Kenneth Robson Center for Constructive Learning
BIM + Viz Lab
About the BIM + Viz Lab
The Kenneth Robson Center for Constructive Learning BIM + Viz Lab opened in 2017 and offers services for clients both internal and external to the university. Internal clients include students, faculty, and researchers across multiple areas and disciplines. External clients include contractors and designers working in the facility and transportation sectors of the built environment. The BIM + VIZ Lab space is designed with a central open area for teams to interact in an immersive virtual reality environment to support interdisciplinary teams as they interface with technology in the analysis of spatial, data, and temporal aspects of a facility or infrastructure model. The Lab is named in honor of OU Construction Science professor emeritus Ken Robson.
BIM + Viz Lab Services
Building Information Modeling (BIM) Services
Services listed are in accordance with the BIM Uses as defined by The National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3 Chapter 5.3 available here.
Asset Management
Process that utilizes the data contained in a record model to populate an asset management system for a facility or infrastructure.
Disaster Planning
Process in which emergency responders would have access to critical dynamic and static information about a facility or infrastructure that would improve the efficiency of the response and minimize the safety risks.
Site Utilization Modeling
Process in which BIM is used to graphically represent both permanent and temporary facilities or infrastructure on site during multiple phases of the construction process.
Record Modeling
Process used to depict an accurate representation of the physical conditions, environment, and assets of a facility or infrastructure.
Cost Estimation
Process in which BIM can be used to assist in the generation of accurate quantity take-offs and cost estimates throughout the lifecycle of a project.
Existing Conditions Modeling
Process in which a project team develops a 3D model of the existing conditions for a site, facilities on a site, or a specific aspect of a facility or infrastructure. This model can be developed in multiple ways: including laser scanning and conventional surveying techniques.
Construction System Design (Virtual Mockup)
Process in which 3D System Design Software is used to design and analyze the construction of a complex building system (e.g. form work, glazing, tie-backs, etc.) in order to increase planning.
3D Control and Planning (Digital Layout)
Process that utilizes an information model to layout facility assemblies or automate control of equipment’s movement and location. The information model is used to create detailed control points aid in assembly layout.
3D Coordination
Process in which Clash Detection software is used during the coordination process to determine field conflicts by comparing 3D models of building systems.
Design Reviews
Process in which stakeholders view a 3D model and provide their feedbacks to validate multiple design aspects.
Site Analysis
Process in which BIM and GIS tools are used to evaluate properties in a given area to determine the most optimal site location for a future project. The site data collected is used to first select the site and then position the building based on other criteria.
4D Phase Planning
Process in which a 4D model (3D models with the added dimension of time) is utilized to effectively plan the phased occupancy in a renovation, retrofit, addition, or to show the construction sequence and space requirements on a construction site.
Laser Scanning Services
3D laser scanning is a reality capture solution used to create a digital twin of an object, facility, or infrastructure. The scan can be extended to include the surrounding environment for context. The scanner and software provide for real time on-site registration of the scan data to accelerate reality capture and create HDR quality images.
Visualization Services
The BIM + Viz Lab offers visualization services to internal and external clients seeking a stereoscopic virtual environment for individual or team reviews of a simulated facility/infrastructure. The Lab provides project teams a synchronous experience where each participant is immersed in a common virtual view and location within the simulated environment. This shared team experience can lead to improved understanding and solutions during design reviews and coordination meetings.
Gallery
Laser Scanning
Design Review
4D Phase Planning (Video)
Media (Sooner Magazine)
People
Dr. Tamera McCuen
Director of the BIM + Viz Lab
Robert E. Busch Endowed Professor of Construction Science
Email: tammymccuen@ou.edu
About
Dr. McCuen was an early adopter of BIM in higher education and has actively participated in the development of BIM standards and processes for the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry through her work with the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Association for Advancement of Cost Engineering. She has published more than 70 articles and technical reports on BIM; is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences; and has delivered over 25 training workshops and continuing education seminars for AECO professionals and academicians. Tamera was awarded the Building Information Modeling Award for Curriculum Development by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Technology in Architecture Practice in 2008 and has been recognized twice by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) for her leadership of the BIM technical committee and work toward the development of information exchange to support BIM use for cost estimating. Before academia, Tamera worked in the construction industry as a cost estimator and project manager. Her first job in the construction industry was testing early BIM software at a beta site in 1992.
Select Publications
Co-author Guide to the BIM Body of Knowledge: Metric, KSAs, and Learning Outcomes of Developing BIM Talent, John Wiley & Sons (expected date of publication – March 2021).
Co-author of Building Information Modeling Body of Knowledge Part II: Consensus Building & Use Cases, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(8), August 2018.
Co-author of Building Information Modeling Body of Knowledge Part I: Background, Framework & Initial Development, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(8), May 2018.
Co-author of The BIM Body of Knowledge (BOK): A Delphi Study, June 2017.
Co-Principal Investigator and author of Building Information Modeling for Airports, Airport Cooperative Research Program Synthesis 70, sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration, May 2016.
Contributing author for the National BIM Standard® – United States Version 3, Chapter 5.2, July 2015.
Contributing author for the BIM for Cost Estimating Study Guide by the Association for the Cost Engineering Professional certification by the International Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering, May 2013.
Contributing author for the National BIM Standard™ – United States Version 2, Chapter 5.2, May 2012.
Select Workshops and Continuing Education Programs
Trends and Impacts of BIM Collaborations on the Built Environment and Society, Keynote, Real Smart Cities International Workshop, Dublin, Ireland, March 2019.
BIM and High-Performance Building Construction, Keynote, Knowledge in Sustainable Construction Practice Research Group, Technological University Dublin, Ireland, March 2019.
BIM Beyond Design, a series of 8 continuing education sessions delivered to COFICO Construction, Vietnam, American Society of Engineers, spring 2018.
BIM Job Task Analysis Review, BIM Symposium, National Institute of Building Sciences, April 2015.
BIM Capability Maturity Model Use, buildingSMART alliance, May 2010.
Building Information Modeling: A New Approach for the Building Design and Construction Industry, continuing education sessions, delivered in Albany, NY; Buffalo NY, and New York, NY, Institute for Design Professionals, spring 2009.
About
Emad joined the BIM+Viz Lab as a graduate assistant in the fall of 2019. He assists with 3D modeling; integration of GIS and BIM; and developing virtual reality experiences. His research interests include BIM-GIS integration; virtual reality use for workforce development; and 3D simulations. Emad is pursuing a Ph.D. in Planning, Design, and Construction with a Construction Concentration. He received his bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamadan, Iran, and his master’s degree in Project Management and Construction from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran.
