Construction News practical guide to help smaller construction companies with their business

S M E S P O T L I G H T
How to introduce BIM
into your business
Those that have done so talk through the key stages
38
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15 December 2011 www.cnplus.co.uk
Rolling out BIM in your business
might sound like a daunting task.
How do you get backing for the
change? Do you switch your whole
business to BIM in one go? How
do you train your staf? Here some
of the businesses that have done it
recall four of the key steps on the
road to embracing BIM.They
didnt all take the same approach
to adopting it,but they have
plenty of lessons to share.
Big bang or cascade?
How will you roll out BIM in your
rm? Architecture,engineering
and design practice Bryden Wood
opted for the gradual introduction
of BIM across its projects and staf.
Jaimie Johnston,director at the
rm,says: Cascading it through
the business allows you to learn as
you go.When you are teaching
people working on projects you
can cherrypick things that work
well and test them out in a safe
environment before you roll them
out to the next project.When you
induct people they learn quickly
because you teach them all the
lessons learned.
David Millers architecture
very senior who can instil belief in
a way forward,you gain a lot of
ground very quickly, says HOK
senior vicepresident Andrew
Barraclough.However,he says
teams had already been doing
selected projects in BIM for
several years before the rollout so
it never felt topdown.Its
important to help people who are
having dif culty with the change,
he adds.
The impetus at Bryden Wood
came from technical people,who
were very early adopters of BIM,
and later the management,who
thought it would be good to use it
more widely.
Senior people need to be
involved in order to give the roll
out some momentum but not get
in the way.You have to have the
top people agree it is good and also
agree not to be a blocker, says Mr
Johnston.They need to realise
they know a bit but not as much
as the technical people.
The rm put some of the young,
technical experts in fairly senior
positions and made it clear that
other senior staf must listen to
them.Otherwise you might have
senior people saying I dont want
to listen to some whippersnapper
with a mouse, he says.
BIM training
The conference speakers took a
range of approaches to training.
David Miller Architects hired a
BIM champion who provided
expertise and ran courses.The six-
day training programme for
existing staf could be broken
down into 40-minute chunks so
they werent taken away from
projects for too long.
People always had the oppor
tunity to do training; they could
do it over lunch if necessary, says
Mr Miller.New staf went on a
oneweek BIM boot camp before
they started on a project.We real
ised that as soon as they start a
project they will have lots of other
things distracting them and in
rst week in the of ce it is a good
opportunity to show people how
we want to work, he says.
HOK took a diferent approach.
Initially we sent people on a
training programme before they
had a project to work on,which
seemed a good idea but sometimes
there wasnt a project for them,
says Mr Barraclough.Instead we
started training them just in
time.It might make the initial
stages of a project slower but it is
far better for them to use their
skills on a project.
Adoption strategies
IMPLEMENTATION
CHLOE STOTHART
practice decided to roll out BIM to
the whole rm in one go,but
there were only four staf there
are now 14 when they began the
journey in 2008.
It was a little bang rather than
a big bang, he jokes.It was also a
twostage process.In 2008 all staf
used BIM on some schemes but it
was only rolled out to all new
projects 18 to 20 months ago.
Its essential to have the
backing of senior management if
a rm is to roll out BIM
extensively.But should the rst
moves towards its introduction
come from the boardroom or
below?
Multinational architecture rm
HOK introduced BIM across the
company in 2006 after the chief
executive Patrick MacLeamy got
approval from the board.
A topdown mandate has
advantages.If you have someone
How do you
introduce BIM into
your business?
Those that have
done so talk through
the key stages
Prepare
to launch
Cascading
BIM through the
business allows you
to learn as you go
JAIMIE JOHNSTON, BRYDEN WOOD
BIM: sharing knowledge and data is crucial
15 December 2011
|
39 www.cnplus.co.uk
Several of the rms had super
users BIM experts who develop
the skills of other staf,solve
problems and might also work
on projects.
Engineering rm and
consultancy Mott MacDonald
has centres of excellence
around the world where
staf can spend
a couple of weeks
working on a
project and
learning enough
BIM skills to
become the
super user in
the of ce on
their return.
Several rms linked
staf with diferent levels of BIM
knowledge together so that they
could learn from each other.
Bryden Wood took this a step
63%
of delegates said
BIM had helped
them win
work
RETAIL
CHLOE STOTHART
further with an internal wiki page
where staf add new knowledge
they have gained about BIM so
that others can benet.
Strategy and projects
Part of HOKs strategy was to set
itself goals for the roll-out of
BIM.The London of ces
goal was to get 65 per
cent of projects and
relevant staf
working in BIM
daily by autumn
2008. That didnt
quite happen it
reached 52 per cent
in September 2008
as there were some
older projects being
completed in other systems.
But now almost all projects and
relevant staf in London are
working in BIM.Common
problems hindering roll-out were
put to the rms delivery board for
BIM.It gave each of ce a plan to
x them via report cards,which
also monitored the of ces
progress against targets and were
reviewed at a monthly forum for
the groups BIM champions.
Everyone recommended
choosing a simple project as a rst
foray into BIM.David Miller
recommended picking one that
did not have too tight a deadline
and where BIM was not essential.
Ours was a 1 million,seven
unit housing scheme.It was
not very dif cult and it went
reasonably smoothly if it went
wrong we could have reversed out
quickly and redone in over a
weekend in CAD, he says.
Some of the UKs biggest retailers
have set up a group to advance the
use of BIM in the sector.
Asda head of model and
specication James Brown told
the conference that Asda,
Waitrose,John Lewis and three
other retailers will form the BIM
for Retail Forum,with advice from
architects HOK and engineers
Ramboll.Another of the big four
supermarkets and a clothing
chain have also expressed interest
in joining the group.
The rst meeting of the forum,
on 3 November,was attended by
Cabinet Of ce head of BIM
implementation David Philp,who
talked them through the
governments BIM strategy.
Mr Brown said the group plans
to agree standards and processes
for BIM that will improve the
quality of design information and
reduce construction and survey
costs.It will develop a list of BIM
suppliers named contacts at
architecture,engineering and cost
consultancies and rms that can
provide data in the right format.
Initially the group will focus on
converting existing buildings to
BIM,COBie standards for
spreadsheet data,and the most
ef cient processes and workow.
Mr Brown said: At the moment
any client who wants to convert
an existing building to a BIM
platform does not know who
provides the information,what
standard to work to or how to
manage it.This forum will
provide a goodpractice,
standard approach.
He said the forum should help
the retailers avoid duplicating
work as they learn to use BIM and
so grow their experience faster.
RIBA Enterprises,which
includes software provider NBS,
and software house Autodesk
were interested in supporting the
group,he added.
The forum could provide the
software houses with suggestions
for extra functionality that could
be added to their products.
Mr Brown said the group would
be keen to give the government its
views on the planned adoption of
the COBie standard for BIM data.
Hopefully it will enable us to see
COBie standards and comment on
them, he said.
The group is thought to be one
of the rst client forums for BIM.
Asda and John Lewis launch forum to share and increase BIM knowledge
HOK vice-president Andrew
Barraclough has several tips for
those taking their first steps in BIM:
I Choose your first project wisely. I
would not recommend starting
with a large, complex
refurbishment as a first one in BIM.
I Get the designers on board. If
there was resistance from the
designers, it would not happen.
I Put a BIM strategy in place
before you start.
I Train people just in time.
Do not do train them six to nine
months ahead because the project
might not happen or staff might
end up working on different
projects.
I Learn from others. I am sure if
we did it again we could learn from
our mistakes.
TIPS: FIRST STEPS
We started
training people
just in time it
is far better for
them to use their
skills on a project
ANDREW BARRACLOUGH, HOK
David Miller Architects model for the
George Eliot School, Westminster
Retailers to share the best of BIM
BIM
In association with
32
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15 December 2011 www.cnplus.co.uk
Breakfast
of champions
We understand the technology.
Were here to see what other
organisations are doing and learn
from them.
These words from one delegate
at the Autodesk BIM Conference
breakfast workshop summed up
what many people wanted from
the event.
The brieng brought together a
handpicked group of
delegates with all levels
of BIM involvement,
including
experienced
building
information
modelling
acionados who
would speak at the
conference later that
day.Over breakfast they
related their experiences of
BIM and discussed the issues that
will need to be tackled as more
people start to implement BIM.
Each of the guests gave their
rm a rating out of ve for its level
of BIM adoption.Although the
average rating in the room was
about three,it reected a huge
range.Pioneering rms scored full
marks,while other delegates who
were keen to use BIM but had not
yet done so,modestly gave
themselves one out of ve.
Moving over to BIM requires
investment in training and
equipment,as well as a sea change
in business culture and practice,
meaning rms need to take a
longterm view of the benets.
BIM has taken of at a
time when the market
is depressed.It goes
handinhand with
people trying to
drive ef ciency,
but its the worst
possible time for
people to invest in
software and
training, says
Jaimie Johnston,
director of architect,
engineer and manufacturer
Bryden Wood.
People who stumped up the
cash early are starting to see the
benets,but its a big ask to say to
the rest of the industry You have
to believe it will get better.
Unsurprisingly,the need to get
companies and disciplines to
collaborate was raised frequently.
There was talk of lonely BIM
projects those at the rst stage of
adoption where only one rm in
a team used it and so did not gain
the benets of collaboration
However,David Philp,head of
BIM implementation for the
Cabinet Of ce,reported back that
some people had successfully
created communities of BIM
practice within their rms.
The next step is wider
collaboration.Collaboration will
be helped enormously by
standardisation of data and the
growing interoperability of
software.
You create a model with your
own standards and then share it
with someone else who has
diferent standards, observed
RPA Group director Mr Pratley.
We need to share standards in
the industry.
Using data to manage a
building more ef ciently once it is
in use is one of the biggest
benets BIM has to ofer.BIM
data can be used in all sorts of
ways,from scheduling repairs and
cleaning to monitoring ef cient
use of of ce space and energy. Mr
Philp said people felt they were
starting to understand the
project life cycle and supply
chains were getting ready to help
clients use the data through the
life of buildings.
Several people said they had to
overcome doubt and scepticism
from others in their rms before
convincing them that adopting
BIM was the right thing to do.
A lesson learned by several
adopters was not to be put of.
We all wished we had ignored
the naysayers and just done it,
says Mr Johnston. And on that
note the delegates took their seats
in the conference hall to nd out
how they,too,could just do it.
8%
of delegates said
BIM was embedded
in all projects
Breakfast brieng
Experts, novices and those in-between shared lessons learned, challenges faced and pitfalls to avoid
on the building information modelling journey at a brieng that set the tone for the day
We all wished
we had ignored
the nay-sayers
and just done it
JAIMIE JOHNSTON, BRYDEN WOOD
PRE-CONFERENCE BRIEFING
CHLOE STOTHART
15 December 2011
|
33 www.cnplus.co.uk
BIM
JAIMIE JOHNSTON
DIRECTOR,
BRYDEN WOOD
My lesson is: dont wait for the
perfect opportunity.If we had
waited until we had developed
a detailed BIM strategy with
roles and responsibilities,return
on investment and a business
case,we would probably still
be discussing it and missing
opportunities.We sometimes
use projects to test ideas and
potentially over-deliver in
preference to having to deliver for
the rst time in a high-pressure
situation.If something works,
we can demonstrate a value-
adding skill.If it doesnt,we
havent disappointed a client or
jeopardised a project.

JAMES BROWN
HEAD OF CONSTRUCTION
MODEL AND
SPECIFICATION, ASDA
My lesson is that we took too
long to make it mandatory.I took
at face value people saying This
will cost more,it is too dif cult,
you cant do it.I talked to a BIM
expert and realised what was
possible.My advice would be to
immerse yourself in it from day
one,so when someone says it is
too dif cult or costs too much,you
know whether it is true.I would
like us to use BIM from assessing
feasibility all the way through the
project.The areas we need to
develop are the cost/quantity
surveying side and how we extract
information from BIM models,
including sustainability data.
ANDREW SHARP
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR, RYDON
Clients have to push to get
BIM implemented,otherwise
things will continue to be done
in the old way.Some clients are
not interested in pushing it
and arent well informed about
it.We are keen to work closely
with clients to implement it on
projects.My reason for coming to
the conference was to nd ways
GLENN JOWETT
UK REVIT LEADER,
OPUS
INTERNATIONAL
Companies introducing BIM
should get the support of senior
management from the start,
advises Glenn Jowett, UK Revit
leader for Opus International.
Having had significant input into
the initial company introduction
of Revit across the structural,
architectural and mechanical and
electrical engineering disciplines
in New Zealand, he has
experienced the frustrations that
can be faced when introducing
this new technology from the
bottom-up.
As soon as senior
management understood the
benefits to be gained through
BIM, company direction from the
top meant that the roll-out
quickly gained real momentum
and has since driven Opus to
develop its BIM capability
worldwide, he says.
DEREK PRATLEY
DIRECTOR,
RPA GROUP
There needs to be a standard for
BIM. Theres a convention for
AutoCAD: everyone knows that if
you pick up a drawing anyone can
work on it. But theres no standard
for BIM.
The best way to learn is on the
job. Get your team to build BIM
into a project. It might mean you
are a bit slower at first but they
are learning.
Get people to go through the
Autodesk training stages. We
brought training into the academy
we already have within our
business and now we are an
accredited training centre.
ROBERT SPENCER
ASSOCIATE IN SUSTAINABILITY,
URS SCOTT WILSON
URS Scott Wilson displayed its
rapid energy modelling for retrofit
applications.
The technology shows the
largest sources of energy use in a
building, as well as heating and
lighting levels.
The firm uses it to produce a
cost-benefit analysis of possible
energy-saving solutions.
It also shows how long it will
take to pay for the modifications,
using money saved in reduced
energy costs.
This is a good way to get
started on the BIM journey; it is a
quick, straightforward way to
understand how buildings
perform, says Robert Spencer,
associate in sustainability and
innovation at the firm.
of engaging with people so that
we can work with clients and
everyone else in the industry to
push it forward.
PETER BARKER
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR,
BIM ACADEMY
BIM means diferent things
to diferent parts of the
construction industry.I think
clients are still struggling to
understand and articulate their
needs and are seeking help in
this area.Im also curious to
know how the government will
measure and report success on
the journey to 2016 I hope more
clarity will come out from the
government pilot projects to be
procured in Spring 2012.
BRENDAN
PATCHELL
BIM MANAGER, RYDER
LEVETT BUCKNALL
BIM is not immediately obvious,
or simple and does need
investment in hardware,software
and training.But the potential
benets cannot be ignored.The
most obvious to QSs is quantity
extraction,but there are a lot
more.We need to proactively add
information to the data pool to
give the client a data rich model.
Most design teams consider
project delivery an end in itself,
but a client needs information to
operate,maintain and modify the
facility.Ask not what your BIM
can do for you ask what you can
do for your BIM.
COLIN WESTPFEL
DESIGN LEAD
CONSTRUCTION,
BOUYGUES UK
We now incorporate 3D info
from the outset,so all new
contracts have an element of
building information modelling.
We want to meet more quantity
surveyors and cost planners who
work in BIM.We are having real
dif culty nding relevant
services engineers and quantity
surveyors in the industry who
really work in BIM.
SPEAKERS CORNER
Firms attending the conference put aside time to talk to delegates face to face
about latest practice and their top tips on all things BIM.
In association with
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