Torre Galfa: BIM in Plant design

A Challenging Case of Plant Design


After 16 years of disuse, the redevelopment and enhancement project of the tallest building in Milan was launched, with the aim of recovering and enhancing one of the most important icons of modern architecture.

Incide Engineering was commissioned by Cefla (Contractor of plant engineering works) for the executive design of the electrical and mechanical plants, through the use of BIM methodologies. The Client Unipol Assicurazioni SpA expressly requested this methodology in order to receive an information model to be used in the subsequent Building Management phase.

Galfa Tower: Plant Design

The design of the systems was particularly challenging due to the type of building (a 100-meter tower), the multifunctional intended use and the limited space available, which were resolved in the use of BIM design.

The possibility of designing on an architectural model created by laser scanner survey has allowed to have a certain and always available geometric base, which has been the strength of a project that has allowed the integration of architectural and plant solutions and to win the challenge of such a complex construction site. In particular, the technological centers, located in the basement, had to be studied in detail, to manage very compact spaces and the components to be transported and installed in their position.

The BIM model, divided by geographical areas and by disciplines and subdisciplines, made it possible to manage all these problems and provide the construction site with information not only on paper for subsequent installation.

The design of the brackets, carried out in the earthquake-resistant field, was in turn a challenge to be able to find compatibility in very small spaces, corridors and false ceilings crowded with a variety of systems, and this was only possible through the management of the project in BIM model.

The integration between the designer and the builders will be increasingly crucial for the development of the digitalization process of the project and the built.

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