Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

1 4 1 to information provided by virtual representation of all aspects of projects. “The key features for us are insight and visibility into design,” says Andrew Brown, SMC Design’s director. “Because we are now designing in a 3D environment, it enables more control over technological integration and more informed decisions as we develop the design. It provides a greater level of visibility and control, and it allows us to have more in-depth critical reviews with the client because we can stand within a space virtually and really come to understand what we’re creating.” These 3D virtual meetings with clients help individualise the experience, says Brown. “Whether it’s a creative or operational review, we can walk the space, essentially to be able to discuss their requirements. it’s about having that direct dialogue with the BIM is a pragmatic, cost-effective approach that can help mitigate the increasing problems surrounding older risk- management methods. Clashes within our designs are identified and resolved at the design stage before construction proceeds. In this regard, human errors, the risk of inaccurate measurements and oversights are noticeably reduced. Previously the yards were not forthcoming with sharing their BIM models. Of late, upon seeing the benefits of BIM and due to some of the complex and intricate geometrical shapes of some of the spaces we design, it has become necessary for all consultants and the yard to work together on a federated BIM model. The federated model is made accessible to outfitters and the yard, where material estimates and precise time schedules of the project can be obtained. Coordination design review on the cloud-based collaborative platform 360 Glue enables our clients to walk through our designed spaces to understand geometrical aspects of the design like spatial relationships, lighting analysis, provision of entertainment equipment and the effect on its users. Since we at SMC adopted BIM into our workflow, we have had no regrets. We love it as it has improved the quality and function of our final designs, as well as the ability to understand construction documentation better. Shared benefits of BIM SMC Design’s BIM manager Ben Nkyi explains how the technology supports collaborative design processes