Construction Technology

Report 2019
Construction Technology Report 2019
Introduction 03 Introduction
Richard Waterhouse
CEO, NBS
Digital transformation: 04
it’s about people and technology
Ben Highfield Welcome to our inaugural NBS
Surface Product Manager, Microsoft UK Construction Technology Report.
For over a decade, NBS has been
A Digital Future for the Construction Industry 06 reporting on the steady growth in
Dr Stephen Hamil
awareness and adoption of one type
Innovation Director, NBS of technology, BIM, across the UK
construction sector. NBS survey
findings have become a trusted annual
NBS Technology Survey: summary of findings 10 indicator of the true status of the
Adrian Malleson industry’s BIM journey, and so last
Richard Waterhouse
Head of Research, Analysis and Forecasting, NBS year we decided to run a parallel
CEO, NBS survey to gather responses about the
use of other digital technologies. This
BDP Technology Adoption Narrative: 26
report is the result, providing a wider
Typical Project Workflows.
perspective on digital transformation.
Alistair Kell
Principal, Information, Technology and Process, BDP NBS has always encouraged
construction professionals to
BIM Development Technology in the 30 understand that BIM is about much
Built Environment more than just technology. It requires
Glenn Tate renewed focus on the data generated
Associate, Ryder by project teams across the whole
life cycle and fundamentally, about
enhanced collaboration across the
Our technology stack 34
teams and the wider industry. However,
Rob Jackson according to recent publications from
Associate Director, Bond Bryan Digital McKinsey and the World Economic
Forum, construction remains one of
the least digitised industrial sectors.
Technology in the built environment 38
These reports indicate that there’s a
Nick Ainscough
correlation between rising costs with
Regional Design Technology Lead, IBI GROUP
slow productivity growth, and sector
spending on digital assets and
process management.
The desire to increase productivity
in construction has drawn the
attention of Silicon Valley software
Digital construction giants and their investors, who have
technology will finally identified construction as an area ripe
for disruption and progress. Every
become an enabler day, there are news stories about the
for daily urban life application of emerging technologies
on various industries, and the survey
worldwide, in results suggest that the construction
RIBA Enterprises Ltd © 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this report may be combination with sector is no different. Sixty-three
percent are already using cloud
reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval growth in offsite computing instead of desktop
system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
The content of articles contributed by external authors and published in this
construction and storage, and one third are using
AR, VR or mixed reality technologies,
report are the views of those authors and do not represent the position of
RIBA Enterprises Ltd, NBS or its affiliated companies.
3D printing. with 75% of respondents expecting
2 3
to use them within five years.
Drones are becoming commonplace
in the UK, and many companies are
already solving complex problems
with machine learning and AI.
Generative design can find optimal
solutions much more quickly,
replacing trial and error with
ground-breaking technology.
In the financial sector, ‘fintech’ evolved
from paper-based exchange and
chequebooks – via credit cards, ATMs,
and chip-and-pin – to embrace fully
digital processes, online-only banks
and contactless smartphone apps.
Digital construction technology will
finally become an enabler for daily
urban life worldwide, in combination
with growth in offsite construction
and 3D printing.
Finance also demonstrates how
quickly further evolution can take
place, and just as it will be fascinating
to watch the impact of blockchain
technologies and cryptocurrencies
on global markets, the potential is
there for smart sensors, the internet
of things (IoT), material science
development and robotics to
vastly change construction sites
and design offices.
This report therefore seems very
timely, providing new insight into
the way that applied technology is
changing design and data delivery.
Additionally, the report contains
articles and case studies, which centre
on specific technology solutions
and software that the authors
have selected to use in combination
with NBS specification products. In
tandem with renewed BIM processes
responding to ISO 19650, Parts 1 and
2, NBS will continue to work closely
with industry partners to encourage
digital transformation and industrial
innovation, supporting the evolving
strategy of the UK Government.
Construction Technology Report 2019

Digital transformation:
it’s about people and
technology
As we progress in this fourth industrial age, technology is fundamentally
changing the way that we live and work, and is determining how businesses
and industries grow and innovate. The UK construction sector (which accounts
for 6% of the UK economy1) is advancing on this journey, and workers in this
sector are in tune with how technology is boosting productivity and efficiency.
However, our research2 has shown that leaders are still resistant to the change
which is critical to business survival in this industry.

Disruption from innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) is already well

underway, and although technology holds huge potential for productivity and
Ben Highfield
efficiency, its real value is in empowering us to do more valuable (and also human)
Surface Product
work, freeing up time for us to think more creatively and critically. It should come
Manager, as no surprise that the very crux of humanisation is putting people at the centre
Microsoft UK of the technology. In practical terms, this means embracing technology that
enables the workforce to ideate, collaborate, and communicate better.

Putting people at the centre of technology

Our customers are increasingly
leading the curve by putting people at
the centre of their digitisation
strategy, and this is in turn allowing
them to reap huge benefits for their
clients and business alike. Suffolk
Construction3 has been able to bring
people together through remote
collaboration tools that facilitate
conversations between colleagues
and clients, as well as enabling greater
building visualisation. The ability to
better visualise ideas, concepts and
buildings is also bolstered by the
company virtualising plans and
collaborating in real time. Similarly,
Gensler4 has implemented technology
that strengthens the ability to visualise
and collaborate in order to improve
the entire design experience for its
customers. The technology allows
members of the team to work in real
time, alongside clients, to evaluate
designs before they have even been
built, and to instantly modify and
improve plans to keep the whole
1
http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN01432/SN01432.pdf
2
https://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/2018/05/30/one-of-the-uks-most-important-sectors-is-facing-huge-
disruption-and-there-will-be-clear-winners/
3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BlhLJy81Os&feature=youtu.be
4
https://news.microsoft.com/transform/design-revolution-microsoft-hololens-mixed-reality-changing-
architects-world/
process running as productively and
efficiently as possible.
It’s clear that visualisation is essential
in the building design community, and
building information modelling (BIM) is
critical in enabling architects, engineers
and designers to execute alongside
client’s briefs, make better design
decisions, and collaborate more
effectively throughout the project
delivery process. On their own,
however, specialised software tools
such as BIM applications or computer-
aided design (CAD) might not seem
revolutionary. Yet, coupling the
software with the power and versatility
of mobile devices means that
employees can work from wherever
they are, whenever they please.
The synergies between software and
mobile devices are enabling teams
throughout the entire project life cycle
to be more agile, whilst also removing
the need for employees to be bound
to a traditional workstation.
Embracing change. Leading the change
We know that workers in the UK
construction sector are open to, and
embrace, digital ways of working, and
the outlook is positive as employees
often spearhead new ways of working
and experiment with new technology.
But business leaders are more
reluctant to embrace digitisation,
whether that be due to concerns
about resourcing and budgeting, or
because they see it as a business risk.
Yet, we know from working with our
customers in the industry that the
benefits of technology are
exponential.
Business leaders in the sector have a
pivotal role in leading the change, in
order for their organisations to
continue to thrive in the face of
disruption. The key lies in learning
from a business’ greatest asset: its
people. Leaders need to be proactive
in giving the workforce the time and
space to experiment, to find solutions
and new ways of working with digital
technologies that best work for them.
Embracing a culture of digital
Vitally, there needs to be open transformation
dialogue, and a working environment In a constantly evolving digital climate,
in which employees can share best it can be difficult to know which digital
practice and work together to find trends or opportunities to capitalise
solutions that accommodate the on. Yet we already see that the
needs of every employee. organisations leading the charge have
made one critical change – these
Ultimately, leaders need to take a
businesses do not view digital
business-focused approach to digital
transformation as ‘nice to have’, but
transformation. ‘What is the mission,
rather a ‘must-have’ in order to stay at
and what are the goals that you want
the peak of the competition. The key
to achieve?’ ‘How will embracing
is for business leaders to create an
digital change improve the working
environment where professionals are
lives of your people?’ Developing a
empowered to explore new ways of
strategy around these fundamental
working, where they are given
questions allows businesses to
autonomy to change, and where they
measure value and success, and to
are provided with the right training
better understand the processes and
and tools to succeed.
areas within the organisation that
need improving. It’s also important to
accept failure; learning from our
mistakes is key to developing more
robust ways of working, and allows
your organisation to continually
improve the way that it works as a
collective and with clients.

4 5
Construction Technology Report 2019
Dr Stephen Hamil
Innovation Director,
NBS
6 7
A Digital Future for the
Construction Industry
Construction and Technology
Arguably the biggest external factor influencing the construction industry
is the world’s rising population. A recent World Economic Forum publication
on the future of construction reported that the population of the world’s
urban areas is increasing by 200,000 people per day. The world’s urban
population is forecast to grow from the rough current figure of four billion
to over six billion by 2045.
This will mean a huge demand for
increased construction. A boost in
capacity is required to meet the needs
for more housing, hospitals, schools
and the supporting infrastructure of
transport, power and water networks
around the world.
A recent publication from the
McKinsey Global Institute on
construction reported that the
industry had made little productivity
improvements in the last 60 years.
This was over the same time period
that other industries such as
agriculture, manufacturing and retail
had all seen major improvements.
The conclusion of this study was that
productivity can be greatly improved
by focusing on a number of action
areas. The action area predicted to
have the largest benefit was ‘infusing’
digital technologies into construction
processes. The report predicted
that this would cause a 14–15%
improvement to industry productivity.
However, when considering how
we build better to meet with future
demand, productivity and cost savings
are not the only factor. With respect
to building a safer built environment,
the Hackitt Report in the UK
(commissioned to review the Grenfell
Tragedy) recommended that there
should be a legal responsibility for
the handover of a ‘digital record’
for those leading the work on
high-rise residential buildings.
So time and time again, it is concluded
that digital technology is the answer
to improve both value and safety,
as the industry rises to meet the
challenge of the worldwide need
for greater construction.
The industry recognises that this
is the case, and as a result the
development of standards defining
information structures and processes
has been happening worldwide.
As part of the UK Government’s
BIM mandate, the ‘1192’ series of
standards was developed. More
recently, as a global ISO initiative,
the ‘19650’ series of standards, that
build on the UK’s approach to BIM,
have been developed.
The construction technology
industry has also recognised that
the worldwide industry is on the brink
of a digital revolution. The leading
technology companies have been
developing and consolidating their
platforms, with some huge recent
acquisitions. The biggest examples
of this include Aconex becoming
part of Oracle, Trimble purchasing
Viewpoint and Autodesk acquiring
PlanGrid. This is all evidence of
a revolution in the construction
industry related to technology
and digital processes.
The NBS Construction Technology Report The action area
Within the findings of this NBS Construction Technology Report,
it is clear that technology is now starting to be used throughout the
predicted to have the
project timeline. 3D models are being used collaboratively to generate largest benefit was
and communicate designs. ‘infusing’ digital
These models are being checked On the cloud, many users can be technologies into
throughout the process to verify invited to securely access, use and
data quality against the standards that contribute to the data – this move construction processes.
have been agreed in the execution from the traditional method of The report predicted
plan. Additionally, this data is being exchanging exports of information
shared in an agreed structure, with via paper or email is arguably the that this would cause a
enforced permissions and workflows, biggest change. 14–15% improvement
in cloud-based extranets known in
the industry as Common Data
Across all the technologies examined to industry productivity.
in this report, there is a recurring
Environments (CDEs). The number
theme of not just utilising technology
of tasks throughout the project
but also giving greater meaning and
(such as design, specification,
structure to the data. For example,
planning, snagging and managing
within design tools, a 3D model built
submittals) that have integrated
from objects is of more value than
technology solutions shows that
2D drawings; when generating
building information modelling is
documentation, a digital structured
far more than just a single 3D
specification is of more value than a
design software package. Building
word processing file; and with respect
information modelling or digital
to sharing information, a CDE that
engineering is an interconnected
models the construction workflow is
platform of services from a number
of more value than a generic extranet.
of software providers.
All of these solutions focus on
When looking at emerging
giving data meaning, and all have
technologies, it seems that ‘the cloud’
built-in quality assurance functionality
is the technology that is having the
to reduce the risk of mistakes
biggest impact today, with 63% of
being made.
the industry using it in some form.
Cloud-based software applications
have benefits for the individual, such
as being able to access them from any
platform at work or ‘on the road’, and
not having to worry about installing
software or data updates. However,
the biggest benefit of the cloud, and
one that the construction industry has
recognised, is the benefit to both the
team and the project itself of being
able to collaborate more effectively.
Construction Technology Report 2019

NBS Chorus
Below left:

Intelligent construction
A record of decision points throughout the project timeline

Below right:
Global standards allowing physical assets to have digital meaning

specification in the cloud

Specify smarter with a powerful new platform. Reduce risk
and integrate with your model. Chorus works on any modern
device (including Mac). Monthly pricing available.

Find out more at theNBS.com

or book a demo on 0345 456 9594

The Future
Looking at where the technology landscape will go in five years and beyond, further improvements will be made
cube �
that utilise machine learning and artificial intelligence, as we gather more and more ‘big data’ on the cloud. This big
data will be a combination of information developed through the design and construction of the built environment,
and also the data gathered from sensors that will feed back information on the performance of the assets.
�
As clients and their supply chain expand In addition, information needs to To conclude, this is an extremely

globally, there will be a demand for go beyond just a final digital record exciting time for all of those involved
book
global standards. We have seen this of the serviceable items in a built in using or developing construction
with the development of standards asset. A final digital record is, of technology. The data standards are
such as the industry foundation course, a good thing; however, now maturing, and other industries
�
classes (IFC), geographical information
system standards (GIS) and the
a transparent record of all decision
points is what is ultimately needed
have shown that technology can
revolutionise productivity and reduce
�  �
Construction Operations Building if a better, safer, built environment risk. The ‘BIM’ conversation has
information exchange format is to be created. Going forward, moved on from a focus solely on the
(COBie). Standardisation allows the technology and common standards 3D model to a rich cloud platform of
data that is gathered to be more will make this achievable. The connected technology from multiple
accurately analysed and processed, illustration above shows an example providers. This opportunity to �
and when companies operate globally, of this thread of digital information connect platforms will lead to an era
international standards are required. representing the decision-making of rapid innovation that will make the
The illustration above shows that the process. construction workflow much more
Uniclass classification system, which efficient and more transparent for all.
is compliant with the ISO 12006-2
standard, could be used by a private
developer to consistently classify
all of its built assets globally,
irrespective of the local language. Standardisation allows the data that is
gathered to be more accurately analysed
and processed, and when companies operate
globally, international standards are required.
8 9
Construction Technology Report 2019

NBS Technology Survey:

summary of findings

The construction industry faces a number of challenges: productivity, Digital transformation can be seen If digital transformation was a journey, where are you on that journey?
sustainability and economic competitiveness, as well as meeting the need to as a journey. Those who took part
create better buildings and stronger communities. There are many strands to in our survey believe that they have 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

these challenges. These include the social, economic and political. Another is set off on their journey of digital
5% 41% 46% 7% 1%
digital transformation. This report looks at if, and how, the use and adoption of transformation. Only 5% have not
technology is changing design practice. started. 41% told us that they were We’ve not We’ve started We’ve been on the We’re well on the We’ve reached
at the beginning of their journey, started but we’re at the journey for some way to completing our destination
The details of this report are based on the findings of quantitative research beginning/early time but it’s not the journey
and 46% have been on the journey stages complete
carried out in the third quarter of 2018. Over 500 people shared their views, and
for some time. That such a large
through them we are able to see what people are doing now, what they intend
Adrian Malleson proportion is on the journey, but
to do and what effects this will have on the practice of building design in the UK.
not near completion, reflects the Agreement with statements
Head of Research,
The report covers two main areas: firstly, we look at people’s assessment of fact that digitisation is an ongoing
Analysis and
digital transformation. Secondly, we look at the technologies that people are process: the journey extends as By 2030 the way the Those in the construction
Forecasting, NBS using now. Together, these give us an understanding of where we are now, construction sector operates sector who do not adopt
new technologies are created, and won’t be any different from digital ways of working will
where we are going and what the effects of this trajectory may be. the possibilities that they present how it operates now go out of business

Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is not simply
the adoption of a set of technologies.
As we have seen with the adoption of
BIM, digital transformation is about
creating a culture of cooperation and
innovation, supported by the use of
digital tools.
are realised.
Few think that they have almost
completed the journey. Only 1%
We wanted to establish whether there 15%
believe that they have reached their
will be ‘digital transformation’ in design 15%
destination. In many cases, people
practice. Our findings were unequivocal. 82%
told us that this was because they
Nearly 90% believe that digitisation
were approaching the end of their 70%
will transform the way they work,
career, rather than technology
and 71% say that it will transform 6%
having nothing new to offer. 12%
the whole of the construction %
12

industry. The difference between The fact that design practice is

these two figures suggests that transforming digitally means that
designers are leading in digital we can expect some significant
transformation. Many clients and changes. 70% agree that those 62%
contractors may be a little behind. who do not adopt digital ways of
working will go out of business, and
only 12% agree that the construction
Agreement with statement ‘Digitisation will...’ sector will be unchanged. There is 21%
also recognition that the construction
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
industry is behind others in the
17%
Transform the way we work 89% 7% 4% process of digitisation. This looks right
- construction uses methods that
The construction sector is behind
Transform the whole construction 71% 15% 14% have been in place for hundreds (if not other industries when it comes to
industry
thousands) of years. Compare that to adopting digital technologies

Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree

the transformation of communication,
finance or mapping, for example. Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree

Nearly 90% believe that digitisation will

transform the way they work, and 71%
say that it will transform the whole of the
construction industry.
12%
10 11
Construction Technology Report 2019

Over two thirds Why there is a need for Digital Transformation What’s changing? Which aspects of your work are changing by adopting digital technologies and
to what extent?
believe that The OECD states that ‘digital
1

transformation can spur innovation

We face significant challenges.
We wanted to find out whether the
Digitisation is transformative.
Digital transformation of design
digitisation will and productivity growth across many design community sees digitisation practice is happening, and it can
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

help them to activities, transform public services,

and improve wellbeing’.
as a means of meeting these targets.
It does. Over three quarters agree that
bring real benefits. However, we
wanted to learn what that means in
Collaboration - externally 94% 18% 48% 28%

meet the pressing The Inter-Governmental Panel on

digitisation will improve productivity, practice, so we asked a series of Collaboration - internally 88% 14% 42% 33%

challenge of Climate Change (IPCC)2 states that to

and 72% that it will improve the speed
of delivery. Over two thirds believe
questions about what is changing.

sustainability. restrict the rise in global temperature

to 1.5°C, building emissions need to
that digitisation will help them to Collaboration can enable information Changing completely Changing a lot Changing a bit

meet the pressing challenge of sharing, reduce the number of

be to be reduced by 80–90%. disputes that arise and improve
sustainability. 64% believe that it will
The UK Government’s construction bring improvements in health and the delivery of the client’s objective.
Digital transformation is, in part, Collaboration – internally; changing completely or a lot
strategy aims to achieve four safety. Our respondents are less
ambitious targets: convinced that digitisation will help about supporting more and better 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
exports, with only 39% agreeing collaboration. We can see that digital
• 33% lower costs.
that it will do so. technologies are currently changing Architectural practice 50%
• 50% faster delivery. collaborative practice. 94% agree
• 50% lower emissions. that, to some extent, they are Multi-disciplinary practice 71%
changing external collaboration,
• 50% improvement in exports. and 88% that they are changing
internal collaboration. In both cases,
a clear majority see them changing
Agreement with statement ‘Digitisation will...’ collaboration ‘a lot’ or ‘completely’. Which aspects of your work are changing by adopting digital technologies and
to what extent?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Internal collaboration is changing,
most markedly in multi-disciplinary 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Improve the productivity of the 77% 16% 7% practices. This is not surprising: the
construction sector Client communication 88% 13% 42% 33%
creation of a federated model or a
Improve the speed of delivery 72% 20% 8% multi-disciplinary project specification
Getting new work 80% 8% 28% 43%
is supported by technologies that
Help the construction sector meet 68% 20% 13% both allow and control cross-discipline
the challenges of sustainability Getting new clients 79% 8% 25% 46%
contribution to a project.
Improve construction health and 64% 23% 13%
safety
Digitisation is also changing how Changing completely Changing a lot Changing a bit
Help us export more 39% 49% 11% designers work with clients, and how
they obtain work. 88% tell us that
Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree
it is changing client communication
(with a majority telling us that it is
changing a lot or completely). 80%
tell us that it is changing how they
obtain work. We need to be careful
here: note the large number, 43%,
who tell us it is only changing ‘a bit’,
and the 20% who report no change.
Obtaining new work, as much else in
design practice, involves personal
relationships and creativity.

https://www.oecd.org/mcm/documents/C-MIN-2017-4%20EN.pdf
1

http://www.ipcc.ch/
2

12 13
Construction Technology Report 2019

Current Practice Which of the following do you carry out? Office tools What tools do you use when working with documents and spreadsheets?
The design community carries out a 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
As long as people have been using
wide range of tasks, tasks supported PCs and Apple Macs, the core set
by a range of tools. Nearly all (94%) Working with documents 94% of software has been ‘office’ tools:
and spreadsheets
use documents and spreadsheets word processing and spreadsheets,
to support their work. 82% use and Using and referencing 82% as well as publishing and databases.
standards
reference standards. Unsurprisingly, almost all (94%)
Writing specifications 79% respondents use tools of this kind;
Specifications, providing the
they remain core. However, it is
non-geometric requirements of 12%
Generating drawings using 72% notable how many now use Microsoft Office Desktop 63%
a design, are integral to the design 2D CAD tools
cloud-based applications, whether
process; 79% of respondents are
Generating drawings/ 67% Microsoft Office 365 (62%) or Google
involved in writing specifications. schedules/reports using
3D modelling tools Docs (26%). Whilst these cloud-based
For the geometric expression of solutions have not yet replaced locally
Model viewing 66%
design, 2D CAD tools are still installed software (63% still use Office
widely used, by 72%. However, desktop), they are increasingly doing
Model checking 51%
richer ‘models’ are widely used, so, or at least being used to
with two thirds using them to complement other tools.
Using project extranets or 45%
generate drawings, schedules or common data environments
There are clear benefits of cloud-based
reports, and 66% viewing models.
Object sourcing 44% software, and these include automatic Microsoft Office 365 62%
Just over half carry out model and management
Other (Microsoft Office Online)
software updates, ease of collaboration
checking. 6%
(including version control), access from Apple Pages 10%
Fewer (45%) are using project anywhere, low capital investment and
extranets or Common Data better security. Open Office 10%
Environments (CDEs) to host project
information. 44% are involved in
object sourcing and management.
We shall explore each of these areas in
more detail, but on a methodological
Google Docs 26% Adobe InDesign 38%
note, only those who are involved in
the processes listed above were asked
about the tools that they use when
carrying them out.

It is notable how many now use cloud-based

For the geometric expression of design, applications, whether Microsoft Office 365
2D CAD tools are still widely used, by 72%. (62%) or Google Docs (26%).
14 15
Construction Technology Report 2019
Specification
79% of those who completed
our survey are involved in writing
or using specifications. Good
quality specifications further enable
design intent to be realised, reduce
professional risk, form part of the
construction contract and ensure
regulatory compliance. They are
integral to good building design.
Most (62%) of those responding
to our survey use NBS to help
them make sure that they get the
specifications right. Not everyone
uses NBS, however, and those
using NBS also use other things too.
Nearly half are writing notes on
drawings, and 45% are using
content authored in Word.
There are risks here.
Notes written on drawings may
contradict specifications, if they are
not dynamically linked. That is why
NBS encourages people to use the
NBS plug-ins to link specifications
and models.
Word does nothing to ensure the
quality of a specification. Word
documents are unstructured, do
not provide guidance or specification
options, and are not kept up to
date with the latest standards or best
practice. Whilst NBS facilitates the
export of specifications to Word for
formatting, our view is that there is
too much at stake to risk creating
specifications in it.
16
What tools do you use for specification writing? Design Tools
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Complementing the non-geometric Which of the following do you use as
data given in a specification is the your primary design tool?
NBS 62% geometric information created
and managed in modelling and Autodesk Revit (Architecture/Structures/MEP) 32%
Notes written on drawings 48% drawing packages. When producing Autodesk AutoCAD 23%
drawings and models, Autodesk (at
Autodesk AutoCAD LT 15%
Microsoft Word using 45% 69%) is the most popular provider
content we have authored
of drawing and modelling tools, Nemetscheck Vectorworks 8%
Microsoft Word using a 15% followed by Nemetschek and
content service we used Graphisoft ARCHICAD 7%
Graphisoft. Almost a third are using
to subscribe to
Autodesk Revit as their primary Trimble Sketchup 2%
NES 1%
design tool (and a further 21% are
Other 14%
using it as a secondary design tool),
Other 7%
so we can infer that they are creating
full models, and not just drawings.
Libraries Which online object/content libraries do you use?
Models are populated by objects. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
These objects represent the
components of a building. NBS National BIM Library 60%
They may be proprietary (where
a construction product has been BIMobject 37%
specified to be that of a particular
manufacturer) or generic (for example, bimstore 36%
where the final choice of product is
left to the contractor). In either case, Modlar 9%
the objects need to provide accurate
and standardised information, SpecifiedBy 8%
both geometric and non-geometric
(acoustic or thermal performance, BIM-MEP 4%
for example). Poor quality objects
risk the integrity of the whole model. Cadenas BIM Catalogs 1%
There are a range of object libraries
coBuilder/goBIM 0.4%
available. The most used is the NBS
National BIM Library, which offers
Other 24%
high-quality objects that conform
to the NBS BIM Object Standard.
60% cent use the NBS National
BIM Library. Only two other libraries
are used by more than 10% of
respondents: bimstore and BIMobject.
Word does nothing to ensure the quality ‘Other’ covers a wide range of libraries
of a specification. Word documents are and object sources, none of which
are used by more than 3% of
There are a range of object libraries available.
unstructured, do not provide guidance or respondents. The most used is the NBS National BIM Library,
specification options, and are not kept up to which offers high-quality objects that conform
date with the latest standards or best practice. to the NBS BIM Object Standard.
17
Construction Technology Report 2019

Common Data Environments and Extranets Model checking What tools do you use to check your models?
With the growth of BIM, there is an Building Information Models need to be
Extranets
increasing need for project information compliant, whether with external rules
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
to be centrally stored so that all (such as standards and regulations) or
members of the design team can Dropbox 62%
internal rules (such as performance
access relevant documentation, criteria). They also need to be internally
irrespective of the company they Microsoft OneDrive 27%
coherent, so that the elements of a
work with, or where they are. design (often produced by more than
one person or profession) do not
This is described in the following Microsoft SharePoint 26%
contradict, or clash with, one another.
way in PAS 1192-2:
Google Drive 22% This is where BIM Model Checking Autodesk Navisworks 58%
‘[A] common data environment (CDE)* (sometimes called ‘BMC’) comes in.
[is a] single source of information Model checking software allows all
Huddle 3%
for any given project, used to collect, those involved in a project to check
manage and disseminate all relevant the federated model for compliance
Documentum 2%
approved project documents for and coordination, and therefore
multi-disciplinary teams in a improves the accuracy of a model
managed process.’ and assists collaboration.
Therefore, a CDE may just be any Common Data Environment tools A majority, 51%, of respondents are
system that allows the design team checking models. Aligning with the
Other 21%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
to have one place where they can prevalent use of Autodesk products in
manage and access the project Viewpoint/4projects 41% model creation, Autodesk Navisworks is
information. the most often-used tool for model
This base level functionality is Autodesk 360 range 23% checking (58%), and Autodesk BIM 360 BIM Assure 5% Solibri Model Checker 21%

provided by extranets, or by Glue (14%) the third. 21% use Solibri Revizto 5%
cloud-based file storage systems. Asite 22% Model checker. 21% are using another
BIMTrack 8%
These are not special to construction, option; there are many options Autodesk BIM 360 Glue 14%

and we can see that well-known Aconex/Conject 18% available.

cloud-based systems like Dropbox
Bentley Projectwise 8%
and OneDrive are widely used.
However, these tools do not offer Deltek/Union Square 7%
any significant assistance with the
management of construction Procore 5%
information, or with the correct
structuring, ownership and Clearbox BIMXtra 3%

categorisation of the information, in

line with BIM standards and the BIM Group BC 2%

Execution Plan. Construction-specific

information tools can help here, Causeway Livelink 1%

and they are widely used. They are,

perhaps, the true CDEs. Viewpoint
is used by 41%, the Autodesk 360
range by 23% and Asite by 22%.
Model checking software allows all those
As these tools tend to be used by involved in a project to check the federated
collaborating organisations, which
may be collaborating on a number of
model for compliance and coordination, and
projects, it should not be a surprise therefore improves the accuracy of a model
that many use more than one. *A CDE may use a project server, an extranet, a file-based retrieval system or other suitable toolset’. and assists collaboration.
18 19
Construction Technology Report 2019

Model viewing What tools do you use to view, or help others view, your models? Future Tech
It is not just those involved in 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% The findings of this report suggest that Off-site construction offers the Looking to the other future
the creation of a model who need the process of design is undergoing potential for buildings to be largely technologies in the graph, we can
to view it. Clients, those who will Autodesk Viewer 54% technological transformation. What created in factory conditions, and see that there is still a great deal of
use the building, contractors, began with CAD and then moved to then quickly erected on-site uncertainty. Many don’t know if they
construction workers and those Autodesk 360 range 28% 3D modelling is now developing into afterwards. It offers the benefits of will be using the technologies listed
checking a design’s compliance may collaborative work on information-rich greater automation and efficiency, in the future. However, we do see
also need to view it. Buying full Solibri Model Viewer 15% models. Practices are increasingly higher quality and better conditions an industry open to change with,
modelling licences for these people using a blended technology stack for workers. Large players like Aecom, typically, fewer than a fifth ruling
can be prohibitively expensive; this Enscape3D 12% to support information-rich design. Laing O’Rourke and the Berkeley out any given future technology.
is where model viewers are useful. Group are already involved. There’s a
The graph below shows where we
Model viewers allow BIM files to be Graphisoft BIMx 10% risk that if the design professions are
are now, and where we might be going
rendered and viewed at a small not involved, they will get left behind.
Tekla BIMsight 7% in the next five years and beyond.
(or no) cost. They often support Already, however, 41% are involved
a range of file formats, and typically Most striking is the rise of cloud-based in some form of design for off-site
NBS BIM Toolkit 5%
support open formats like Industry working: a cornerstone of effective construction, and a further third
Foundation Classes (IFCs). collaborative working. 63% are using expect to be within five years.
Bentley View 4%
the cloud now, and within five years’
Model viewers can bring BIM to
time that figure is expected to rise
life for those who are unfamiliar BIMcollab ZOOM 3% Current and expected use of the following technologies.
to almost 90%. We are nearing the
with it. They can give all stakeholders
end of desktop applications and
a detailed visualisation of a project xBIM 2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
local storage.
before construction work commences,
Cloud computing 63% 26% 3% 8%
thereby providing detailed feedback Nemetschek Data Design 2% But we can also see that technologies
System (DDS)
at a time when it can still be which recently seemed far off are
Virtual/augmented/mixed reality 33% 42% 5% 20%
acted upon. 3D Repo 1% gaining a real foothold. Virtual,
augmented or mixed reality is already
The survey findings show that Design for Offsite Construction 41% 33% 8% 18%
Other 15% being used by a third of practices,
construction professionals are
and 75% expect to be using it within
using an array of digital tools in Drones 31% 41% 13% 16%
five years. This offers the opportunity
their day-to-day work. We show this
for designers (as well as clients and
Construction Technology Landscape Internet of Things 26% 39% 6% 29%
contractors) to interact in realistic,
graphically overleaf.
true 3D rendering of models, and 3D printing of building 11% 46% 16% 26%
so to make better design choices, components

in a more collaborative manner. Analytics and Big Data 16% 39% 10% 36%
technologies
Just as the UK Government acted
as a catalyst for BIM, they are Sensors, machine-to-machine
communication
10% 33% 20% 37%

now seeking to promote off-site

Artificial Intelligence or machine 6% 35% 21% 38%
construction. In the Autumn learning
Budget 2017, the Government
Smart digital assistants or ‘bots’ 5% 36% 16% 44%
outlined its plans to promote
off-site construction, with five
Robotics 4% 28% 32% 36%
central government departments
looking to adopt a presumption
in favour of off-site construction. We use now We will use it in the next five years We’ll never use this Not sure

Model viewers can bring BIM to life for those

who are unfamiliar with it.
20 21
Construction Technology Report 2019

The Construction
Technology Landscape
When developing, coordinating
and sharing the information that Documentation
is needed on any project, there isn’t
a single technology solution that
does everything. You cannot buy
‘BIM in a Box’; information
management is like construction Standards and technical advice
in the way that there are ‘many
tools for the job’.

The illustration here shows the

current technology landscape with
respect to developing, coordinating
Specifications
and sharing both structured and
unstructured information.

Design

Model viewing

Model checking

Common Data Environments

Objects

22 23
Construction Technology Report 2019

End Note
The construction industry faces a
number of significant challenges:
sustainability, the challenges of
urbanisation, providing homes for all,
creating liveable cities, building safely
and to a high quality, adversarial
contracting, poor productivity and
a reluctance to change.
Digitisation can help with these The choice may be a stark one:
challenges. The UK already has embrace digital and collaborative
world-leading architectural and design working to support the creativity
professions, and sustainable design of UK design, or face the potential
practice. UK architecture is the biggest of being replaced by an algorithm.
exporter of architectural services in
Europe, and contributes £4.8bn GVA
to the British economy every year.
The further digitisation of design
professions will allow us to build
on this strong position.

UK architecture is the biggest exporter of

architectural services in Europe, and contributes
£4.8bn GVA to the British economy every year.
24 25
Construction Technology Report 2019

BDP Technology Adoption

Narrative: Typical Project
Workflows.
Architects, designers and engineers’ fundamental skills rely on their creative
and technical abilities, but technology is increasingly changing the way that
they work. Project success relies on their ability to develop information that
adequately describes design intentions for clients, and then successfully
communicates technical solutions to project partners, ensuring that design
intent is realised in built form. Advances in software and hardware are
providing opportunities to improve the way that we work, and BIM is at the
heart of this change.

With the launch of the Government’s

Alistair Kell BIM mandate in 2011, BDP took the
Principal, opportunity to rationalise our
Information, software portfolio and implement
Technology and a set of workflows that would allow
Process, BDP us to focus on a reduced number
of vendors. With the varying
requirements of 14 different
disciplines across BDP and a
software estate in excess of 400
titles, this strategy was never going
to be simple, but an approach was
put in place which focuses on the
Autodesk Building Design Suite.
This has significantly advanced our
position, moving the business from
2D CAD to more effective project
delivery, with approximately 80%
of work currently being delivered
through BIM. As part of this journey,
BDP also became the first company
to be recognised as BIM Level 2 -
compliant globally.
With the launch of the Government’s BIM
mandate in 2011, BDP took the opportunity
to rationalise our software portfolio and
implement a set of workflows that would allow
us to focus on a reduced number of vendors.
26
Above: The working BIM model
We have no ‘house style’; instead, we
adopt a range of tools and processes,
depending on building typology,
project work stage and specific client
requirements. As our knowledge of
BIM methodologies and use of tools
has increased, we have progressively
leveraged the benefits of 3D model
geometry, increasing the volumes
of data built into models and the
referencing of additional information
sources to create more accurate
and complex information outputs.
Above: AR representation: Kazendi/Hololens
Coordination model
We focus on our core design
activities, defining these around
‘BIM Uses’, therefore enabling model
information to be developed and
reused for additional value. This
approach flexes to address the
differing activities across all design
stages, and increasingly centres on
the continual development and
aggregation of single sources
of information.
Early stage design work using
conceptual model information
supports brief development, space
analysis and early massing studies.
A wide range of tools is adopted, but
SketchUp, Revit and various ‘plug-ins’
for brief/area schedule analysis and
visual communication of design
concepts are provided to project
teams through our Central IT group.
We attempt to be as flexible as
possible at early work stages,
balancing the value of detailed
modelling with defined elements
against the fluid nature of the
design process.
Above: Typical BDP Revit/ NBS Create workflow
With developing design proposals, Specification authoring linked to
we ensure that projects move into model development is also emerging
Revit as our primary authoring as a key ‘BIM use’. With the adoption
platform. We expect accurate Revit of NBS Create, we have established
models to be progressed from the a workflow that allows the emerging
later stages of concept design once design specification to be authored
optioneering has concluded and in parallel with the Revit model
geometry becomes more fixed. (effectively giving equal importance
Supporting tools are also used at to both developing design proposals
this stage to address wider design and the technical specification) and
communication and collaboration. linking this to LoD/LoI development.
The ability to align specification
Typically, we introduce VR/ AR
clauses to model elements is greatly
workflows from concept design,
assisting design coordination and
which add significant value for client
reducing inconsistencies, and as we
and design team alike. The ability
transition to NBS Chorus we expect
to place a client ‘inside’ the emerging
this to improve.
design to better understand the
quality of space, light or material is
proving invaluable as a communication
tool. Equally, similar exercises within
the design team can greatly assist
with design development prior to
formal clash resolution exercises
taking place.
The ability to align specification clauses to
model elements is greatly assisting design
coordination and reducing inconsistencies.
27
Construction Technology Report 2019
Typical BDP Revit/NBS Create workflow
During the developed design and
technical delivery phases, the reliance
on technology to improve efficiency
and reduce repetitive tasks is
increasingly important. The use of
products such as Navisworks or Solibri
to support design coordination and
drive design development is key to
our workflows. Equally, model/data
aggregation, manipulation and
automation (using tools such as
Dynamo, CodeBook and dRofus,
together with bespoke scripting)
are providing increasingly critical
tools in the design process.
BDP also has a number of standard
tools supporting project information
management, graphic design and
desktop publishing. These are
available to all staff, ensuring
a consistent approach across
the business.
28
Read our trusted annual
survey reports on the
Left:
Keele University Revit sectional perspective
industry's true status
Read the results from our eighth National BIM report
and our fourth National Construction contracts
and law survey.
Our technological approach and user BDP is well placed to engage in these
adoption strategies are not static. industry debates and drive benefit
In the early stages of our BIM from opportunities as they emerge.
implementation, we made significant Our technology strategy is intertwined
steps to add benefit to the business with our business plan to ensure that
on a regular basis. Practice-wide skills both practical application and future
and knowledge have also improved vision deliver on the exciting future
through engagement and leadership potential for the built environment.
outside of BDP, with many staff being
involved in initiatives that are now
widely adopted across the industry.
As AEC technologies improve,
enabling greater collaboration and
engagement across the building life
cycle, it is clear that there will be a
more significant step change past that
triggered by the BIM Level 2 mandate.
This is beginning to manifest itself in
the debate over ‘Smart’ technologies
(whether that be buildings, assets or
cities), and we will soon see more
applicable technical solutions to What has the 2018 BIM Report shown? What are the key findings in the 2018 report?
support such wider decision-making
• The majority of those surveyed believe BIM will help • Disputes are not going away, and the reasons for them
outside established working practices. to reduce both construction costs and completion times. are varied.
• Almost two thirds of participants agree that the • More than 20 years after the Latham report, bespoke
Government requires BIM on its projects. contracts are still widely used
• BIM usage has increased by 12% compared to last year • The majority of respondents agree that a BIM is
Our technological approach and user adoption contractually binding
strategies are not static. In the early stages of
Download a free copy today from: Download a free copy today from:
our BIM implementation, we made significant www.thenbs.com/knowledge/the-national-bim- www.thenbs.com/knowledge/national-construction-
steps to add benefit to the business on a report-2018 contracts-and-law-report-2018
regular basis.
29
Construction Technology Report 2019

BIM Development
Technology in the Built
Environment
Earlier this year, we were offered the opportunity to present at the Discover Left:
NBS events in Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne. The suggested theme of NBS BIM Object Standard forms
the basis for the Ryder Architecture’s
the presentation was our digital strategy. We used this as a chance to reflect Shared Parameter file
on the technological advancements that the practice has undertaken in what
we thought was our recent history, only to realise that digital technologies
have been part of our processes for over 30 years.

History
As a pioneering business, we were
Glenn Tate early CAD adopters in 1988, moving
Associate, Ryder from the traditional drawing board
to its more intelligent electronic clone.
During the 1990s, we built on these
capabilities and began writing
custom add-ins: LISP routines for
our processes to help the production
of our documentation. We invested
in our first purpose-made digital
specification writing tool in 1999,
in the form of NBS’ Specification
Manager. This brought order and
consistency to our specifications,
which were previously the product
of laborious word processor tasks.
This closely followed with
development of our intranet –
RyderNet – in 2000, a central
repository for data relating to our
clients, projects and staff. RyderNet
is now in its fourth generation, and
is key to ensuring that we have
consistency in the information
that flows through Ryder.
We invested in our first purpose-made digital
specification writing tool in 1999, in the form of
In 2006, we trialled Autodesk Revit
on a project which incorporated two
similarly designed buildings over
different sites. The process illustrated
the power of 3D data-integrated
design and collaboration. In January
2008, we mandated the use of
Revit on all new projects. Following
a successful Knowledge Transfer
Partnership, we established BIM
Academy in 2010: a joint venture with
Northumbria University that provides
consultancy, education and research
in Building Information Modelling (BIM).
2015 saw us return to customising the
digital tools that we use, establishing
the digital innovations team by
employing computer scientists to
work with our architects to champion
digital design and push our capabilities
in computational processes.
Present
We currently use a software stack
that is both interlinked but specialist
in the processes that the individual
tools operate. Autodesk Revit
remains our design authoring
package, and NBS Building is our
chosen specification platform.
We supplement these with other
design-oriented software programs,
such as Solibri Model Checker (design
validation), Enscape3D (real time
visualisation and VR) and Autodesk
Dynamo (visual programming).
In addition to the above, we have
adopted Microsoft Office 365, Skype
for Business, Adobe Creative Cloud,
MediaWiki and Rapport3 to assist
our general business functions.
We use digital platforms to promote
consistency and quality in our
information, and aim to template,
standardise and modularise our
information where possible.
The NBS BIM Object Shared
Parameters provides the template
for our Revit dataset. We see it as the
most complete set of construction
properties available, and only add to
these where there are bespoke project
requirements, or if necessary for our
own customised tools.
Our documents, drawings and
BIM objects are also templated for
consistency and familiarity in level of
detail, information and terminology.
Most projects, regardless of sector,
require the same drawing types and
specifications to be produced.
The NBS BIM Object Standard
provides a framework to template
our BIM objects. We develop Revit
family templates, so project-specific
objects begin life from a consistent
point, which includes the object’s
classification reference and its dataset.
As standard, we include properties
from the BIM Object Standard, IFC
and COBie property sets.
Where appropriate, we standardise
elements of the design, such as
drawings, objects and specifications.
The same elements, products and
the interfaces between them occur
on projects regardless of scale and
sector – we keep it simple and avoid
reinventing the wheel.
Annotation on drawings is purely a
functional tie to our specifications
where we can more safely deal with
descriptions on execution. In addition
to standardisation, we modularise
elements of our design where it is
rational. Assemblies of products that
are commonly used together, or have
spatial dependence between them,
are pre-assembled for simple and
consistent placement. We apply this
methodology for washroom fittings,
room types and building cores.

NBS’ Specification Manager. This brought order

and consistency to our specifications, which The NBS BIM Object Shared Parameters provides the template
were previously the product of laborious word for our Revit dataset. We see it as the most complete set of
processor tasks. construction properties available.
30 31
Construction Technology Report 2019

Above left: Future

Standardised objects with specification
references included for annotation on
drawings
Above right:
Modularisation of washroom fittings,
room types and building cores provide
control and consistency
We have seen the technological
landscape in which we operate advance
exponentially over recent years; any
digital platform we adopt in the future
will need to be agile, global and
unifiable. We are now, more than ever
before, performing our role away from
a single place of work; the scales of
projects and their teams differ vastly,
as does the procurement and/or our
scope. Our projects are now shared
between teams across the world, and
we require a single source of truth
which is accessible to many, both
inside and outside of the organisation.
Beyond this, the potential for
automation of our sector using
computational and artificial intelligent
processes will be a key driver for us
going forward.

We are now, more than ever before,

performing our role away from a single place
of work; the scales of projects and their
teams differ vastly, as does the procurement
and/or our scope.
32
Construction Technology Report 2019

Our technology stack

Rob Jackson
Associate Director,
Bond Bryan Digital
Bond Bryan deals with BIM in two aspects: Architecture and Digital.
Our Architecture team is primarily focused on the creation, sharing and
By 2016, we had built a substantial
coordination of information models, whilst our Digital team is focused amount of knowledge about BIM,
on providing specialist Information Management and Coordination
Management services to our architectural teams, and also other clients,
and in March 2016, Bond Bryan
consultants and contractors. Digital was launched to share this
The technology stack has obvious overlaps, and there is natural sharing of
knowledge and learn more.
knowledge between both aspects of the business. However, they are both
connected by one common theme: openBIM. This means that almost all our
tools use open standards for information exchange, particularly IFC (Industry
Foundation Classes), COBie (Construction-Operations Building information
exchange) and BCF (BIM Collaboration Format).

Above: BIMcollab

Bond Bryan Architects
• Authoring – GRAPHISOFT
ARCHICAD.
• Internal model sharing
– GRAPHISOFT BIMcloud.
• Quality assurance – Solibri
Model Checker.
• Viewing – GRAPHISOFT BIMx
Above: BIMcollab and Solibri Model Viewer.
• Visualisation – Autodesk 3DS
Max and Lumion.
• Specification – NBS Building.
Bond Bryan Digital Bond Bryan Architects and Bond
Bryan Digital
• Quality assurance and COBie
production – Solibri Model • Information sharing – Twine
Checker. (intranet).
• COBie compliance – COBie QC • Project management– Rapport3.
Reporter.
• Data visualisation – Microsoft
• Model viewing – Solibri Model PowerBI.
Viewer, BIMcollab ZOOM and
many others.
• Interoperability testing
– Autodesk AutoCAD,
Autodesk Navisworks and
Autodesk Revit, plus many
others.
• Issue management
– BIMcollab.

The technology stack has obvious overlaps, • Common Data Environment

(CDE) – Asite.
and there is natural sharing of knowledge
between both aspects of the business.
34 35
Construction Technology Report 2019
Below: GRAPHISOFT ARCHICAD
Our journey
Bond Bryan moved directly from
the drawing board to GRAPHISOFT
ARCHICAD back in 1994. For a long
time, the tool was used to create a
mixture of 3D visualisations with
separate 2D outputs. 2005, though,
saw our practice move towards
modelling almost all of our projects
in 3D, to create 2D outputs with
associated data outputs such as door
and window schedules. By 2007, we
had exchanged our first models with
other consultants using IFC.
Interoperability is something that
comes naturally, as we have always
had to interface with both other
platforms (we are predominantly an
Apple Mac practice) and other tools,
whether that be AutoCAD, Revit or
other CAD or BIM tools. Our
commitment to researching geometry
and data exchange led to us winning
a number of awards, including the
practice’s first international award!
36
The UK Government’s 2011 mandate
that ‘BIM Level 2’ needed to be
achieved on all centrally procured
government projects by 2016 saw an
increased drive in our need to improve
our processes, particularly around
open data exchange. We therefore
invested heavily in researching, testing
and developing processes to deliver
even better IFC exchange, and in turn
the robust COBie outputs required for
BIM Level 2 projects.
By 2016, we had built a substantial
amount of knowledge about BIM,
and in March 2016, Bond Bryan Digital
was launched to share this knowledge
and learn more. This specialist
consultancy, built on our in-house
knowledge, has worked on a number
of high profile projects since 2016, all
using open standards. These projects
include the University of Cambridge
Cavendish III Laboratories (£170m;
read more here: https://bondbryan.
co.uk/project/university-of-
cambridge/), Ministry of Justice Prison
Estate Transformation Programme for
Wellingborough and Glen Parva
(£270m), and Nottingham College
City Hub Project (£37.5m).
We have also worked on a number of
demonstration projects to both test
and demonstrate open workflows.
This has included the East Dormitory
project (read more here: https://
bondbryan.co.uk/project/east-
dormitory/), which was a project
developed with Bill East (the creator
of COBie) to produce example files of
COBie delivery from both GRAPHISOFT
ARCHICAD and Autodesk Revit.
The BBD team were subsequently
involved in the publication of two
books with Bill to explain how to
use the technology.
The future
Over the last 10 years, we have
successfully demonstrated that we are
able to exchange models efficiently
and effectively with other consultants
and contractors. In our experience,
just as many issues exist where
people use the same tools, and the
reality is that technology is only as
good as its weakest user.
There remains a challenge, however,
to be able to prove to clients that
using open standards is the best way
forward (particularly for Facilities
Management, where we see many
clients opting to prescribe closed
requirements). We are therefore
focusing on researching model
(geometry and data) exchange for
this use case over the next couple of
years. We remain confident we can
demonstrate that open standards
work here too.
At the same time, our Digital team
remains highly focused on researching
ways to improve processes for
everyone who we work with. This
includes looking at how we integrate
new, emerging technology (including,
for example, NBS Chorus). NBS Chorus
is a great example of linking data to
models, and a specification solution
that works on a Mac for our architects.
Linking data and attaching documents
is something that we believe we will
see more of as we finally realise that,
whilst models are great conduits for
data, they are becoming overburdened
and increasingly difficult to manage.
We are also interested in how we
can create more effective ways of
documenting, managing and
delivering information requirements.
Data management tools are definitely
something that will increase in use
over the next five years, but the key
Below: Solibri Model Checker
to all of them will be usability, even
for those who are not data-savvy.
New and improved technology will
continue to emerge over the next few
years, but for us the first question is
always ‘Will it work for everyone who
we work with?’ We aren’t interested in
closed technology, processes or
mind-sets. For us, the technology
must not be allowed to restrict who
we can and can’t work with.
For more information about Bond Bryan:
E: info@bondbryan.co.uk
W: http://www.bondbryan.co.uk
Tw: https://twitter.com/bondbryan
For more information about
Bond Bryan Digital:
E: digital@bondbryan.co.uk
W: http://www.bondbryan.co.uk/digital
Blog: http://bimblog.bondbryan.co.uk
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37
Construction Technology Report 2019

Technology in the built

environment

Far Left:
Chase Farm Hospital, was the only major Acute Facility opening in
2018, delivered using Coordinated BIM technology and processes.

Left:
The reutilisation of BIM for Design and Construction information,
for BIM for Lifecycle, creating a Digital Twin.

Nick Ainscough
Regional Design
Technology Lead,
IBI GROUP

The utilisation of 3D authoring tools enables us to be adaptive to project This ranges from choosing design With the growth of the Internet of It will be interesting to see where the
needs and typology. Such tools are able to hold classification data (such as authoring software to deciding how Things (IoT) and the concept of the recent growth of interest in parametric
Uniclass and IFC). They can communicate with database solutions (such as to manage, validate and process ‘digital twin’, it will be interesting to design leads. Which direction will it
Codebook and NBS Chorus) to integrate with cloud-hosted common data data. From integrating and validating see how the migration to cloud take? We believe that there are three
environments (CDE) and other modelling tools, through the use of the specification requirements to running services changes the ways that main spheres:
IFC-neutral file format. They enable our vertical and linear infrastructure design options or construction people work, and where information • Design options, validation and
projects to interact with – and be further informed by – geospatial design, programme simulations. From is stored and utilised. Will we be analysis.
and asset capture and management systems. visualising the design, through the at a point where we have a true
• Data and production efficiencies.
transition from design to construction, information model, where everyone
We have the ability to carry out design By using clearly defined datasets such to making a building operational. feeds into one federated database, • Parametric modelling.
option simulations, along with site as Uniclass 2015, the ability to make with different entities owning different
Throughout our journey, we have Out of the three, which might
analysis, to make informed decisions graphical models software-neutral datasets? This could be a graphical
always looked at how all these become the default definition that
with our clients and other design team means that we can work in one model, with analytical data or other
different data types can inform and will be widely recognised? Or will all
members. This enhances production modelling solution, link tools such data such as product data sheets.
educate future generations, while three end up standing out in their
information, and enables a final design as NBS Chorus to elements within
not leaving anyone behind. The ability The future ability to take and own right? The other big question is:
with reduced risk and a tested brief. our model or host the model in
of solutions such as NBS Chorus process real-time data, based on ‘Like 2D CAD and 3D modelling
From this point on, the question data-viewing solutions (created
to hold data that can be used as designs and how they will impact before them, will this become
becomes: ‘How much data is required, using Autodesk Forge or the leading
guidance enables controlled their future environment, could lead the industry norm, where it just
and what database solutions(s) are CDE providers’ programs).
environments where others can learn to different design decisions and becomes commonplace?’
used, to host and link the data model
We have moved past the idea of before anything is published, either in inform future projects.
to the graphical model? And who
creating a model in a three-dimensional a graphical model or a CDE. More and
needs to access, view or interact
environment that not only represents more technological items have user
with which model(s)?’
the final design but is also used for permissions and controls, which
Over the last few years, the introduction production and handover information. means that we can embed some of
of virtual reality (VR) headsets and 3D We no longer look at BIM as the the cornerstones of a profession into
printers has enabled designers and ‘building information model’, as a our technology. They can therefore
clients to interact with our designs vertical built intervention. Instead, educate the next generation and
in new and interesting ways. Thus a we consider ‘building’ a verb meaning deliver a high standard of workmanship
greater understanding of a design is ‘to create’, so we are creating and services. They will do so with
possible, generated by the graphical information models. When you look reduced risk and in a real-time
model being used to produce the
design and construction information.
at the process from this perspective,
you are no longer looking at one
environment, with information Over the last few years, the introduction
no longer held in silos.
technological solution to achieve of virtual reality (VR) headsets and 3D printers
your end design. Instead, you are has enabled designers and clients to interact
considering which technology solution
best delivers each requirement. with our designs in new and interesting ways.
38 39
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