MEP Coordination and Installation Expertise

About Us

Why MEP Coordination?

Coordination between the various trades or construction disciplines is essential to the success of EVERY construction project built, from a dwelling to high rise, to a semiconductor fabrication plant and everything in between. All building elements are required and need to work harmoniously as one completed structure. Within and without the building envelope space is allocated for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and in some cases fire protection installation.

(MEPF) Each of these systems has it’s own design requirements and conditions under which they will properly operate, sometimes construction coordination is very simple and requires very little planning and coordination, other times it is a little like putting 8# of flour in a 5# sack, in that nearly every inch of space needs to be allocated. What has become the standard practice in these more complicated projects is to move away from simple 2-D overlays into 3-D models.

B.uilding I.nformation M.odeling is an outgrowth of Virtual Design and Construction which Autodesk defines as: “An intelligent 3D model-based process that gives architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.”

Most construction professionals tend to think of it as building a 3-D model on a computer, which is accurate on the surface, but we must always remember as with any program, “GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT” . Having directed BIM coordination efforts on a number of large scale projects I can tell you that not all coordination teams are created equal. There is a surprising (alarming?) lack of real world understanding of spatial relationships between the various MEPF elements, the method if installing those elements and the parameters for changing the initial design while maintaining design intent and remaining code compliant. Nearly every large project now has a very specific requirement for BIM coordination with budgets easily reaching 6 figures but not all projects reap the full ROI for the time and money invested by the owner .

A 2011 case study of ROI was published in the Journal Of Information Modeling from the National Institute of Building Sciences found that the average ROI was subject to wide variation and our experience shows that many projects have suffered in the field due to slow progress in the coordination impacting everything from procurement to execution. ROI calculations include factors like reduction in project schedule, errors found and corrected “on paper” before installation (productivity) , improved handover and project close out, fewer change orders, fewer RFI’s and design addenda, faster pricing and more. Recent research notes a correlation between different levels of BIM experience and ROI. High ROI is reported by a majority of high maturity BIM users, yet only by 20% of the low maturity BIM users. The huge cost shifter with BIM is the way we use it to put great tools in the hands of experienced construction professionals who understand the construction process.

In skilled construction trades candidates begin with an Apprenticeship, then after a number years of documented experience they can take a test to become a Journeyman. After several more years of documented experience one can take another test and become a Master. After decades as a Master they call you a Guru.

We at MEP Guru have hundreds of years of collective experience in the industry, we know how to run a coordination meeting to insure productivity and are prepared to bring our talents into focus for the success of your next project.