Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers, Inc.'s Blog
Announcing the Retirement of John Grapsas
February 22nd, 2012 • Posted by Kim Altmire • Permalink
It is with mixed emotions that we announce John Grapsas’ retirement from Bridgers & Paxton on January 31, 2012. John joined the firm in 1984, became a member of the Board of Directors in 1986, President in 2004, and Chief Executive Officer in 2006.
John has spent nearly his entire professional career at Bridgers & Paxton where he engineered and managed projects for a variety of clients in New Mexico, nationally and internationally. He leaves B&P as one of the 50 largest MEP firms in the country, and the pre-eminent firm in our region. We thank John for his 28 years of commitment to our employees, our clients, our community and the firm, and wish him all the best for the future.
Celebrating 60 Years of Engineering Excellence
November 7th, 2011 • Posted by Debie Clark • Permalink
On May 6, 2011, Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers celebrated their anniversary with a 60 Years of Engineering Excellence party at the Albuquerque Aquarium with many past and present employees, friends and business colleagues.
B&P began in 1951, when Frank Bridgers moved to Albuquerque to open his own engineering office. Bridgers had just completed two years of work at Los Alamos National Laboratory as resident engineer on projects under contract to laboratory for the firm of Charles S. Leopold out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a well-known mechanical consulting engineering firm at that time. Given the choice between returning to Philadelphia and remaining in New Mexico, he chose to stay in the Land of Enchantment.
There were no other mechanical engineering firms in New Mexico in 1951, and work started coming in at a steady pace. The firm established its reputation as an innovative, state of the art engineering firm in 1954, with the design of the Simms Building in Albuquerque. The Simms Building was the first solar heated building in New Mexico.
Thirty years after founding B&P in 1981, Bridgers developed a sustainable design philosophy and firm culture knowing that if they did not design alternative energy systems that they would have to depend on imported oil from the OPEC countries. B&P helped pave the way for sustainable design, and has continued along that path with outstanding leadership.
Today B&P continues to venture into new specialties with in-house technology and energy design groups, sustainability initiatives and the use of Building Information Modeling. B&P has completed over 13,000 projects in the last 60 years and continues to pioneer the field of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, technology and energy consulting engineering while maintaining a high standard of engineering excellence.
BIM Levels of Development
November 2nd, 2011 • Posted by Kevin Donnigan • Permalink
Did you know there are five Levels of Development (LOD) for Building Information Modeling? After years of confusion the American Institute of Architects published standards on the different levels in 2008. The five levels are designated as: LOD 100, LOD 200, LOD 300, LOD 400 and LOD 500. Each level has different content requirements and occurs at different stages of the design and construction process. Each level builds on the previous and represents a more detailed level of completeness.- LOD 100 is the first level and is typically used for building massing indicative of area, height, volume, location and orientation. This level provides limited cost estimation based on area, volume or similar conceptual estimating techniques.
- LOD 200 progresses into modeling generalized systems with approximate quantities, size, shape, location and orientation. Cost estimating is based on approximate data from the model along with conceptual estimating techniques.
- LOD 300 contains elements modeled as specific assemblies accurate in terms of quantity, size, shape, location and orientation. Additional non-geometric information (data) may also be attached to model elements to provide cost estimates based on specific data.
- LOD 400 contains all elements from level 300 plus complete fabrication, assembly and detailing information. Elements at this level can be used for construction and cost estimates become more accurate since they are based on the actual cost of specific elements at buyout.
- LOD 500 is the final and most complete level showing constructed assemblies actual and accurate in terms of shape, size, location, quantity and orientation. This model may be utilized by owners for maintaining, altering and adding to a facility to the extent granted in the design, engineering and construction agreements.
