Vela Systems is pleased to announce that it has been nominated for the AIA (The American Institute of Architects) Technology in Architecture Practice or “TAP” – BIM Award , for its real-time BIM and RFID-enabled project management technologies, in cooperation with Tekla and Skanska USA Building, Inc. on the New Meadowland’s Stadium project. “The AIA Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Knowledge Community serves as a resource for AIA members, the profession, and the public in the deployment of computer technology in the practice of architecture. TAP monitors the development of computer technology and its impact on architecture practice and the entire building life cycle, including design, construction, facility management, and retirement or reuse.” (From the AIA).
The design-build contract for the New Meadowland’s Stadium project is part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The new stadium replaces the existing Giants stadium and is the largest privately-funded stadium in U.S. history. The $1-billion stadium will be the future home of two NFL teams – the New York Football Giants and the New York Jets. The 1.9 million-square-foot stadium technologically advanced open-air stadium will seat about 82,500 spectators, including 200+ luxury suites. The project will be completed for football season 2010. Worldwide construction provider, Skanska (Skanska USA Building in the U.S.), is the design-builder; Philadelphia-based architect and MPE engineer-of-record EwingCole and New York-based structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti are design-build team members. Kansas City-based 360 Architecture was the design architect. The stadium will also be used for concerts, entertainment, and other sports activities.
Design-build team employed experiences from previous Skanska stadium projects, including Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts and Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, in addition to the interoperable technologies of Tekla Structures and Vela Systems. A critical part of the design and construction of the stadium included approximately 3,000 structural pre-cast concrete components, manufactured by High Concrete in Denver, Pennsylvania and its subcontractors in New Jersey. These pre-cast components form the seating bowl. Managing and controlling the pre-cast concrete supply chain is crucial to on-time project delivery, within budget and to the specified quality.
To successfully deliver the high profile stadium project within the aggressive time frame allowed by the project schedule, extremely collaborative and communicative cooperation was demanded among all members of supply chain. The design, shop drawings and mock-up approval, fabrication, delivery and assembly of essential building components – the structural pre-cast concrete seating bowls planks – was instrumental to successful performance.
The solution – a combination of BIM and RFID technologies – enabled real-time, supply-side transparent visibility, quality control and quality assurance, just-in-time project delivery and coordinated schedule management across the value chain. Design-builder Skanska, key subcontractor High Concrete, design partners EwingCole and Thornton Tomasetti, subcontractors and sub-consultants leveraged the power of an interoperable solution – Tekla Structures building information modeling (BIM) seamlessly integrated with Vela Systems RFID materials management. The solution enables the project team to capture, control and share important, field-related materials management information. Then, the team visualized real-time construct-ability information in one centralized platform, in a 4-dimensional context — the animated BIM model in Tekla Structures.
About Vela Systems, Inc.:
Vela Systems is The Leader in Field Software for the AEC Industry™. Vela Systems software streamlines and accelerates all field processes in construction and capital projects. By replacing their field notebooks with Vela software and Tablet PCs, Vela’s customers save 4-8 hours per week per user, accelerate project delivery by two days per month, capture the true cost of quality and reduce litigation risk through standardized documentation. Industry leading architects, engineers, contractors and owners agree that Vela Systems helps them Work Faster, Collaborate Easier, and Finish Sooner™. To see how Vela’s customers are improving construction delivery from Las Vegas to Dubai, please visit www.velasystems.com.
