The University of Massachusetts Medical School developed a fully integrated 6D BIM model for their new Albert Sherman Center biomedical facility to improve facilities management. Microdesk worked with Suffolk Construction to develop the model, which includes all architectural, electrical, mechanical, fire protection, and plumbing elements. The model provides facility managers digital access to information on every building component to monitor systems from their office or on tablet devices in the field. The success of the project establishes a model for future projects at UMass Medical School.

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UNIVERSITY OF
MASSACHUSETTS
MEDICAL SCHOOL ALBERT
SHERMAN CENTER
PROJECT
6D BIM Modeling
LOCATION
Worcester, MA
HIGHLIGHTS
Project Features
• Fully integrated 6D BIM model
• Optimized for facilities
management and operations &
maintenance
• All electrical, mechanical
ductwork and piping, fire
protection, and plumbing
elements modeled, placed,
circuited and tagged
Project Results
• Improved data accessibility
• Increased facilities operations
and efficiencies
• Enhanced data entry, retrieval,
and reporting functionality
• Increased staff accessibility
both in office and in the field
• New standard for level of
details provided in a BIM model
MODELING STATS
• 80,000+ ft (15 miles) of duct
• 391,000+ ft (74 miles) of pipe
• 30,000+ electrical, fire alarm
and security devices
The University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA is an
institution that is leading the way in leveraging Building Information
Modeling (BIM) for facilities management. When undertaking the
development of a new biomedical facility, the Albert Sherman Center,
they sought to develop a complete, fully-integrated model that could
later be leveraged by their operations and maintenance team to
digitally monitor and manage building operations. Microdesk, through
a partnership with project construction manager, Suffolk Construction,
was enlisted to develop the as-built model, integrating all architectural
and engineering models, along with their attached building elements
and related data, into a single 6D BIM model.
The LEED® Gold certified advanced research facility is a nine-story,
512,000 sq-ft structure featuring research laboratories, six learning
community centers, a 350-seat auditorium, café and dining area, and
fitness center. The center brings together the Advanced Therapeutics
Cluster (ATC), the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, and the
Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation, requiring the facility
to meet a wide range of research and technology needs.
By establishing a collaborative approach from the outset and setting
a clear vision for how BIM will be leveraged throughout the project
lifecycle, the team was able to fast-track delivery of this complex facility
to just 32 months and complete the project on-time, more efficiently,
and with fewer errors.
With a fully integrated 6D model of the Albert Sherman Center, UMass
Medical School facility managers now have the ability to digitally
access information on every building component via a Sharepoint site,
Revit and Navisworks. Whether in the office or using tablet devices in
the field, they can monitor systems, identify component manuals, or
understand linkages from one mechanical element to the next at the
click of a button. The Albert Sherman Center will serve as a model for
future UMass Medial School projects, and an endeavor to eventually
model the entire existing campus.