Using BIM for streetscape design and collaboration with artist Joe Sheehan

The decision to work in a Building Information Modelling (BIM) environment for landscape architecture projects has allowed Boffa Miskell’s team previously unachievable methods of understanding how a design might look in advance of its actual construction. In 2017, Federal Street Stage 2 was the first streetscape project we chose to document and design in Revit.

The value of this BIM-led approach was when, in 2020 after much of the developed modelling for the site had been completed, we worked with artist Joe Sheehan in visualising his proposed installation ‘Lost & Found’. Comprised of eight large hand-carved boulders, this was the final stage of the street upgrade.

On the upper plane of each boulder everyday belongings can be seen carved with intricate detail — sneakers, a baseball cap, puffer jacket, sunglasses, gloves and a backpack — all rendered in a smooth satin finish exposing the grain and colour of the stone.

The boulders were sourced from locations throughout New Zealand, and weigh between one and four tonnes each. The carving process would begin with a six-foot saw and finish with a 1mm diamond drill to define the fine-grained details, like ridged soles of the sneakers and stitching of the seams on the jacket.

The first step in the digital modelling process was a trip to Joe’s studio in Tawa, Wellington to take roughly 80 photos of each of the eight boulders he was considering for use in the installation. These photos, taken from many different angles around each rock, were stitched together into detailed 3D scans using photogrammetry.

Simplified versions of these scans were then placed in the site model to enable experimenting and iterating different placement options for the works, and when Joe visited the Wellington office, he was able to 'walk through' the site using a VR (Virtual Reality) headset.

He was able to visualise the placement of the rocks and the extent of the voids where his ‘Lost & Found’ items would eventually be carved. Changes to the model could be made and seen in real time through the headset.

Since its installation in early 2024, 'Lost and Found' has been praised as a considered and thought-provoking intervention, and a fitting finishing touch to the project. Now the shared space at the Mayoral Drive end of Federal Street features enhanced lighting, 13 new native trees and nine rain gardens which filter stormwater. Joe designed a series of large sculptural lamps to illuminate the carved face of each of the eight boulders, while leaving the balance of the rock in relative darkness.

The completed outcome of Federal Street Stage 2 showcases what can be achieved when robust design, creative artistic thinking and innovative technology are woven together by enthusiastic teams from a range of disciplines.