NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 20259ELECTRICAL BUSINESS REVIEWdesign review meeting at a wastewater plant in New Jersey. The plant was installing a new belt press in an existing building. There was some concern by plant operators about the size of the belt press in the area it was supposed to sit and their ability to maneuver around it for access and maintenance purposes. After explaining the capabilities of Mixed Reality to the plant team, they decided to give it a try. During the site review, multiple team members from the plant, engineering firm and Bowen reviewed the model showing the equipment, valves and piping in full scale where they were designed to be placed. The initial goal of providing a level of comfort of the space around the new equipment was accomplished and there were no changes made to the equipment placement. However, as people continued to review other areas of the project, there was concern about some pipe routing and valve placement in the design. Early in the design process, some plant operators requested a particular valve be placed at chest level for easy hand wheel operation. When viewing the model on a screen, the pipe routing and valve placement looked acceptable, exactly according to the initial request. Utilizing Mixed Reality, it was obvious the requested location provided very little space to maneuver around the pipe and valve in the area it was placed. After further discussion, all parties agreed that moving that run of pipe approximately 10' higher along the ceiling and putting a chain on the wheel of the valve was a much better design. The design model was updated accordingly and that's how the work was installed on site. This process increased collaboration, reduced RFIs and eliminated rework since a request to move that pipe and valve would've still come by the plant operators, but only after it was already installed in place.Since that first design review using Mixed Reality, Bowen has used the technology to assist with many other design reviews with Owners and Engineers. The feedback that is received after each review always makes the process well worth it. There have even been some larger projects that have utilized the technology weekly to review design changes as the models are updated. This specific scenario is helpful on fast paced design build projects where construction is occurring on site as the final design continues to change. Bowen has increased their Mixed Reality capabilities by investing in additional hardware and software as the technology continues to develop. Mixed Reality has proven its value and will continue to be a frequently used tool for the Bowen team.
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