Lack of communication and poor project management was to blame

The failure to properly use building information modelling on the construction of a life sciences building in the US has led to what is believed to be the first ever legal case caused by the technology.

Randy Lewis, a vice president of XL Insurance, said that problems occurred when the M&E engineer failed to tell the contractor that the building’s M&E systems needed to be very tightly installed into the ceiling plenum. This failure meant the contractor ran out of space 70% of the way through assembly.

“The MEP systems were modelled [using BIM] however 2D documents were produced for construction, a practice that is typical for firms or teams new to BIM,” he explained.
Poor project management and a lack of meeting documentation were also to blame, he said.

The parties involved wished to stay anonymous and settled out of court for “millons of dollars”, split between the firms, Lewis said.

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