Like any process industry installation, pharmaceutical facilities are complex and difficult to renovate and pose serious challenges for design consultants. 2D as-built drawings, if even available, don’t adequately communicate the spatial information needed to design in an environment that demands high accuracy and tight tolerances. SDMM’s 3D laser scanning delivers reliable data on existing plant conditions and provides an essential element of successful project planning and risk mitigation.
The Challenge
BioVectra Inc. services the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries via four FDA-inspected facilities located in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. When they were about to embark on a refit of one of the plants they discovered that there were no as-built records to provide to their design-build team. Due to the complexity of the existing space, the required installation of new, larger equipment, and the multiple systems planned for the refit, BioVectra had a critical need for accurate information about the existing conditions of their facility.
The Solution
Working with BioVectra’s project manager, J.W. Lindsay, SDMM was contracted to scan and model a portion of the plant’s interior including the architectural envelope, structural components, mechanical equipment and other plant features. Our scanned data provided exact measurements and 3D visuals in a format that everyone involved in the project could share and understand.
The Result
As a result of SDMM’s 3D deliverables, BioVectra was able to better define the scope of the construction project and share that information with their contractors. This meant that project teams were able to avoid a great deal of uncertainty and solve problems during the design process. It also provided clarity in estimating and ensured everyone was aligned with a clear understanding of the best way to proceed.
Our scanned data provided exact measurements and 3D visuals in a format that everyone involved in the project could share and understand
THE ADVANTAGE OF REALITY!
As-built records are the starting point of every renovation, refit, or refurbishment project.
Unfortunately, most as-built information is either non-existent or woefully outdated and inaccurate. Access to reliable data on existing [building] conditions from current as-built information forms the basis for design and is an essential element of successful project planning and risk mitigation. Without it, a design that relies on incomplete or inaccurate information encounters issues that become engrained or baked in to the project documentation. As the project moves from one phase to the next, these issues become more complex and their impact on the overall success of the project becomes larger and more costly to fix.
Early detection of construction variances reduces costs and enhances overall project performance.
A large percentage of errors in construction occur during the building process, resulting in costly rework and adversely affecting the overall performance of the project. Reality capture technologies allow faster, easier, and more thorough collection of site information and help to identify potential clashes during construction. For example, laser scans can quickly create 3D models of the as-constructed conditions which can be compared to the measurements taken from the design to identify errors and omissions.
It is widely accepted that the cost of building ownership is heavily weighted towards operation and maintenance over the lifecycle of the asset.
Traditional methods of managing and operating real property assets no longer support the needs of today’s sophisticated building owner and their increasingly technology savvy staff. An overwhelming number of O&M workers are set to retire in the next 5-10 years and with them, a significant amount of institutional knowledge that is not documented anywhere will be lost. The emergence of new reality capture & computing technologies, combined with Building Information Modeling is providing building owners with data-rich digital models of their facilities that serve as a single, trusted source of information that supports computerized maintenance management systems, energy management systems, and building lifecycle/asset management systems.
SDMM Customer Advantage
SDMM’s Reality Computing Division provides customers the benefit of certainty by delivering reliable, current, existing conditions documentation as accurate 3D point clouds, virtual site access, existing conditions models for BIM, 3D models for CAD, realistic photo-models, and 2D plans of the built world that support all phases of project execution. Leveraging reality as the basis for design promotes confidence in the planning, review, analysis, design, construction, maintenance & operation of new and existing [building] assets.
BioVectra Inc.
Lindsay Construction
Windsor, NS
Servant Dunbrack McKenzie & MacDonald
Land Surveyors | Consulting Engineers
Office: (902) 455-1537, x240
Mobile: (902) 449-5307
Web: www.sdmm.ca
