Courtesy Photo | A model of miter gates for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District's Black...... read more read more
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District has implemented Building Information Modeling across its design and construction projects, marking a significant shift in how infrastructure is delivered and maintained throughout its operational life.
BIM is a process that integrates 3D modeling with digital data management to improve the efficiency, accuracy and sustainability of construction projects. Originally emerging in the architecture and construction industries in the early 1990s, BIM was developed to consolidate all graphical and non-graphical aspects of a building into a single, intelligent model.
Over the past two decades, the technology has proven to reduce costs, minimize delays, and streamline operations by enabling real-time collaboration and proactive facility management.
Using BIM, libraries of “objects” can be built and placed in the design to show everything from water valves to appliances and how they would fit and be accessed and even include manufacturer documentation such as warranties and guides.
“We can verify that all building and facility components will fit together,” said Jeff Hall, chief of the Niagara Falls Storage Site Integrated Technical Office. “It helps to identify potential access and safety issues early.”
The decision to adopt BIM district-wide builds on lessons learned from a pilot program conducted by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the USACE New York District at the Asymmetric Warfare Group Complex at Fort Meade, Maryland.
There, BIM was successfully used to track and manage real-time data from design through construction and into operations, demonstrating just how quickly design solutions could be drawn up.
According to ERDC, which documented the Fort Meade project, major benefits of BIM include:
Reduced design and construction costs by preventing errors and coordination issues
Faster construction planning through linked scheduling and visual modeling
Improved maintenance and facility operations through integration with systems like the General Fund Enterprise Business System
Enhanced lifecycle management by digitizing and tracking equipment warranties, room layouts, utilities and emergency systems
Buffalo District is tailoring this approach to its own projects, using BIM to model projects such as miter gates for the Black Rock Lock in downtown Buffalo and remediation work at the Niagara Falls Store Site.
Hall explained that BIM has been used to model the facilities required to carry out the remediation work at the NFSS, giving an “excellent visualization tool for briefings with higher echelons and stakeholders.”
“It also increases productivity when generating 2-D drawings and schedules from the existing 3-D model,” Hall continued.
A big part of this productive use of BIM in the Buffalo District comes from the survey team, who help make BIM models possible.
“We use tools like drones, laser scanners and sonar to create accurate 3D maps of real world things,” said Kevin Lesika, a geodesist with the Buffalo district’s survey team.
“Things like shorelines, dams, piers and other structures,” he said. “These detailed ‘as-is’ or ‘as-built’ models show what’s already out there and are often the starting point for engineers and designers to use BIM.”
“The entire scope of data that is collected helps to plan projects, design repairs or upgrades, track construction progress, monitor changes over time, and maintain and manage infrastructure,” said Lesika.
The Corps of Engineers’ use of BIM also strengthens interoperability across agencies, contractors and software platforms. Though some challenges remain such as ensuring file compatibility and enforcing data standards, the Buffalo District views BIM as an investment in future technology, having started using it prevalently in 2016.
As the Corps of Engineers continues to modernize its infrastructure projects, the Buffalo District uses Advanced Modeling for Civil Works, which encompasses applying BIM to civil engineering projects and Geospatial Information Systems, said Dustin Tellinghuisen, a civil engineer with the Buffalo District.
“This is usually in the form of 3D digital terrain modeling, such as with typical breakwater rubble mount stone overlays and coastal revetments,” said Tellinghuisen.
Doing 3D digital terrain modeling has allowed the district to model the chamber of the Black Rock Lock in Buffalo in order to create a maintenance plan. Part of that plan has been modeling new miter gates using BIM, replacing the lock’s original, over 100-year-old gates.
The district has also used BIM to design and model stone revetment at Old Fort Niagara in Porter, New York, a historic French fort built in 1726 which is suffering from shoreline erosion that threatens the structure.
Since the Corps of Engineers have adopted BIM, the CAD/BIM Technology Center has received two Vice President’s Hammer Awards for Excellence in Reinvention of Government and shared in earning a Fully Integrated and Automated Technology Celebration of Engineering and Technology Innovation award.
“To me the best thing about BIM is the 3D visualization we get from the software and the real time updates to model information shown on sections and detail sheets that eliminates rework,” said Tellinghuisen.
Integrating BIM into every stage of its projects is allowing the Buffalo District to not only improving design precision and construction efficiency, but also building a foundation for smarter, data-driven infrastructure management well into the future.
This forward-looking approach ensures that every lock, shoreline and historic site the Corps of Engineers works on is supported by the latest technology, enabling faster decisions, reduced costs, and better long-term maintenance. As BIM continues to evolve, the district’s commitment to innovation positions it to meet tomorrow’s engineering challenges with the same precision and collaboration it brings to today’s projects.
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 07:52 |
| Story ID: | 545467 |
| Location: | BUFFALO, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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