“This has been a completely BIM-driven project and, as all asset data now moves seamlessly into our CAFM system Archibus, it will carry on being so for long into the future. It was a steep curve learning process for all parties as we set out to integrate numerous technologies, while also working up against the many complexities of combining a refurbishment with a new build.
I firmly believe that embracing others’ knowledge for the betterment of the project is key to a successful outcome. Symetri, were the connecting strand in all of this; they knew what solutions and specialist digital skills to bring to bear, when. It’s something they do every day. Now Stepnell can too”
Charlotte
Brogan, Technical Manager at Stepnell
Meet
Stepnell
Stepnell is a complete construction partner, with end-to-end project
lifecycle expertise. The company's main objective is to make sure that its
customers realise their visions. Clients can feel confident that every aspect
of their project will be executed effectively, to the highest standards, and in
a collaborative manner thanks to Stepnell's breadth of expertise and holistic
approach.
Stepnell is a financially resilient company with over
£58 million in net assets and a history spanning over 150 years in the
industry. Stepnell's management team is knowledgeable, experienced and
commercially responsible.
Stepnell work with a wide range of clients in the
public and private sectors. They combine the focus and accessibility of a
regional contractor, with a depth of technical competency, professional capability,
and national reach, usually associated with far larger construction companies.
Elizabeth
Garrett Anderson building - A showcase project laying the ground rules for the
future
Stepnell was successful in its tender for a project from the University of Worcester which included transforming the former Worcester News building, a sizeable two and three storey building, constructed in1965, into a first-class facility for the training of health professionals.
The building has been
named by the University as the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building, in honour
of the first woman in Britain to qualify as a physician and surgeon.
The project was partly
refurbishment and partly a new build; stripping back to shell and core and then
building an extension. Planning was essential for the process of capturing the
existing structure and integrating it with the new construction, especially in
the context of generating point cloud data.
The University team
also requested the usage of a reliable Computer Aided Facilities Management
(CAFM) system, which calls for data to be reliably populated from the
building's maintainable assets. When it came to synchronising the data between
the Revit model and the CAFM system against strict parameters, this latter
requirement posed a particularly difficult task. There were additional
difficulties, which gave Stepnell the chance to create an approach to projects of
such complexity, that would later serve as a model for other projects.
To assure adherence to
Building Information Modelling (BIM) norms while adapting to the specific
requirements the University voiced for its CAFM system, a complete
multidisciplinary team of professional technology providers came together.
· Establishing the BIM level 2 framework
BIM was clearly something that the University of Worcester wanted to utilise on the project. They were determined to employ Revit 3D collaborative models and to make sure that all important data to facilities management after handover could be transferred from the Revit model to the CAFM system, Archibus. This system hadn't yet been put in place.
Stepnell included Symetri as its designated BIM partner for information management during the tender stage, and this partnership swiftly grew. The University's Service Development Manager for Estates and Facilities contacted Symetri for advice on the necessary detail and documentation for the BIM Level 2 project as well as for setting up the facilities management system before they could create their specific clarified requirements for Stepnell. These two foundational strands of project preparation got underway in parallel.
The University team was coached by Symetri through all of the crucial BIM requirements, protocols, and associated project planning, and created key documents like the BIM Execution Plan (BEP). Additionally, they showed how workflows would be integrated between the construction stage (and earlier) to facilities management (and beyond).
· Simplifying the data focus
The University team appointed Service Works Global (‘SWG’—part of the same group as Symetri) under a separate service to the BIM support services. SWG experts in computer aided facilities management, who guided the setup of Archibus to meet the precise requirements of the University around pertinent data and asset information.
To
ensure that the parameters were shared, it was necessary to pay attention to
the nature of the data and how it was presented in order to match the file data
coding with Archibus. This included information like the building code,
warranty information, classification codes, and serial numbers.
Usually,
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) data is used for
these purposes. However, the University had a specific requirement on the
precise fields of information they needed for the maintenance of their CAFM
system, thus it was chosen to structure the data in a bespoke manner. The data
that is available in the 3D model is also difficult for those who are not
necessarily 3D proficient. The fastest path to comprehension is simplicity. For
example, asset manuals are now conveniently accessible by having the URL
embedded in both the Revit file and Archibus.
Together, Symetri and SWG formatted the data fields and guided population of the information from the design teams and suppliers directly into the database. This collaboration's specific objective was to create a data flow between Archibus and the project models, so that modifications could be done in the model authoring software and then simply exported, sent to the university, and imported into the CAFM system (Archibus). There were regular data-drop dates that necessitated a general ‘health-check’ on the models from Symetri, in order to make sure the information was accurate before pushing to the university. Symetri used Solibri to ensure the data were reliable, correctly assigned, and checked for information quality within the model.
We’re ready
“At this early stage we knew that every aspect of both the BIM parameters for the project and the smart use of data both within and beyond it had been addressed” says Charlotte Brogan, Technical Manager at Stepnell. “The University was up to speed on how to adhere to BIM protocols and were reassured that the team that we had around us in specialist support roles, were giving everybody a lot of confidence”.
STAGE 2:
On-site—making the connections between physical and digital
With the CAFM system in place and the BIM direction of travel defined, documents prepared, and all involved parties brought up to speed, it was time to address how what happened on site, would not sit alone as a physical exercise, while information capture and data foundations for facilities management sat in a different digital world.
· Gaining visibility of the
frame
It took a laser scan to display the frame
following the strip-out. The intention then was to combine the point cloud data
with the 3D models. From the perspective of MEP and structural contractors,
this stage was crucial. For
instance, in order to help them build the roof cladding (a gold copper shingle)
offsite, the roof cladding suppliers needed to see how the roof looked. For the
purpose of detecting clashes, the point cloud was also crucial.
At this point, the next specialist company joined the team. Stepnell was referred by Symetri to 1st Horizons, who specialise in 3D laser scanning among other things. An invaluable lesson was learned at this stage around the specifics of point cloud.
A simple scan will examine every element in its path. Even when these are subsequently
meshed, they do not convert into the ‘solid’ elements that Revit requires. The
way around this is to commission a ‘Scan To BIM’ that creates a 3D geometric shape
compatible with Revit.
·
Seeing the site progress - 360°
image capture
Going onsite and taking a look at the situation has typically been done to
ensure that the model accurately depicts reality. Taking pictures with a camera
(or a smartphone camera), uploading them, attaching them, and sending them can
take a lot of time.
Oculo
builds a 3D walk environment using a hard-hat mounted camera by taking
countless continuous photos until the final product closely resembles video
footage and can be completely manipulated on-screen (zoom in and out, rotate
etc). A key function of Oculo is the ability to import the project clash detected
federated model directly into Oculo, which can be used to compare the scans of
the physical as-constructed state on site against the design intent models.
“Oculo
has really sped up so many tasks that were previously so painstakingly slow”,
says Charlotte. “As-built checks are now easy and also deeply detailed, allowing
us to compare what is happening on the site directly to the model”.
Charlotte
also states that changes can now be made to the design and not onsite, the far
more costly alternative.
The
outcomes
The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson project got underway on 6th June 2021 and is on track for completion in December 2022. Beyond just finishing the project, it has been a valuable exercise in educating all parties in best practice in digital and physical, and connecting the two together:
- University of Worcester intends to use its new BIM standards (such as the EIR and the AIR), to define all projects going forward.
- University of Worcester now has an up and running CAFM system.
- Data is now formatted for feeding into Archibus from the model.
- Clarity, collaboration, and contentment—a winning combination.
Would you like to discuss your BIM projects or Construction workflows?
Please get in
touch with SYMETRI by emailing
us at info@symetri.co.uk or call us on 0345 370 1444.
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