On complex transportation and airport projects – especially design-build – BIM and VDC (Virtual Design & Construction) isn’t a “nice to have” anymore. It’s how we see problems early, make better decisions as a team and avoid those painful, late-stage surprises in the field.

But here’s what I’ve noticed over and over again:

The hardest VDC problems usually don’t come from the software. They come from how we use it as a team.

When VDC is treated as “the BIM team’s thing,” work becomes fragmented:

• The model lives on a server few people open
• Issues are discovered late, during a meeting, instead of during day-to-day work
• Field teams only hear about clashes when they’re already a problem

On the projects that go well, the mindset is completely different:

1. The Model Is a Shared Decision-Making Tool

The model isn’t a static deliverable. It’s a working tool that the whole team uses to:

• Walk through congested areas before anything is installed
• Visualize constructability and access (not just compliance on paper)
• Talk through options when design changes, instead of arguing in the field
• Align expectations between design, trades and operations

People know where the model lives, how to open it and who to talk to when something looks off. The project team should be as comfortable navigating the model as they are the drawings.

2. Coordination Is Choreography, Not a Blame Game

In tight spaces – ceilings, bathrooms, baggage handling areas – some systems have to lead and others naturally follow.

I’ve found it helps to frame this in a positive way:

• Lead trades (often mechanical ductwork, mechanical piping, plumbing, sprinkler, main electrical and key architectural/interior elements, often in that specific order) establish the main routes and clearances.
• Following (trailing) trades use the coordinated model to find their best routes around that framework, instead of competing for space after the fact.

When we talk about this openly from day one, it feels less like “who has to move” and more like choreography. Everyone understands the sequence they’re part of and why.

3. VDC Works Best When Field Voices Are In the Room Early

The best coordination I’ve seen happens when field experience shows up before major decisions are locked in:

• Trades are onboarded as early on as possible in the design process, with input from skilled draftsmen and project managers
• The GC/design-builder’s supers and project managers are invited into model reviews, not just handed results – bonus points for them being active members in the model review and coordination process
• Field constraints (lifts, access, sequencing, safety) are discussed while options are still flexible
• The model is used as a visual aid to walk through “how we’ll actually build this”

When field teams feel ownership of what’s in the model, it becomes a lot more than a 3D prototype. Instead, it turns into a realistic plan everyone trusts.

VDC works best when it stops being a specialized BIM exercise and becomes a part of the shared language for the project.

Megan Salazar is VDC manager at EnTech.