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December 2006
Mead & Hunt positions itself for the future
While the industry of architecture and engineering moves forward with the changing needs of the world we live in and our clients expectations, Mead & Hunt responds by improving our design processes and communicating concepts through Building Information Modeling (BIM), 3D Visualization, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®). This highly ranked national design firm has made a commitment to better serving clients through energy and environmental awareness and proper application of innovations and trends in design.
“We evaluated the technology and what it could do, and decided to adapt the software platforms and train our professionals throughout the firm,” says Paul Powers, Manager of Aviation Architecture. “BIM allows us to work in 3D, and has changed the way we approach building projects. It forces increased efficiency by globalizing the design process, and provides continuous and immediate analysis of project design, scope, and schedule. Adopting BIM into our practice has our employees operating at the cutting edge of professional design. Mead & Hunt is one of a small number of full-service professional firms that have fully embraced this technology.”
While architecture has been the primary practice for BIM with Revit Building and Revit Structures, the long awaited release of Revit Systems for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineers has recently been made available. Dan Dankert, BIM and CAD Manager at Mead & Hunt, has led the firm’s designers through the initial training and implementation phases in 2006, and along with our Architectural and structural designers is ready and eager to start incorporating the MEP disciplines.
Mead & Hunt also took the lead in bringing a 3D Visualization specialist into the firm as a full-time advisor to our designers. Vince Paske, ASAI, has taken the charge to leading Mead & Hunt – and its clients – to the forefront of design communications. Compiling data and information from every stage in the design process, Paske develops 3D renderings and animated interpretations of a project that not only preview the aesthetic design experience qualities, but give their clients a real-time experience by being able to imagine a facility’s functionality, access, and use – day or night.
“3D Visualization provides the ability to easily communicate ideas throughout the design process,” says Paske. “Visualizations engage clients in design decisions, enable sign-off on ideas faster, creating more confidence of what they will receive as the final product.” Clients are presented an interpretation that not only previews a finished product, but also prevents errors in scope or imagined outcomes.
Another area of forward thinking commitment from the firm’s leadership – and growing expertise among Mead & Hunt’s professional staff – is the attention to and awareness of the US Green Building Council, LEED®, and elements of green-inspired sustainable design. Roger Porter, PE, LEED® AP has developed the firm’s Green Leadership Program to share information and education to meet client and community based growing green building goals.
“Sustainability makes sense on so many levels – we want to be able to guide our projects to be responsive to current client needs yet consider the future impact of our facility designs” said Porter. The LEED® training and mentorship group is continuing to support employees through the exam process, with the goal of gaining LEED® accredited employees and applying that expertise to benefit clients.
Building projects are not the only beneficiaries of progress and technology in architecture and engineering. Surface, transportation, military bases, airports, and cities – all benefit from changes in the sciences of the design capabilities and processes. BIM, LEED®, Visualization, Geo-Base and Geographic Information System (GIS) software are used together to help Mead & Hunt’s clients achieve solutions to their regulatory, planning, analysis, and design needs through a full complement of software and extensive staff experience.
Mead & Hunt, named by CE News as one of the top 10 engineering companies to work for in the nation, provides professional services in architecture, historic preservation, and in transportation, infrastructure, and water resources engineering to clients throughout the US. Recently recognized as the fastest rising architectural and engineering firm by the Zweig Letter Hot Firm list, Mead & Hunt remains strong on the Engineering News Record’s Top 500 design firm list. Mead & Hunt is an employee-owned, privately-held corporation that employs more than 300 people in offices nationwide.
Read the article in Wisconsin Builder’s March 2007 issue about Mead & Hunt’s BIM expertise.
To see Mead & Hunt projects that use BIM and Visualization:
Aviation — New Passenger Terminal – Chippewa County International Airport
