The use of the BIM methodology produces benefits not only in the design stage, but is also applicable later in the construction stage. This use of BIM can be applied regardless of whether the designs were drafted using the traditional methodology with non-digital deliverables or using the BIM methodology, and therefore with digital deliverables.
The project consists of several phases, the first of which is the digitization of the design of the Carretera San Gerardo – Barranca section located on Route 1 Interamericana Norte de Costa Rica, creating models prepared to later make it possible to supervise the works.
In later phases, the generated models will be associated with the project units, making it possible to certify the project, and a project plan will be generated integrated with the BIM models.
Different models of the different disciplines involved in the project have been developed:
- Highway route layout
- Drainage
- Structures
- Signalling
- Roadway surfaces
- Earthmoving
The different models include the necessary data that enables project supervision later.
Technical information
Open Models
Special care has been taken to generate all of this digital information in open formats (Open BIM) that must guarantee that it can be used in the future. For this reason, and despite its current limitations, the IFC format, whose version 4 is now a European Standard EN ISO 16839, was used.
As mentioned before, the following BIM uses defined for this project were considered:
- Integration and visualization of models
- 3D coordination - collision detection
- 4D – Construction simulation
- 5D – Budget.
