Joint Construction Projects – BIM Level 2 Compliance

A few weeks ago we informed our readers about how important collaboration is likely to be for construction company owners and workers in the future.  The infrastructure projects planned for the UK in the next few years means that we’re likely to see some fairly large construction projects being undertaken and this is the shape of things to come – large infrastructure projects that will require collaboration from a number of construction companies.  These joint ventures are likely to demand skilled professionals and this type of project really is too large for a single company to take on.   This means that we need to be ready to establish collaborative working relationships to share the risks.  As an important online resource for readers in both the construction and safety fields, we’ve decided to gather together some advice that will make collaboration a little easier for construction company owners and managers so we began by covering the issue of shared ownership and control, followed by advice on the sharing of the risks involved and accountability issues.   Today, we’re going to take a look at BIM Level 2 compliance.

BIM (building information modelling) is basically creating a digital “twin” of a planned building and the UK is the leader in BIM application.  Because BIM has been topical in the UK for many years, other countries are now looking to Britain for guidance when it comes to BIM.  One of the main advantages of BIM is that the components and features of the building are “pre-tested” for functionality, avoiding situations where flooring is poured without leaving enough clearance for doors to swing open and closed, cables inserted into walls without leaving openings for outlets or sprinkler systems are installed into ceilings without consideration that ventilation ducts still haven’t been installed!  It may seem ridiculous – but these things have happened in the past and always lead to delays, an increase in cost, reduced quality and, in most cases, some very disgruntled customers.

From April 2016 the Government Construction Strategy has required BIM Level 2 compliance as a prerequisite for bidding on centrally procured public projects.  A survey carried out earlier this year revealed that more than 50% of UK construction professionals are using BIM on at least some of their projects and this figure is expected to increase sharply in future. 

When it comes to a joint project, BIM compliance will be easier if you take advantage of a common data environment (CDE) – a single source of information that is used to collect, manage and distribute documents, the graphical model and any non-graphical data.  A CDE will provide the whole team involved in the project with a platform where changes can be recorded, distributed and resolved which will result in a much more efficient team.  There are online project management platforms which will function as a project wide information resource for the whole team to use,

Next week we’ll be taking a closer look at guaranteeing access and security on joint projects, so don’t forget to check it out.