How we work with BIM
Beyond construction benefits
BIM helps us to deliver complex projects faster, leaner and greener – with the benefits extending far beyond the handover date. Our work for Barts and the London NHS Trust is just one great example of how we have used BIM for construction and facilities management. Today, it is helping us to keep operating theatres, wards and public spaces in optimum condition, assisting in the delivery of world-class patient care.
BIM was used with great effect throughout the design and construction phases at St. Bartholomew’s and Royal London Hospitals. Improved planning and coordination resulted in significant savings and reduction in waste.
Savings from start to end
Clash prevention at the design stage identified that three doors needed to be increased in size and the depth of a downstand beam reduced. These simple changes ensured that the equipment could be installed with no demolition works needed also leading to considerable cost savings.
“On any project, what’s really important is access to data that can be interrogated in different ways – for quantities, room areas and more. We have learned on the Barts & Royal London project that if the designers concentrate on getting the design data right, then a variety of views – drawings, 3D models, spreadsheets and databases – can be generated or extracted as appropriate to allow us to improve how we work.”
David Throssell
BIM and Digital Engineering Operations Manager, Skanska UK
From construction to facilities management The first major task for the team was to locate, tag and catalogue all assets; heaters, fire extinguishers, air handling plant, chilled beams and the other services that keep the buildings running. These assets were spread throughout three towers of 10 to 18 storeys.
The traditional approach is to create an asset register from the design drawings and then manually find each asset to verify its location.
As the construction team had built according to BIM principles, the facilities management (FM) team could locate all assets simply using the as built model on their handheld devices.
The assets were catalogued many months ahead of schedule and tagged with relevant drawings, manuals and standard specifications. This is supporting FM teams in the service and maintenance of key equipment, as information is available exactly when it is needed.
Today, BIM is helping us to work more collaboratively and informing better decisions based on the best possible information – helping us to construct and maintain complex buildings and infrastructure.
