Open BIM in Action – 480 Hay St, Perth

February 11, 2015 — BPi has revolutionised lean construction using a true Open BIM workflow and best of breed software in their newest development – 480 Hay Street, Perth. The development, a $500 million multi-storey office tower combined with the new 360 room 5 star Westin hotel, is being built in the middle of the Perth CBD and is a flagship project for Open BIM in Australia.

“For the past 50 years, the Australian construction industry has become less and less productive despite the technologies that are out there. We have seen the implementation of BIM in Scandinavia see a 1% productivity waste versus Australia at 29% waste,”  says Levi Naas, VDC Manager at BPi.

Open BIM is a universal approach to the collaborative design, construction and operation of buildings based on open standards and workflows.  It allows for the best of breed tools to come together using non-proprietary, and international standards such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) for data sharing between project participants such as architects, engineers and contractors.

“Open BIM is the only way forward for the AEC Industry in Australia,” Levi Naas says, “Normally interoperability between software platforms is highly challenging but with Open BIM and the IFC, software platforms like ArchiCAD and Revit can actually share building information.”

Along with their use of Open BIM, BPi have also used GRAPHISOFT®’s innovative mobile software solution BIMx docs, which allows its stakeholders to navigate through their project by moving between the 3D model and the 2D drawings on their tablets.  This ground breaking application is already saving time and money.

“All delivery for the project’s documentation to the site is through BIMx®. We are contracted to convert Revit and Tekla models and any other documentation that arrives in 3D or 2D into ArchiCAD and out to BIMx Docs on the iPad. This means that every person that goes on site, has an iPad ready to go with the 3D model and all documentation for the entire project,” says Colin Dibb, VDC Services Director at WEBBER Australia.

With Perth fast becoming a Mecca for technology and innovative techniques, it comes as no surprise that investors have come in and they’re pouring a lot of money into innovative technology.

Using an Open BIM Workflow, best of breed software and a lean construction approach, BPi is reducing waste on this project and targeting a minimum 5% reduction which will mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

The project is due for completion in 2017.

Project Overview

480 Hay Street, Perth is a $500 million mixed-use redevelopment offering a luxurious 5 star Westin hotel, office, retail and dining space options for locals and visitors alike. The project, managed by BPi, is the first of its kind in Australia to adopt a true Open BIM approach.

About BPi

BPI, is a joint venture between BGC Australia and POSCO E&C Australia, and was developed to take the genesis of an idea around convergent technologies and lean construction theory to demonstrate how it can save money and reduce waste within the Australian construction industry.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution in 1984 with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as its revolutionary BIMcloud®, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, EcoDesigner™, the world’s first fully BIM-integrated “GREEN” design solution and BIMx®, the world’s leading mobile app for BIM visualization. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007. Visit archicad.com to see the most important milestones in ArchiCAD’s 30-year history.