Prompt Consulting: 5 Tip to achieve successful MEP Coordination

If your building design theory is ‘First Time Right’ and you firmly believe in ‘Prevention is Better Than Cure’ than you will surely appreciate the value that BIM-based MEP coordination process brings to a design and construction project.

What is MEP Coordination?

MEP coordination is a method of the multi-disciplinary collaboration of three major design verticals of any building infrastructure, which are the structure, architecture, and MEP designs.

The active systems of the building i.e Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) and Fire Safety (FS) structures are fundamental components of any building.

The trades of MEPFS Coordination are:

• Mechanical System – HVAC Equipment and distribution like Cooling tower, Ducting, AHU, etc.
• Electrical System – Panels, elevators, transformer, switchboards, cable trays, etc.
• Plumbing and Sanitary System – Pumps, pool filtration equipment, Sump, water holding tanks, sewage pit, grease and sand traps, etc.
• Fire Safety System – Fire sprinkler pumps, sprinkler tanks fire shutter, smoke curtains, piping system, etc.
• Outside of Building – External works, rooftop, and external appearance of a building, etc.

Here are the top 5 tips that will help you achieve success in MEP coordination:

Step 1: Using Right MEP BIM Template

Load MEP BIM Template before the commencement of a new project. The template should be based on the company’s rules for each of the listed trades:

• Mechanical Services
• Electrical Services
• Plumbing and Sanitary Services
• Fire Protection Services

Step 2: Architectural Model Validation

Verify the coordinate of the Architectural design. It is necessary to have the same coordinates for both MEP and Architectural models before linking them. The best strategy is to use the “Origin to Origin” positioning option for setting both models.

Step 3: Prepare the MEP Model

Prepare MEP model each of the disciplines/trades – Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and cover all elements before linking them for coordination with other sub-disciplines within the primary file.

Coordination or collaboration between MEP sub-disciplines within the building are:

• Room by room (Below Raised Floor)
• Horizontal Space (Plenum)
• Vertical Space (Core Shafts)
• Level by Level (Story by Story)

Step 4: Run the Clash-detection

In Autodesk’s Navisworks any pair of disciplinary models are correlated together and by clicking on “Run Test”, it shows the report of the clashes happened between the coordinated model.

Step 5: Review and Resolve

In this step, we can know the ID of the component that clashes and resolve it in the Revit file.

Once all clashes/conflicts are resolved in the Revit file, you have to export it again, with the related name and in the same folder. When you reload the cache in the Navisworks, fixed clashes will resemble in the yellow in the “Resolved Section”. If any new clashes arise, they are classified in red as new.

Are you looking for reliable MEP consulting services for your business? Connect with the experts now: www.promptconsult.com/mep_consulting/