CENTRE FOR INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION DRIVES BEST-IN-CLASS BIM
As a result of Winvic’s passion for digital, paired with the growing demand from clients who understand the benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM), a state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) and training facility was opened. From collaborative, remote and real-time design processes to digital manuals, VR-enabled QR codes and in-situ operational sensors, Winvic firmly has one foot in the future.
Working with BIM used to only denote interactive experiences and real-time changes within 3D design models, for example, clash detection and dimensional design checks. However, the capabilities of digital design reach much further than this and we’re determined to illustrate how using BIM to its fullest potential delivers tangible, end-to-end benefits for developers and tenants, from the pre-construction phase to many years into the future.
- During a tender, we can model programme complexities, show how a scheme could progress in 4D, and shape accurate budgets.
- As designs progress, decisions can be made much faster because clients can travel around a site or building virtually, seeing how it looks, feels and works in reality, and view hundreds of materials and colours.
- With clashes detected in a timely way and many challenges overcome in the model, this inevitably means the construction phase can be started and executed more rapidly.
- Site operatives also have the opportunity to explore packages in VR before they arrive on site then retrieve cloud hosted information on a mobile device.
- Information such as a section of the design manual or maintenance guidance can be accessed from QR codes strategically placed in the completed building.
- We are also able to install sensors in a building to determine if it is being used in accordance with the design intent and uncover operational inefficiencies.
“TAKE ME TO THE FOURTH FLOOR EAST ELEVATION” – WHAT’S CONVERSATIONAL BIM?
With around a quarter of all UK households now owning smart speaker devices and Google voice search accessible on all our phones, it seems only natural that all aspects of our lives will feature these technologies in the future. In construction, that future is just around the corner and Winvic is a key player in its development.
Towards the end of last year, we partnered with the University of the West England (UWE Bristol) as part of the Research Leaders programme where Professor Lukumon Oyedele, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Digital Innovation and Enterprise, is heading the Conversational BIM project. He is developing technology that will allow people to make voice requests to a BIM model – from a BIM CAVE like ours, office or on site – and also over time the software will recognise individual users’ voices and be able to anticipate requests. Our crucial role in the project is to provide real-life project BIM data – or ‘construction access’ – that is instrumental in the creation of an intelligent voice search headset and we’re going to be one of the first to trial this ground-breaking technology.
The future aim is to augment workers’ capabilities and make construction more efficient, with the ultimate ambition of having specialist, internet enabled hard hats with flip down screens. An operative could be anywhere on site, possibly many storeys high or in a compact cavity, and they will be able to retrieve the information they require by simply asking for the plan, drawing, video or image.
ANOTHER INDUSTRY FIRST – EMBODIED CARBON ANALYTICS AI SYSTEM
£800,000 of Innovate UK funding has been secured by Winvic, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), and Edgetrix Ltd to develop the first embodied carbon analytics AI system of its kind over the next two years.
While advancements have been made in how embodied and operational carbon emissions are calculated, methods are onerous and there is currently no efficient way for design teams to proactively drive down the embodied carbon footprint of projects. The revolutionary technology that will be developed in our project – AI System for Predicting Embodied Carbon in Construction (ASPEC) – will therefore be crucial in propelling constructors and material manufacturing firms to meet UK government targets. The research and development will make it possible for the embodied carbon output on building and infrastructure projects to be retrieved in real-time, based on BIM designs, materials carbon data and lessons learnt on past projects. Being able to optimise schemes in this way by making material changes in a BIM model will be transformational for the industry; it will reduce process timescales down to just a few hours and it will naturally lead to quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Arun Thaneja, BIM Lead Manager
“Being able to strategize with clients from the tender stage – and to illustrate within 3D – is smart for budgetary reasons, programme planning and faster execution. From a training perspective, construction teams can obtain immeasurable amounts of information before getting on with the job at hand and VR imagery can be developed for specific health and safety instruction; for example, appreciation of working at height and negotiating underground utility hazards. Then for many years ahead, information can be retrieved in the most straightforward of ways to ensure buildings operate at optimum levels, therefore reducing down time and unnecessary costs. For me, there has never been a more exciting time to work in construction, and I couldn’t work for a more client benefit and future-focused company.”
Tim Reeve, Technical Director and ASPEC Project Lead
“Following the announcement of government targets paired with BREEAM sustainability requirements, construction organisations and clients have worked hard to reduce emissions, but the task certainly isn’t simple. That’s why we believe that utilising the most up-to-date AI and advanced big data analytics techniques in a way that has never been done before will be transformational for Winvic’s green agenda and pave the way for significant changes across the whole industry. Having the ability to optimise schemes and see embodied carbon costs as real-time design and material changes are applied will naturally lead to quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and having technology that automatically estimates the embodied carbon cost of any digitally designed project will make the delivery of many project tasks much faster.”