Designing and coordinating large-scale water infrastructure projects involves multiple stakeholders, disciplines, and complex challenges. Traditional methods of conducting design reviews can sometimes fall short, making it challenging to address conflicts, improve collaboration, and maintain focus on maintenance accessibility within tight project timelines. When faced with these challenges during the Metro Water Services (MWS) Process Advancements Project in Nashville, Tennessee, we saw an opportunity to try a new approach.
In partnership with Resolve, we introduced VR-based BIM reviews to address these pain points and enhance the design process. Resolve’s article, “How Carollo Engineers successfully scaled up VR BIM reviews across 18 companies,“ highlights how this innovative solution helped transform the review process and improve outcomes for a critical water infrastructure project.
Modernizing Nashville’s Water Treatment Infrastructure
The MWS Process Advancements Project represents a significant step forward in addressing aging infrastructure, improving resiliency and reliability, and increasing drinking water treatment capacity for Nashville. This initiative replaces facilities that date back to the late 19th century and will increase treatment capacity from 90 to 150 million gallons per day. With the scale and complexity of the project, integrating innovative solutions was essential to maintain a smooth and efficient process.
Utilizing Resolve’s VR BIM Reviews
Using Resolve’s technology on Meta Quest 3 headsets, our team introduced VR reviews to create a more interactive and engaging design experience. This approach allowed participants to immerse themselves in the design, offering valuable insights into critical aspects such as accessibility, maintenance, and overall functionality. The technology’s user-friendly interface and seamless integration with existing workflows made it possible for everyone involved—from project managers to plant operations staff—to actively contribute to the review process.
In just eight weeks, VR reviews became a standard workflow for the 18 companies involved in the project, resulting in improved collaboration, reduced design conflicts, and a more refined final design. This project demonstrated the potential of VR to improve collaboration and efficiency in large-scale water projects.
To learn more about this groundbreaking project, read Resolve’s full article.