Why are coordination drawings important for MEP design? What are coordination drawings in construction? Coordination drawings are very much an important part of the Architecture, engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. BIM coordination is used to coordinate between architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire fighting services. A well-coordinated MEP system is essential for design-build projects. It guarantees the precision of the model, leading to a more productive building process. Due to less time spent coordinating, and designing, prices are reduced and errors are eliminated. Let us look at various types of MEP coordination drawings: ·
Mechanical/HVAC coordination drawings: Building mechanical/HVAC systems can have their detailed layouts and technical specifications simplified with the use of mechanical coordination drawings. · Electrical coordination drawings: Electrical coordination drawings are technical representations of a facility's electrical system or its component parts that have been clash coordinated to ensure they will function as intended once installed. · Plumbing coordination drawings: The purpose of plumbing coordination drawings is to clearly convey the design intent to the plumbing contractor and the engineers working on the project by depicting the plumbing system's clash coordinated layouts. · Fire protection coordination drawings: Fire protection coordination drawings play a crucial role in streamlining the process of installing fire safety equipment in a building.
Benefits of coordination drawings for MEP design. ·
Improved collaboration
MEP coordination drawings created using BIM helps in improved collaboration between mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services, along with architectural and structural services. Traditional drafting methods like CAD never had a collaborative design process. Various stakeholders of building design can use the interoperability of BIM softwares like Autodesk Revit for improved collaboration. ·
Improved visualisation
Coordination helps in error free and improved visualisation of the building. Various stakeholders of the building including owners, and construction managers can easily find errors or ask for changes because of improved visualisation. When design concerns and clashes are resolved early on in the process, it leads to a reduction in the number of errors that occur later on in the building process. ·
Improved readability
The readability is increased for owners, and non-technical workers in the project. So the construction will get smooth and streamlined. MEP coordination helps in creating clash coordinated readable shop drawings for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services. This helps construction