The MEP Contractor's Guide to Constructibility
7
While the initial architectural and structural concepts are unlikely to include much
detail regarding MEP specifics, these initial plans and designs do serve the vital
purpose of interpreting the owner's overarching vision for the project and putting it
into a concrete form (no pun intended) that effectively communicates that vision to
other stakeholders.
When architects produce 3D models to communicate their designs, they're not yet
constructible models. But, they do provide the foundation for what will eventually
become constructible models, and they save the time and effort it would take for
structural engineers and MEP detailers to convert their designs into models that can
be used from that point on.
The planning phase also includes the estimates and requisite job submittals
MEP contractors need to generate if they're seeking work as subcontractors on a
project. If the architect has provided a 3D model, both these jobs can be completed
more quickly and efficiently with access to a library of managed digital content
and pricing services along with software solutions designed to coordinate each
component of the model to a completed estimate and/or job submittal package.
Once the job is won, the ability to use the same constructible model to move from
the initial estimate into project takeoff also saves precious time while adding to the
model's robust backbone of valuable data.
Design for constructibility
