Virtual Design Consulting (VDC)
UES provides Virtual Design Consulting (VDC) services to help owners, architects, engineers, contractors, developers, municipalities, agencies, and project teams improve coordination, reduce design conflicts, and make better-informed decisions about existing and planned assets.
Through BIM Consulting & Clash Detection, UES helps project teams identify potential conflicts among building systems, site conditions, utilities, foundations, structural elements, and below-grade construction before they become costly field issues. Our VDC services are designed to support planning, design coordination, constructability review, construction sequencing, and risk reduction.
What is Virtual Design Consulting?
Virtual Design Consulting (VDC) uses digital modeling, BIM coordination, clash detection, and data-rich project deliverables to help teams visualize and coordinate complex project conditions before construction begins.
The UES VDC team includes engineers, geologists, civil designers, CAD specialists, and virtual design professionals who understand both above-ground and below-ground project coordination challenges. Our team specializes in Subsurface Clash Detection, helping clients evaluate potential conflicts between existing buried utilities and proposed design elements such as foundations, concrete slabs, below-grade walls, site improvements, and other planned construction.
By integrating field data, subsurface information, design models, and digital workflows, UES helps project teams identify conflicts earlier and make more confident design and construction decisions.
UES Virtual Design Consulting services may include:
- BIM Consulting & Clash Detection
- Subsurface Clash Detection between existing utilities and proposed design elements
- Coordination of buried utilities with foundations, slabs, below-grade walls, structures, and site improvements
- Review and integration of utility locating, SUE, geophysical survey, and subsurface model data
- Coordination support using BIM platforms such as Civil 3D, Navisworks, Revit, or other project-specific workflows
- Identification of conflicts among building systems, site conditions, utilities, and structural elements
- Model review, coordination exhibits, clash reports, visualizations, and digital deliverables
- Support for constructability review, design development, construction planning, and stakeholder coordination
- Practical recommendations to support conflict resolution and reduce field risk
Why it Matters
Design conflicts that are not identified early can lead to costly field changes, delays, rework, utility conflicts, redesign, and construction disputes. This is especially important on projects with complex subsurface conditions, existing utilities, tight site constraints, below-grade structures, or multiple design and construction stakeholders.
Virtual Design Consulting helps clients:
- Improve coordination before construction begins
- Identify design conflicts earlier in the project lifecycle
- Reduce costly field issues, rework, and change orders
- Evaluate conflicts between existing buried utilities and proposed construction
- Improve communication between owners, designers, contractors, and stakeholders
- Support constructability review and construction sequencing
- Integrate subsurface information into broader BIM and design coordination workflows
- Make better-informed decisions about existing and planned assets
By identifying conflicts in a digital environment before they become field problems, UES helps project teams reduce risk and improve project outcomes.
Why Choose UES for Virtual Design Consulting?
UES combines engineering expertise, geophysical insight, utility locating experience, civil design knowledge, CAD capabilities, and virtual design proficiency to support practical, project-focused VDC solutions.
Clients choose UES because we offer:
- Innovative VDC professionals with experience in BIM consulting, clash detection, and digital coordination
- Specialized expertise in Subsurface Clash Detection involving buried utilities and proposed design elements
- Integration of utility locating, SUE, Subsurface Information Modeling, geophysical surveys, and reality capture data
- Practical understanding of foundations, slabs, below-grade walls, site conditions, utilities, and structural systems
- Digital deliverables that support design coordination, constructability review, and construction planning
- Ability to support project teams using Civil 3D, Navisworks, Revit, and related coordination workflows
- Integrated expertise across geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, geophysical surveys, utility locating, materials testing, building sciences, and construction services
With UES, clients gain more than a model review. They gain a technical partner focused on helping identify conflicts, reduce uncertainty, and support smarter project execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Virtual Design Consulting?
Virtual Design Consulting uses BIM coordination, digital modeling, clash detection, and project data integration to help project teams identify conflicts, improve coordination, and make better-informed design and construction decisions.
What is BIM Consulting & Clash Detection?
BIM Consulting & Clash Detection helps identify conflicts between project elements in a digital model before construction begins. This may include conflicts among building systems, site conditions, utilities, structural elements, and proposed design components.
What is Subsurface Clash Detection?
Subsurface Clash Detection focuses on identifying conflicts between existing buried utilities or subsurface features and proposed design elements such as foundations, concrete slabs, below-grade walls, site improvements, or other planned construction.
What types of data can be used in VDC workflows?
VDC workflows may use BIM models, CAD files, utility locating data, SUE information, Subsurface Information Models, geophysical survey data, reality capture data, construction documents, and project-specific design files.
How does VDC help reduce construction risk?
VDC helps project teams identify conflicts earlier, improve coordination, support constructability review, reduce field changes, and make more informed decisions before construction begins. This can help reduce delays, rework, change orders, and utility-related conflicts.
If you need geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, materials testing and/or inspection services, contact UES today to find out how we can serve as your trusted partner.
