The Sydney Opera House: Modeling the Opera Theatre AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community 3rd Annual Building Information Model Awards
Aerial photograph showing Opera Theatre location The Sydney Opera House : Modeling the Opera Theatre Over recent years an international partnership of architects and a local team of consultants including a structural engineer have been working closely on the review and study of the Opera Theatre interior as part of the Strategic Building Plan. Initially the architect and structural engineer used a single platform package to facilitate interoperability between their models. They were later joined on the same platform by the MEP engineer. The structural engineer and MEP engineer were both involved in the original building design and construction and therefore held large amounts of recorded information which was invaluable in creating the existing conditions Opera Theatre BIM. The architect was responsible for modeling all architectural finishes, such as acoustic paneling within the theater auditorium, bronze elements, and precast wall and floor finishes. The structural engineer was responsible for modeling all structural concrete walls, floors, major beams and columns, auditorium seating bowl and roof shell structure. Cutaway section through the Opera Theatre Due to the complex nature of the acoustic paneling throughout the auditorium, a building surveyor was engaged to create a 3D laser scanned survey. This gave a plus/minus 20mm accuracy point cloud which was then converted into a surface model. This provided a base model to create the acoustic panel model for use in acoustic analysis software. Opera Theatre acoustic panel laser survey 2
Running in parallel, the structural engineer completed the auditorium bowl structural model. Survey data in both 2D and 3D was constantly reviewed to identify where deemed as-built information could give misleading results and require re-interpretation. Existing primary mechanical duct runs were modeled in and around the Opera Theatre auditorium to assist in establishing where new plant rooms and duct runs could be located, and their often complex relationships to surrounding structural and architectural elements. It has long been a problem for the Opera House to follow the paper-trail of existing structural and architectural documentation for any part of the building. Therefore the opportunity was taken, along with the digital modeling, to introduce a tagging system of drawing information. Addition of description tags to model elements This proved of great benefit as structural and architectural components held invisible descriptions of the source of drawing information for that element e.g. a wall was given a tag with its unique number from the original construction drawing documentation as well as from all associated reference information. These component description tags could then be reported on with a custom written script, making the model a library of drawings as well as a documentation model. 3
The BIM holds all of this information which can then be extracted in the form of a HTML report that contains hyperlinks to a pre-created CD of all the structural and architectural drawings in TIFF format. With one mouse click the relevant component drawing can be displayed, removing the need for a tedious search through drawing registers. One of the most significant achievements with this complete BIM process is the linking of the structural model directly to the Opera House master door schedule. This schedule indicates fire compartmentation, designation of space as well as functional use of that space. For example, by attaching the official door number designation in the master door schedule database with the unique identifier tag from the structural model door component, a direct link between the model and database was achieved. Hyperlinked drawings from BIM By using this linked method it is possible to locate a door number in the external FM database and immediately open the database which holds all the information about the wall containing that door, as well as compartmentation of the space and all asset and facility management information. This system is bi-directional, either working from the BIM to the FM database or from the FM database to the BIM. Future links will allow direct connection to FM / asset management software packages. 4 BIM database linkage
Various interior schemes used in preliminary investigations The benefit of this integrated process is that the client can use the BIM for documentation as well as building management, therefore creating a powerful interactive window between the physical model and the building information data sets. Once the combined structural and architectural model of existing conditions had been completed, studies were then carried out on a wide range of potential re-configurations of auditorium surfaces, within the overall constraint represented by the shell roof. This integrated modeling process was invaluable in the documentation of the schemes, to show where the existing structure remained, where the new structure was introduced and how high-level work might relate to the underside of the shell roof. 5
Acoustic analysis, fire simulation analysis, evacuation and egress modeling, then used exchange of model information via IFC 2X3 format or by simple DXF to the non IFCcompatible analytical packages. Experiments have also been conducted using extensive data exchanges via IFC2X3, and there is now a concurrent Archicad and Revit Structure model exported from the original Bentley structural and architectural models being currently utilized by other consultant team members. Regarding other improvement projects at the Opera House, the recent addition of the western foyer colonnade was fully modeled in advance for the purpose of construction documentation. Pre-existing structural conditions were also modeled to improve coordination of the new work with the old. Further work is now planned for renovation of the western foyers, an area running most of the length of the western side of the Concert Hall, and this will use the same method. Queen Elizabeth formally opened the Western Colonnade on 13 March 2006. Internal image of Western Foyers External image of Western Colonnade 6
Perspective Isometric cutaway of the Opera Theatre Current work within the Opera House Facilities Management Group involves designing a web-based intranet and internet system which will use the continually growing BIM as a backbone. The intention is that all information held by the Opera House, and generated by external consultants and sub-contractors, will be loaded into a central server database. Both Opera House staff and external consultants and contractors will be able to access this large composite set of building information. This process will also allow the possibility of data mining that may reveal seasonal trends, and earlier identification of potential operational problems. The days of using 3D models just to generate 2D documentation are fast disappearing, and as BIM technology develops we will approach true integration. Clients can then look forward to improved confidence in design documentation, in predictive modeling, and in management of building operations during the life of the asset. In the case of the Sydney Opera House, this is an asset which has a life cycle in excess of 250 years. Mark Arkinstall 7