’co-operate’ times two

The buildings of the future campus in a digital model: Under the laboratory building on the right, you can see the foundation pillars that transfer the loads to deeper soil layers; on the left, geothermal probes go even deeper. Image: Cadmec AG / Empa - Digital construction using Building Information Modeling - BIM for short - is a trend for the future: more efficient, less expensive and more transparent, from design to operation of the building. The new Empa and Eawag research campus is now being built with the help of a digital twin, which will also simplify facility management of the new buildings. Around 3,800 cubic meters of concrete for foundations and floor slabs under the building, more than 2,450 square meters of windows and almost 13,000 meters of electrical cables: information about the current planning status of the future Empa research campus, delivered with just a few mouse clicks - with the help of a digital model. This is the nucleus for a completely virtual twin that makes detailed planning, execution and operation more efficient. Building services in the new laboratory building: The heating systems are shown in orange, ventilation in blue, sanitary systems in red and electrical lines in yellow. Image: Cadmec AG/ Empa - This way of working is based on the BIM method, which has become increasingly important in recent years (see info box).