Casey Chaisson
MEP Force is quickly approaching, and — like many industry events this year — it’s going virtual.
Starting on August 31, this three-day event is the only virtual conference entirely focused on Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) that features new technology trends in fabrication, prefabrication, Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), Industrialized Construction and more.
MEP contractors and engineers can benefit from nearly 80 virtual sessions led by top industry professionals and innovators. The on-demand format allows attendees to create customized experience—whether you’re an experienced BIM manager looking to enhance project performance, or new to Revit and need some tips to get started.
No matter where you are in your BIM journey, here are five sessions at this year’s event that are sure to make an impact:
#5 | Basic Revit Families: How to Start Building Your Own Equipment Content
If you recently moved from AutoCAD to Revit (or are planning to in the future), then this class is a great starting point. Chris Overholt, Design Manager at Comfort Systems USA, will cover some of the very basics of building equipment content in Revit. You can expect to learn how to build an entire equipment family from scratch using the Revit Family Editor to create loadable content.
#4 | Design to Fabrication
When an engineering firm and mechanical contractor work together everybody wins. With this session, you can see real-world applications and benefits of conducting coordination at the same time as design. Chris Hronek, a Sheet Metal Worker at Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc. and Patrick Fernbach, Lead Associate at KLH Engineers will walk through examples of how they have worked together to eliminate confusion and deliver better projects.
Learn more ahead of the session about the success KLH has recognized with their shift to Revit-based workflows and how they are extending the benefits to all project stakeholders. Watch the video:
#3 | Leverage Revit Model Data to Support Accuracy in Bidding and Estimating
Expedite your manual processes and learn how to improve speed and accuracy of bidding and estimating using model data. Michael Albanese of KLH Engineers and Mark Petrucci of Applied Software Technology will give you a comprehensive understanding of how to incorporate Revit earlier in your workflow and how to establish confidence in the data provided from a Revit model.
Realize the efficiencies of automation and data-driven digital workflows and how establishing a digital deliverable provides value to other stakeholders in the value stream.
#2 | Day 3 Keynote: The Comprehensive MEP Workflow
The conference will culminate on Day 3 with key leaders from Autodesk, GTP Services and eVolve MEP revealing the details of our new partnership, which delivers the most comprehensive offering of MEP solutions to mechanical contractors.
“This new partnership provides a more cohesive offering for MEP trade contractors making the transition to BIM”
Steve Butler, Sr. Industry Strategy Manager, Autodesk
This new partnership gives MEP contractors a better way to execute on their construction projects. The tools provided by eVolve MEP offers much-needed efficiency to existing Revit workflows, while GTP’s Stratus extends model-based capabilities into pre-construction and lean project execution.
Together, these integrated workflows deliver next-generation MEP solutions to ease the transition to BIM and into the future of prefabrication.
Featured Keynote Speakers:
- Clay Smith, CEO of eVolve MEP
- Amanda Comunale, COO of GTP
- Ian Molloy, Senior Product Line Manager MEP and Building Performance Analysis at Autodesk
- Steve Butler, Senior Industry Strategy Manager at Autodesk.
- Martin Schmid, Product Manager – MEP Design and Fabrication at Autodesk
#1 | Day 1 Keynote: The Rise of the Subcontractor
Headlining this year’s event is Autodesk’s Head of Industrialized Construction Strategy & Evangelism — Amy Marks, the “Queen of Prefab”.
In her previous role as CEO of XSite Modular, Amy defined the language and processes that are now adopted by companies, countries, and builders around the world to enable and optimize prefabrication as a subset of industrialized construction.
Prefabrication is rapidly transforming the industry by helping projects deliver more predictable outcomes, and one group of subcontractors is already leading the way. MEP contractors have been scaling their prefabrication capabilities faster than most other stakeholders in the construction ecosystem. They have evolved and invested in prefabrication processes and facilities as both single-trade and multi-trade prefabrication has become standard practice.
It’s time to recognize the achievements of MEP subcontractors — the unsung heroes of prefabrication.
Learn more on this subject ahead of the keynote in Amy’s recently published article in Engineering News Record – MEP Subcontractors Exemplify the Rise of the New Manufacturer.
Don’t forget to register for your spot in one of these sessions on the MEP Force event site and check out additional speakers, presentations, and networking opportunities available this year.