Rice Daubney's Fully Integrated ArchiCAD BIM Project is Chosen as the Australian Development of the Year

BUDAPEST – An award-winning design is the first commercial high rise building in Australia completely designed, constructed and handed over as a built model with asset management software using Building Information Modeling (BIM). The Ark Building, the Urban Taskforce 2010 Development Excellence Award winner designed by Rice Daubney, breaks boundaries, challenges traditions, and sets new design benchmarks.

Designed using ArchiCAD by GRAPHISOFT, the development of ‘Ark’ as a fully-integrated Building Information Model began with the consultants and designers, and continued through to the construction of the building. This ensured that the data embedded in the sophisticated BIM model could be used by the client for ongoing asset management and building performance. “BIM helped visualize a complex building design and allowed coordination of structure and services in a highly collaborative environment,” said Mark Shoolman, Project Architect at Rice Daubney.

In addition to its new approach to architectural form, with its dramatic folded shapes, the building excels in environmental terms as well through the use of Tri-generation. The building, which has achieved a 6 star Green Star rating, collects and recycles rainwater.

Conceived, designed, documented, and built using BIM, ‘Ark’ is testimony to the benefits of a true and complete BIM environment – from initial design conceptualization through to the construction process and end management of the building. “BIM continues to change the way our industry works and collaborates; virtual construction is the future and Ark is the first completed commercial high-rise building in Australia where all contractors have truly collaborated using BIM,” sums up Paul Reidy, Director of Design at Rice Daubney.

Rex Van Katwyk, engineer of Taylor Thomson Whitting, the structural consultant firm of the project adds, “This was the first time we used ArchiCAD and we had no issues at all building and sharing the structural model. It proved a very powerful and easy to use package.”