Do you find your office folders jam-packed with specifications, before you have even started the planning process on your project? Have you had to solve disputes between contractors due to the multiplication of 2D drawing sets? Are you having to re-order extra skips onto site due to the amount of wasted building materials? Have you found that you need to make a minor amendments or a detail to a building, resulting in hours of redrawing and printing planning sets? Or have you wanted to give your client an accurate and in depth energy analysis of their building, which can be shared and tested by future facilities managers? Well MBH encourages you to adopt BIM (Building Information Modelling).
In May 2011 UK Government called for BIM to be adopted on all UK Government construction projects of over £5 million. Previously, traditional building design was largely reliant upon 2D drawings. BIM extends this to 3D and beyond, expanding on the three primary spatial dimensions of height, width and depth with the possibilities of the fourth dimension of time, fifth dimension of cost, integrating design and data, and finally the sixth dimension of life cycle and facilities management.
Within the first year of MBH launching its ‘BIM bricks’, it has seen a surge in downloads from its website, displaying over 100 bricks over a wide variety of ranges and blends. Frank Hanna, Group Commercial Director at MBH stated, “As the first and only UK brick manufacturer to release BIM files to date, we are proud to have taken the next step into a more organised and collaborative approach in construction. Allowing us to analyse and adapt our files to suit customer feedback, ahead of the 2016 government deadline. It is clear that BIM will predicate the 2D formalities of the existing construction industry, through accuracy and improved productivity alone. BIM also has the ability to speed up project delivery, reduce costs and validate energy life cycle analysis of buildings, enabling all of us to reduce industry inefficiencies. However to ensure there are continuous flows of data and design parameter input we all need to invest and be on board, therefore we feel it is our duty to encourage BIM adoption amongst all parties.”
Open dialogue
One year on from its launch, MBH learnt through open dialogue with clients and colleagues, how BIM is becoming the most valued tool in the construction industry’s future. MBH agrees that one is yet to discover its potential as a fully collaborative tool, which is shared amongst all construction professionals. One recognises that it is only when all parties react, that we can truly communicate with each other at multiple levels in the construction process, maturing onto the second generation of BIM. We will then be able to record accurate energy efficiency data through a building’s life cycle, from conception of design, through to its every day functioning and the potential to recycle or re-use the fabric.
This local British, brick manufacturer offers over 100 bricks from five leading brands including machine and handmade products through its ranges. With a simple and quick download process, available in both Revit and IFC formats, you can select a variety of bricks to render and visualise your 3D building façade. So before you specify your brick, MBH strongly recommends that you try it first.
Frank Hanna, continues to reinforce its position stating, “We believe continuous investment in processes and sustainability, is investing for the future. That’s why we have committed ourselves to BIM and this is why we are encouraging manufacturers, designers, contractors and construction managers alike, to open their eyes to the advances of this technology and way of thinking. As Britain’s Brick Specialists we have seen a substantial increase in our downloads over the past year and we are confident for the Government’s 2016 deadline for BIM implementation. We anticipate a developing future for BIM, where all carbon emissions of buildings can be assessed accurately and that’s why as a local manufacturer we encourage the use of this data. We hope you will join us on this journey!”
Awareness and use of BIM, chart by NBS, The National BIM report, 2013.
BIM can provide a collaborative framework among all project parties, allowing the free-flow of data about what is being designed and how it will be constructed. Collaborative use of BIM takes full advantage of BIM’s capabilities. The advantages of these capabilities and the benefits of using a BIM Model are extensive.
Use of CAD comparison, chart by NBS, The National BIM report, 2013.
Full potential
Chelle Marle, Marketing Manager of MBH explains the full potential of its BIM Brick files. “A simple schedule simulation with one of our brick files inserted into a project, can show the owner what the building will look like as construction progresses, acting as a marvellous marketing tool for all parties involved and allowing the contractor to realise the entire project. A greater visualisation can also be created through ‘Model Walkthroughs’, allowing us to experience the spaces of the buildings as we travel through the 3D built environment. A valuable tool in BIM is clash detection, allowing for potential problems in the construction phase to be identified earlier in design. Within the 5D realm of our BIM files, we can aid the contractor towards a simplified process of ‘material take off’ to determine a project’s cost and requirements. A ‘Brick Sheet’ has been created for easy access to provide the ‘material take off’ information which includes all the brick product and specifying data.
This ranges from its density tolerance to compressive strength values and onto simple ‘quantity take-offs’ to see the calculated volume of bricks and area estimates required for the build and aid the process of ‘productivity projections’ on site. All factory data such as ‘type mark’ and ‘plant location’ is featured on this sheet, with a URL link directly to our website for further contact information. With to-scale elevations of your brick wall we have also included an additional high resolution image of a sample panel to your specification. We have produced one concise sheet of all brick information and imagery for simple exchange or printing. It contains all data, dimensions and schedules, which can also prove useful when convincing a planning or conservation officer between materials or blends.
MBH Blockleys Smooth Black brick, 3D render in Revit
We know that our bricks are locally produced from a durable, natural material with longevity at its core but through ‘data capture’ in the operation phase of the building, we can expose how cost effective it is to build in brick. Due to the transparency of our product information, the ‘life cycle management’ of your building can be fully integrated from day one of the design phase, allowing for specifications, operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals and warranty information to be easily accessible for the future maintenance of the building. So as we reach the 6D realm of ‘Facilities Management’, we can understand why it makes sense to be involved with BIM. It is only through its adoption, that we can fully integrate with the capabilities of BIM and we vow to maintain and update our files. Customer satisfaction is our priority and through our continued investment, we can be confident that we will lead the way for our industry in the UK.“
