, making
it the most practical choice.
As for the CMU, we decided to completely eliminate all of the units up to the height of
the ceiling. The CMU units in Harrington Auditorium are stacked from floor-to-floor, as
opposed to the brick which runs the height of the building. So instead of installing a lintel to
support only one CMU unit, we decided to demolish all CMU units from the width of the tie-in
up to the height of the ceiling. This approach requires far less construction efforts and material
than installing a lintel for the CMU.
If a group were to expand upon our design, we would recommend they research the cost
difference of construction between using lintels to support the CMU instead of complete
demolition. Also, they could explore different types of supports, more specifically one that
would span the brick veneer and CMU simultaneously. From there they could compare the cost
and constructability of that type of design with ours to see which would be most feasible.
98
5.2.3 Functional/Architectural Design
In addition to the geotechnical and structural design we developed, we also explored

design solutions for the reconfiguration of the trainer‟s room in Harrington Auditorium. The
trainer‟s room will have to be reconfigured to accommodate the tie-in and resulting hallway that
will be used for travel between the buildings during robotics competitions. We developed three
potential configurations of the room and hallway and chose one as the best possible solution
based on the dimensional requirements of the hallway, the maximization of the trainer‟s space,
and the constructability of the design. Figure 52 shows a 2D plan view of the design we
proposed (the yellow arrows indicate the flow of traffic).
Figure 52: Plan View of Proposed Configuration of the Trainer’s Room
99
We suggest for future research to determine the cost estimate of each design. Although
we determined which design appeared to have the easiest constructability, which can also be an
indication of cost, we did not perform actual quantity and cost estimates. If each design had a
corresponding overall cost, it would likely play a very large role in choosing which design to use.
Another way to expand on this portion of our project would be to develop 3D models of each
design in Revit. This would allow the user to better analyze the functionality of the design and
predict any issues or flaws that would otherwise be difficult to assume from a 2D drawing.
5.3 Overall Conclusion from Project Work
Through this project we have used Building Information Modeling to transform a 3D

model of WPI‟s new Sports and Recreation Center into a 4D model, tracking the concrete,
façade, roofing and steel packages. We then used these models to do an earned value analysis of
the Recreation Center‟s construction; finding planned and projected cost of the project in
monthly increments. This project also looked at the social impacts of BIM, particularly the
implementation of BIM introduced into owners meetings. From this we determined that using
visualizations in meetings diminishes confusion between parties, thus speeding up the decision
making process.
This project also addressed the geotechnical, structural, and architectural designs of the
Recreation Center and Harrington Auditorium connection. We performed the necessary
calculations to determine an alternative geotechnical design which consisted of micropiles and a
total steel quantity reduction of 31.6%. For the structural aspect of the connection we
determined a lintel that could be used to carry the load of the brick veneer, and decided that the
CMU wall be completely removed. Finally for the architectural aspect of the connection we
determined a suitable reconfiguration of the trainer‟s room in Harrington Auditorium that would
minimize construction necessary and meet the design requirements for a Robotics Hallway.
This project would not have been possible to accomplish without the 3D models that we
received from Cannon Design, and schedules, work packages, geotechnical documents and
various other information that we receive from Gilbane, and the help of numerous others. We
would like to thank everybody involved in this project, its completion would not have been
possible without them.
100
BIBILIOGRAPHY
CAD Software – History of CAD CAM. (2004) Retrieved October 2, 2011 http://www.cadazz.com/cad-
software-history.htm
Charles Pankow Foundation; Construction Industry Institute; Penn State Office of Physical Plant; The for
Achieving Construction Excellence. (2009). The Building Information Modeling Execution Planning
Guide.
Cheuk, C.Y.; Tham, L.G.; Zhou, Y.D.. (2009) An Embedded Bond-Slip for Finite Element Medelling of
Soil-Nail Interaction. Retrieved October 2, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL&_cid=271421&_user=74021&_pii=S0266
352X09000500&_check=y&_origin=&_coverDate=31-Jul-2009&view=c&wchp=dGLzVlt-
zSkzS&md5=f4b3943e47db3773ab7671ad37e0bec2/1-s2.0-S0266352X09000500-main.pdf
Darras, Joel. (2011). BIM Engineering: The New Paradigm. Retrieved October 2, 2011
http://www.articlecell.com/Article/BIM-Engineering--The-New-Paradigm/1310119
Elias, Victor; Espinoza, David.; Lazarti, Carlos. (2003). Geotechnical Engineering Circular No. 7; Soil
Nail Walls. Retrieved October 2, 2011, from
http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/FHWA/016917.pdf
FHWA. (1983). Allowable Stresses in Piles. USDOT. Report # FHWA/RD-83/059
FHWA. (2000). MICROPILE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES: US Department of

Transportation, Federal Highway, Administration Priority Technologies Program. (Pages 32-33, 55-56).
PUBLICATION NO. FHWA – SA – 97 – 070
Fournier, Kris; Munion, Stephanie; Stella, Joseph. (2011). WPI Recreation Center: Construction
Management and Alternative Design Analysis
Goldberg, D.T. (1976). Lateral Support systems and Underpinning. Federal Highway Administration
Publication FHWA-RD-75-129
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. (2009). WPI Recreation Center, Revised Soil Nail and Underpinning
Design.
Hadna, T.H. (1982). Foundations in Tension.
Hall, Earl; Johnson, Juliane. (2002). Integrated Project Management. Prentice Hall
Mell, Eileen B. (2009). WPI Trustees Vote to Proceed with Sports and Recreation Center. WPI Press
Release.
Muller, Edward J. (1995). Architectural Drawing and Light Construction. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ.
NHI. (2006). Geotechnical Design – Empirical. NHI/FHWA Rub 05-040.
Oberlender, G. D. (2000). Project Management for Engineering and Construction. McGraw Hill
101
Penner, Susie. (2008). Oracle Buys Primavera: Creates First, comprehensive enterprise project portfolio
management solution for project-intensive industries. Redwood Shores, CA. Press Release.
Prensa, Antonio. (2002). The Critical Path Method. Project Management Institute: Puerto Rico Chapter.
Reinhardt, Jan. (2010). The Contractor‟s Guide to BIM: Introduction to BIM Concepts. BIM Forum.
Reinhardt, Jan. (2010). The Contractor‟s Guide to BIM: Use Cases of BIM for General Contractors.
BIM Forum.
Stuart, Matthew, P.E, S.E. (2009). The Design of Reinforced masonry and Precast Concrete Lintels.
Walker, Evan. (2010). Autodesk Navisworks Product Brochure.
Williams. (2011). Determining Proper Anchor Length. Williams Form Engineering Corp.
WPI Press Release. (2000). WPI Recreation Center: A New Center for Excellence
102
APPENDIX A: Project Group Contractual Agreement
103
104
APPENDIX B: Activity Identification Coding System
105
APPENDIX C: Primavera-and Excel Scheduling Process
 Create the Columns
o Activities Tab – Click the “Activities Tab” on the left side of the screen. This will
bring you to the page where you can view/adjust all information related to
individual activities (Activity ID, Actual and Planned Start/Finish, Duration, Float,
WBS, etc.).
o Columns Button – To adjust the scheduling information that will appear when
viewing activities, click the “Columns Button” which is located at the top, center
of the page. A “Columns” interface will then appear.
o Columns – Within the “Columns” interface you can choose all of the information
you wish to include to describe each activity from a large variety of available
options. You can arrange them in whichever order you prefer. NOTE: For
options not included in the “Available Options” then select “user_text” which
you can adjust later to the preferred name.
 Example of Activity Heading after choosing Columns
106
 Export Primavera Columns into Excel
o Click the “File” tab at the top
left of the screen.
o Under the drop down menu,
choose “Export” and the
“Export Format” menu will
appear. Choose the
“Spreadsheet – (XLS)” option,
then click “Next.”
 An “Export Type” menu will appear.

Choose the “Activities” option, then
click “Next.”
 A “Projects To Export” menu will

appear. Choose the Primavera
project that you would like to export.
Click the empty box under the
“Export” heading. A check mark
should appear. Click “Next”.
o NOTE: You can only
export projects that were
already open when
starting the export
process.
107
 An “Excel Export” menu will
appear. It will contain templates
from previous projects, however,
if you are creating a new
template, click “Add”
 A “Modify Template”
menu will appear.
Within this menu you
can rename the
template and
customize the column
settings that will
appear when exported
to Excel. Using the
arrows (circled in red
on the image below)
you can choose which
options to
include/exclude and
rearrange them into
whichever order
preferred. Once you
have organized the
“Selected Options”,
click “OK” at the top
right of the screen.
108
 This will bring you back to the “Excel
Export” screen. Click “Next”
 A “Select XLS File” menu will appear.
Select the Excel file (.xls) you will be
exporting the column selection into.
Click on the box with three dots (see
image) to find and select the Excel file
you will be using. Once you have
chosen the file, click “Next”.
o NOTE: If you didn’t create the
.xls file previous to this step,
simple open a new excel sheet
and save it.
 A “Summary” menu will appear. This

menu displays the actions of the export
about to take place. After reviewing the
information, click “Finish”
 The “The export was successful.” box should appear after this process, in which case you
are finished. If an “Error” box appears then retry the process.
109
 Fill in the Excel sheet
o Open the Excel file that you chose to export the Primavera file into. It should
now contain the column headings.
 Fill in the sheet with all activity information. Make sure that you use a uniform
format for dates and remain consistent on Identifying activities.
 Format the Excel sheet as wanted (change names of column headings, create
filters, color code, etc.) See example below.
 Save the file once you have the completed filling it in.
110
 Import the Excel file into Primavera
o Open Primavera and click the
“File” tab at the top left of the
screen.
o Under the drop down menu,
choose “Import” and the
“Import Format” menu will
appear. Choose the
“Spreadsheet – (XLS)” option,
then click “Next.”
 A “Select Excel File” menu will appear.

Choose the excel file you will be
importing by clicking box with 3 dots
(see image below). Then click “Next”
 An “Import Type” menu should

appear. Click the box next to
“Activities”. A check should appear.
Click “Next”
111
 An “Import Project Options”
menu should appear. Select
the Primavera file that you will
be importing the Excel file into
by clicking on the “Import To”
button. Once chosen, click
“Next”
 A “Summary” menu should

appear. Review the import
information and click “Finish”
 A box that says “The
import was successful”
should appear. If so, then
the import is complete.
112
APPENDIX D: Revit Element Identification Process
The following steps teach you how to attach and activity ID to each object in the Revit model
To Add an Activity ID to different objects in the Revit model you must make a Project Parameter to store
the information for the ID.
 Select the “Manage” Tab

o Select the “Project Parameters” Tab
 Select “Add…”
 Under “Parameter Type”

select “Project parameter”
113
 Under “Parameter Data”
o In the “Name” field enter
“Activity ID”
o In the “Type of
Parameter:” menu select
“Text”
o In the “Group Parameter
under:” menu select
“Text”
 All other defaults can be left in
place.
 Click “OK”
 Click “OK”
Now the Activity ID Parameter has been

created to accept the data to ID the objects
in the Model. The new Parameter can be
found in the “Properties” sidebar to the left
of the screen as shown to the right
114
In order to ID the objects one needs to select the objects pertaining to the ID needed and enter the ID.
 Highlight the Objects to be

identified
 Input the Activity ID corresponding with the

objects selected in the “Activity ID” field under
the “Text” section.
 Click “Apply”
Once this is completed for each object in the model based on their corresponding Activity ID you are able
to import the model with the Activity ID’s into Navisworks.
115
APPENDIX E: Material Quantity Takeoff Process
Following this process outlines the necessary steps to take when creating a materials quantity take off in
Revit.
First, open the Autodesk Revit file that you wish to examine. Be sure that this file is saved somewhere
that you can access – not all steps in this tutorial will work if the file is not saved prior to conducting the
material takeoff.
In the lower left of the

main screen in Revit,
notice the Project
Browser. All views and
sheets can be sorted in
the Project Browser. For
a Material Takeoff,
expand the
Schedules/Quantities
menu.
Once expanded, right-click on the Schedules/Quantities header in

the Project Browser. In this right-click menu, choose “New Material
Takeoff”.
116
Next, you will be prompted with the New
Material Takeoff dialog box.
Now you must name the Material Takeoff –

create a name you will remember and that
makes sense.
Next, ensure that the “Category” is set to

“Multi-Category”. This will ensure that you can
run one takeoff and receive data about more
than one type of materials.
Now, move to the next step by selecting OK.
117
You will now be prompted with the
Material Takeoff Properties dialog
box. This dialog box will establish
what you want information for in
the project, and how to display that
information.
The first thing to take care of is to

establish the scheduled fields you
wish to have displayed in the
takeoff. Browse through the
options seen in the “Available
Fields” menu on the left of the
dialog box. When you are
prepared to add a field, highlight
the field, then click the “Add”
button. This will populate the
“Scheduled Fields” menu. Note
that the Schedule Fields will
appear in order from left to right,
starting with the top in this menu,
and ending with the bottom. This
order can be changed by using the
Move Up/Move Down options.
118
Next, move the dialog box tab over to “Filter”.
If you would like to restrict which elements

are displayed, for instance if you wish to only
see materials from particular trades that you
have previously identified, you can do so by
filtering the display. In this example, we
choose to filter by a data set called “Activity
ID”, sorting by ID’s that begin with “CO”. This
process is similar to establishing rules for an
email inbox or other restrictive process.
Next, move the dialog box tab to

“Sorting/Grouping”.
119
Sorting your results will enable you to
display them graphically in a manner that
helps you best. In this case, I choose to
display this material takeoff with a sort by
Activity ID, but a Family/Type sort is very
common as well. Be sure to select the
“Header”, “Footer”, and “Blank line” option
boxes. For ease of reading, I suggest leaving
the “Footer” set to display “Title, Count, and
totals”. You may also wish to select the
“Grand totals” option box, as this will total
all materials for you at the bottom of your
takeoff. Again, set this to display “Title,
Count, and totals”. Lastly, I suggest leaving
the option box titled “Itemized every
instance” selected.
Next, move the dialog box tab to

“Formatting”. Here you can choose how
each item will be displayed in your takeoff.
You may choose to have each value labeled
with it’s units, or you can have the value
displayed as a number only. To change this
setting, select a Field, then choose Field
Format.
You will then be prompted by the Format

sub-dialog box. To change these settings,
deselect Use project settings.
120
Once this is no longer selected, the other
options will appear editable. Make changes
as necessary, including the Unit Symbol
display. Click OK when done.
Move the dialog box tab to “Appearance”.

Confirm that the preset settings are correct,
and make changes as desired.
Click OK.
By clicking OK, you advance to the material

takeoff report that Revit produces. It appears
as a new Schedule in the
Schedule/Quantities menu in the Project
Browser, and it named what you originally
named the takeoff.
By clicking OK, you advance to the material

takeoff report that Revit produces. It appears
as a new Schedule in the
Schedule/Quantities menu in the Project
Browser, and it named what you originally
named the takeoff.
121
You may also choose to export this material takeoff so that you can manipulate the values in Microsoft
Excel or other tabulation software. The first step in exporting the data set we just created is to save the
file. It is essential to exporting that your file is saved.
Next, to export the material takeoff, click the

“R” icon, also known as the main menu in
Revit. Once open, select Export.
After selecting Export, choose Reports. From

reports, click on Schedule.
122
Next, you will be brought to the Export Schedule dialog box. Set the destination and name of your
exported file. Be sure to leave the file type set as Delimited Text (*txt).
Choose Save.
Next, the Export Schedule dialog box

will reappear. Be sure to leave the
settings as they are. They should
appear like this:
You have just exported your Material

Quantity Takeoff from Revit.
123
To open this file in Excel, first open the Excel application. Next, choose open new file. Navigate to the file
that you just exported, and click open. (You may need to change the file type settings, as the export was
a *.txt file)
The Text Import Wizard will then open. For the

next steps, change nothing to the settings in
the wizard, just click Next >.
Next, click on Finish.
You have just completed the Material Quantity

Takeoff process from start to finish
124
You may now edit the results however you may need.
125
APPENDIX F: NavisWorks Simulation Process
The following process outlines the steps necessary to link Revit and Primavera files within NavisWorks
and create a 4D simulation.
Revit Export into NavisWorks:
In order to have a successful Revit export, make sure that you are in the 3D-view with no elements
selected and have the entire model displayed.
 Select the “Add-In’s” tab

o Select the “External Tools” tab
 Select “Navisworks 2012”
 Save the file
 After following these steps the Revit model will export to a NavisWorks file
Primavera:
Once the Revit model is exported to NavisWorks, the corresponding Primavera schedule should be
exported next.
 Click “file”
o Export
 An export box appear on
the computer screen
 Export Format
o In the export box chose
Microsoft Project (MPP)
o Click “Next”
126
 Export Type
o Select “Project”
o Click “Next”
 Project to Export
o Check the export box
o Under “Export File Name” select
where you would like to export
the project to
o Click “Next”
 Template
o Click “Add…”
127
A “Modify Template” box will pop up
 Create a template name

 Click the activity tab
 Under “Export” check the box
“Export Activity ID to Microsoft
Project’s Task Field”
 In the drop down box chose “Text
5”
 Click “OK”
 Template
o Select “Activity ID” (This is
the Activity Id that has just
been created in the Modify
Template)
o Click “Next”
 Export Confirmation
o Click Finish
128
NavisWorks:
Once both the Primavera and Revit files are exported to NavisWorks, open the exported Revit file.
 Click on the “View” tab

o Click on the “Windows” tab
 Select “Timeliner” and “Selection Tree
129
In the “Selection Tree” tab
o Click the “Properties” tab (on the bottom of the screen)

 Double Click “Element” to open the element
 Double Click “Activity ID” to open the Activity ID
130
 In the “TimeLiner” tab
o Select the “Data Source” tab
 Click “add”
 Choose Microsoft Project
(2003-2007)
It will open a browser window. In that window open the file that has just been exported from Primavera.
 A “Field Selector” Window will open

o Under the “External Field Name” column set
up the following, using the drop down boxes
 For “Planned Start Date” chose
“start”
 For “Planned End Date” chose
“Finish”
 For “Actual Start Date” chose
“ActualFinish”
 For “Actual End Date” chose
“ActualFinish”
 For “User 1” chose “Text5”
 This is the text5 that was
used for exporting your
activity ID’s during the Primavera export
 Click “ok”
Under “name” in the timeline a “New Data Source” tab will

appear
 Click the “refresh” tab

o Select “All Data Sources”
131
 A “Refresh for Data Sources” window
will appear
o Select “Rebuild Task Herarchy”
o Select “OK”
 In the “Timeliner” tab

 Select the “Tasks” tab
o Click the “Column Set” tab
o Chose “Custom”
 Select the “Rules” tab

 A “TimeLiner Rules” window will
appear
o Select “new”
132
 A “Rules Editor” window will appear
o Under “Name Rule” type in “LinkElementToSchedule”
o Under “Rule Templates” chose “Attach Items to Task by Category/Property”
o Under “Rule Description” do the following:
 Change “Column Name” to “User 1”
 Change “Category Name” to “Name”
 Change “<Category>” to “’Element’”
 Change “Property Name” to “Name”
 Change “<Property>“ to “’Activity ID’”
 Change “Ignoring” to “Matching”
o Select “OK” at the bottom of the box
 Check the “LinkElementToActivityID” box
 Click the “Apply Rules” tab
133
 In the “TimeLiner” tab
o Select the “Tasks” tab
 Under the “Task Type” column select each box to say “Construction”
o Select the “Simulate” tabe
o Press the “Play” button
134
APPENDIX G: NavisWorks Transparency and Color Change
The following steps teach you how to change the color and transparency of different activities in your
NavisWorks simulation.
Open your NavisWorks model
 In the “Timeliner” tab

o Select Configure
 Click the “Appearance Definitions…” tab on the right

side
o A new window will pop up
 Click “Add”
 A new bar will pop up
 In the box the says “New Appearance” change it to say

“Concrete”
 Change the color to yellow by double clicking the black
box
 Change the transparence to 60%
 Under the “Default Simulation Start Appearance:”
select “Hide”
 Add another box and repeat these steps making the
“Name Appearance” “Concrete End” and the
transparency 0%
 Create the above following boxed for each section of
the work breakdown schedule (steel, drywall, façade,
and roof) selecting a color for each different section
o Click “OK”
135
 Under “Task Type” click the “Add” tab
o Under “Name” change from “New Task Type” to “Concrete”
o Under “Start Appearance” Change the dropdown menu from “None” to
“Concrete”
o Under “End Appearance” change the dropdown menu from “None” to “Concrete
End”
o Do this for each of the five sections of the work breakdown schedule
 Select the “Tasks” tab in the Timeliner

o Under each “Task Type” click each activities drop down menu and select its
perspective section in the work breakdown structure
Once this process has been complete when you simulate the model it will build with the color
coordination you chose for each work breakdown section. At the start of construction for each activity
that activity will show up with a transparency of 60% and when the construction is complete for each
activity the activities transparency will switch to 0% transparent.
136
APPENDIX H: Step Solve Shared Project Errors
 First, open Revit Architecture and

select the file you wish to open.
 When your file opens, if it is a former
Central file from another user that they
have shared to you, you may see an
error such as this:
 If you do see this error, select Close

and continue with the steps below.
 The Revit project will now open.
 After the file loads, you will receive the
following message:
 This message informs you that the

Workset that you’ve opened is not
editable, and therefore can only be
viewed and not manipulated.
 Select Close to continue.
 The project will now open in its non-editable form. Note via the box at the bottom of
the screen (seen below) that the Worksets are not editable.
137
 To fix this issue, first you must select File > Save As > Project. This will save the project as
a new file, which you will use to make your manipulations.
 You will then be prompted with the dialog box below. Please name the file and select its
directory destination at this time.
 Prior to selecting Save, choose the “Options…” feature
138
 You will then be prompted by the File Save Options dialog box.
 You must select “Make this a Central Model after save”

 Once this box is checked, please select OK.
139
 Next, select Save in the Save As dialog box.
 Note: This process may take a few minutes depending on file size and processor
capabilities.
 Now that ownership of the project has been transferred to you, you can now make all
worksets editable for your manipulations.
 Under the Collaborate tab, select Worksets
 In the Worksets dialog box, change the Editable property for each Workset to Yes using
the dropdown menu.
140
 Then Select OK
141
 Note: This process may take a few minutes depending on file size and processor
capabilities.
 Note now that all Worksets are editable and can be manipulated as desired.
 Save the file, and you may move on with your work.
142
APPENDIX I: Monthly Construction Phases with Corresponding Material
Quantities
August 31st 2010

Planned Cumulative Actual Cumulative
Percentage Percentage
Concrete 22.33 17.26
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 0.00 0.00
August 31st 2010

Percent Planned Percent Monthly Cost Monthly Cost
Complete Planned Complete
Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 23.20 17.93 646267.38 499398.64
Precast Concrete 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
143
September 30th 2010
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 0.00 0.00
September 30th 2010

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 45.60 40.63 623970.78 632202.68
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
144
October 31st 2010
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 0.93
October 31st 2010

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 0.93 588416.47 32689.80
Concrete 48.81 49.44 89252.37 245634.74
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
145
November 30th 2010
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 5.05
November 30th 2010

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 5.05 0.00 143835.14
Concrete 50.25 51.20 40317.88 48869.80
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
146
December 31st 2010
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 9.35
December 31st 2010

Percent Planned Cost Planned Monthly Cost Monthly Cost
Planned Complete
Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 16.82 9.35 0.00 150373.10
Concrete 58.46 52.53 228470.76 37138.20
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
147
January 31st 2011
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 23.50 20.22
January 31st 2011

Percent Monthly Cost Monthly Cost
Percent Planned
Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 23.50 20.22 233623.13 380509.32
Concrete 58.46 52.53 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
148
February 28th 2011
Façade 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00
Steel 55.96 37.62
February 28th 2011

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 55.96 37.62 1135425.85 608466.21
Concrete 59.51 52.53 29355.30 0.00
Brick & Precast 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
149
APPENDIX J: Monthly Construction Phases with Percent Complete and
Cost
March 31st 2011

Façade 1.77 0.00
Roofing 55.38 0.00
Steel 81.53 75.00
March 31st 2011

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 55.38 0.00 68120.78 0.00
Steel 81.53 75.00 894393.03 1307592.15
Concrete 83.59 54.46 670650.08 53716.49
Brick & Precast 2.76 0.00 34094.92 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
150
April 30th 2011
Façade 10.50 0.00
Roofing 75.37 0.00
Steel 100.00 96.09
April 30th 2011

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 75.37 0.00 24586.90 0.00
Steel 100.00 96.09 645950.52 737481.97
Concrete 87.70 62.33 114555.84 219315.67
Brick & Precast 16.36 0.00 168179.82 0.00
Glass & Glazing 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
151
May 31st 2011
Concrete 100.00 73.13
Façade 25.10 0.52
Roofing 97.76 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
May 31st 2011

Metal Panels 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 97.76 0.00 27538.47 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 136861.31
Concrete 100.00 72.09 342580.62 271704.95
Brick & Precast 38.57 0.00 274605.51 0.00
Glass & Glazing 3.20 4.76 95385.05 142009.50
152
June 30th 2011
Concrete 100.00 83.51
Façade 47.76 3.33
Roofing 100.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
June 30th 2011

Metal Panels 37.92 0.00 259824.19 0.00
Roofing 100.00 0.00 2753.85 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 82.87 0.00 300394.03
Brick & Precast 56.60 3.21 223002.12 39750.17
Glass & Glazing 18.27 11.62 449863.91 204830.43
153
July 31st 2011
Concrete 100.00 84.37
Façade 78.81 17.78
Roofing 100.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
July 31st 2011

Metal Panels 59.58 0.00 148470.97 0.00
Roofing 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 83.76 0.00 24618.58
Brick & Precast 92.88 24.29 448613.09 260640.73
Glass & Glazing 39.96 20.04 647724.41 251220.74
154
August 31st 2011
Concrete 100.00 84.37
Façade 93.57 40.09
Roofing 100.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
August 31st 2011

Metal Panels 74.18 0.00 99998.19 0.00
Roofing 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 83.76 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 56.85 88017.53 402515.32
Glass & Glazing 100.00 33.02 1792092.63 387701.47
155
September 30th 2011
Concrete 100.00 97.74
Façade 100.00 69.72
Roofing 100.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
September 30th 2011

Metal Panels 100.00 0.00 176946.65 0.00
Roofing 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 97.65 0.00 387095.27
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 533606.78
Glass & Glazing 100.00 50.73 0.00 528452.18
156
October 31st 2011
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 72.05
Roofing 100.00 55.56
Steel 100.00 100.00
October 31st 2011

Metal Panels 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Roofing 100.00 55.56 0.00 68333.42
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 65331.95
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 72.02 0.00 635587.83
157
November 30th 2011
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 75.99
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
November 30th 2011

Metal Panels 100.00 7.31 0.00 50101.43
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 54666.57
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 91.44 0.00 579679.80
158
December 31st 2011
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 80.45
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
December 31st 2011

Metal Panels 100.00 21.47 0.00 97042.62
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 255584.05
159
January 31st 2012
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 89.78
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
January 31st 2012

Metal Panels 100.00 58.93 0.00 256642.67
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
160
February 29th 2012
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 93.55
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
February 29th 2012

Metal Panels 100.00 74.10 0.00 103984.80
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
161
March 31st 2012
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 95.05
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
March 31st 2012

Metal Panels 100.00 80.11 0.00 41194.96
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
162
April 30th 2012
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 99.21
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
April 30th 2012

Metal Panels 100.00 96.82 0.00 114469.76
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
163
May 2nd 2012
Concrete 100.00 100.00
Façade 100.00 100.00
Roofing 100.00 100.00
Steel 100.00 100.00
May 2nd 2012

Metal Panels 100.00 100.00 0.00 21803.76
Roofing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Steel 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Concrete 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Brick & Precast 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
Glass & Glazing 100.00 100.00 0.00 0.00
164
APPENDIX K: Planned vs. Actual Material Quantities By Month and Trade
Metal Panels
Monthly Metal Pannel Material Quantities

25000.00
20000.00
15000.00
Square Feet
Planned
10000.00 Actual
5000.00
0.00
165
Roofing
Monthly Roof Material Quantities

30000.00
25000.00
20000.00
Square feet
15000.00 Planned Roofing

Actual Roofing
10000.00
5000.00
0.00
166
Tons
100
150
200
250
300
0
50
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Steel
Aug-11
Sep-11
Oct-11
Nov-11
Dec-11
Monthly Steel Material Quantities
Jan-12
Feb-12
Mar-12
Apr-12
May-12
Actual
Planned
167
Cubic Feet
10000.00
15000.00
20000.00
25000.00
30000.00
35000.00
40000.00
5000.00
0.00
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Concrete
Aug-11
Sep-11
Oct-11
Nov-11
Dec-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Monthly Concrete Material Quantities
Mar-12
Apr-12
May-12
Actual
Planned
168
Cubic feet
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
0
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
Sep-11
Precast Concrete
Oct-11
Nov-11
Dec-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Mar-12
Apr-12
Monthley Precast Concrete Material Quantities
May-12
Actual
Planned
169
Square Feet
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
0
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
Sep-11
Brick and Precast
Oct-11
Nov-11
Dec-11
Jan-12
Feb-12
Monthley Brick and Precast Quantities
Mar-12
Apr-12
May-12
Actual
Planned
170
Glass and Glazzing
Monthly Glass and Glazing Material Quantities

16000.00
14000.00
12000.00
10000.00
Square Feet
8000.00 Planned
Actual
6000.00
4000.00
2000.00
0.00
Jan-11
Mar-11
Jun-11
Mar-12
Oct-10
Oct-11
Jan-12
Apr-11
May-11
Apr-12
May-12
Aug-10
Nov-10
Aug-11
Nov-11
Sep-10
Feb-11
Jul-11
Sep-11
Feb-12
Dec-10
Dec-11
171
Total Cost
Total Monthly Project Cost

2500000.00
2000000.00
1500000.00
Cost ($)
Planned
1000000.00
Actual
500000.00
0.00
172
APPENDIX L: Underpinning Design Calculations & Related Sources
173
174
175
176
177
178
APPENDIX M: RISA 2D Steps to Create a Beam w/ Loading Conditions
 Define Drawing Grid

o Click the “Insert” Tab
o Within this tab choose the
“Grid”
o The “Define Drawing Grid”
screen will appear
o Define the width (x-axis) and
the height (y-axis)
o For example: “30@1” means
30 units at 1 foot units, so 30
feet altogether
o After setting the x- and y-
axis, click “OK” and the
screen will display the grid
described
 Define Joint Coordinates

o Click “Joint Coordinates”
option in the “Data Entry”
menu
o Choose the location (x, y) of
the joints of the structural
member (frame, beam,
truss, etc.)
o After choosing the location
of each joint, the
coordinate will appear on
the grid
179
 Define Boundary Conditions
o Click “Boundary
Conditions” option in the
“Data Entry” menu
o Choose the reaction in the
x- and y-direction for each
joint
o Ex. A pin has a fixed x- and
y-reaction and a free
rotation
 Define Members
o Choose the parameters
for each member
including joints, moment
of inertia, modulus of
elasticity and length
o The member should
appear on the grid once
the parameters are
chosen
 Define Loads
o Determine the loads
that will applied to the
structure
o Choose “Distributed
Loads” or “Point Loads”
in the “Data Entry”
menu
o Enter in the properties
of the load (location,
magnitude, direction)
180
 Solve
o Click the “Solve” tab at the top of the page
o This will open up a “Results” menu
o From here you can solve for Joint Reactions/Deflections and Member Forces/Deflections
o Follow these same steps for different loads or member properties and solve again
181
APPENDIX N: Interview with Professor Stafford (Robotics Dept.)
ATTENDEES: Chris Baker & Prof. Kenneth Stafford

LOCATION: Higgins Laboratories, Room 011
DATE: February 8, 2012
 Appointed to the architectural advisory staff during conceptual design of the Rec Center
to provide input on robotics pits and tie-in with Harrington
 Special design for robotics pits included 10‟ ceilings, a ramp instead of stairs, electrical
drops at each pit
 The ideal transition dimension are 8‟x8‟

o Height: Max height of robot is 5 foot collapsed in a 2foot high wagon = 8 feet
o Width: 3 feet wide wagons and need to allow room for 2 to pass at a time with a
buffer: Approx 8 feet
 Ideally the hall should be designed to accommodate traffic of robotics in separate

directions simultaneously, to decrease time spent in transition and make it a smoother
path
 They would prefer a hallway that accommodates this even if it requires twists and turns
and is a longer path
 The robotics can increase in size during conditions to due mechanical failures and loss of
ability to collapse so a buffer would be preferred
 Since this is going to be considered a top-notch facility for robotics competitions he

believes it should have an adequate transition hallway
 The new robotics pits will allow for WPI to host larger robotics competitions since the
pits will be located at a separate location, opening up more room on the competition floor
 The two largest competitions they host will grow from 34 to 52 to teams and 48 to 64
teams respectively
 A typical robot weighs 150 pounds and travels on a 4 wheeled wagon to-and from the
competition floor (for maintenance in between rounds)
 Typical robotics pits fixes take 15 to 45 minutes, however when the competitors start to
dwindle down, they may not even have time to visit the pits
182

Construction Management Through 5D Building Information Modeling With Alternative Design Considerations

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Construction Management Through 5D Building Information Modeling With Alternative Design Considerations

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Construction Management Through 5D Building Information Modeling With Alternative Design Considerations

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Construction Management through 5D

WPI Sports &

WPI Recreation Center:

A Major Qualifying Project Report

Date: March 1, 2012

Gilbane Building Company

Representatives from WPI

In May of 2010 construction of a fully operational, state-of-the-art recreational facility

2.1 WPI Recreation Center

A large construction project is currently taking place at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Figure 1: WPI Recreation Center Rendering (View from Quadrangle)

2.2 Recreation Center Project History

2.3 Recreation Center Project Team and Organization

2.3.1 Project Manager – Construction Manager at Risk – Gilbane Construction

Project management is “the art and science of coordinating workers, equipment,

Figure 2: Construction Management at Risk Arrangement

2.3.2 Designer – Cannon Design

2.3.3 Owner’s Agent – Cardinal Construction

Figure 3: WPI Recreation Center Organizational Breakdown

2.4 Owner’s Meetings

2.5 Project Budgeting, Cost Estimating, Payments and Bidding

Along with determining contractual agreements it is imperative to establish how the

TOTAL APPROVED CHANGE ORDERS:

Table 1: WPI Work Breakdown Structure (2/2/2012)

2.6 Project Scheduling

2.6.1 Critical Path Method

2.6.2 Gantt Chart

Figure 5: Gantt Chart

Figure 6: Gilbane Primavera Schedule

Gilbane sometimes changes the organization of activities within Primavera. Some

Figure 7: Recreation Center by Sections

 Cost Performance Index,

 Scheduled Performance Index,

Figure 8: Typical CPI-SPI Graph

2.8 Building Information Modeling

Usually, drawings and computer-aided design (CAD) files (two-dimensional documents)

2.8.1 BIM History

2.8.2 BIM Uses in Industry

2.8.3 Use of BIM on the Recreation Center

2.8.4 Previous MQP BIM Findings

As mentioned before, our project is a continuation of a previous MQP (Fournier, 2011)

2.8.5 BIM Execution Plan

 Organizations will understand their roles and responsibilities in the implementation;

2.9 Harrington Tie-In & Geotechnical Aspects

2.9.1 Harrington Auditorium

Figure 11: Topographical View of WPI Quadrangle (provided by Hadrey Aldrich)

Most of the applied load on conventional cast-in-place replacement piles is structurally

2.9.3 WPI’s Harrington Tie-In Proposal

The Harrington tie-in is designed to connect Harrington Auditorium to the Recreation

Figure 14: Simplified Harrington Tie-In Loading Sketch

We employed various methods to reach our goal of creating a 5D model of the

3.1 BIM Execution Plan

Goal Description Potential BIM Use

Tracking progress during construction Visualizing project performance through a 4D

Table 2: BIM Execution Plan Goal Description

3.1.2 Team Member Responsibilities

FIGURE TOO LARGE FOR SPACE: SEE NEXT PAGE

Identified work packages to be tracked and included into the 4D model

Determined the cost of each material from Gilbanes work breakdown