SPEAKER INTERVIEW: WILLIAM T. MANNARELLI

William will be speaking at The Big 5 Heavy this November. He will be giving a keynote session on "The BIM roadmap to the Espai Barça Project" at the RTA Innovation in BIM Summit 2019.

Here's what William T. Mannarelli, Director Real Estate, FC Barcelona revealed to us ahead of the event:

What are the benefits of 4D BIM scheduling?

1. Communication and Coordination:
​i. 4D models facilitate to communicate the plan
​ii. Makes face-to-face meetings more productive
​iii. On a construction level, helps to keep all trades on the same page and coordinated

2. Planning:
​i. We build it virtually and improve the sequence before building in reality (logistics, resources, construction sequence, etc.)
​ii. Confirm project plan is aligned with strategic and construction level
​iii. Manage risks by involving other project stakeholders early in the process

3. Project Monitoring: 4D simplifies the monitoring of everything that happens on site:
​i. All activities and materials on site can be traced and recorded in a simple and straightforward manner.
​ii. Project status can be represented on a model as a support for any meeting, and also be compared against planned status.

4. Conflict Prevention and Resolution:
​ i.The existence of a common-shared information model adds transparency and accountability to the entire project. Any addition or alteration to the design in place can be tracked back to the responsible team.
​ ii. Scheduling data (actual and forecasts) is available and secured on central models, making it difficult to lose data.

5. Safer Data and Construction Sites:
​i. 4D can make the construction site safer
​ii. By knowing the details of logistics and ongoing works, the management team can guide and take decisions avoiding safety risks.

How to optimize BIM during pre-construction?

The use of BIM methodology during Pre-construction is probably one of the stronger tools to optimize the entire project design during the early stages of development. It means a significant increase in qualitative analysis compared with traditional pre-construction architectural sketches including loose conceptual floor plans and vague area takeoffs. As such, BIM can be used in pre-construction to evaluate the conceptual design, the project´s budget and schedule, utilizing BIM 3D, 4D and 5D representation to optimize the design process. It is precisely at this early stage where BIM can facilitate good decision making based on good qualitative information to ensure the project’s success.

What role does 4D BIM modeling play in Espa Barca Project?

Espai Barça has embraced 4D BIM since its early stages, with the aim to coordinate on a holistic level the different subprojects to be executed at FC Barcelona’s Les Corts Campus. This requirement, not always easy to achieve in the Spanish construction industry, is aligned with our DNA to push the boundaries and in this particular case, brings us multiple benefits including the following: better project coordination, a proper tool for communication to different stakeholders, detailed project monitoring, conflict prevention before construction starts and safer worksites.

Espai Barça has a group of three planning professionals leading the 4D BIM approach inhouse supported by three, inhouse 4D BIM specialists. In addition, Espai Barça has involved some external parties to generate an independent progress monitoring of our construction projects, all based on EB’s 4D BIM central file.

"4D BIM Scheduling is much more than just 4D visualization” please comment.

Visualization of the construction processes as planned is probably the most known output for the 4D BIM Scheduling, however, there are a host of other interesting benefits including the ability to create “what-if” scenarios and improved sequences by maintaining a schedule linked to the architectural geometry, generating monitoring graphs (i.e. expected m3 of concrete per day), allowing a detailed monitoring of the construction works utilizing visual comparisons of the actual status versus planned, and many more.

How will the Espai Barca Project support the sustainable growth of the club?

The Espai Barça project is undertaking the transformation of all the Club’s venues in the district of Les Corts in Barcelona and the construction of Estadi Johan Cruyff at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despí. Thus, the Project is adding value to FC Barcelona’s real estate assets, which consist of more than 35 hectares.

Espai Barça will become the world’s number one sports complex in the centre of a major city, whilst helping the Club grow its sports and athletes, socially and economically.

1. Sport infrastructure improvements:
​i. Improved conditions for our athletes
​ii. Renovated Camp Nou, with 105.000 seats, becoming the largest stadium in Europe, with a 47.000sqm roof covering all the spectators. The Future Camp Nou will also enlarge the hospitality services and capacity, and will have spacious, 360º sky-deck overlooking the seating bowl and the city of Barcelona.
​iii. A state-of-the-art new arena (the New Palau Blaugrana), with capacity for 10.500 spectators on sport events, and 12.500 for cultural and social events. The venue will also incorporate an annex court with capacity for 2.000 spectators, and an ice-rink for up to 500 spectators with standard international dimensions.
​iv. A new Estadi Johan Cruyff UEFA Category 3 Status for hosting games in the UEFA Youth League and UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Estadi Johan Cruyff will be the new home of Barça B, the Barça Women’s Team, and the U19A Team during European competitions. It will also be sanctioned by the LFP to host matches in the Spanish Second Division.

2. Social improvements:
​i. Improved connection to the rest of the city thanks to the Metro’s new Line 9 and renovated surrounding streets and green areas.
​ii. Mixing uses to activate the Campus Barça on non-match days
​iii. Enjoyment of the facilities 365 days a year
​iv. Achievement of fully accessible, spacious, open spaces on the Campus and inside the venues
​v. Achievement of maximum energy efficiency and environmental sustainability
​vi. New FC Barcelona’s Museum to enhance the experience of the history of the Club.

3. Economical and revenue growth:
​i. Increasing the value of the Club’s assets, recovering architectural excellence, and creating venues for a 21st century Barça.
​ii. Higher revenue for the Club thanks to more hospitality areas, food and beverage services, and new sponsorship opportunities
​iii. Improved broadcasting to the rest of the world through ideal match-day conditions for the media.
​iv. New sponsorship assets, including a Title Rights and Naming Rights sponsor

But beyond the buildings and architectural projects, it will be a meeting point for members and a place to welcome all visitors.

What’s the benefit of having The RTA Innovation in BIM Summit?

FC Barcelona is heavily invested in innovation and we are committed to promote new scientific research projects, collaborate to create new products and services, and enhance future professionals in the industry through our digital platform, master programs and conferences.

Currently the Espai Barça Project is collaborating with the Barça Innovation Hub to develop new projects regarding BIM, 4D and sustainability.

We understand that a big part of innovation is linked to being able to share the acquired knowledge, and participating in the RTA Innovation in BIM Summit gives the Club the perfect platform to share our developments with our colleagues of the industry, and also learn from their experience.

About William T. Mannarelli -

William T. Mannarelli is the Director of Real Estate at FC Barcelona with responsibility for the Espai Barça Project and Construction and Facility Management Departments.
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​Prior to joining FC Barcelona, William worked as an Architect and Project Manager at several companies, including ICON Venue Group, Anschutz Entertainment Group and Communication Arts. Notable is his 6 years as ICON’s European Project Executive overseeing all aspects of ICON’s engagements in Hamburg, Bern, Helsinki, Yekaterinburg, Geneva, Lausanne, Seoul, Barcelona, Fribourg and Dubai.

William’s professional interests focus on multipurpose and sports venues and his current project, Espai Barça, at FC Barcelona includes the renovation of Camp Nou (105k capacity) and a new, multi-purpose arena (12.5k capacity) complete with auxiliary court (2k capacity), international ice rink (500 capacity), 2 football pitches for FCBEscola and a bus station. Additionally, the Espai Barça Project includes the new Estadi Johan Cruyff (6k capacity) on FC Barcelona's Sant Juan Despí Campus, a mixed-use development (10,000 sqm hotel and 38,000 sqm office complex) on FC Barcelona's Les Corts Campus served by a 3,200 underground parking facility all worth €600 million. The Espai Barça Project’s completion is scheduled for the 2023-24 season.
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​In addition, William serves on the following committees at FC Barcelona: Espai Barça Committee, Executive Committee and Executive Strategic Committee. William teaches classes at the Johan Cruyff Institute and PCGdIS (Progettazione Costruzione Gestione delle Infrastrutture Sportive) and is a Coliseum Global Strategic Board Member.
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You can hear more from William T. Mannarelli at the RTA Innovation in BIM Summit 2019 on 26th November 12:25 - 13.00 hrs. Click here to register for the Summit