Design Detailing
OUR DESIGN DETAILING PROCESS
Anatomic Iron developed the design detailing process with a partner engineering firm starting in 2013, with the interests of accelerating the overall project schedule and lowering construction costs.
Under the design detailing process we complete the detailing under contract directly to the engineer who holds the design contract.
We start the detailing when the design is only 50% complete and work closely with the design engineer as the design is developed. In this way we can bring forward steel conflicts or other problems that later on would become RFIs in a traditional steel project. As a result, the issue can be resolved during the design phase in a very efficient process between only the engineer and the detailer.
MODEL APPROVAL WITH DESIGN DETAILING
With the design detailing process we use a model approval procedure using Tekla’s In-Model Reviewer platform so that we can keep all information centrally located and easily available on the project, in a very efficient process.
Under the design detailing process who the fabricator will be is unknown during the detailing procedure. This is why the steel is approved in a model environment rather than on shop drawings.
Then, once the project has been awarded to the fabricator, all we need to do is program the fabricator’s settings and generate the for fabrication drawings. The result is that the project can be released for fabrication within weeks of the fabricator being awarded the project, rather than after months as is the case in a traditional steel detailing project.
BENEFITS OF DESIGN DETAILING
The primary benefit of the design detailing process is that we can accelerate the project schedule immensely, since the detailing is completed during the design phase rather than after the design is complete.
Here is a comparison of the schedule of a typical project under the design detailing process vs the traditional detailing process:
All parties benefit under the design detailing process as it enables the fabrication process to be started earlier and the overall project is completed much faster. Here are some of the benefits:
| Benefits to Owner | Benefits to Engineer | Benefits to GC | Benefits to Fabricator |
| Project schedule significantly enhanced | RFIs through fabricator & GC eliminated | No steel RFIs thus less overhead costs | No RFIs thus less overhead costs |
| Building occupancy sooner thus investment revenue sooner | More efficient communication with detailer | Construction path shorter lowering field operating costs | More competitive quotes due to accurate material reports |
| More competitive quotes due to accurate material reports | Steel RFIs resolved during design stage rather than construction | More competitive quotes due to accurate material reports | Significantly enhanced project schedule improves profitability |
| Less delays and problems and less overall investment risk | No pressure from the GC to resolve RFIs during construction | Less field problems due to less revised steel | Fabrication can commence within one week of project award |
| Less extra cost claims from the steel trades | Control of the detailing contract | Less extra cost claims from the steel trades | Less delays and project problems |
| Owners rep spends less time on RFI issues during construction | Design drawings QC’d by detailer for conflicts and constructability issues | BIM process simplified as models built to the existing steel model | For fabrication drawings conform to shop standards |
If you have any further questions about our design detailing process please contact us via our contact page and we will be happy to provide further information for you.