NEWS STUDENT ACCOMMODATION


BIM workflow helps deliver student residences in Scotland


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Images © Peter Barbour Photography


HLM Architects was tasked with designing new high-quality accommodation for 400 students at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.


The brief was to create communities where students could meet, learn and socialise, while also supporting academic and personal growth. Both Whitehorn Hall and Powell Hall were designed and constructed within a very challenging timescale of under two years to get them ready for the new academic year.


The designs for the student residences included many “repetitive elements,” said the architects. Across the two buildings there are three types of bedroom and six


ADF JUNE 2021


different types of communal space such as shared kitchens and living areas. Both the buildings were designed using architectural design software, Archicad. The time-savings achieved by this software were significant, as Adam McAvoy, architect at HLM explains: “Using Archicad, we were able to create a fully detailed design for each type of room just once. We then hot-linked it into the model. If anything was updated in one of the rooms it would automatically update across all the others, saving us a huge amount of time.”


HLM uses Graphisoft’s Teamwork which allows multiple architects to collaborate on a project together. The team had eight


architects in the Glasgow studio working on the project, all accessing the model via a local BIM server.


Although BIM wasn’t mandated on this


project, HLM uses a BIM workflow as a matter of course across all projects. McAvoy says: “In this case BIM was a real enabler on the project. It improves efficiency in all processes with everything kept in a single model. For example, when the contractor needed to make changes due to budget constraints, we were able to very quickly implement those changes.” Following a fast-track 12-month build, both residences were ready for students to move in less than two years after HLM had drawn up the initial concept designs.


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