BIM for Design Coordination

Chapter 5Specific Guidelines for General Contractors and the VDC Coordination Team

5.0 Executive Summary

The VDC coordination team is usually part of the general contractor (GC) and manages the entire BIM design coordination process. This chapter covers specific guidelines for GCs and VDC coordinators, and discusses the roles and responsibilities of the VDC coordinator/BIM manager in the design coordination process, starting with setting up the project’s BIM project execution plan (PxP). The chapter also discusses interfaces of the VDC team with other project teams, such as owners, designers, and subcontractors. A case study of an academic building is presented and describes the GC’s roles in the VDC process that are related to design coordination. Note that chapters 5, 6, and 7 follow a similar structure, as each of these chapters is meant to provide specific guidelines for different stakeholders: chapter 5 for GCs and VDC coordinators, chapter 6 for designers, and chapter 7 for subcontractors and fabricators.

5.1 Introduction

As well stated by Eastman et al. (2011), a critical function of any GC is trade and system coordination. Design coordination allows for design integration by different specialty designers and contractors to create a single, coordinated set of designs that can be built without clashes between components, reducing design errors. Effective design ...