BIM
Exploiting digital technology to finesse project design
Gavin Statham, Regional director, and Mike Robinson, BIM manager, BES, explain some of the many benefits, both to design and construction teams involved in healthcare projects, and the operators and users of healthcare buildings, of effective deployment of BIM technology.
‘Building information modelling’ – or BIM – the construction approach comprising best practice processes to manage detailed information around the design and delivery of new developments, has been mandated by the Government since 2016 for all publicly-funded projects, including healthcare facilities. Widely deployed in healthcare beyond the NHS, BIM is not just about delivering a smoother and more collaborative construction process through the control of information; it is also about ensuring the enduring value of an asset, which means developing a building that performs economically, with optimal smart functioning and minimal environmental impact.
A collaborative 3D approach The 2016 Government mandate on BIM requires a collaborative 3D approach, which has become a game-changer for healthcare settings. Commissioning teams and facilities managers can now ‘explore’ a new facility, making it much easier to assess whether the design will work in terms of flow of function and personnel movements. However, although 3D design is a significant part of the process, BIM can go well beyond 3D modelling. Building on 20 years of experience at BES, we have already developed an approach to working on projects with an integrated multidisciplinary team, to provide a full ‘end-to-end’ turnkey service across design and construction. However, now we also utilise sophisticated digital technology that dovetails with our existing processes, allowing us to go much further in tailoring and maximising project delivery. We have made major investments in software based on our experience of what we have found helpful in enhancing an efficient design, construction, and commissioning process, ultimately delivering a faster outcome.
Digital twinning As a specialist contractor working with clients such as NHS Trusts and pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, such as AstraZeneca, we have found this form of digital twinning particularly useful in both healthcare and pharmaceutical
A BIM model drawing showing co-ordinated services.
projects, where they have contributed a real value by refining the BIM process to overcome some of the issues particular to legacy management and operational costs in this sector. By adding in extra digital technology, we can embed data that allows improved collaboration between both the Estates team and the end-users – including doctors, nurses, and patients, often preventing problems that may hold back the functioning of a facility.
Priorities in healthcare Building validation and design for healthcare projects can be especially complex, as particular consideration needs to be given to aspects such as patient safety and infection control. Facilities must be designed in line with specifications in the Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs) and Health Building Notes (HBNs), while facilities for in-house pharmaceutical treatments must also comply with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) guidelines. Key aspects that need to be taken into
account from the start of the planning process in hospitals are patient pathways
and clinicians’ requirements – clinicians will be concerned with robust details on how patients access and then exit the space in which their procedures take place. Spatial and equipment layouts are therefore critical – for example the placement of the operating table in an operating theatre, or laminar flow cabinets in aseptic pharmaceutical preparation areas; the flow of materials into a pharmacy and back out as a prescription, and how people enter and exit an aseptic or cytotoxic preparation area within the constraints of the airflow pressure.
Lifecycle costs and carbon footprint Lifecycle costs and a project’s carbon footprint are also crucial considerations. While the involvement of clinicians in the initial design stage will ultimately deliver the best design for workflows, this hasn’t always been the case, and has – on occasion – led to drawbacks in plans for some facilities. More significantly, though, traditional contracting models delivered by non-specialist companies without full understanding of the HTMs have in some instances led to project failures, with particularly notable cases of this
March 2023 Health Estate Journal 49
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
