Plant Expansion

A planned manufacturing expansion for an auto supplier required a significant addition to the amount of HVAC ductwork on its rooftop. The customer provided proposed drawings for the installation, but for a large project on a tight schedule, there was a need to update as-built documentation and create elevations. To accomplish this, Egan conducted a 3D laser scan of the existing facility during the preconstruction phase. Doing so verified the drawings with the model to coordinate the expansion. This step also ensured there would be no conflicts with the new equipment installation and eliminated potential errors, while keeping the project on schedule and meeting customer expectations.

From the scan, Egan adjusted the drawings into a model to reflect accurate as-built conditions and identified the level steel on which the new HVAC ductwork could be built. During this preconstruction phase, Egan’s BIM specialists discovered that the proposed drawings were off by 6 inches in most places, and as much as 3 feet in other areas. In addition, Egan uncovered two significant clashes in the proposed drawings -- an actuator that was located too closely to the proposed HVAC route and an existing column that was completely missing. The column was located in the path of the HVAC, where it was supposed to turn downward toward tie-in points.

Because Egan uncovered these issues in the preconstruction phase, the project team was able to adjust the model to avoid these collisions and to notify the customer before any material was ordered. Egan was also able to begin fabricating and insulating the portions of the project that did not require modification while waiting for a resolution on the clashes. Egan’s sheet metal and insulation team worked off-site in the controlled environment of our fabrication shop to pre-construct as much of the system as possible before shipping it to the site for final installation.

By “stacking” the modeling, coordinating, fabrication and installation phases in this manner, Egan was able to keep the project on schedule and avoid the costly delays that would have occurred had the clashes been uncovered during construction.