Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories have launched a joint initiative to standardize 3D design and building information modeling practices.
It’s a joint effort aimed at optimizing infrastructure delivery, costs and mission readiness to support the nuclear security enterprise.
The partnership, the first of its kind in the DOE, supports the NNSA’s strategy to modernize facilities using data-driven infrastructure practices. Building information modeling combines 3D visualization with embedded facility data to support every phase of a building’s life cycle, from design and construction to long-term maintenance and upgrades.
While 3D modeling and building information modeling tools are used at other DOE sites, this marks the first coordinated initiative to align around a shared set of modeling standards tailored to mission needs. Experts from Sandia and Los Alamos say that consistent, transparent design data is already improving collaboration, reducing rework and lowering the risk of costly project errors.
“Sandia already built something thoughtful and well-tested,” said Bruce Gunderson, manager of the Virtual Build Environment Office at Los Alamos. “We worked with their team to adapt it to LANL’s needs, and it’s already made a difference.”
The partnership builds on years of informal collaboration but has accelerated over the past three to four years, with teams sharing software templates, workflows and lessons learned. Matt Pacheco, Sandia’s Facilities building information modeling team lead, said the goal is to improve how project data is created, structured and used for both labs and across the life cycle of every facility.
“It’s inspiring to see DOE laboratories increasingly solving problems as a united team rather than as individual sites,” said Michael Richardson, Engineering Services division leader at Los Alamos. “The joint BIM standards from SNL and LANL exemplify this collaborative spirit.”
Building on this foundation, Gunderson noted that Los Alamos has successfully deployed Sandia’s templates in its environment, streamlining coordination with design teams and cutting down on duplicate work. That foundation now supports consistent engagement with architecture and engineering firms, ensuring clean hand offs between design and delivery.
“The standards are structured for the people who actually use them,” Matt said. “That includes the architectural and engineering partners delivering our projects.”
Richardson explained the practical implications of this collaboration, noting that New Mexico has a relatively small pool of engineering and construction contractors, many of whom work with both Sandia and Los Alamos. “By aligning on a single BIM standard, the labs are making it easier for these contractors to deliver projects more efficiently,” he said.
This efficiency is further enhanced by the technology itself. “The 3D environment gives everyone from designers, contractors and facilities teams immediate access to a shared source of truth,” Sandia computer-aided drafting and design technologist Jude Garcia said. “That translates to faster decisions, fewer errors and ultimately cost savings.”
Jude emphasized that building information modeling is more than a visualization tool — it’s an operational asset. “When someone looks at a pump, door or piece of equipment in the model, they also see its specs, history and maintenance needs,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gunderson, Matt and Jude anticipate long-term benefits from the alignment, including smoother contractor coordination, faster onboarding and fewer missteps during design and construction. For NNSA, those gains directly support safer, more responsive and more cost-effective infrastructure delivery.
“Standardizing how we design and deliver infrastructure is one of the smartest, most scalable investments we can make,” said Jeff Heath, associate laboratories director for Sandia’s Infrastructure Operations Division. “This collaboration shows what’s possible when we align tools and talent in service of national security.”
“It’s exciting because other labs are getting involved. That means we’re not just solving problems locally…we’re building something the whole enterprise can use,” Jude said.
Eight additional sites, including Sandia California, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, participate in a monthly coordination meeting with Sandia. That growing interest signals a broader shift toward enterprise-wide building information modeling, with Sandia and Los Alamos helping lead the way toward more unified, data-driven infrastructure across the nuclear security enterprise.