Services | 3D coordination

Coordination process

After all the architectural, structural and trades layout are completed, we start the coordination process.

Our first step is to establish a general elevation for all trades. The ductwork is usually placed 3″ below the structure, or 3″ below the deck if no beams are crossing the duct. We place the lowest point of Storm and Sanitary pipes to be 3″ above the ceiling. This ensures they can slide below most other trades and still have enough space to jump up above other trades if needed and avoid clashing with beams at the end of the run. The vents are placed as tight to the structural elements as possible, so they can be above most other trades as well. HVAC piping is placed close to the ceiling as well. Domestic plumbing is done at a later time, sin

Once these basic elevations are set in place, we start looking through the model and move the trades with the less impact on other trades, to avoid as many offsets and change of elevations as possible. We start coordinating the biggest elements and finalize the branches later on. Our purpose is to keep all trades as flat as possible to avoid unnecessary changes in the flow and lower the cost of fabrication of all trades.

The coordination is then finished up with the branches.

Request For Information

Since we are starting with the coordination of the mains, this allow us to catch issues early in the construction process and send Request For Information (RFIs) at the beginning of the project.

It is crucial to send RFIs as soon as possible, especially since many buildings do not provide sufficient ceiling space to coordinate all the trades. This gives plenty of time for the Architect to review requests such as lowering ceiling heights or providing soffits to cover smaller areas.

Having 3D models available help showing areas of issues not only to the contractors hiring us, but also to the Design Team. This is why we now model systemically all projects, whether or not BIM is required, as it simplifies coordination and helps visualizing complex areas.