Forums >> General Discussion >> Revit Project Management >> 3D Site Safety Plans in NYC

h3ltersk3lter

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Is there anyone in NYC on this forum who is currently making Site Safety Plans?

I have recently moved to NYC to begin a job doing this. I am a proponent of using Revit to make our Site Safety Plans as it seems like that is what the city prefers (and it also advantageous to get Revit experience at this point). It also seems like Revit is more accurate spatially, according to what I have read online.

To date my Revit use has been limited, but I want to make a transition now before it is "too late." My coworkers feel that we can do our 3D modeling in AutoCAD though, because it is just a Site Safety Plan and BIM is "overkill" for our purposes. I am interested in hearing others opinions on this so I can decide whether or not it is worth the "battle" to switch us over from AutoCAD to Revit.

We are still within our 30 day trial of AutoCAD 2016 so I have a little time. Site Safety is an area we are trying to grow into and I have been hired as part of that attempt. To that end, no one here has extensive experience interacting with the DOB on this issue.Any comments on the advantages/disadvantages of the CAD approach vs the Revit approach are appreciated and will help further my cause. Thank you!  

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WWHub

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You don't say what services you perform.   If you are using Revit normally or are in transition to Revit, then why would you ever mess around with CAD? 

No time like the beginning to start with Revit.

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h3ltersk3lter

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Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I am creating 2D Dept of Transportation logistics plans right now. We are looking to begin creating 3D site safety plans.

We have been using CAD, I want to transition to Revit, but there is resistence because it is viewed as overkill. All of this is just getting off the ground, and I am the new person, so I want to hear how other people in the city are making these plans so I can make my case. The process is as follows: 1) I create a 2D logistics plan for the Dept of Transportation that shows how traffic and pedestrians will be diverted around the site. 2) If required by law, I also create a 3D site safety model. These are for large buildings, and I will be working off of the model which has already been constructed by the other draftsmen for the excavation through superstructure phases of construction. 3) After creating Site Safety Plans we submit them to the Dept of Building for approval for our client. 

4) the Dept of Building reviews the plans in Revit and then they approve or deny the Site Safety Plan. 

5) I believe we will also be subcontracted to oversee site safety onsite during construction in conjunction with our creation of the plans, but this will not be my area of work, at least initially. 

Here is a checklist of everything required before the plan is submitted: http://www.nycsca.org/NewsResources/Resources/Safety/CLSiteSafetyPlanChecklist.pdf

I suspect that the issue, truly, is $$$. Sorry the formatting of my post is off, I just joined the site. I've mostly been a lurker until now.

Edited on: Thu, Jun 18, 2015 at 10:35:28 AM

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WWHub

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Maybe I wasn't clear.  

You want to transition to Revit and you are new to the requirements of NYC.  And you need to start with a 2D logistics plan.

So I say now is the time to start.   You can import any 2d cad stuff you already have and add Revit 2D to do your plan.   You need to learn Revit's 2D capability as well as 3D.   Once you do that, you will learn it is far easier than CAD's 2D.

Then if you also need the 3D you can move into that.

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h3ltersk3lter

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Still learning how to use this site *blushes*

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h3ltersk3lter

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"So I say now is the time to start.   You can import any 2d cad stuff you already have and add Revit 2D to do your plan.   You need to learn Revit's 2D capability as well as 3D.   Once you do that, you will learn it is far easier than CAD's 2D."

I completely agree. I'm a young professional and I know that I NEED to make this transition eventually, for my own career if nothing else. The roadblock being thrown my way when I casually bring it up to my superiors is as follows: "Revit is for BIM. We do not need to do BIM modeling. BIM modeling is to choose your materials and finishes. It is too in depth for site safety plans." But it seems to me that this is not a good excuse and that there are egos which are stake over having chosen to buy AutoCAD over Revit. Aren't all the draftsmen who are going to get me the models I work with in the first place going to be using Revit? Probably. So we will have to request DWGs but then the review by the city will be done in Revit. I am hoping that someone who already works on these kinds of plans can weigh in and tell me if they are getting by with AutoCAD to do this, or if Revit is actually necessary. I already understand that Revit is better. I'm trying to figure out if this is worth the battle. 

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WWHub

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We heard that same miss-information here as well.   Too many people don't understand that Revit is BIM and part of BIM is also 2D.  Because Revit is a complete package, 2D is fully available and it can be used in simple drafting views like CAD or in 3D views with or without any model elements.  

In other words, you can create a full set of 2D documents just like you did in CAD.   But Revit's CAD is far easier than CAD and you have the added benefits of everything in the same file as well as the fully coordinated documentation referencing.  All sheeted views report their location to all callouts!

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h3ltersk3lter

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Yeah I'm aware that you can draw 2D in Revit. I'm hoping to hear from someone else in the city who does this to see if CAD will suffice, because the people above me who will open the purse strings are rather sure of their decision to do this using AutoCAD and my own inexperience is not working to my advantage.  

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hkhusaibi

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Hi h3ltersk3lter - Glad I came across this post, I am part of a small team in NYC that heavily works with BEST Sq. specifically, the DOB and other agencies. We are mainly structural engineers for NB Projects, but find oruselves performing many demolition and major building alterations in the city that does require Site Safety Plans. I have recently made the transition myself to combination of Revit model and 2D Site Safety Plans and would be happy to share some experiences. Let me know and we can get in touch.

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