Team Integration Helps Balfour Beatty Construction Deliver New Facility for Gateway Church
Dallas, TX, November 17, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Last weekend, Balfour Beatty Construction and Gateway Church celebrated a milestone two years in the making: for the very first time, members of the church attended services in their new, 4,000-seat Worship Center in Southlake, Texas.
For Gateway Church, the event marked the fulfillment of their vision to provide a new home for a congregation that has grown from 30 members to more than 18,000 in nearly ten years. Located on a 180-acre campus, the church’s new facility spans 205,000 square feet and features six auditoriums, including the worship center, with top-end audio and video systems and high-definition broadcasting capabilities.
Building information modeling (BIM) played a significant role in the project, and Robert Feille, senior project manager with Balfour Beatty Construction, credits the project’s success to the collaborative mind-set of Balfour Beatty, Beck Architecture, the client, and specialty contractors.
“When we began this project,” recalled Feille, “we all agreed that regardless of who was responsible for the BIM model, we would address all challenges as an integrated team and do what was right for the project.”
One such challenge arose when the team needed to install ceiling features and catwalks in the ceiling of the 200,000-square-foot worship center. “The ceiling is a wide expanse with no tangible reference points for the features,” explained Feille. “In the past, to build the ceiling features and catwalks correctly, contractors would have to spend weeks laying out complex chalk lines and possibly re-building things multiple times through trial and error.”
“To Beck Architecture’s credit,” Feille continued, “they told us, ‘Build it off the model; it’s right.’ So we did, and by extrapolating exact 3D coordinate points and using a theodolite to shoot in the ceiling elements and catwalks, we installed the ceiling features within millimeters of the designed locations. This saved us countless hours and helped make our project more efficient.”
In addition to BIM, the project team improved efficiency by maintaining an entirely paperless record set, electronically documenting all project information and completing submittals digitally. As a result, Balfour Beatty Construction not only eliminated all costs associated with printing and shipping submittals, but also delivered to the client a comprehensive, HTML-based digital closeout package, which included an operations and maintenance manual, warranty information, training videos, all project records, and the complete BIM model.
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About Balfour Beatty Construction
The growing Balfour Beatty Construction family—which today includes SpawMaxwell, Barnhart Balfour Beatty, and Charter Builders—provides commercial construction services through 2,100 professionals across the U.S. Through strong regional offices, the company provides general contracting, at-risk construction management, and design-build services for public and private clients nationwide. Balfour Beatty Construction is a Top 10 Green Builder and was recently named one of the 100 Best Companies To Work For® in the U.S. by Fortune magazine. The company is part of London-based Balfour Beatty plc, a global leader in professional services, construction services, support services, and infrastructure investment, with more than $18 billion in annual revenues. To learn more about the business and its subsidiaries, visit balfourbeattyus.com, spawmaxwell.com, barnhart-balfourbeatty.com, or charterbuilders.com.
Media Inquiries:
Connie Oliver
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Dallas, Texas
p: (214) 451-1066
e: coliver@balfourbeattyus.com
Project Inquiries:
visit balfourbeattyus.com/partners
For Gateway Church, the event marked the fulfillment of their vision to provide a new home for a congregation that has grown from 30 members to more than 18,000 in nearly ten years. Located on a 180-acre campus, the church’s new facility spans 205,000 square feet and features six auditoriums, including the worship center, with top-end audio and video systems and high-definition broadcasting capabilities.
Building information modeling (BIM) played a significant role in the project, and Robert Feille, senior project manager with Balfour Beatty Construction, credits the project’s success to the collaborative mind-set of Balfour Beatty, Beck Architecture, the client, and specialty contractors.
“When we began this project,” recalled Feille, “we all agreed that regardless of who was responsible for the BIM model, we would address all challenges as an integrated team and do what was right for the project.”
One such challenge arose when the team needed to install ceiling features and catwalks in the ceiling of the 200,000-square-foot worship center. “The ceiling is a wide expanse with no tangible reference points for the features,” explained Feille. “In the past, to build the ceiling features and catwalks correctly, contractors would have to spend weeks laying out complex chalk lines and possibly re-building things multiple times through trial and error.”
“To Beck Architecture’s credit,” Feille continued, “they told us, ‘Build it off the model; it’s right.’ So we did, and by extrapolating exact 3D coordinate points and using a theodolite to shoot in the ceiling elements and catwalks, we installed the ceiling features within millimeters of the designed locations. This saved us countless hours and helped make our project more efficient.”
In addition to BIM, the project team improved efficiency by maintaining an entirely paperless record set, electronically documenting all project information and completing submittals digitally. As a result, Balfour Beatty Construction not only eliminated all costs associated with printing and shipping submittals, but also delivered to the client a comprehensive, HTML-based digital closeout package, which included an operations and maintenance manual, warranty information, training videos, all project records, and the complete BIM model.
###
About Balfour Beatty Construction
The growing Balfour Beatty Construction family—which today includes SpawMaxwell, Barnhart Balfour Beatty, and Charter Builders—provides commercial construction services through 2,100 professionals across the U.S. Through strong regional offices, the company provides general contracting, at-risk construction management, and design-build services for public and private clients nationwide. Balfour Beatty Construction is a Top 10 Green Builder and was recently named one of the 100 Best Companies To Work For® in the U.S. by Fortune magazine. The company is part of London-based Balfour Beatty plc, a global leader in professional services, construction services, support services, and infrastructure investment, with more than $18 billion in annual revenues. To learn more about the business and its subsidiaries, visit balfourbeattyus.com, spawmaxwell.com, barnhart-balfourbeatty.com, or charterbuilders.com.
Media Inquiries:
Connie Oliver
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Dallas, Texas
p: (214) 451-1066
e: coliver@balfourbeattyus.com
Project Inquiries:
visit balfourbeattyus.com/partners
Contact
Balfour Beatty Construction
Connie S. Oliver
214-451-1066
http://balfourbeattyus.com
Connie S. Oliver
214-451-1066
http://balfourbeattyus.com
Contact
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