The Metro District is the largest wastewater treatment facility in the Rocky Mountain West, currently handling about 150 million gallons of wastewater a day. The service area includes a population of nearly 1.7 million people and encompasses approximately 715 square miles, including Denver, Arvada, Aurora, Brighton, Lakewood, part of Westminster, Wheat Ridge, and Thornton, together with about 40 sanitation and water and sanitation districts in the metropolitan Denver area.

To address the need for expanded capabilities, Metro Wastewater has embarked on the design and construction of a new $250 million Northern Treatment Plant to serve 300,000 residents. Phase 1 of the project will be completed in 2015, and will bring on line an additional treatment capacity of 24 million gallons per day.

Aspenhills Consulting was chosen to act as the owner’s independent BIM/VDC consultant to the team of CH2M Hill (the design/build contractor), and Carollo Engineering/Jacobs Engineering who are acting as the owner’s program manager. The scope of work will extend through both the design and construction phases of the project into 2015.

Because the owner wanted to obtain maximum value from the use of BIM processes both during the design/build process, as well as the possible use of the technology for future maintenance systems, they decided that an independent expert was required to assist the team. Aspenhills Consulting will represent the owner to set BIM standards and to create a BIM/VDC execution plan. We will also provide process oversight through attendance at project design meetings, and monitor compliance by all team members. Services also include acting as BIM/VDC quality control agents with the District’s Engineering/Drafting Department at each major design milestones.

Being the first project that the District has undertaken where there are outlined VDC goals as well as a model deliverable throughout the project, we will provide the District’s staff education on how to work in a model based project environment. Education will be for the District’s staff on the process required for a successful VDC process as part of a Design-Build project delivery.

Despite the BIM/VDC knowledge of any one member of an owner/designer/contractor team, the maximum R.O.I to the owner is only reached through the holistic, coordinated application of these tools and processes. Employing an Independent BIM/VDC Consultant, such as Aspenhills Consulting, as an extension of the owner’s staff, provides an advanced knowledge base that spans across all team members. The silo effect is broken down as an agent for efficiency, quality and value is assisting and monitoring the process throughout.