The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) recently issued a series of documents for the purpose of integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) into new construction, substantial renovation, and major maintenance and improvement projects. The documents include Guidelines for Vertical and Horizontal Construction, an Appendix A: BIM Uses Guideline, and a BIM Roadmap poster, which are available at the Massport Capital Programs Resource Center (online at https://www.massport.com/business-with-massport/capital-improvements/resource-center/). The release of the guidelines is part of the Massachusetts Integrated BIM Initiative, an effort to determine the feasibility of establishing a single BIM protocol for all Massachusetts agencies and authorities.

The Massport guidelines will apply to all vertical and horizontal construction projects, as well as to tenant alteration application projects. Not surprisingly, as the estimated construction costs of a project increases, the level of BIM integration generally increases as well, although for horizontal utility and runway projects, the level of BIM integration is not dependent on cost. Design and construction professionals planning on bidding on Massport projects should familiarize themselves with the guidelines. Among other things, the 2014 Level of Development Specification published by the AIA and AGC is incorporated into Massport BIM projects. In addition, prime designers and contractors will need to designate BIM managers, who will work with Massport’s Design Technologies Integration Group to, among other things, ensure that the BIM guidelines are followed throughout each phase of a project.

In 2015, DCAMM released its own BIM Guidelines for Design and Construction, as well as a template BIM execution plan as an initial step toward the establishment of a single BIM protocol. Those design and construction professionals already familiar with the DCAMM guidelines may have a leg up on those who aren’t familiar with them, as the Massport guidelines incorporate portions of the DCAMM guidelines. For example, Appendix A of each set of guidelines contains similar-to-identical BIM Use Cases with detailed instructions for using the BIM Execution Plan Template. Both also include modeling requirements for existing conditions, system authoring, analysis and reporting, and design and constructability reviews.

Regardless of the delivery method used by Massport for a given project, it is clear that Massport is committed to using BIM in its projects going forward. Mastery of Massport’s BIM guidelines will be essential for those building industry professionals who plan to work on Massport projects.