Coordination Review That Works Even When BIM Isn't
When the federated model isn't current, the 2D drawings still tell you most of what you need to know. Helonic reads them the way an experienced coordinator does.
Coordination review is what architects spend most of their CD coordination time on, but only some of the team has access to a federated BIM model that's actually current. On the majority of mid-market projects, coordination still happens by laying drawings next to each other, mentally projecting one discipline onto the next, and trusting that nobody changed something without notifying the rest of the team. Helonic was built for those projects: 2D drawing review that performs the cross-discipline checks an architect would do if they had an unlimited weekend to do them properly.
The honest state of coordination at most firms
We surveyed coordination practices with architects across firms and the picture is consistent: BIM coordination is the goal, but the reality is that on many projects only one or two disciplines model in full. The architect maintains a model; the structural engineer maintains a model; MEP delivers PDFs. Coordination then becomes the architect's job, and it's almost always under-resourced. Helonic exists for that gap - automated cross-discipline checks on 2D documents.
Coordination review on 2D documents
Upload current PDFs from every discipline
Architectural, structural, MEP, FP, low voltage. Helonic indexes each set and identifies the sheets within each discipline.
Helonic federates virtually
Without requiring a BIM model, Helonic builds a logical mapping between disciplines based on grid lines, room numbers, and sheet titles.
Cross-discipline checks fire
Reflected ceiling vs. MEP layouts, elevations vs. equipment plans, sections vs. plenum assumptions, wall types vs. penetrations - all run in parallel.
Resolve with citations to every involved sheet
Every finding cites the sheets and locations across each discipline so the team can resolve with full context.
How Helonic helps
No BIM required
Helonic works on the 2D drawings every project has. If you have PDFs from each discipline, you have enough.
Architecture-led coordination logic
The check logic mirrors how a coordinating architect actually works - comparing ceiling height assumptions, locating MEP equipment against architectural elevations, verifying louver and FRP locations against the exterior elevations.
Finds the conflicts that survive design coordination meetings
Most coordination meetings are productive on the items everyone remembers to bring up. Helonic catches the items nobody thinks of - the third-tier coordination items that always become RFIs.
Cross-references the disciplines you don't think about
Architectural-structural is well-coordinated on most projects. Architectural-fire-protection, architectural-low-voltage, and structural-civil are where the misses tend to accumulate. Helonic checks them all.
Key features for this workflow
Reflected ceiling plan vs. lighting, HVAC, fire sprinkler, security device layouts
Equipment location consistency between architectural elevations and MEP plans
Louver and exterior wall element coordination with mechanical OA/exhaust
Ceiling height consistency between architectural sections and MEP plenum assumptions
Penetration tracking against fire-rated wall types
Detail cross-referencing across disciplines
Example issues Helonic catches
Real-world issues detected by AI analysis, specific to architects running coordination review:
RCP A-301 shows 2x2 troffer at the location where M-201 places a linear supply diffuser - overlap requires resolution
Architectural elevation E-201 shows louver at +14'-6" AFF but mechanical OA schedule places it at +12'-0"
Wall type W-4 (1-hour) on A-103 is penetrated by a 6" duct on M-201 with no fire damper shown on either
Ceiling height assumed 9'-6" on architectural section but mechanical sized ductwork for 10'-0" plenum
Sprinkler head shown at 6" of a 2x2 light fixture in a corridor - NFPA 13 obstruction clearance not met
Architectural finish schedule lists tiled ceiling in mechanical room but M-001 shows exposed structure
What construction professionals told us
“The architects who lead coordination on mid-market projects told us they spend roughly half their CD coordination time looking for cross-discipline misses, and they consistently said an automated first pass would let them spend that time on the items that actually require their judgment.”
Interviews with project architects coordinating MEP-heavy commercial and institutional projects.
FAQs
Does this replace BIM coordination?
No. On projects with a current federated BIM model, coordination should still happen there. Helonic is for the much more common case where BIM coordination is incomplete or where some disciplines deliver in 2D.
How does it know which sheets correspond between disciplines?
Helonic uses grid lines, room numbers, and architectural references to build a sheet-to-sheet mapping. It then runs cross-discipline checks on logically related sheets.
Can it ingest IFC or DWG files?
Today the workflow is PDF-first. We're piloting native CAD and IFC ingest with selected design partners; reach out if you'd like to be on that list.
Manas Gandhi
Co-founder & CTO, HelonicManas is the co-founder and CTO of Helonic, where he leads engineering and AI research for construction drawing analysis. He works directly with structural, MEP, civil, and fire protection engineers to translate the way they review drawings into AI systems that flag the issues that actually matter in the field. Before Helonic, he built machine learning pipelines for technical document understanding and has spent the last several years interviewing licensed design engineers and discipline leads to ground product decisions in real practice rather than industry assumptions.
- AI for technical document understanding
- Cross-discipline coordination workflows
- Code compliance automation (IBC, NEC, NFPA, IPC, IMC, ASCE)
- Structural and MEP drawing review systems
How this page was researched: Interviews with project architects coordinating MEP-heavy commercial and institutional projects.
Last reviewed by Manas Gandhi · May 2026
Other use cases for architects
Coordination Review for other roles
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