SSDA sponsor - Trimble Solutions (UK) Ltd
What does Level 3 BIM
mean for the steel industry?
While a finalised definition of Level 3 BIM is still a way off there
are trends emerging that will certainly impact on this critical
part of the construction industry.
10 NSC
October 18
In 2011 the Government Construction Client
Group published the first definition for Level
3 BIM:
Fully open process and data integration enabled by
“web services” compliant with the emerging IFC /
IFD standards, managed by a collaborative model
server. Could be regarded as iBIM or integrated
BIM potentially employing concurrent engineering
processes.
The UK government published its Level 3
strategy paper, Digital Built Britain, in 2015. This
year the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB)
was launched and the Sector Deal has digital as a
Grand Challenge.
Harnessing the power of digital
Using computational design to iterate many
hundreds or thousands of solutions can now be
done in seconds to determine the ‘best’ answer
to a specific structural problem. Software such
as Rhino and Grasshopper can deliver powerful
solutions that can then be checked for code
compliance in Tekla Structural Designer and
linked to fabrication software such as Tekla
Structures. In addition 3D printing techniques
directly from models will change the way that
steel is fabricated.
In parallel with this, the drive for
greater industry efficiency has also led to
the presumption of offsite fabrication for
Government projects from 2019. The structural
steel industry has been a manufacturer for
decades and already understands fabrication
directly from models, production line
methodologies, robotic assembly, traceability,
efficient logistics and lean programmes which
will all be part of Level 3.
Trimble Solutions (UK) Ltd
is a sponsor of the 50th
Structural Steel Design
Awards
A new contractual framework
The industry will also require better
collaborative contracts. IPI (Integrated
Project Insurance) and project bank
accounts are required for Level 3 to be
successful. The recently published Sector
Deal for Construction notes the need for
sustainable business practices and fairer
payment practices.
This will mean big changes for clients and
tier 1 contractors who create and manage
contracts, but should be welcome news to
specialist contractors who have previously
suffered with poor contractual terms. There
is still much work to be done to properly
embed BIM Level 2 into existing contracts as
the Winfield/Rock report showed.
Contractual payment terms could also
be linked to blockchain. The use of these
distributed ledger technologies relies on
accurate data to authorise payments so is
aligned to digital construction processes.
A co-operative cultural environment
To move the industry towards delivering
Level 3 there is probably the even greater
hurdle of achieving cultural changes. Level
3 won’t fix the industry in this respect but
working to the principles of Level 3 will force
the industry to work in a very different and
better way.
Training in the use of BIM techniques
No amount of new standards, contracts
and cultural changes will actually make a
real difference until the industry addresses
the need for training. This is not software
training, but learning the behavioural
changes needed to deliver the processes
and techniques of Level 3. This will be a
big challenge when many businesses are
struggling to deliver Level 2 projects due to
inconsistent, or inappropriate, behaviours by
individuals and teams.
Driving domestic and international
growth
By driving innovation through the use of
data rich technology the UK Government
sees this strategy as an import way to
maintain and grow trade both domestically
and abroad.
Conclusion
So where does this leave the steelwork
contractor? Well, still in a position of
holding the high ground for digital adoption.
Steel fabrication is already a model based,
data driven operation. The industry has been
manufacturing and assembling accurate
structures for decades and has expertise to
offer the research at the CDBB. Delivering
Level 3 by 2025 could still be a serious
challenge, but the steel construction industry
has a great opportunity to influence this
journey.
The structural steelwork industry needs to
be under no illusion that data will be a key
requirement, however the amount of data
required will probably not increase greatly,
the changes will be in the way it is used.
Level 3 links the information from the
digital built environment to similar data sets
from the water, power, and transportation
sectors. This is where Industry 4.0 and Smart
Cities strategies align to construction and will
be the start of the industry dipping its toes
into the world of Big Data.
So Level 3 will vastly change the contextual,
contractual and cultural use of data. In the
Digital Built Britain strategy five key measures
were identified:
• The creation of a set of new, international
‘Open Data’ standards which would pave
the way for easy sharing of data across the
entire market.
• The establishment of a new contractual
framework for projects which have been
procured with BIM to ensure consistency,
avoid confusion and encourage, open,
collaborative working.
• The creation of a cultural environment
which is co-operative, seeks to learn and
share.
• Training the public sector client in the
use of BIM techniques such as data
requirements, operational methods and
contractual processes.
• Driving domestic and international growth
and jobs in technology and construction.
‘Open Data’ standards
The UK led the world in creating a
comprehensive set of BIM process standards.
These standards form the foundations of
Level 1 and 2 but are also critical for Level 3.
The adoption of the BuildingSMART data
exchange format IFC - Industry Foundation
Class - as well as the development of further
sub-sets of IFC known as Model View
Definitions (MVDs) will be critical. Seamless
data transfers reduce waste.
Open data workflows will also see real
time performance monitoring through the
use of sensors. This offers the opportunity to
better understand the structural behaviour
of built assets but also comes with the need
for greater data security of assets.
/Design
/Fabrication
/Construction