ZAMIL Structural Steel Company (ZSSC), a subsidiary of Zamil Industrial Investment Co. (Zamil Industrial) was recently chosen as the winner of the Tekla Middle East BIM Award for engineering excellence in the Steel category for its information modeling of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture project, located in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The final BIM product, a complex 3D model designed (steel connections) and built by the ZSSC engineering team, was chosen as the winner over the extensive efforts of many skilled and experienced fabricators from across the region. The main architectural concept of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture was visually conceived in the shape of pebbles seated in a sand dune, which has resulted in one of the most complex construction projects in the region. The center consists of a main plaza and a cluster of buildings that will include the auditorium, library, great hall, tower and keystone, and several secondary structures, such as the gatehouse and parking facility Upon completion in 2015, the center will contain a world-class library, archives, a lifelong learning center, a four-gallery museum and children's museum, and several cafes and gift shops. It will host youth enrichment and innovation programs, permanent and visiting exhibits, live events, and multimedia venues focused on culture and education. As the steel vendor for the project, ZSSC designed the innovative, heavy-duty joints required to support the structural steel elements. Participants used a series of previously provided geodetic coordinates in conjunction with the Tekla Structures engineering software to develop the 3D model of the center. In addition, ZSSC integrated into the model all the supports required for the facade, concrete, mechanical, electrical and other elements of the project. The 3D model built by ZSSC became the guide for the entire project. Other suppliers aligned their efforts, adding information in accordance with the model, but the major responsibility of coordination among all suppliers, vendors, contractors and the owner, in order to accurately design and detail the model, ultimately fell to the ZSSC participants. — SG
