Atlantic Square Glasgow
BIM for temporary works Understanding how temporary works will be incorporated in a construction sequence as early as the strategy phase can improve project delivery and even help contractors to win tenders, writes Paul McLaughlin, Mabey Hire
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emporary works form an integral part of many construction schemes; whether that’s the façade retention of a listed building front while work continues behind, or the shoring and bracing of large groundworks excavations. . With temporary works contributing a significant amount of the total construction cost, it is evident that the efficiency of its delivery will often prove vital for the overall project success. That said, digitisation and BIM have historically only been considered for the permanent works design, despite the great benefits that can arise from the implementation of BIM throughout the entire construction sequence, including both temporary and permanent – an issue that we at Mabey Hire identified several years ago. To put it in the timeline context of a Digital Plan of Works (DPoW), more often than not we are seeing temporary works being incorporated on large construction, infrastructure or commercial development projects as late as Stage Four (Design) or even Stage Five (Build). Understandably, being considered so late on in the construction sequence has the potential www.AECmag.com
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to cause considerable issues, for the temporary works provider, contractors and indeed the project as a whole. By such late stages of a project, the 3D model of the proposed structure will likely be well-developed, or even completed. While the detailed model will provide the temporary works specialist with a high level of information and data around the project, the model will often have to be stripped back in order for the temporary works to be correctly and efficiently designed and incorporated within. Modelling the temporary works required when the superstructure has already been modelled above can make it a more time-consuming process, as well as being difficult to visualise how the temporary works will fit into the overall building design and construction sequence. With temporary works often being required on a project either before the permanent works begin or as a means of assisting and facilitating the construction process, the two should either be considered in the appropriate sequential order or given the same level of precedence. The advantages of considering and visualising
temporary works at the initial strategy or concept stage of the DPoW can be huge, with the benefits felt throughout the whole project.
Supporting design decisions Perhaps the most apparent and overriding benefit of visualising temporary works at the early stages of a construction sequence is the ability to make early design decisions and achieve a betterinformed overall design stage as a result. This provides project teams with the ability to identify potential issues early on and take a proactive approach to solving them. In comparison, limited
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