CE 570 Building Information Modeling for Collaborative ... - USC

CE 570 Building Information Modeling for Collaborative Construction Management (3 units) 

2011 Spring Semester — Class Syllabus page 1 

Professor 

Burcin Becerik-Gerber, Assistant Professor 

This syllabus will be 

Office 

Kaprielian Hall, 224C 

updated before fall 

Phone (213) 744-1426 

2011 class begins. 

Email 

beceric@usc.edu 

Other hours by appointment only. Students are advised to make appointments with the professor 

Office Hours ahead of time and be specific with the subject matter to be discussed. Students should also be 

prepared for their appointment by bringing all applicable materials and information. 

Teaching Assistant Farrokh Jazizadeh 

Email 

jazizade@usc.edu 

Office Hours TA will lead workshop sessions and will hold regular office hours as posted 

Prerequisites CE 470. Recommended preparation: CE 556, CE 566 

Class Day(s), 

Location and Time 

TBD 

Required 

Textbook(s) 

Software 

and Reading 

Required Course 

TBD 

Please refer to Page 5 of this syllabus for a list of software and reading: 

• Related software: BIM Authoring and BIM Specialty 

• Recommended software 

• Recommended reading 

• Books 

Master of Construction Management 

• Track 4: Architecture, Engineering and Construction Technology Track 

COURSE DESCRIPTION — OPEN ONLY TO MASTER AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS 

Multidisciplinary and geographically distributed virtual project teams used to simulate engineering and construction problems 

for projects selected in collaboration with industry partners. 

This course was developed in response to the building industry’s need to overcome enormous technological and institutional 

changes and challenges, such as globalization, socio-economic changes, sustainability, specialization, and virtual collaboration. 

The 21 st century engineers and construction managers must be able to deal with a rapid pace of technological change, a highly 

interconnected world, and complex problems that require multidisciplinary solutions. BIM is one of the most successful 

technologies to offer a platform for multi-disciplinary teams to collaborate. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES 

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is argued to be a catalyst for change poised to reduce industry's fragmentation, 

improve its efficiency, effectiveness and lower the high costs of inadequate interoperability. Students will work in 

multidisciplinary project teams to simulate engineering and construction processes for actual projects. In one semester, 

students will focus on collaboratively designing and engineering optimal solutions, by utilizing information technology and their 

individual strengths – problem solving from engineering students, design from architecture students, and schedule, cost, quality 

control and overall management from construction management students. By providing a cyber-learning platform, where 

students from multiple disciplines can work together, students will be able to test ideas, principles, and practices in the way to 

become creative and innovative practitioners. In addition, students will collaborate with their peers in Virginia Tech University 

(VTU), exploring bi-costal project collaboration and role-based learning. Distance Education Network (DEN) will enable students 

from two universities to follow software tutorials, lectures and participate in group discussions. 

Students should have familiarity with BIM software environments, or the willingness to learn them. All students enrolled in the 

course are expected to attend special skill-building lab sessions. This course is not intended to make students completely 

proficient in these environments. Instead, it aims to demonstrate how construction management functions are impacted by new 

technologies and helps students understand the fundamentals and practical uses of the state of the art information technologies 

and tools in the building industry. It also promotes project-based learning through cross-disciplinary, geographically distributed, 

and virtual project team collaboration. 

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

Students will learn BIM authoring and specialty applications and construction management functions including 

construction simulation, model based estimating, energy analysis, clash detection and code compliance. In addition, they 

will gain the following skills and knowledge: 

• BIM skills and knowledge building 

• Application of BIM skills/knowledge to construction domain knowledge 

• Teamwork and team-building essentials 

• Understanding of the requirements needed for successful team collaboration 

• “Learning by doing” 

Methods 

of Teaching 

Class 

Communication 

Return of Course 

Assignments 

Grading Schema 

A combination of software tutorials, lectures, case studies, peer-to-peer learning and 

discussions. Additional out of class time required for directed self learning, seminar 

assignments, teamwork and reviewing relevant material. 

Scholar will be used for class communication, assignment submissions and reading materials. 

Adobe Connect will be used for sharing presentations and desktops. Each lecture will be 

recorded by DEN and streamlined via Scholar. 

Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, will be discarded after a year and hence, will not 

be available should a grade appeal be pursued following receipt of his/her grade. 

Software Assignments: 60% (10%for each assignment) 

Final Reports: 30% (10%for each report) 

Participation: 10% 

TEAM ASSIGNMENTS 

Roles and 

Responsibilities 

Role 

Six groups of four students will work on three projects (max 24 students). Each group will have 

two USC and two VTU students. Each student in every group will have the following roles: 

• Architect/Structural Engineer 

• Building Owner/Facility Manager 

• General Contractor 

• Project Manager 

Arch. Model 

Structural 

MEP Model 

Energy 

4-D 

Scheduling 

Estimating 

Clash 

Check 

Code 

Compliance 

Architect PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY 

Engineer SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY 

Cost Engineer SECONDARY SECONDARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY SECONDARY 

Scheduler SECONDARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY SECONDARY SECONDARY 

Construction 

Manager 

SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY 

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All assignments and reports are to be completed by team. Instead of a midterm assignment, there will be six 

assignments and three final reports due at the beginning of the class as specified in the class schedule on page 6 

below. 

Guidelines and additional information will be developed, which will provide a common vernacular for the assignments. 

It is crucial that students turn in whatever they have on the due date. 

• NO assignment will be accepted late. 

• An incomplete grade will only be issued when a student is unable to complete the work because of documented 

illness. A letter from your physician will be required documentation. 

Assignment No. 1 

DUE: 01/27/11 


DUE: 02/24/11 

• Compile scope: PDF drawings and design data/program 

• Compile schedule: MS project schedule or equivalent 

• Compile cost data: Gather cost and labor information for the design and construction of a 

typical building 

• Establish group communication/collaboration procedures 

• Create a digital model, schedule and cost estimate for the building 

• Presentation: Teams present their models: comparable case and expected differences 


DUE: 03/17/11 


DUE: 03/31/11 


DUE: 04/21/11 


DUE: 04/28/11 

Final Report 

No. 1 

DUE: 05/05/11 

• Complete BIM based cost estimate and scheduling 

• Presentation: Teams present findings 

• Complete energy analysis 

• Presentation: Teams present their energy simulation findings 

• Complete clash checking and code compliance 

• Presentation: Teams present their findings 

• Refine final project model, estimate, schedule based on findings 

• Produce 3-D marketing documents/videos 

• Final presentations 

Each group will establish their communication/collaboration procedures and choose the tools to 

facilitate/support their procedures. Below is a list of suggested communication and collaboration 

tools. Each group may test different tools at the beginning of the semester but must choose at 

least one tool from each category and use them for group, vendor, and mentor 

communication/collaboration throughout the semester. Each group must deliver a report at the 

end of the semester. The report must include the following as a minimum requirement: 

• Basis/justification for choosing one tool over another 

• Pros/cons of each tool they have chosen 

• Frequency and method of use and reasoning for it (how much they used and what they have 

done and why) 

• Unique ways of use 

• Use by participants (who used what feature, who initiated the use, for what reason) 

• Detailed description of the communication and collaboration procedures established by the team 

• Explanation of how selected set of tools supported the team’s procedures 

Lessons Learned: what are the organizational, procedural and technological requirements for 

collaborative project development; what has worked and what haven’t and why 

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Suggested Tools 

SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION: 

• http://tinychat.com/ 

• http://www.tokbox.com/ 

• http://www.dimdim.com/ 

• Skype 

• MSN messenger 

• AOL Instant messenger 

• Yahoo messenger 

• Google voice and video chat 

• http://www.icq.com/ 

• Google Wave is not available yet, but 

might be soon. 

ASYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION: 

• http://www.ning.com/ 

• http://www.groupsite.com/ 

• http://secondlife.com/ 

• http://www.facebook.com/ 

• http://www.youtube.com/ 

• http://twitter.com/ 

Final Report 

No. 2 

DUE: 05/05/11 

Final Report 

No. 3 

DUE: 05/05/11 

At the end of the semester, each group will deliver a report for two categories: technology and 

process. This report will need to be supported by a thorough analysis of the project. The 

following areas (for both technology and process) should be covered in the report: 

• Interoperability 

• Enhancement list 

• Value proposition 

• Best practices for “how to work collaboratively” on the model 

Each student will work with assigned industry mentor, software vendor and his/her team 

members to define “what is needed” for and from his/her discipline area. Each group will submit 

a report at the end of the semester. Some of the questions that will be reported in a document 

as well as incorporated into the project are: 

• What level of information is needed at each stage (design, construction and operations) and who 

is responsible for it 

• What is the level of detail 

• Who generates, produces, and organizes the effort 

• What are some of the liability issues and how to overcome them 

• Who owns the coordinated model 

• Who is responsible for quality control 

What are some of the standards needed to integrate all discipline's analytical and physical 

objects for simulation and performance 

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RELATED SOFTWARE ► 

BIM Authoring 

Graphisoft; ArchiCAD 

http://www.graphisoft.com/ 

https://eduregistration.graphisoft.com/ 

FREE for students 

Revit Architecture 2010/Structures/MEP http://students5.autodesk.com/ FREE for students 

BIM Specialty 

NavisWorks http://navisworks.com/ Model review and clash detection 

Solibri http://www.solibri.com/ Model review and clash detection 

Green Building Studio 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/indexid= 

11179508&siteID=123112 

Energy and performance analysis 

Ecotect http://ecotect.com/home Energy and performance analysis 

Horizontal 

Meridian Proliance 

RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE ► 

Virtual Construction 

• 4-D scheduling, quantity take off and 

estimating, cost control and 

management 

Digital Project 

http://www.horizontal-llc.com/ 

http://www.meridiansystems.com/ 

http://www.vicosoftware.com/ 

http://www.gehrytechnologies.com/ 

Collaboration, estimating, 4-D 

simulation, clash check 

Construction project 

management 

FREE. Students can download 

software and training guides 

Innovaya http://www.innovaya.com/ Quantity take off and estimation 

Espec http://www.e-specs.com/demo-list.html Specifications 

SpecifiCAD http://www.cadalytic.com/ Product manufacturer content 

RECOMMENDED READING ► 

Websites and Blogs 

Analysis, Research and Reviews of AEC Technology - AECbytes 

Building Smart Alliance 

National BIM Standard (NIBS) 

FIATECH 

Eat your CAD 

BIM Forum 

All Things BIM 

All Roads Lead to BIM 

Books 

http://www.aecbytes.com/ 

http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/ 

http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/index.php 

http://www.fiatech.org/ 

http://www.eatyourcad.com/ 

http://www.bimforum.org/ 

http://allthingsbim.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.digitalvis.com/allroads 

BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors- 

Chuck Eastman, et al. 

Building Information Modeling: A Strategic Implementation Guide for Architects, Engineers, Constructors, and Real Estate 

Asset Managers — Dana K. Smith and Michael Tardif 

Building Information Modeling: Planning and Managing Construction Projects with 4-D CAD and Simulations - Willem Kymmell 

BIM and Construction Management: Proven Tools, Methods, and Workflows — Brad Hardin 

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COURSE SCHEDULE 

HOMEWORK 

WEEK DATE TOPICS ASSIGNED DUE 

1 01/13 

2 01/20 

3 01/27 

4 02/03 

5 02/10 

6 02/17 

7 02/24 

8 03/03 

9 03/10 

10 03/17 

11 03/24 

12 03/31 

13 04/07 

14 04/14 

15 04/21 

INTRODUCTIONS 

• Instructors, class members and course assignments 

• Team formation; roles and responsibilities 

• Integrated Practice and Collaboration 

• Fundamentals of BIM 

INTEGRATED PROJECT SESSION — Session 1 

• Integrated team formation, definition of design intent, responsibilities, cost, schedule and 

systems benchmarking 

BIM application tutorial – Revit and ArchiCAD 

• Overview of BIM application: interface, navigation, intro to massing models and concept design 

• Parametric structures in BIM: using constrains and general modeling family, setting up stories, 

creating slabs, etc. 

• BIM walls and openings 

BIM application tutorial – Revit and ArchiCAD 

• Visualization and documentation: extracting information from BIM and drawing production: 

measurement data, schedule of values, custom annotations 

• Interoperability: model linking, collaboration and team communication within BIM, translation of 

relevant data 

BIM application tutorial - Navisworks 

• Linking MS Project with BIM; 4D simulation in BIM 

• Quantity take offs with BIM, schedules, inventories 

• Clash detection 


Virtual model development, analysis: modeling 

BIM based project management – Meridian Proliance 

• RFIs, submittals, estimating, budgets, notices, etc 

BIM based collaboration– Horizontal Glue 

• Introduction to Web-based BIM 

• Spatial coordination, quantities and volumes, simulation, mark-ups, notices, records in a Webbased 

environment 


Virtual model development, analysis: schedule and estimating/cost 

BIM application tutorial – Ecotect and GBS 

• Sustainability and BIM: Interface with energy analysis packages for green design/construction, 

design optimization, energy analysis 


Virtual model development, analysis: energy 

FACILITIES INTEGRATION 

• How to prepare information to link for FM purposes 

• Extract and format information involving standards like COBIE 

Model Checking and Validation - Solibri 

• Code compliance, egress analysis, space usage, quality assurance, program validation 


• Virtual model development, analysis: clash check and code checking 

No. 1 

No. 2 

No. 3 

No. 4 

No. 5 

No. 1 

No. 2 

No. 3 

No. 4 

No. 6 No. 5 

16 04/28 Team Presentations No. 6 

05/05 Final project delivery 

Final 

Reports 

1, 2, 3 

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STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY 

The University, as an instrument of learning, is predicated on the existence of an environment of integrity. As members of 

the academic community, faculty, students, and administrative officials share the responsibility for maintaining this 

environment. 

• Faculty have the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining an atmosphere and attitude of academic 

integrity such that the enterprise may flourish in an open and honest way. 

• Students share this responsibility for maintaining standards of academic performance and classroom behavior 

conducive to the learning process. 

• Administrative officials are responsible for the establishment and maintenance of procedures to support and 

enforce those academic standards. 

Thus, the entire University community bears the responsibility for maintaining an environment of integrity and for taking 

appropriate action to sanction individuals involved in any violation. When there is a clear indication that such individuals 

are unwilling or unable to support these standards, they should not be allowed to remain in the University.” (Faculty 

Handbook, 1994:20) 

Academic dishonesty includes: (Faculty Handbook, 1994: 21-22) 

• Examination behavior – any use of external assistance during an examination shall be considered academically 

dishonest unless expressly permitted by the teacher. 

• Fabrication – any intentional falsification or invention of data or citation in an academic exercise will be 

considered a violation of academic integrity. 

• Plagiarism – the appropriation and subsequent passing off of another’s ideas or words as one’s own. If the 

words or ideas of another are used, acknowledgment of the original source must be made through recognized 

referencing practices. 

Other Types of Academic Dishonesty – submitting a paper written by or obtained from another, using a paper or essay in 

more than one class without the teacher’s express permission, obtaining a copy of an examination in advance without the 

knowledge and consent of the teacher, changing academic records outside of normal procedures and/or petitions, using 

another person to complete homework assignments or take-home exams without the knowledge or consent of the teacher. 

The use of unauthorized material, communication with fellow students for course assignments, or during a mid-term 

examination, attempting to benefit from work of another student, past or present and similar behavior that defeats the 

intent of an assignment or mid-term examination, is unacceptable to the University. It is often difficult to distinguish 

between a culpable act and inadvertent behavior resulting from the nervous tensions accompanying examinations. Where 

a clear violation has occurred, however, the instructor may disqualify the student’s work as unacceptable and assign a 

failing mark on the paper. 

STATEMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES 

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and 

Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please 

be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. 

DSP Contact Information 

• Office Location: STU 301 

• Open: 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

• Phone number: (213) 740-0776 

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CE 570 Building Information Modeling for Collaborative ... - USC

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