Virtual Design & Construction (VDC)

Stephen Lester, Virtual Design & Construction Manager (East) at Robert Bird Group

Virtual Design and Construction

The use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) has advanced dramatically over the last decade, with both increased industry demand and the improvement of relevant software packages and plugins pushing its progression. Robert Bird Group (RBG) has been an early adopter of this technology, establishing the capability internally over 16 years ago.

During this time, inefficient workflows and longer production hours gave way to more refined models and improved integration between disciplines.

Multi-disciplinary collaboration within the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has long been essential for the production and delivery of successful project outcomes. 

Through the use of VDC, this has now become a far more cohesive process, enabling efficient and rapid design changes along with the use of more data-rich models.

RBG has also experienced growth and advancement of its VDC capability through the adoption of gaming engines, specifically Unity, which enables the ability to immerse oneself into an interactive environment, interrogating embedded BIM data and ‘rehearsing’ construction sequencing whilst viewing the project model and its construction from any angle. 

The leading industry experience of RBG’s Construction Engineering division enabled the pioneering addition of project-specific temporary works, construction equipment, transportation, site logistics, and even fabrication.

In addition to the benefits during the design phase, VDC also helps explain design and construction intent in an accessible visual format to project stakeholders, government departments, and the general public. It is a method that allows all interested parties to obtain a rapid understanding of the design and construction intent. 

VDC enhances these deliverables by combining these multi-disciplinary AEC digital design techniques, along with data-rich Building Information Modelling (BIM), to develop bespoke solutions for all project stakeholders.

In its more fundamental format, VDC can be a simple construction programme linked to a 3D model, known as a4D. However, at its most advanced, it can be a virtually simulated environment via the use of gaming engines, which provide interactivity and model interrogation, among many other potential options.

There is a suite of business benefits that VDC provides, including more informed decision-making while minimising project delivery timeframes and performance risks, thereby reducing costs, improving safety, and adding further value to a project. Having the ability to explore, interrogate, modify, and validate complex engineering concepts is, in short, a highly valuable asset.

Construction Engineering and Virtual Design and Construction

The use of VDC within RBG grew mainly from the requirements of our construction engineering capability.

This is also where its greatest benefits have been realised for its use. VDC provides our construction engineering team, and in turn, all stakeholders, the ability to detail and convey complex construction engineering strategies and concepts in a format that provides additional clarity and confidence for a project. 

VDC helps provide insights into both permanent and temporary works designs and can also be used to develop ‘Digital Construction Rehearsals’ incorporating construction methodologies and erection sequences, programming and scheduling, site and construction logistics, as well as construction risk management.

Not only does VDC enhance project stakeholders' understanding of engineering processes, it also facilitates greater collaboration between Engineers and Technicians in numerous ways. It helps with communication across design teams, for example, by locating design clashes across permanent works such as structural, architectural, services, and civil models. It also plays a critical role in construction engineering by highlighting potential clashes between temporary works and permanent works designs. This allows cost and time reductions to be identified during the design phase instead of the construction phase when it can be expensive to resolve on-site or can result in safety issues.

Inaugural VDC Project by Robert Bird Group

The main reason VDC was implemented within RBG was to visually detail the complex construction methodology designed by RBG for the roof construction of Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (AAMI Park). This was the first major project in which RBG utilized VDC in 2008. AAMI Park is a 30 thousand-seat rectangular stadium in Melbourne, Australia, with a unique lightweight roof structure. This lightweight design meant the roof was unable to support its own weight until the final structural member was installed, thereby requiring a specialised bespoke construction methodology to build.

RBG Initially prepared an overall stick build of the roof construction sequence. This was so well received that the scope then expanded into a more complex detailed micro sequence of the project. As the project progressed, 4D sequencing became critical for several elements of the project, including:

● Roof shell breakdown

● Roof shell member delivery and transport envelopes

● Site access and logistics

● Equipment and Crane locations (including crane radius)

● Stick build of each roof shell member

● Temporary works

● Propping and de-propping of each shell

The roof steel model was produced by another consultant in Tekla, and the bowl structure in 3D AutoCad and RBG utilized 3D Studio Max to produce the 4D Sequence and detailed imagery and animations via our in-house developed sequencing tools. All project tasks were broken down to a high level of detail. 

This was satisfactory for the purposes of documentation at the time but not for the 4D sequencing we were endeavoring to produce. Fortunately, we are now in a position where technician teams model using BIM not only for documentation purposes but also critically with sequencing in mind. This also has the additional benefit of assisting in the reduction of model double handling.

AAMI Park Melbourne – A typical transportation analysis which was produced for each roof shell member.

VDC was instrumental in AAMI Park for the roof shell transportation analysis. For transportation, each roof member was required to fit within a set envelope.

Each roof shell model was split individually to determine appropriate sizes for transportation.

"Multi-disciplinary collaboration within the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has long been essential for the production and delivery of successful project outcomes."  

This then dictated how each roof member would be fabricated, as well as the appropriate connection locations.

These roof members were then fabricated in order of their proposed installation based on the documentation produced by VDC.

The members were then appropriately labelled so they could be positioned in the laydown area on arrival at the site. This then allowed for efficient location and installation during construction.

All of this proved to be pivotal in reducing costs during the transportation phase. For example, overhead tram lines did not have to be dropped as first expected, and thereby, it not only reduced the time and cost of transportation but it also mitigated risks and enhanced safety outcomes. 

 Additional examples of VDC

VDC has grown to become a vital and integral tool for RBG through the accelerating advancement of technology and an underpinning in Construction Engineering; Technology will continue to open doors and opportunities to drive its progression. Continued multi-disciplinary collaboration and focused development will see it continue to become more streamlined and solution-focused. We are only limited by what we hope to achieve with VDC, and it will be exciting to see what possibilities arise not only in the immediate future but also as VDC rises to meet future challenges and opportunities.