The Arrival of Spring in the Facilities Industry

The facilities industry has endured a long hard winter, but a new day is dawning as evidenced by the School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at the University of Southern California
(USC). Designed by the Urban Design Group (UDG), SCA will likely be recognized for many reasons in the coming months and years, most notably as an example of how buildings
should be created from this time forward. From the very beginning, the Lucasfilm Foundation, the company that was the primary donor requested that the planners, esigners, construction contractors, and facility managers all use building information modeling (BIM) throughout the design and construction process and on through the building life cycle. Another notable request was that even though it is located in an earthquake zone, the facility is designed to be sustainable through a +100-year life span, which exceeds code requirements. While many projects today are designed using building modeling, this facility will use building INFORMATION modeling as it was truly intended. This life cycle view has led to innovative designs and preconstruction approaches, comprehensive engineering analyses, and unique operations and sustainment strategies