Chapter 8: Collaborating with Consultants

Collaborating with consultants is an essential component of information management and BIM workflows, but we need to ensure effective collaboration that leads to increased performance across multiple organizations.

Companies that promote collaboration share knowledge and best practices to achieve the project objectives. Successful collaboration is based on trust, respect, and active collaboration with clear communication and defined information exchange processes.

In the previous chapters, we accomplished some aspects of collaboration.

Chapter 2, Project Data Management explained project data management and BIM documentation, which involves companies' collaboration.

Chapter 4, Starting a Revit Project Efficiently discussed the importance of having models from consultants with the same coordinate system to import and export models at the correct location to gain efficiency and improve productivity.

Chapter 5, Core Revit Functionalities presented the best practices for worksharing to enable Revit collaboration and the process to manage worksets from your team and consultants' files.

This chapter will overview the strategy for collaboration and provide information about the Revit tools to enhance Revit collaboration, such as Copy/Monitor, Coordination Review, and Shared Views.

The chapter will also give an overview of design coordination and clash management.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

  • Strategy for collaboration
  • Copy/Monitor and Coordination Review
  • Shared Views
  • Design coordination and clash management

Strategy for collaboration

Having a strategy for collaboration and information exchange is essential to deliver information at the right time for the right person. It is not enough to state that we are happy to "collaborate" with all companies involved in the project but not have an effective plan to produce and deliver information on time.

Clients and companies work toward a common objective, but they still don't receive all the required information systematically at the right time. This issue is not exclusive to BIM modeling requirements, as we find these issues across many other areas, such as specification, sustainability, and asset management.

Companies with strong leadership facilitate processes for project teams to focus on achieving business objectives and enhancing collaboration.

Effective collaboration can be supported by defining accountability in the responsibility matrix that is commonly used in projects. The BIM Execution Plan (BEP) is a document that can be used to define the collaboration team's goals and expectations for all consultants.

To enhance the discussion about the strategy for collaboration, we have interviewed three experts in the sector:

  • Ricardo Farinha, Director of Technology at Sweco in Finland
  • Marzia Bolpagni, Head of BIM International - Associate Director at MACE
  • May Winfield, Head of Commercial and Legal: Cities and Digital at Buro Happold

Interview with Ricardo Farinha, Marzia Bolpagni, and May Winfield

Hi Ricardo, Marzia, and May, thank you for the interview.

We would like to have your perspective about the strategy for collaboration with consultants.

Could you please present yourself and your company?

Ricardo:

Currently, I am the Director of Technology in Sweco, Finland, since 2013. Sweco plans and designs the sustainable cities and communities of the future. Sweco has about 17,500 employees and operates mainly in the European market.

Marzia:

I am Marzia Bolpagni, Head of BIM International - Associate Director at MACE. MACE is a global company, and our purpose is to refine the boundaries of ambition, so we develop, consult, construct, operate, and these are the four engines of MACE. In particular, I work in the consultancy side of MACE and on the Digital - BIM Group.

May:

I am Head of Commercial and Legal: Cities and Digital at international engineering company, Buro Happold. In this role, I lead the Commercial and Legal team's support of Buro Happold's Cities and Digital businesses globally. From the Digital side, this includes working closely with the business to provide legal support and advice to the teams within Buro Happold, providing digital and BIM services, and assisting the development of new construction technology and digital data products, services, and offerings across our global business. Every day is different, and I enjoy the opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to help the business improve processes and deal with legal and commercial issues arising from construction technology and digitization, whether it is BIM, modular construction, software, or something else.

Outside of my day job, I have been heavily involved in the development of BIM documentation and writing papers on this topic for some years. I speak regularly at conferences worldwide about legal and contractual issues of BIM and construction technology, and write papers and articles on these topics. I am the chair of BIM4Legal, which I explain more about below. I am also a Core Team Member of the international 4D Construction Group, a member of the Working Groups for the ISO19650 Transition Guidance, the ISO19650 Guidance, the Centre for Digital Built Britain's National Digital Twins Roadmap and the Digital Twins Toolkit. I am also an Ambassador for the UK BIM Alliance. I have led the teams that wrote the 2018 JCT Practice Note on BIM and the ISO19650-compliant Information Protocol, and consulted/commented on a number of other BIM guidance documents.

Buro Happold is a global practice of engineers, consultants, and advisers. Through integrated thinking and a truly interdisciplinary, interconnected community of passionate experts, we create transformative outcomes for clients and communities alike. Buro Happold is committed to delivering elegant solutions that leave a positive, lasting legacy for the communities we work in and the environment (see, for example, Global Sustainability Report 2020 – Buro Happold – https://bit.ly/2RZNGV4). We value human wellbeing, embrace mutual responsibility, and understand that a sustainable future is intrinsic to the economic and social impact of our work. Buro Happold is known for its forward-thinking and technologically advanced ethos, for example, internally implementing BIM on all projects for some years and being fully compliant with the new information management requirements of the ISO19650. We understand that technology is revolutionizing construction for the benefit of our client, requiring agile thinking to provide the most relevant service and deliverables. One of Buro Happold's digital thought leaders, Alain Waha, put it that Buro Happold are "inventing the future" with clients, such as via our work with the Construction Innovation Hub; our computational engineering approach allowing us to integrate design processes with technologies forming part of the construction process or finish assets, or even optimizing design for offsite construction. Importantly, we engage with our supply chain toward full digital construction, as collaboration is a key part of successful digitization and BIM. Widening involvement in this essential digital space further, Buro Happold recently released its first digital product, Workplace Analytics, and continues to progress its open source, collaborative model platform called the BHOM (https://bit.ly/3sXDZDF), which enables consultants to get over the real problems of interoperability when collaborating on models.

What is your advice to build strong collaborative relationships with consultants?

Ricardo:

I think strong relationships come from trust. I have noticed we can create trust between all project stakeholders if we are aware of what needs to be done and are aware of what it takes to make things done.

I work with customers using Agile methodology that helps our business process a lot because clients are fully involved in the project's decision-making at all times.

This inclusiveness of the client and other stakeholders in the project created a stronger bond between them and created an environment of trust that allowed the multiple projects done with that team to be quite successful.

Marzia:

To create strong collaborative relationships, we need to consider developing soft skills that help communicate, create a collaborative environment, make people confident to innovate and make errors, and engaged in specific tasks supporting the strategy defined by the leadership.

When we speak about collaboration, the contractual agreement is an important factor to promote a collaborative environment for the teams involved in the project.

I'm writing a book about Industry 4.0, and it is not only about the technology side, but we also speak about methodologies on developing soft skills, digital leadership, and ensuring people feel part of a team. The book is called Industry 4.0 for the Built Environment: Methodologies, Technologies and Skills, and it is planned to be published by Springer in 2021.

May:

Firstly, there has to be the right mindset. The construction industry is traditionally quite adversarial and risk-averse, with contracts seeking to pass on risk and liability to the other party. The Latham and Egan reports pointed out the urgent need to shift towards a more collaborative culture, as did the aptly titled Farmer report, Modernise or Die. Achieving this collaborative mindset definitely requires the correct ethos and internal principles within organizations. However, to achieve such collaborative mindset and indeed to build collaborative relationships, the following key steps could also assist:

  • Contract documentation that has the intent of collaboration and also contains collaborative procedures that parties are obliged to comply with, such as regular discussions and exchanges of information (being obliged to collaborate would then also lead to parties realizing, in complying with such steps, that it truly is a more efficient and better way of interaction).
  • Implementing and enforcing processes between the parties that ensure regular and open exchange of information, discussion, and mutual assistance, to support and build strong, collaborative relationships.
  • Developing strong, regular, or repeat working relationships with other parties would also assist as it can be difficult to fully develop close, collaborative relationships with parties one has just met as opposed to those one has worked with repeatedly.
  • Using technology and digital processes that make collaboration easier and more effective. For example, BIM modeling, exchanging information via cloud platforms, and exchanging data in formats that are easily viewed and understood by all.

What is your view about the difficulties in collaboration when we have a segmented supply chain with a diverse set of skills?

Ricardo:

Communication and knowledge sharing are problematic in this type of segmented supply chain environments. It decreases the success rate of the projects and often makes the project go over time and over budget. It is essential to provide a training scheme to improve technology and collaboration skills.

Marzia:

It is a good question. Our industry is still on the digitalization journey, even after the mandate for digitalization many years ago in the UK, so the level of maturity in the industry is really diverse globally.

When we select partners, it is essential to check their capabilities and not just rely on their CV and promises. Sometimes, it is impossible to choose the partners, but checking their capabilities on how they work and behave in a specific situation is one way of selecting the team. Another thing is providing training and understand their limitations and requirements as each company has different processes. It is also important to define clear information requirements and the different Level of Information Need of each actor of the supply chain to promote collaboration. In this case, it is clear what is needed to fulfill their requirements and be able to run multiple analyses and processes. The standard EN 17412-1 can be used to define the Level of Information Need framework.

May:

Arguably the diversity of skills should promote collaboration as parties need to rely on others' skillsets or knowledge, and work together to achieve a complete design or completed project. However, the industry is indeed very fragmented and, as mentioned previously, traditionally quite adversarial. However, there has been a clear shift and movement towards more collaborative ways of working, stimulated by the Government's mandates and publications (for example, the mandates in the UK Government Construction Strategy 2011, and the clear ethos and principles within the UK Government's 2020 Construction Playbook). We still have some way to go, as some within the industry may be hesitant to embrace a seeming radical shift towards collaboration compared to their accustomed working methods of the last few decades and the necessary digital tools to facilitate and speed up collaboration are not implemented by some within the industry. Whilst it will therefore take time for collaboration to be truly cemented as business as usual, it needs the commitment and support of people within the industry to promote and encourage collaborative ways of working, and take active steps to achieve this.

Full collaboration is also arguably made difficult due to the nature of insurance policies, which may prevent parties being completely open when issues arise, due to concern of invalidating their policies. Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) is being tried by the UK Government with a view to overcoming such difficulties and obstacles to collaboration.

How can companies promote effective collaboration?

Ricardo:

The best way to promote anything is by showing success stories. It has been the way for me to introduce several ways of working at Sweco, even though they sounded alien to the people I was presenting to. It is always easier to convince people by showing past examples.

Marzia:

Collaborative contracts would be the first step to promote effective collaboration, but also selecting the right team members from your company. This process is not only about the technical skills, but it is also about the behave and soft skills that are so important, and at MACE, we have metrics called "Behaviours for Success" because we are evaluating not just how we perform technically, but we evaluated how we behave, interact, and work with others. It is also important from the strategic and leadership point of view that these behaviors are evaluated and included in professional appraisals in the company.

When we are in projects, it is important to define clear information requirements and particularly define the Level of Information Need as stated in the ISO19650 series. I'm the lead author of the standard EN 17412-1 on the Level of Information Need framework that replaces the "LOD" concept. It is really effective to define the requirements at the early stages of the project and automatically compare deliverables against initial needs.

In addition, the use of digital tools can help collaboration in companies. But it is also important having regular catch-ups and meetings to understand how people feel, and informal talks can create a collaborative environment where people don't fear making mistakes or speaking up when issues arise, but they feel supported to do their jobs with the right technical tools and training.

May:

It has to be embedded within the culture and ethos of the organization. I am very proud that Buro Happold takes collaboration seriously, both externally with our clients, collaborators, and sub-consultants, as well as internally between teams and offices. There are processes, tools, and documentation which provide a good framework for such collaboration to take place in an easy and uniform way. Clear commitment by an organization in thought and action in turn encourages those within the organization to adopt this approach.

What are your views about contracts types that enhance collaborative working?

Ricardo:

Here in Finland (probably in other countries), we have had some different type of contracts: the alliance contracts. These contracts are sometimes used in big projects, and the idea behind them is to enhance collaboration in the project. In this process, all stakeholders share the risks/benefits of the projects.

Marzia:

For me, it is the top one reason to enhance collaborative working, and it was the topic of my master thesis in 2012 regarding public procurement using building information modeling, and I analyzed different procurement methods, including the traditional and collaborative, across different countries. In the US, there is the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), in Australia is more the Project Alliancing contracting, and in the UK, the government strategy defines three ways for procurement methods that enhance collaboration (Cost-Led Procurement (CLP), Integrated Project Insurance (IPI), Two-Stage Open Book). Also, the work lead by Prof. David Mosey is really relevant, and the FAC1 framework can be used for alliancing contacts to promote a collaborative approach. Unfortunately, I must say that we don't use so much as we want because there are many barriers to change the contract procurement process. We need to improve in this regard if we want to take the full benefits of a digital process.

May:

It is helpful and important that the contract is set up to encourage and require collaboration, including containing processes that oblige collaboration to be implemented between parties as well as setting out parties' rights and obligations in a manner that promotes collaboration. A contract that seeks to pass all risk and liability to another party, or contains terms which encourage protective or adversarial behavior, will have a detrimental effect to attempts at building a collaborative atmosphere. Terms that require parties to work in "mutual trust and co-operation" or similar ensure parties start out with the right intentions and, hopefully, progress positively from there. Contracts with collaborative ways of working such as BIM would usually contain or incorporate references to collaborative processes or technical documents, such as the BIM Execution Plan, which are created by mutual agreement of all parties and continually updated together. These documents in turn result in parties working closely together, progressing a more collaborative way of working than the traditional silos.

What are the key points to define a strategy for collaboration?

Ricardo:

I think that you need to have the vision and the mission for any kind of strategy. Then you need to define the short- and long-term objectives and set the milestones between them to measure if you are moving in the right direction, and if you are not, you know where to improve. The measuring process is the key to a successful implementation.

Marzia:

The key points to define a strategy for collaboration is to select the correct contract type because, in the end, the collaborative contract will support the early involvement of contractors, multiple participants, and a clear definition of responsibilities. From the insurance point of view, companies will share the vantages and disadvantages as they are in the same "boat", so the contract is really vital for promoting a collaborative approach where the delivery team and clients share the same goals.

Apart from that, selecting the right people with the right attitude, define the information requirements, and frequently check what people need to perform their function supports collaboration. Digital tools can facilitate collaboration, but we need good foundations and leaders to drive projects collaboratively. The human factor is key.

May:

Key points can be very organization- and project-specific, to be suitable for the circumstances and requirements; however, some key points include:

  • Having collaborative terms and requirements within the contractual documents
  • Implementing and enforcing collaborative processes internally and externally
  • Using digital and other tools that facilitate easier and secure collaboration

Ricardo, Marzia, and May, thank you very much for the interview.

Now, let's learn about the technologies to enable collaboration between internal teams and consultants.

Technology for collaboration using Revit

Technology for collaboration enables employees to work and collaborate in multiple file types in the cloud or on-premises, which is essential when working with large teams and various consultants.

Your company's IT infrastructure must define how you will be able to collaborate with internal teams and consultants. There are multiple options available, and cybersecurity should be the top priority.

In Chapter 5, Core Revit Functionalities we learned about Revit worksharing and how to create a central and local file for collaboration inside your premises and IT network:

Figure 8.1 – Worksharing process inside of your IT network

Figure 8.1 – Worksharing process inside of your IT network

When you need to collaborate outside of your company's IT network, such as when working from home or collaborating with consultants in Revit, you need a different solution to enable the Revit synchronization process.

Currently, there are three main options to enable this process:

  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
  • Autodesk BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud
  • Revit Server

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

VDI enables users to connect to virtual machines (virtual desktop instances), and all processing occurs on the host server. Users can access these virtual machines from any location or device.

Virtualization graphical applications, such as Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, and Enscape, can be challenging as they depend on processing power and good graphics card performance. You also need to check whether your plugins work in the VDI environment.

This solution can represent a substantial investment because it may involve purchasing hardware and software to implement VDI, but it will support multiple applications and not only Revit.

VDI solutions are becoming more popular and accessible to companies. The following figure shows the VDI system simplified, and users can access virtual machines to work in Revit and other software:

Figure 8.2 – VDI system

Figure 8.2 – VDI system

Autodesk BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud

Autodesk provides a cloud platform with multiple services to enhance collaboration between internal teams and consultants.

Autodesk BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud enable users to work and collaborate in the cloud with the ability to synchronize Revit models.

Autodesk provides cloud services for design authoring, collaboration, coordination, quantification, project management, facility management, and other services.

At the following links, we can find more information about Autodesk's cloud services:

There are multiple advantages to collaboration using the Autodesk cloud, including cost benefits, and it is easily scalable to increase or decrease the number of users based on your project requirements. You can also increase capacity to run very large models with a large number of people working simultaneously.

The following figure shows how multiple companies can work simultaneously with Revit files in the Autodesk cloud:

Figure 8.3 – Autodesk cloud system

Figure 8.3 – Autodesk cloud system

Autodesk cloud services provide many other services that we are not able to cover in this book. Strategically, the Autodesk cloud represents a superior collaboration tool that can improve your company's efficiency and connect multiple teams in the cloud.

Revit Server

Revit Server is a technology used for large companies before BIM 360 and VDI, but it is still an alternative to improve efficiency when working with large teams.

When companies need to work on a highly confidential project that does not allow cloud access, this could be an option to improve efficiency to work with large teams on the same premises. We can also use Revit Server and the accelerator with cloud access for teams that are geographically separated.

Using Revit Server speeds up the process of synchronizing models, with Revit Server instances working as host to store Revit models and the accelerator providing quick access to the hosts server. This process will increase efficiency because when the user requests Revit changes, the accelerator already has information stored, which will speed up the communication with Revit Server:

Figure 8.4 – Revit Server diagram

Figure 8.4 – Revit Server diagram

To conclude this section, we learned about the importance of effective collaboration between internal teams and consultants to reach project objectives. We also provided an overview of three systems for collaboration: VDI, the Autodesk cloud, and Revit Server.

In the next section, we will learn about Copy/Monitor and Coordination Review to improve coordination.

Copy/Monitor and Coordination Review

The Copy/Monitor command enables Revit to copy elements from a linked file and monitor whether these elements change.

We can use Copy/Monitor for the following Revit categories:

  • Levels
  • Grids
  • Columns
  • Wall
  • Floors
  • Openings
  • Multiple MEP fixtures categories

The main Revit categories used with Copy/Monitor are levels and grids. The other categories are not frequently used because we expect design changes; therefore, monitoring the elements is not recommended.

Copy/Monitor has three main functions:

  • Identifies mistakes when levels and grids are inappropriately changed
  • Ensures better project coordination for levels and grids
  • Increases productivity to create/copy levels and grids

We usually start a Revit project by creating the levels and grids, and often, this task is assigned to the design leader or project BIM lead. Once the Revit file is created with the correct coordinates, levels, and grids, it is sent to other companies or consultants to copy the levels and grids and start their files.

Suppose you are the design lead and your project has multiple Revit models, such as the cladding, interior, and site models. In that case, you can copy/monitor the levels and grids across various models.

Let's learn how to use Copy/Monitor for levels and grids in the following steps (let's assume that we are a consultant and we have received a Revit file with levels and grids from the design lead or BIM consultant to copy and coordinate):

  1. In the dataset for this chapter, we can find the following files. Open the Consultant File.rvt Revit file:
    Figure 8.5 – Dataset for this chapter

    Figure 8.5 – Dataset for this chapter

  2. Open Floor Plan – Level 0.
  3. In the Insert tab, click on Link Revit to link the FD_Design-BIM Lead file with Levels and Grids.rvt file:
    Figure 8.6 – Link Revit

    Figure 8.6 – Link Revit

  4. Select the FD_Design-BIM Lead file with Levels and Grids.rvt file and use the Auto - Internal Origin to Internal Origin positioning:
    Figure 8.7 – Process to link Revit files

    Figure 8.7 – Process to link Revit files

  5. Open South, under Elevations:
    Figure 8.8 – South elevation

    Figure 8.8 – South elevation

  6. Select the Collaborate tab, click on Copy/Monitor, and then click on Select Link:
    Figure 8.9 – Copy/Monitor tool – Select Link

    Figure 8.9 – Copy/Monitor tool – Select Link

  7. In the drawing area, click on the linked FD_Design-BIM Lead file with Levels and Grids.rvt file.
  8. A new ribbon tab will appear, and you can click on Copy:
    Figure 8.10 – Copy/Monitor tool – Copy

    Figure 8.10 – Copy/Monitor tool – Copy

  9. In the options bar, tick the Multiple option:

    Figure 8.11 – Copy/Monitor tool – Select Multiple

  10. Open a selection box to select all levels:
    Figure 8.12 – Selection box to select all levels

    Figure 8.12 – Selection box to select all levels

  11. Click on Finish in the options bar:
    Figure 8.13 – Clicking Finish in Options Bar

    Figure 8.13 – Clicking Finish in Options Bar

  12. In the Copy/Monitor tab, click on Finish:
Figure 8.14 – Clicking Finish in Copy/Monitor Tab

Figure 8.14 – Clicking Finish in Copy/Monitor Tab

We will see that all levels have been created in our model.

The process is complete, but let's learn two more details about this workflow:

  • In Options, we can define how Revit will behave when copying the levels and grids. We can change the offset level, add a suffix/prefix, and select a different family type:
Figure 8.15 – Options for the Copy/Monitor command

Figure 8.15 – Options for the Copy/Monitor command

  • When you select an object that has Copy/Monitor enabled, you will see a symbol to indicate that this object has been monitored, and there is a Stop Monitoring option:
Figure 8.16 – Stop Monitoring option

Figure 8.16 – Stop Monitoring option

Now, let's repeat the same process to copy/monitor grids using the following steps:

  1. Open Floor Plan – Level 0.
  2. Repeat steps 6 to 9 from the previous task.
  3. Open a selection box to select all grids:
    Figure 8.17 – Select all grids

    Figure 8.17 – Select all grids

  4. Click on Finish in the options bar:
    Figure 8.18 – Clicking Finish

    Figure 8.18 – Clicking Finish

  5. In the Copy/Monitor tab, click on Finish:
Figure 8.19 – Clicking Finish

Figure 8.19 – Clicking Finish

All grids are now created in our model.

Now, we may want to create the floor plans for those levels that we have just created. Follow these steps to make floor plans for all levels:

Figure 8.20 – Creating floor plans for levels

Figure 8.20 – Creating floor plans for levels

We can see that all floor plans have been created:

Figure 8.21 – Floor plans created

Figure 8.21 – Floor plans created

Now, let's save this file and close it. Next, we will learn about Coordination Review in Revit.

Coordination Review

The Coordination Review tool will inform us if monitored elements have been edited, moved, or deleted in the linked file.

When opening a Revit model or reloading a link, Revit will automatically check for changes.

Follow these steps to learn about Coordination Review (let's assume that we are the lead designer and we decided to move grid 10 to the left by 2,000 mm):

  1. Open the FD_Design-BIM Lead file with Levels and Grids.rvt Revit file.
  2. Move grid 10 to the left by 2,000 mm:
    Figure 8.22 – Moving grid 10 to the left

    Figure 8.22 – Moving grid 10 to the left

  3. Click Save and close the file.
  4. Now, let's assume that we are the consultant, and we have received the file with changes from the lead designer. Let's open the consultant's Consultant File.rvt Revit file.
  5. During the process of opening the Revit file, we will see the following message indicating that we need to check the Coordination Review. Click OK, and the file will continue to open:
    Figure 8.23 – Instance of link needs Coordination Review

    Figure 8.23 – Instance of link needs Coordination Review

  6. In the Collaborate tab, click on Coordination Review and click on Select Link:
    Figure 8.24 – Coordination Review – Issue description

    Figure 8.24 – Coordination Review – Issue description

  7. In the drawing area, select the linked file, which is the grids. A new window will appear, and we can identify the issue description:
    Figure 8.25 – Coordination Review

    Figure 8.25 – Coordination Review

  8. In Action, click on the drop-down menu and select Modify Grid '10'. Click Apply to move the grid and OK to close the window:
    Figure 8.26 – Selecting an option in the Action drop-down menu

    Figure 8.26 – Selecting an option in the Action drop-down menu

  9. Grid 10 will move to the correct position based on the designer leader linked model.

The Coordination Review tool enables us to easily track level and grid changes and improve productivity to control elements from a linked file. In the next section, we will learn about shared views.

Shared Views

Shared Views are a new feature for Revit 2021.1 that you can use to share 3D views with your design team and consultants for review and comments.

The Shared Views tool only works for users with Revit subscription licenses, and it will not work for maintenance licenses and Revit trial versions. This tool is handy to use with non-Revit users such as project managers and directors to quickly visualize a model via the web browser.

Follow these steps to learn about shared views:

  1. Open a Revit file and go to the 3D view. This tool only works in the 3D view, and you have to be logged in to your Autodesk account to use this tool.
  2. In the Collaborate tab, select Shared Views:
    Figure 8.27 – Coordination Review

    Figure 8.27 – Coordination Review

  3. A new window will appear, and we can click on New Shared View:
    Figure 8.28 – New Shared View

    Figure 8.28 – New Shared View

  4. Type the shared view name and click Share:
    Figure 8.29 – Shared view name

    Figure 8.29 – Shared view name

  5. Revit will upload the model to Autodesk Viewer, and when the process is completed, we can select from two options:
    • View in the Browser
    • Copy the link: You can share this link with consultants:
Figure 8.30 – Option to share the view with consultants

Figure 8.30 – Option to share the view with consultants

  1. Click on View in the Browser.
  2. Once the model is open in the browser, we have multiple tools to navigate the model and add comments. Click on Comments to add a description of your view:
     Figure 8.31 – Multiple tools to manage shared views

    Figure 8.31 – Multiple tools to manage shared views

  3. In Revit, click the highlighted icon to load the comments back to Revit. You will be able to see the comments inside of Revit:
Figure 8.32 – Loading comments from shared views

Figure 8.32 – Loading comments from shared views

To conclude, we have learned about shared views and the ability to collaborate with consultants. In the next section, we will learn about design coordination and clash management.

Design coordination and clash management

Design coordination and clash management are essential aspects of consultant collaboration to resolve design and model issues. The BEP will define the clash detection process and tolerances to optimize the results based on the project design stage. The primary tools used to run the clash detection process are Navisworks from Autodesk and Solibri from Nemetschek.

Autodesk has a cloud platform to run clash detection processes and resolve model issues. It is part of Autodesk Construction Cloud and is currently called BIM 360 Coordinate.

The clash detection process can be divided into two types:

  • Clash avoidance
  • Clash detection

Let's look at them in detail.

Clash avoidance

Clash avoidance is the process of identifying clashes between spatial zones assigned for the architecture, structure, and MEP disciplines. The following diagram shows a volume created to define the MEP zone and use it in the clash avoidance process.

We can also work with large clash tolerances during the clash avoidance process.

This proactive process can run from the early stages of design and ensure that each discipline creates elements inside a specific zone. It will reduce the number of clashes when the design teams move to the clash detection process:

Figure 8.33 – Volume to define the MEP zone

Figure 8.33 – Volume to define the MEP zone

Clash detection

Clash detection is the process to identify clashes between two or more elements in the pre-construction stages. We compare building categories to run the clash detection process, such as structural beams versus ducts and pipes.

This process does not prevent the clash, but it is a corrective process:

Figure 8.34 – Clash detection between two elements

Figure 8.34 – Clash detection between two elements

Clash management

Clash management is a collaborative process where design teams and consultants exchange models to coordinate and resolve multiple design issues. Communication between the consultants is critical to understand the priorities to model and resolve design issues.

Good communication will reduce the number of clashes

First, let's identify the common challenges for project coordination. The following are typical problems:

  • Communication of clashes and issues via email is uncoordinated.
  • Poor communication and no transparency to resolve design issues.
  • The issue resolutions don't have a trackable history.
  • Identifying model issues in the clash detection software can be time-consuming.
  • No clear accountability to resolve model issues.
  • Lack of risk management associated with design issues.
  • Non-collaborative teams have more difficulties in resolving model issues.

For these reasons, many companies use other software with advanced features to manage clashes and design issues.

As previously mentioned, the primary tools used to run the clash detection process are Navisworks from Autodesk and Solibri from Nemetschek. After identifying the clashes, we can upload the clashes to the clash management software.

The following list is not exhaustive, but this software can be used with Navisworks and Solibri for clash management:

  • Revizto: https://revizto.com/en/
  • BIM Track: https://bimtrack.co/
  • BIMcollab: https://www.bimcollab.com/en
  • Autodesk BIM 360 Coordinate: https://bit.ly/3u24Os0
  • Fuzor: https://www.kalloctech.com

This clash management software helps to improve efficiency in managing clashes and enhance team communication to resolve design problems.

This software can manage not only a clash between two model elements but also multiple types of design issues. The following list shows the typical issues that can be tracked by using this software:

  • Add and exchange comments about the design.
  • Add a solution for design issues.
  • Add a request for changes.
  • Check for data validation.
  • Visualize and comment on the typical clash issues between model elements.
  • Identify components for replacement.
  • Identify defects in the construction.
  • Identify modeling errors.
  • Add general questions about the design and financial issues.

When using clash management software, we need to be aware of potential commercial and legal issues. The following questions need to be answered to ensure that we make the right decisions:

  • Who is providing the licenses?
  • How many licenses are required for the design team?
  • Who is managing the software permissions for users and roles?
  • Who is responsible for implementation and training the design team?
  • Do we have a contractual agreement to guarantee full access to data uploaded to the clash management software during and after construction?
  • Can we download the data from this cloud software to keep a copy in our private servers?

These questions are essential points to be raised before using clash management software.

To conclude, clash management software is essential to increase productivity in managing clashes and design issues. It will also keep track of the project history and increase accountability.

Summary

In this chapter, we have learned that effective collaboration with consultants can increase team performance, but it is necessary to have good communication, trust, and defined processes to exchange information.

Strong leadership can support teams to improve collaboration and focus on achieving business objectives. The collaboration strategy should be well defined to support the teams, and further information can be added to the BEP and the responsibility matrix. The interview with Ricardo, Marzia, and May enhanced the discussion about the strategy for collaboration.

We provided an overview of technologies for collaboration using Revit, including, VDI, the Autodesk cloud, and Revit Server.

We explained using the Revit Copy/Monitor command to increase project coordination and productivity when coordinating levels and grids. The Coordination Review command helps us detect when a grid was moved from a linked file, and we can decide to postpone, reject, or accept the difference or modify the grid.

We also learned about clash management, which includes the clash avoidance and clash detection processes. There are many challenges for project coordination, and many companies use specific software for clash management to increase productivity, keep track of the project history, and increase accountability.

In the next chapter, we will provide an overview of how to enhance productivity with plugins.

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