Newsletter of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University
Students in Julian Kang’s spring 2009 Building Information Modeling class at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture are learning firsthand about Building Information Modeling (BIM) through a partnership with Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc.
The Houston-based firm is the general contractor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, under construction on state highway 47 west of Bryan.
“Students are being asked to build a 3-D BIM model of the project and combine the model with a construction schedule,” said Kang. “At the end of the semester they’ll be presenting their models to Satterfield and Pontikes and high-level managers in the Texas A&M system.”
Kang said students are creating their BIM models from a set of project drawings provided by Satterfield and Pontikes.
BIM uses three-dimensional, real-time, building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction, encompassing building geometry, spatial relationships, and quantities and properties of building components.
“BIM gives stakeholders a clear idea of how general contractors are putting things together for a construction project,” said Kang.
On Feb. 17, Chris Hays and Mike Partridge, project managers with Satterfield and Pontikes, visited Kang’s students to talk about BIM and the Health Science Center project.
Their visit was followed by a March 3 fieldtrip to the construction site, where students peppered Hays and Partridge with questions amid the noise and dust of the project.
