In the infrastructure sector, BIM is changing the way that clients, designers and contractors approach projects. However BIM Level 2 is a major challenge for 2016, with many uncertainties still apparent as to how it will be successfully and consistently implemented, so that it delivers the excellence in project delivery
Aesthetics is everything and good interior design has the ability to transform a building, mark its entry into the modern-day, and is key to creating something which is more than purely functional. Acknowledging the imperative of flooring as a key component of an aesthetic structure, and doing so in a
In the infrastructure sector, BIM is changing the way that clients, designers and contractors approach projects. However BIM Level 2 is a major challenge for 2016, with many uncertainties still apparent as to how it will be successfully and consistently implemented, so that it delivers the excellence in project delivery that we all aspire to. We have seen excellent 3D modelling in the last few years in highways and associated structures, for example at Ramboll we have taken laser scans of complex structures such as the Hammersmith Flyover and integrated design of strengthening elements into the geometrical model, before passing this model onto the contractor to use during construction. Clash detection and resolution has taken place and significant effort has gone into translating 3D model data into 2D drawings and specifications. Yet BIM Level 2 is about far more than this – it is not just a geometrical model. We need to see information managed well throughout the project lifecycle and there remain a number of challenges to expand the use of BIM Level 2 through the infrastructure sector in the UK: Improving consistency of Employer’s Information Requirements Addressing issues specific to the infrastructure sector – many of the requirements of the 8 pillars of BIM required for BIM Level 2 are not developed fully for infrastructure projects. COBie is still not developed for many asset types, such as underground drainage systems. Integration with asset management systems. In many cases the sector’s contractual arrangements will not help with implementing the ‘Government Soft Landings’ process, improving handover of a new asset to its future maintainers. At the moment, BIM is seen as added cost, and another item which complicates contractual arrangements. It needs to be seen by all parties as a process which adds value. Integration of BIM processes with the essential assurance processes required for infrastructure projects, such as Highway Structure Technical Approval Expanding the levels and confidence with BIM from a small group of ‘BIM professionals and experts’ to the wider engineering community. Yet despite these challenges, as an industry we need to push for progress. We have the potential to improve clarity of deliverables through the construction process. By integrating the use of smart sensors in infrastructure assets with a fully compliant BIM level 2 process, there are excellent opportunities to improve future maintenance of structures, and to improve satisfaction levels for both clients and end users. We need to work BIM processes in parallel with parametric design, and the use of modular construction techniques. Above all we need to continue the culture of change in the industry, using BIM to improve collaboration, and increase the involvement of asset maintainers and users in the design process. We are striving for this at Ramboll by training more of our staff in the use of BIM and by the end of this year we will see all our technical staff trained in the full understanding of BIM’s processes, requirements and benefits. The particular challenges around BIM for infrastructure need to be acknowledged, but then clients, contractors, consultants and engineering institutions will need to work closely together to identify excellent solutions that add value to our projects. By John Armitage, Technical Director, Ramboll
Aesthetics is everything and good interior design has the ability to transform a building, mark its entry into the modern-day, and is key to creating something which is more than purely functional. Acknowledging the imperative of flooring as a key component of an aesthetic structure, and doing so in a manner that affords certainty in both quality and safety, Loughton Contracts has established a mode of practice whereby nothing is left to chance. Over the past thirty years, the company has grown exponentially, rapidly becoming the UK’s leading flooring contractor, successfully entering the commercial market and regularly working on high profile projects across the UK. Despite phenomenal expansion, the ambition of Loughton Contracts remains the same: to be the best flooring installer out there, and the company’s health and safety ethic – amongst its quality and professionalism – differentiates it from many like competitors. Refusing to be ordinary, the company is determined to do things differently, as Tony Mills, Director of Operations at Loughton Contracts asserts: “Within the construction industry, companies tend be reactive, rather than proactive. More often than not, health and safety becomes a box-ticking exercise and that’s not what we’re about. We want to be proactive. We want to find what’s best for our operatives and work hard to protect our staff.” Keen to prevent not just discrete injuries and loss time accidents but long-term health complaints too, the company takes a holistic view of health and safety well beyond either legal compliance or accreditation. In many ways, Loughton Contracts can be defined by being two steps ahead of the pack. The company insists on a 5 Point PPE policy, as well as enforcing any other kit required for each, individual job. Supplying and installing many different materials and in various dimensions, Loughton Contracts is adaptive and able to make subtle changes to working procedure across projects – utilising face-fitting masks for cutting timber and knee-pads for the hard-flooring team being just two examples. Having worked on a number projects, including prestigious universities and major blue chip organisations, during the course of 2015 Loughton Contracts installed flooring on a phenomenal scale at the new Tate Modern extension. It saw the company win Health and Safety Contractor of the Month multiple times over a twelve month period, pitching above around 30 other sub-contractors on site. The accolade came as a result of the combined efforts of management and operatives, each exuding responsibility for the team and business as a whole. The company’s specialist workforce is, in part, indebted to Loughton Contracts’ prolonged investment in training and development; the company recognises the importance of regular and progressive development. It’s with the introduction of a training matrix, listing both administrative and operations staff, that the contractor is able to instantly identify when employees are due for renewal as well as capitalise on upcoming opportunities with external providers. “I’ve done the budgets for this year and, with a quick scan of the matrix, know that 7 people need a CSCS card, four need to renew their SSSTS training, two need to do the SMTS course and, on top of that, we’re looking at promoting asbestos awareness and providing further training where we can.” With such attention paid to staff training and a united code of practice, it comes as no surprise that the company incurred zero accidents last year despite laying over a million square metres of flooring across 700 different projects. Not complacent however, with the log of one accident this January, a minor cut, Loughton Contracts has already launched an investigation as to why it happened in order to prevent it from happening again. As a result of its preliminary findings, the company has already enacted various changes to working practice: for instance, introducing retractable knives for the removal of packaging. Indeed, Loughton Contracts’ keen health and safety practice is set to tighten and advance further with this year seeing the introduction of an intranet system capable of hosting risk assessments, accident reports, toolbox talks and method statements and all other documentation relevant to the job. Tony Mills provides further detail: “Not only does this work alongside our database and is helping us to create a more paperless environment, the intranet allows us greater efficiency with respect to getting the message out there. When out on site, our operatives can go straight to the most up to date forms and processes and go into a job with all the information they need to carry out work to the standard we expect. By the end of this year, the extranet system will be online and will allow greater interaction with the documentation in cases where things need to be amended, adapted or sent out.” Embedded within the company’s core and informing its future development, health and safety is something on which Loughton Contracts is simply unwilling to compromise. As their flooring work on one of the largest construction project in Europe, Battersea Power Station, gets underway, the company’s dedicated ethic and unique industry profile remains unshakeable and will no doubt continue to see Loughton Contracts foster the respect of clients and competitors alike.
