Published by Daily Commercial News and Construction Record - Patricia Williams, Staff Writer

OTTAWA, June 26, 2008- "In an effort to get a handle on the potential benefits ..., Public Works and Government Services Canada is undertaking a pilot project in Ottawa."

This article details the government's decisions to use the rehabilitation of the former Bank of Montreal building as it's test project in Building Information Modeling (BIM). NORR Limited has been awarded the prime consultant contract for this work.

After assessing a number of possible projects to serve as a test for BIM, PWGSC determined that the work on the 4,000 square metre bank building was a project of sufficient size and complexity to be a reasonable test bed to illustrate the power of BIM in integrated design processes.

PWGSC's expectations for BIM use on this project include a reduced timeframe and minimization of potential design conflicts. Public Works is believed to be the first federal department to undertake such an initiative.