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Civil Engineeringvolume 166 Issue CE1 February 2013

ttp://dx.doi.org/10.1680/cien.2013.166.1.9

Using building information modellingon a highway projectSibert

ICE Publising: All rigts resered

For further information contact: Ben Sibert Tel: +44 29 2047 3727 Email: ben.sibert@arup.com Web: www.a465brynmawr2tredegar.co.uk

Using building information modellingon a highway project

BRIEFING:INNOvATION

Building information modelling (BIM) is to be implemented on all UK government construction projects

by 2016 to help cut costs. Ben Sibert of Arup explains how BIM is being used on a section of the A465

highway dualling in south Wales and the lessons being learned on the way.

Te Wels goernments 150 million A465

Brynmawr to Tredegar project inolesdualling 78 km of te eads of te alleysroad in sout Wales. Work started onsite at te end of 2012 and te project is

due for completion by 2015. ContractorCarillion, engineering consultancy Arupand enironment consultancy TACP are

deeloping teir approac to buildinginformation modelling (BIM) on te projectto elp cut costs.

Te BIM plan coered work stages,model elements, file system and designreiew. For work stages, te Royal

Institute of Britis Arcitects (RIBA) stages

were adopted. Model elements wereplanned across te Specification for

higway Works eadings, and te filesystem is Bentleys Projectwise. 4Projectsis used as te static data store for

completed design data.

Improed understanding

During work stage D design

deelopment te project team

deeloped a complete model of all of te

aboe-ground features. It was deelopedinto a drie-troug ideo, wic elpedcommunicate wit te public during tedraft orders stage.

Te ideo added real alue for te clientbecause it communicated te scemeclearly and sowed people exactly wat

tey could expect in a way two-dimensionaldrawings could not. Only tree objectionsto te draft orders remained at te public

inquiry in Marc 2012.At te end of 2012, te team ad

completed its stage E design tecnical

design. Te wole of te igway and

all its features were ten assembled intoa reiew enironment using Autodesks

Naisworks, resoling conflicts to stageF production information wit acoordinated design.

Bot te client and contractorbenefited from being able to detectproblems in a tree-dimensional

enironment before construction started.

Issues and lessons

Certainly, te project teams ability and

willingness to take on new tings asbeen important to BIMs success on tissceme so far.

An important callenge for softwareproiders as been to facilitate inter-compatibility and flexibility of coice.

Eac discipline uses a different softwarepackage and different reiew platformsae different merits. It is adisable to

retain flexibility on te coice of softwareas firm decisions now may exclude

partners of te future.

Wit regard to programme, projectteams sould also consider allocatingmore time to stage E in adance ofstage F. Furter suggestions include

supplementing te original RIBA workstage plan wit Te American Instituteof Arcitects leel of deelopment

requirements to proide a better interfacewit te wider market.

Object-based modelling sould also

be increased. Eac part of te constructionis modelled as an object wit embeddedmaterials and property information. Tese

attributes can be taken forward into

different reiew platforms to aid witconstruction planning and ultimately wit

asset management.

Conclusions so far

Te A465 Brynmawr to Tredegar

project as demonstrated tat BIM canproide a structured approac to designdata storage and saring for design

teams, constructors and operators. It asimproed coordination and olistic designfor multidisciplinary teams, and been

elpful in communicating constructionsequences and programme.

howeer, it is important to get te

best out of different software packagesand not to restrict ariety. Differentplatforms ae different merits and

proide flexibility for collaboration witdifferent partners. Te design alsoneeds to be modelled at object leelto aid construction planning and asset

management.

A complete building information model of te

A465 dualling sceme in sout Wales as sofar significantly facilitated planning, designcoordination and construction planning

Bot te client and contractor benefited from beingable to detect problems in a tree-dimensionalenironment before construction started