Industry opinion Model for the future
DAVID PHILP, head of BIM Implementation at the Cabinet Offi ce, looks at how building information modelling is becoming a metaphor for industry reform
O
ur UK construction landscape is changing rapidly – most noticeably, the science of creating and maintaining our assets, which is entering a new digital renaissance. It
is one that is driven by the need for new effi ciencies in both in capital and operational expenditure (‘totex’) and, increasingly, altruism around our carbon solutions. Building information modelling (BIM) is very much the catalyst for this change. Better information management, collaborative
working and structured data are advancing the delivery of information, reducing risk and ensuring coordination between the various project players, especially the interaction between services and structural, architectural disciplines. This way of working is reducing the extent of BWICS, through perfect coordination and optimisation of service layouts. This digital rebirth is also an opportunity to sweep away constricting practices and start to focus on improved asset outcomes for our clients.
Performance Beyond delivery, BIM will improve the study of on-going building performance through the capture of in-use data that will be fed back to create data foresight on future projects. This is being implemented through the mandating of government soft landings (GSL). The objective of the GSL policy is to champion better outcomes for our built assets during the design and construction stages, powered by BIM, to ensure that value is achieved in the operational lifecycle of an asset. BIM is much more than 3D CAD and digital tools
– it is very much about change. Working in this digital environment requires a cultural and behavioural shift, one that is driven by working in a common data environment and using the information to make better, quicker and more well-informed decisions. The UK’s Government Construction Strategy (GCS) is helping drive this change, with its goal of seeking 15-20 per cent lifecycle savings through a series of client-driven interventions. One of the main components of this strategy is the mandating of Level 2 ‘collaborative’ BIM on all centrally-procured projects by 2016 (irrespective of project value), arguably the most cohesive centrally-driven BIM strategy in the
Working in this digital environment requires a cultural and behavioural shift
world. Level 2 BIM is founded on information-driven transactions (data drops) and digital technologies, which underpin this process.
Sharing The GCS BIM hypothesis is simple: government as a client can derive signifi cant improvements in cost, value and carbon performance through the use of open, sharable asset information. The Level 2 BIM requirements will involve data
being transacted through the supply chain to meet clients’ requirements, in response to their BIM employer’s information requirements. Often this data journey will start with the product manufacturer supplying data for objects such as switch-gear, which will not just include geometrical data but also non- graphical data, such as performance attributes. BIM off ers many opportunities to the electrical
industry, which is already good at using digital data. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times for our industry. BIM is rocking the boat and, hopefully, developing a more future-wise blueprint for industry.
About the author
David Philp is head of BIM at Mace Group, and is currently seconded to the Cabinet Offi ce’s Effi ciency and Reform Group, where he is head of BIM Implementation. He is also chair of BIM2050 and various BIM4 working groups.
June 2013 ECA Today 23
SHUTTERSTOCK / IXPERT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68