The Detail Design Phase of the Marlborough Hospital Cancer Pavilion project has just finished, meaning that the majority of the design decisions and validation have been worked out by the project team. Additionally, the team has begun making material selections, based on S/L/A/M’s design options, helping to further shape the design. The interior will feature light-hued wood accents and specialty art ceilings in the treatment areas. The infusion section will look out onto a landscaped healing garden which is expected to incorporate fountains and pieces of sculpture. Finish work for the Linear Accelerator and CT Simulation rooms will include custom millwork to enclose the medical equipment.

Parallel to the design process, we have begun bringing contractors on board for the Fire Protection, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing systems. Contractors will begin their processes by utilizing the Fitzmeyer & Tocci developed BIM, and working backwards from the devices down to the distribution, in order to assist with their design drawings.

Tocci Building Corporation has been implementing Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) since 2006. We have moved past the BIM basics (clash detection, quantity extraction, and logistics) and are well on our way to a total transformation of how we execute our projects. We are expanding our team to support current work, pave the way for new utilizations of BIMs (like field layout, code checking, high performance building analysis, rapid prototyping and building operations), and define new project relationships under IPD contracts.

Job Title: Virtual Design & Construction Manager

Position Description: The VDC Manager’s main responsibility will be overseeing all BIM strategies and activities for a life sciences campus that Tocci is currently managing. This includes directing overall project BIM strategy, ensuring standardized implementation across all buildings within the campus, directing management and supervision of the four modelers on the project, and developing and implementing “FM BIM”.
The project currently uses a variety of software, including Autodesk Revit, Bentley Navigator, Tekla Engineering, Solibri, fabrication-specific software, and other VDC software programs. Since new VDC software comes out every day, all team members test new software programs and functionality to make sure we are using the best out there.
The position requires a self-motivated, detail-oriented, open-minded, and dedicated individual that has an intuitive sense of the constraints and opportunities related to VDC. Successful candidates will be prepared to emotionally engage with Tocci and its projects. The VDC Manager will be based in Woburn, MA, but will also be required to work on the campus in Cambridge, MA. Future projects may require travel to jobsites and partner offices for co-location throughout the country (mostly in the Northeast). The position reports to the Director of Virtual Design and Construction.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage the campus team that is developing and coordinating BIMs, collocating with architects and training the construction team
• Direct VDC strategy and execution on the campus, and address potential/occurring delays and setbacks
• Ensure quality assurance/quality control on models
• Work with cost engineering staff to develop accurate and easy-to-use quantity takeoffs
• Work with project managers/visual scheduling to ensure high level of schedule optimization 
• Work with project managers and superintendents to guarantee models reflect as-built conditions
• Perform other tasks related to Virtual Construction implementation
• Understand and promote Tocci’s Virtual Construction process, and educate project partners as needed
• Participate in general office “chores,” such as emptying the dishwasher, moving boxes, decorating the Christmas tree, and re-stocking soda in the fridge– Tocci is very much a family, so we all pitch in

Qualifications:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in architecture or construction-related field or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years in building or design industry required; work experience with VDC or BIM using Revit, Bentley BIM, and ArchiCAD required
• Preference will be given to candidates who are Registered Architects or Registered Engineers, with experience on life sciences projects
• Strong written and verbal communication skills required
• Experience with team management and leadership required; supervisory experience of 5+ employees desired
• Excellent technical skills– using computers, the internet, and file sharing required
• Strong personal management skills, dedication, organization, and open-minded required
• Creative thinker with ability to work in a close knit environment with like-minded personalities

Tocci Building Companies is a progressive construction services firm providing construction management, design/build, real estate development, and preconstruction services. Tocci is housed in a restored 19th century mill building that blends old-world charm and contemporary design. Tocci staff members are dedicated professionals who work hard but relax together at weekly breakfasts, monthly lunches, and occasional cocktail parties. Tocci provides a supportive business environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits package.
Equal Opportunity Employer

Please submit resume, references, and salary history to: Laura Handler, Director of Virtual Design and Construction. Or, use our online job application form to apply now.

The Q5 team just got back from a whirlwind week of BIM in the UK: meeting with and presenting to contractors, owners, government agencies and designers. See the team’s activity below and read about it at the Q5 blog.

There has been a lot of discussion at Tocci in recent days about the scope of work defined in contracts and how advanced AECO professionals are expanding that scope without changing their contracts. Simply put, they are raising the standard of care they provide. Instead of talking about ourselves all the time we thought we would illustrate this point with a case study on DPR construction.

Building Information Model of the Sutter Health project

DPR Construction, frequently ranked in the top 50 general contractors in the country, is currently building a 130-bed, $320 million hospital project for Sutter Health in Castro Valley, CA. On this project, DPR, along with other project stakeholders (architect, engineers and key subcontractors) are working to meet specific shared project goals: 30% reduced design and construction schedule and $320M target cost to name a few.

The team is using many techniques to reduce waste and increase collaboration, and many of these techniques cross the lines of standard contracts. These techniques include the use of a “Big Room”, full team Value Stream Mapping and Direct Digital Exchange.

The team set up a “Big Room”, large enough for all key team members to collaborate face-to-face. Representatives from the 11 key stakeholder companies would travel from all over the country every two weeks to collocate for 3 days. They review design, assess the schedule, map the workflow and update the budget. When all parties are brought together, work not only gets done much faster and eliminates extra levels of red tape and hierarchy, but the team is incentivized to streamline workflow, to make the most of the face time by working solely toward the goals of the project, and not individual company concerns.

Value Stream Mapping was used to optimize the team’s compressed schedule. Similar to Lean Construction pull-scheduling, Value Stream Mapping looks at downstream tasks to determine what needs to occur upstream. Because the entire team is present for all phases as Value Stream Mapping, non-value add tasks are easily identified and eliminated from the schedule. Rather than trying to preserve scope, team members focus on optimizing the overall project.

The design team and subcontractors set up what they called ‘Direct Digital Exchange’ to maximize the use of 3D geometry and data and minimize the creation of 2D drawings. This was most profound for mechanical and plumbing. The team worked out technical protocols to enable the design team to do early routing and calculations while the detailers focused on fabrication layout and details. The detailers’ work was incorporated into the final design drawings. The early success of this collaboration prompted the team to find other areas to utilize ‘Direct Digital Exchange’; one other example is the shared responsibility for drywall and exterior detailing between the architectural design team and subcontractors.

Last week one of Tocci’s VDC Modelers, Jeremy Garczynski,  was at the McGraw Hill Green BIM Conference in Boston. Among many things he was fascinated by a presentation from Zahner, a BIM-enabled wall panelizer specializing in metal surfaces. Head on over to Laura Handler’s blog to read a full report.

And while you are at it, check out the report she wrote from the Bentley Conference in Philadelphia. There are some really cool new ideas floating around in the BIM world!