The National Health Laboratory fits within the National Health Strategy (NHS) which is a strategy for reform with far-reaching and fundamental changes across Qatar's entire healthcare system. The Laboratory building consists of three main volumes. The main point of entry from the north consists of sample receiving and administration areas, the central main body consists of the laboratory facilities, and at the south-end tail, the supporting and sample disposal areas.
PWA has implemented collaborative BIM approach on the project since early design stages following the industry best practices and international standards.
Business Case & Challenges
The laboratory divisions (Food Safety Lab Chemistry, FS Lab Microbiology, FS Lab Radiation, FS Lab for Water, Drug and Safety Lab, DPCS, Environmental Health and Protection Lab, Reference Standards and Testing and BSL3) required arrangement to be done in a similar pattern to have an effective generic room layout that will accommodate most of the laboratory requirements and that can be expanded or modified through the combination of modular systems. With modularity in mind & potential reorganizations, one of the most challenging aspects of this design was preventing the cross contamination between different departments without disrupting the workflow of integrated facilities.
Another challenge was a complete façade redesign at the tender stage of the project which left a very short window of time for implantation and various authorities' approval, satisfying the needs and requirements of end users, and quickly revise all models and coordinate all discipline affected by this change.
Overcoming the Challenges
Using BIM authoring and analysis tools it was possible to identify similar locations in each laboratory for fume hoods, equipment, services, and architecturally significant equipment to allow for the utilities to be predictably placed within labs. Support areas followed the same modular planning and lean principles for ease of reconfiguration of future laboratories. Walls and casework within each lab will follow a singular module for easy modification and adjustment. This was simulated and design options were studies using the necessary features of Autodesk Revit.
Having all the laboratories under one roof requires detailed observation and study of all technical and operational processes taking place in each of them. Therefore, optimizing layout planning, equipment distribution, functional planning within each room, and MEP optimization in terms of future modularity, was successfully achieved by continuous design workshops with all stakeholders and early adaptation of BIM technology – such as REVIT- as a tool to follow all the changes in a single data base.
Using Revit and Navisworks made the process of façade redesign easier and faster. Designers were able to immediately pinpoint all issues due to the change and find solutions for them by connecting all teams on one collaborative 3D model. The collaboration model prepared in Navisworks and Revit was used for production of coordinated sheets and construction documentation which were automatically updated as per new design.
Improved Collaboration
From the earliest stages of the design for the NHL, the project team used a BIM approach to drive close collaboration between architects, engineers, contractor, and other stakeholders.
By using connected BIM, and a single modeling environment for all disciplines as the framework for delivering the project, the project team members achieved the collaboration goals in creating a single source of design and construction information. Using BIM tools such as Navisworks to highlight clashes & issues in the model, allowed architects and engineers to collaborate on problem solving.
Schematic design options were prepared in Revit with detailed architectural and performance analysis to evaluate various options. Live walkthrough with Lumion for client presentations gave client clear picture and better understanding of design. Clash detections with Navisworks to collaborate through multidisciplinary teams, use of BIM360 to collaborate between designer’s abroad teams were some of the tools used to expedite the process of developing higher level of LOD. The handover of models and data drops at each stage has ensured that model maturity continues its development from design to construction. Started with LOD100 for schematic design and now reached LOD400 for shop drawings, the final goal is to develop a viable Asset Information Model (AIM) for the use in the building operations lifecycle.
Achieving Sustainability Goals with BIM
The use of different features of Revit like sun studies, thermal simulations, quantifying materials, and numerous plugins helped to speed up the process of achieving the required sustainability goals.
Performance analysis in early stages of project and using BIM data to access information on more than 2000 pieces of equipment are some of the benefits of using Revit in the design process which helped in achieving the GSAS 3- star level for the project.
4D Scheduling
The process started with early liaising with the planning and construction team to ensure that model structure and work breakdown structure are compatible and allow development of 4D model. Furthermore, additional attributes were agreed with planning team to be included for schedule activities. These additional attributes were also considered for 3D elements to simplify the linking procedures of both. 4D models were then developed by linking elements of provided construction models with related activities of construction schedule using Autodesk Navisworks. This is done by taking full advantage of the 3D object attributes added previously authored models in Revit and activity codes defined within construction program.
The purpose of developing 4D models is to ensure planned construction schedule is free of errors, to support the evaluation of the work sequence, facilitate studying alternative scenarios and optimising construction activities when required. The 4D models are also prepared to prove program logic and to animate construction methodology according to the construction method statement.
Conclusions
Several factors made the project especially challenging to meet its higher-than-usual standards. The architectural design is based on dividing the spaces into departments depending on the function and connective restrictions between laboratories. The Mechanical Engineering Design is uniquely challenging due to the demand for specialized systems for hazardous exhausts and specialty gas requirements, this led to the building needing denser-than-usual ceiling cavities.
This necessitated constant coordination between designers and Engineers, avoiding clashes and ensuring that systems routing is meeting the project’s high-end design and performance aspirations.
Understanding space and its management was key to ensuring that the building’s complex lab infrastructure, including pipe and duct systems, were fully coordinated with the architectural and structural design using Autodesk tools for BIM. These challenges which were addressed using various aspects of BIM are the key factors that make the National health Laboratory project a successful BIM implementation case study.
