Whether they are custom cladding elements for a grid-shell system, interior partition walls that are curved in two directions, wood panels to clad the interior of an auditorium, gutter elements on a complex building envelope, glass panels for a curved façade, cabinetry for a luxury hotel, or ductwork for the ventilation of a healthcare facility, fabricators require accurate data by which to design and engineer these architectural elements. Ultimately, they will need to generate the fabrication code to drive the machines used in manufacturing.
However, lead times in sourcing the materials, and the time required in manufacturing will often mean that the designs are complete before the building context into which the elements will be introduced is fully coordinated. For example, by the time it is determined that ductwork must be relocated to accommodate the enlargement of structural elements made necessary by the substitution of one piece of medical equipment by another one in a hospital, the cabinetry that will be need to be redesigned as a result of the repositioned ductwork may already be in production.
This type of scenario occurs often in construction and results in wasted materials, hastily improvised solutions, and delays to the construction schedule. The eventually completed work, instead of being a showcase of the fabricator’s capabilities becomes a compromised example of his work that opens the doors to disputes over quality of work and the retention of payments.
Syntegrate has the ability to accurately simulate the construction through Building Information Modelling, well ahead of the orthodox schedule for pre-construction design coordination. This has the benefit of identifying such design issues and resolving them at the right time. Once the context is coordinated virtually, the work of the fabricator can proceed with the risk of future changes minimized. Geometric data of the context required by the fabricator can be extracted from the BIM with a high degree of accuracy.
Moreover, the fabricator can use the BIM to design and model the elements for fabrication in 3D, in situ. Fabrication data to support the machine manufacturing process can be directly extracted from the BIM. Syntegrate has experience utilizing BIM technology to support the work of a variety of fabricators ensuring a coordinated finished product with a high level of quality, minimum waste and avoidance of costly delays.