and beyond?

To the fourth dimension – and beyond?

What might the addition of new information types to BIM models help us achieve in terms of construction project efficiency and future building maintenance, asks Rob Charlton, CEO of AEC technology company Space Group

As more people in the industry begins, with considerable potential to save familiarise themselves with on costs. And, with the added bonus of 4D, 4D simulation and know how we can add scheduling to the model, furto use it, the more popular it ther enhancing our view of an asset in all becomes for Level 2 BIM projects. its as-built glory, way ahead of a project’s

The benefit of actual start date. using 4D is that it However, the adds the time dimen- About the author sequencing of work sion to an informa- activities doesn’t tion model. That, in Rob Charlton is have to be restricted turn, enables us to CEO of Space Group, the AEC to just the sequence sequence work activ- technology compaof construction. It ities graphically and ny that includes can also be used for simulate this in visu- Space Architects, logistics and safety al formats across the BIM Technologies, planning, taking into project lifecycle. bimstore, consideration site

In the past, the conCAMPUS and Volula. An architect by training, he is pas- deliveries, pedestrinections and integra- sionate about improving the value and per- an and vehicle movetion between a 3D formance of buildings using technology. ments, positioning of information model equipment and and a construction much more. In this schedule were minimal. Now, with the way, 4D helps everyone involved in a prointroduction of BIM and the integration of ject to understand not just the actual information within the BIM model, we can build, but also all other activities, on and ‘virtually’ construct, rehearse and test a off site. It’s also a big help in comparing project before any ‘real’ construction work schedules against progress, helping to highlight activities that are running late or ahead of schedule.

Where 4D and IoT collide The concept of introducing timings and scheduling to a BIM model is a simple one and quite possibly the most logical step in the integration of technology in the design and construct phases of a project. So what comes next?

The Internet of Things (IoT), with its use of sensors to connect devices and facilitate the exchange of data, is an excellent example of how 4D might slot into the BIM environment. Just as the IoT ecosystem gives businesses and consumers access to data dashboards and analytics via their devices, 4D can enable a project team to map timings onto activities and view it all in one place.

By 2020, there could be more than 24 billion IoT devices on the planet, according to some analyst estimates. That equates to approximately four devices for every human being on Earth and demonstrates the accelerated speed of growth in

technology. With that in mind, why analytics based on data gathered by moni- AEC industry is concerned. Using realshould 4D be the end, when 5D could be toring engine heat or vibration during a time data can introduce many new ways just around the corner? race can be used to alert the pit crew if that of understanding assets and how they

In fact, 5D is already here. All it really engine is heading for a failure, prompting change and develop over time. means is the addition of cost information them to radio through to the driver to A model offers an easily accessible way to a model — another no-brainer. After all, come into the pit for further investigations. of understanding the design of the asset isn’t it the next logical step, once a design The cost of the sensors needed to col- and its information. Details that would is in place along with all the data behind lect these kinds of information has fallen once have been hidden in non-digital file its constituent parts and the timeline as dramatically over recent years, as has formats are now easily interrogated well, that we should start to add in budget data? However, where I think ‘‘ It’s possible to embed sensors into a graphically. This allow us to proactively anticipate events in the asset’s lifecycle and we should be heading is in the direction of real-time data for predictions, foreconstruction’s fabric to monitor the stability of structures such bridges or monitor the preempt maintenance and repairs, for lower long-term costs. If we then add in more casting and monitoring. curing speed of concrete in a building data on how the asset Typically we work with static, historical data and information. But information tends to their physical size. It’s possible to embed ’’ behaves, we can start to pre dict patterns and learn les sons that might be applied to new con change over time. Take, for example, the sensors into a construction’s fabric to struction projects, based on what did cost of steel: prices change due to currency monitor the stability of structures such (and didn’t) work well in the past. fluctuations, supply chain issues, even fac- bridges or monitor the curing speed of Data is an exceptionally powerful tool tors such as natural disasters. With pre- concrete in a building. Smart ways of and understanding how to use it is the dictive analytics, we can start to predict thinking — as seen in the ‘smart build- way forward — no matter which dimensteel prices based on trends and patterns. ing’ and ‘smart city’ concepts — are only sion we occupy.

Likewise, in Formula 1 racing, predictive the tip of a very large iceberg as far as the ■ spacegroup.co.uk