Students add real-world dimension to their education

Not only are Buckeye engineering and architecture students helping create 3D models of College of Engineering buildings, they’re also gaining valuable skills that make them even more marketable to future employers.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Students participating in the Engineering BIM program scan campus buildings using a Lidar laser scanner. The scanner creates a point cloud of data, which can then be used by students to draft Revit objects using AutoDesk Revit software. This computer program allows the creation of objects in a 3D realm which can then be placed into a model with a focus on what’s behind the walls, such as electrical and plumbing lines and air-conditioning components.

“Working through this process of modeling, the students are gaining valuable insight on how a facility works,” said Mark Scott, the College of Engineering facilities manager. “Over a typical year, a student will learn how systems such as pressurized steam, chilled cooling water, fire protection, electrical, HVAC and other systems control, operate, and are placed in a building.”

Scott said the plan is for students to scan and create 3D models of 15 buildings across Ohio State’s main campus and West Campus.

According to Scott, the most important part of the program is to be able to virtually see above a ceiling or into a wall.

“The students are actually in mechanical rooms with the laser scanner. They're seeing all the pieces and parts and the spaghetti network of pipes and tubing that run everywhere,” Scott said. “Eventually, their job will be to coordinate all of that and to make it work.”

The BIM initiative not only teaches students skills they will use in the future, it also  provides the university with valuable information about furniture layouts, project funding, energy analysis and building renovations. The three-dimensional building models that BIM students like Jake Jezerski, who graduated with a bachelor’s in construction systems management, create save engineers, architects and contractors time when the decision is made to remodel a building on campus.

“Our goal was to show people and contractors what structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing is in our engineering buildings without having to demolish any part of the building system,” Jezerski said. “My position as a Revit draftsman has brought me experience and mentorship that will stick with me throughout my career.”

Networking is another benefit that students receive from the BIM Initiative. Aleah Westfall, an architecture master’s student, said that during her time as a student assistant, she met experts in the field that eventually led to full-time employment.

“Being part of this initiative has helped me create connections with professionals across Columbus. This experience has also developed my skill set and helped me with finding a job,” Westfall said in an email.

The BIM initiative is open to students across many different majors with different sets of skills.

When searching for students to join the program, Scott said he advertises to everyone. From architecture majors to students in the College of Arts and Sciences. He also reaches out to construction majors and engineers.

Students can learn more on the BuckeyeBIM website.

by Alex Andrews, College of Engineering student communications assistant