The game changing information platformfor the built environment

June 2016

500 projects in 2 years…and going strong!

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BIM (Building Information Modelling)continues to have a number of frustrations with connectivity and

interoperability. The use of different authoring tools, by different disciplines at different stages of an assets life can causedifficulties in collaboration and result in losttime in work arounds, inefficiencies andrework as teams work from incomplete andinaccurate datasets.

Compounding the issues is the file basednature of modern BIM, when everyonewants to see different combinations of infor-mation, in different configurations to suit theway they work including Clients that wants toreceive an intelligent digital asset linked tolocation, searchable attributed data andassociated documents. We are constrainedby the file and model structure established atthe outset to best enable the design phase.

To resolve this we need to move to a moreintegrated data centric approach in which themodel is simply the indicator of the sourceof the design information and the manipu-lation of the outputs and interaction withspecialist tools is managed in a commondata environment that is able to compileinformation to suit the task, the user, theaccess requirements and even the hardwareand security considerations that may existwith complex projects for sophisticated clients.

Empowering our clients to use BIM to realisebetter digital management throughout thelifecycle of the design, construction andoperation of assets for capital intensiveindustries now seems core to the realchanges necessary to respond to this oppor-tunity. Undertaking such an approach drivesout waste through data driven workflows that

streamline information management andrealise the capital cost reduction by makingBIM available to all and allowing users tosimply do things right first time.

This leads to a better informed world withinformation available at the point of useappropriate to the task at hand:

Creating both 2D and 3D model files that•provide geometric representation of thereal world capital plant and equipment indesign.

Providing locational representation of the•content, expressed visually and relevant tothe other elements throughout the assetslifecycle.

Collaborating in an environment that helps•the entire team work together to produceco-ordinated outputs.

This data centric approach is core to theClearbox solution architecture which has atits heart a data driven platform that feder-ates the information around the consistencyof the data. The solution provides the intel-ligent integrated links between location,associated data and documents. Federatingthese sources of locational informationaround the data as opposed to the modelsallows all the information to be seen in oneform irrespective of the source and thisallows 2D, 3D and multiple authoring environments to be accessed in plain languageas an integrated source of information.

A purpose designed viewer allows visualaccess to the integrated environment whichby virtue of the data centric core can controlthe viewing and accessibility to ensure most

A data centric solutionto a disparate problem

hardware can be used with suitable accesscontrol and management of informationapplied at an object level instead of the traditional file level.

“Much will change from the introduction of BIM andClearbox plan to continue tostretch the opportunity fromBIM as it matures in the market.”

Clearbox aim to provide this end game as“information at the point of use, deliveredpre-prepared to suit the task at hand, toenable a great customer experience”. Inessence while data management can takeplace at the most awesome processingspeeds in the cloud, the issue of how fast theuser gets to what he/she needs is less aboutthe processing power and more about theright configuration of information to suit thetask in hand.

For Clearbox the story does not end therebecause many of the issues affecting theasset creation, delivery and operation arewrapped in overcoming the unstructurednature of the data we are exposed to and the

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consequential ambiguity and weak connec-tivity that exists between the datasets. Ourefforts provide structured consistent dataearly in the process to allow other tools tointerface and make better use of the structured datasets managing the impact ofchange and saving on time spent manuallyin more traditional transactional processes.

“Empowering our clients to use BIM to realise better digital management throughoutthe lifecycle of the design,construction and operation ofassets for capital intensiveindustries now seems core to the real changes necessaryto respond to this opportunity.”

BIMXtra (our cloud based common dataenvironment) sets itself apart by using theobject as the common element found inevery combination of the datasets requiredto create the information. By managingchange on an object and its associated data

and by enabling the addition of a variety ofadditional metadata on each object theprocess of managing the information isquickly enabled as structured data in whichthe limits of what can be processed within aproject in this master data managementapproach are more a function of aspirationand configuration than technical constraint.

The availability of structured data in such anapproach is now realised much earlier in theregular course of project delivery than wouldbe the case from more traditional file basedapproaches. Access to this common sourceof data and the ability to update subsets ofdata attached to an object also extends theextent of data processing that is available butthen goes on to create files to provide arecord of the data transacted, the configurableprocesses building on the structured approachof BS & PAS 1192 with WIP, Shared and Published areas of information.

As such, real time project controls mappedto the objects record the outputs as an

auditable trail of the process and help todrive efficiency, accuracy and availability ofconsistent information delivered from a consistent business process.

In reality while BIM needs open standardsto make the information more transportablebetween applications the more productivestretch on current tools is the ability to consistently manage the existing informationdelivered in a consistent form at the point ofuse. Much will change from the introductionof BIM and Clearbox plan to continue tostretch the opportunity from BIM as itmatures in the market. In reality the benefits are compelling and compare thetransformation many business have madeapplying ERP in place of file based processesto their back of house accounts. We expectto see a significant move to a master datamanagement approach to BIM over thecoming years as the versatility, efficiency andfamiliarity of such approaches grow. ■

www.clearboxbim.com

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Mobile solutions to everyday tasks,even solutions to issues we didn’teven know we had, dominate

everyday life in apps for smartphones andtablets. The early dominance of mobility bythe iPAD has been met with new ever morepowerful devices which now extend to a vari-ety of operating systems including Windows8 and Android. In construction where theneed to access information in the field or col-lect information is immense the opportunityfor mobile tools will expand rapidly withusers saving over a day a week.

At first sight the opportunity is to surface the information we have in the office, out inthe field. However it is soon clear to battlehardened users that:

The power of the devices; •

The size of the screen;•

The users interface on a tablet; •

The environment that the operator works•in and even;

The issues of security that can arise with•such extensive access in the palm of yourhand;

that what is required is likely to be a moretailored view of the project surfaced in theformat to suit the task at hand.

Mobile solutions from BIM in delivery needto cover 3 important aspects:

Provide information in the field – the right•information, in the right format to suit thetask in hand;

Mobility from BIM

Collect the right information from the field•– to support the digital handover;

Ensure the process of each is recorded-as•part of the digital diary of delivery to evidence the work undertaken.

In operation the same requirements existaround a fixed built model, but now theopportunity for BIM in operation is signifi-cantly focussed around the management ofdata changes to the information attached tothe components in the model.

Nevertheless many mobile BIM tools workfrom forms (in the shape of pdfs) that areattached to drawings, essentially an elec-tronic version of the manual process. Thereare benefits in being able to collect the infor-mation electronically, being able to read itand store it, but the benefits are limited tothe collection and storage of file based information.

The Clearbox BIMXtra mobile app OnSitealso responds to the needs to provide mobil-ity but by focussing on the data that is collected rather than the form it is presented

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in BIMXtra is able to bring improved cost,and performance and outcome benefits thatare essential to ensuring a high ROI.

The site information management processhas historically been quite inefficient and results in much double handling of data and information in the completion of the task. Re-examination of the cycle ofinformation display and data capture highlights the point:

Finding the information from the myriad•of documents and a drawings. Apps havebeen written to allow the user to makesure that they can check they are only looking at the most uptodate informationwhen would it not be better to only surfacethe current approved information;

Presenting the right information in the right•format – the user generally only needsaccess to context sensitive information(especially on tablets where performance/storage can be an issue) and when theinformation is surfaced the view should becustomised to suit the task in hand, anissue that can only really be overcome withdata driven tools;

Performing the task – pre-population of•information based on the associatedobject, or enabling another task like a non-conformance to be activated from a snagto ensure both sets of data remain linkedtogether not only helps the commercialteam track the events but also helps theuser in their task;

Collecting the updated information –•when we collect the information we shouldcollect data arranged in a structured formatthat is automatically assigned to the right

place in the overall data structure so it canbe written directly to the digital handover,of course any data should be collected ina way that ensures the process workflowof the data capture provides configurablesignoffs to electronically mimic the real lifeprocess;

Assign the collated information to the objects•or classify the information and simply storeit in a folder structure – once the data andinformation is collected does it land in themodel or the document manager as a pdfwhich needs to be named as a file, attached

to a drawing and stored in a folder structureor should the data be aligned against theobject it was assigned against and linked withphotographs and other information that wascaptured at the time?; And then when youcollect attachments like photographs arethey simply part of the digital pdf or dothey form a locational based record ofeverything that is happening on site.

One of the best examples of real mobility insolutions was recognised with the BIMXtraOnSite tool in action on the Chelsea RiverBridge refurbishment, a 1900’s rail bridge

www.clearboxbim.com

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that needed extensive refurbishment. On thesurface this was not a “BIM” project; thebridge existed, defined on old pdfs andsimply needed refurbishment. However ifyour concept of BIM is about visual digitalmanagement then this project meets the criteria for being a BIM project. In hindsightit was clear that some of the project teamstruggled with the issue of whether this reallywas a BIM project and the consequence wasthat the decision to use the Clearbox mobileplatform was delayed and only came intoeffect on the 3rd of 5 spans. The upside ofthis however, was that it allowed us the ability to compare a traditional approachwith a digital approach which linked location,data and documentation to create a betteroutcome faster than could be done with traditional tools and of course with the most comprehensive records of the workundertaken.

So the process was:

Replicate the bridge in a model to provide•the visual/locational reference – 5 similarspans with multiple replication made thistask very simple;

Configure the Clearbox OnSite refurbish-•ment application to replicate the workflowsrequired by the Clients process. A five stepprocess was configured that involved all members of the project team. Wet signature sign off was included to provideearly confidence, and signed documentswere scanned and uploaded to record theapprovals in line with the relevant part ofthe workflow;

Train and set the team to work;•

Monitor the outcome.•

The Outcome:

The overall cycle time from survey to signoff•of the completed work was halved;

This lead to an impressive return on •investment that represented many multi-ples of the cost of the implementation asopposed to more traditional incrementalimprovement;

Much improved records provide integrated•evidence of the physical outcome as well as the dramatic improvement in theefficiency of the delivery and the trans-parency in the process of getting there.

“The early dominance ofmobility by the iPAD has beenmet with new ever morepowerful devices which nowextend to a variety of operatingsystems including Windows 8and Android. In constructionwhere the need to accessinformation in the field orcollect information is immensethe opportunity for mobile toolswill expand rapidly with userssaving over a day a week.”

It is clear that the use of onsite mobile toolswill increase rapidly over the next few years.Even the most basic of tools support consis-tency, availability and efficiency. Howevermost of these tools simply make a manualprocess electronic and the real step changingopportunity is when the process is managedat a data level in the app with the relevantassociated information surfaced to suit thetask at hand.

Graeme Forbes is the Managing Director ofClearbox a specialist digital information solution provider that is focussed on bringinggame changing solutions to the constructionindustry and other asset intensive industriesbased around BIM based processes.

Access to the Clearbox website can be foundat www.clearboxbim.com . ■

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www.clearboxbim.com

Project Controls is a mix of science andart that is used particularly in theprocess and infrastructure sectors as a

standalone discipline to control what areoften large and complex projects with theaim of bringing the project to a successfulconclusion from the aspect of time, cost, andquality. The science is that there are recog-nised techniques to be applied to a projectto measure the status and better predict theoutcome. The art is that all the informationis rarely in the right form to make all the necessary analyses, even when we distinguishbetween the symptoms and the causation.

At the same time, the shape and form of the most pertinent form of measurementchanges across the life-cycle of the project.

Typically projects (and the sub-projectswithin an overall programme) start and endwith a critical sequence of tasks before running through a period of volume-baseddelivery before ending with a critical closeoutsequence. To compound the lack of simplicityoffered by a fixed set of rules (as opposed toan established set of principles), the infor-mation to base the judgement of status andrecommendations for actions are affected by:

Ambiguity in the source information –•invariably the full information is not available until the end of a project unlikemanufacturing when it is available at theoutset, so judgements, allowances, etc.have to be made, and these can often befound later to be in error;

There are often several sources of the truth•in a large fast moving project and reconcil-ing the analysis from the various sourcescan be time consuming and frustrating;

Information is fragmented, held in docu-•

BIM and Project Controls, is BIMthe solution to improving them?

ments, schedules and drawings but thecomputation of key information such as acount of the number of doors to allowdetermination of how much the doors willcost or how many are currently fixedrequires a detailed review and analysis ofmany drawings and associated informa-tion. The reality is that the analysis oftendoesn’t get undertaken or may get under-taken many times by many parties. Suchan example represents only a small part ofthe overall challenge of determining thefull scope of the project at a project levelor the scope of a sub-contract when oneparty supplies and another fixes and evena third may commission and handover;

An inability to see information in context.•A window is quite a different propositionto build when it is on the ground floorcompared to being located on the 5th floor,on the east wing above an embankmentoverlooking the sea;

And of course, when the information is•shown on drawings, even experienced personnel can interpret the informationdifferently especially when they have limitedtime to view and reconcile. With buildings,I always found the drainage and the rooflines were key to quickly understanding theform of a building, but I expect others havetheir own techniques.

So the challenges in project controls areimmense. Applying the most appropriatetechnique that most accurately reflects thechallenge of the project at the point in time,and then having to work around all the limitations and challenges by interpretingdisparate sets of information to derive theright analysis and recommendation beforebeing challenged by the essential optimismand hunger of the construction team toarrive at a balanced status. With margins

often in the low percentage points of theoverall cost, and each party to the contracthaving their own interpretation of the infor-mation to hand, it is hardly surprising thatconsiderable time and effort, mistakes can,and often are made with the result that projects overrun in time and cost.

BIM, on the other hand, thrives on definition.When you model an object in BIM, you haveto position it and size it and say what it is. Sowhile designers prefer not to add items to adrawing until the item is defined and under-stood where it is going, cost planners andconstruction teams want to better understandwhat is required even if it needs further definition at a later date. So the foundationof BIM and its interaction with delivery relieson some key principles:

There is accuracy and definition in the •content which by the very nature of theoutput being in 3D places many elementsof the requirements in context;

There is the ideal of a managed process•around a single model, while perhaps

harder to achieve it should nevertheless bea core aspiration, invariably wrapped in anintegrated CDE;

There is a managed process to define, add•and enhance the object data to create anappropriate level of information and rich-ness at every stage in the project leadingto digital handover and operation;

When we manage 3D object information,•we are able to enhance it with the attributionof time, work packaging, cost and assetcoding, etc. to allow us to aggregate andanalyse the information as well as simulateand visualise the outcomes in every whichway we choose.

However while the foundation of BIM isstrong, it is as an enabler that BIM presentsthe real opportunity to do new things thatreally accelerate BIM beyond its traditionalspace into that of Integrated Project Controls,for example:

Visual Simulation and understanding of •program changes. Being able to see the

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impacts of design changes on the programis traditionally quite difficult. Firstly identi-fying changes can be time consuming andthen finding the tasks affected in the program gantt chart can also be difficult.When BIM is introduced with automatedmapping between construction elementsand tasks, the process becomes muchquicker, easier and more visual with theability to run scenarios across multiple program versions (e.g., baseline vs. currentactual). This yields significant benefits forthe planner and allows the focus to be onvalue-adding work rather than handlingfragmented, disconnected data;

Short-term programming and logistics •planning. Projects are typically founded onstructured strategic programmes with sep-arate discrete local short-term programmes.The desire to better display the detailedsequences often results in the strategic pro-gramme becoming overly complex with theresult that progress updates, risk analysisand other similar tasks themselves becomeoverly burdensome. However, short-termprogramming within the model space isquite feasible under the umbrella of thestrategic programme, and of course allowsthe richness of the information such asresources to be made available to providegreater assurance of the outcome. Short-term sequencing the permanent works andthe temporary works, and even simulatingmaterial movements are all opportunitiesfor BIM driven products and will undoubtedlyexpose issues, reduce risks and improvethe communication amongst the projectteam;

Cost estimating and cost management.•While a model doesn’t often reflect thecomplete scope early in the project, it doesprovide the scope from which other elements of content can invariably be

attached. For example, a wall in the modelmight attract plaster, paint, skirting,builderswork restraint, acoustic treatment,etc. but these elements do not need to bedetailed in the model. However, the sizeand number of each can be associated tothe wall and made available to other users.Automated measurement and sophisti-cated association with external pricing andresource estimation allows objects to beresourced and priced, paving the way forassociation with the progress updates;

Risk Management can be better enabled•allowing the discipline to be applied morereadily to more projects. In common withresource levelling, the key time consumingtask with risk management is the popula-tion of the programme with cost, associationwith the risk register and the subsequentset up ready for the analysis to take place.BIM will be able to facilitate and even automate much of this process allowingexperienced users to concentrate on theoutcome and the subsequent actions,rather than the non-value adding andtime-consuming preparation of the neces-sary information;

Combine the measurement and costing•with progress measurement in the model, given that each activity knows the components associated with it, andfast, accurate progress measurement cannow contribute to the reconciliation of costand value;

Change Management. Of course, if we can•see what has changed and measured fromthe model we can also see and measurechange with the appropriate time impact andopportunity to display potential disruption,so effective change management, essentiallythe measured appendix to the variationnotice is a very real opportunity.

In conclusion, given the foundation andobjectives of BIM, why wouldn’t project controls as a function not jump at the oppor-tunity offered by BIM? Is it that BIM is oftenstill seen as the pictures or videos, or is it thatvery few businesses and software providershave aligned their thoughts and aspirationsto the opportunity and the enablement ofProject Controls through BIM? What willcome first, the production of this robustinformation to better enable project controlsor the demand for more robust informationand consistent processes to feed the oppor-tunity for improved project controls?

“With margins often in the low percentage points of theoverall cost, and each party tothe contract having their owninterpretation of the informa-tion to hand, it is hardly surprising that considerabletime and effort, mistakes can,and often are made with theresult that projects overrun intime and cost.”

While the reality is that leadership on thematter is invariably critical to make it happenand lead the change, certain software solutions are now focussed on delivering the robust information to support the foun-dation for the more efficient and more effec-tive production of project controls outputs.The ultimate aim is to produce the outputsin real time as the exhaust gasses of theprocess, thereby allowing the project controlsteam to apply their art while making anexperienced judgement based on current uptodate information. There can hardly be aClient or owner that won’t be keen to achievethis outcome. ■

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www.clearboxbim.com

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The building information modelling(BIM) journey is underway and accel-erating across the globe. Those now

wishing to tender for UK Government fundedprojects are required to demonstrate theirability to work with and provide informationfrom a BIM-enabled environment.

Some companies will now be thinking thatthey can rest a while having achieved ‘level2’. However, the reality is that level 2 was notintended as the destination; it is the depar-ture point to fuel the journey towards data,information, knowledge and wisdom. Whilesignificant value can be achieved at level 2 it is evident that significantly more value is to be found by going beyond level 2 andmanaging the information at a data level.

However, it is my belief that some companiesare now on the wrong track, driven by software vendors who are selling what theyhave, based on where they came from,rather than what the industry truly needs todrive efficiency. The belief that a document-centric approach will work effectively in thefuture is fundamentally flawed. Of coursedocuments are still required, at least for theforeseeable future, but it is a data-centricapproach that is required to better exposeand access the information required toachieve more.

Truly data driven platforms The key question is, how else can we movetowards a true data driven information platform that can be linked at object leveland is ready to be used in the ‘big data’world without the accessibility to informationthat is currently locked away in files?

The most forward thinking companies arealready using data-enabled collaborationand are moving quickly towards working withobjects i.e. construction elements like slabs,columns, beams, windows, pumps, valves, etc.,and focusing on the processes for gatheringinformation attributes across the informationlifecycle in a database, rather than trying toabuse 3D design files to store lots of detaileddescriptive attribute data.

The result is building a fuller representationof the asset by federating the data from multiple models, storing it in a database, andthen enriching the information as the projectprogresses. These companies are now reapingbig rewards of increasing efficiency and qualityof project outcomes. Some of the outcomesand ROI’s have been significantly better thananyone predicted.

Extracting value frominformationThe dawn of ‘big data’ is rapidly drawingnearer for the built environment. Technolo-gies that take feeds of data from a myriad ofsensors connected by the internet – the socalled ‘Internet of Things’ or IoT – brings usinto a highly connected world. The technol-ogy is available now to deliver masses ofdata, but as an industry we still need tofigure out how to extract value from the infor-mation and resulting intelligence that bigdata and IoT is able to provide.

Big data is all about using this vast array ofdata sources to identify and analyse trends.This is quite different from ‘analytics’. I havea simple view that analytics is looking forinformation when you know the question.

BIM, IoT, big data: A vision for adata enabled built environment

Big data is about analysing data and trendslooking to provide answers to questions youshould or could have asked.

From a construction industry perspective, we need to apply this thinking to how wedesign and use our built environment, andhow it could automatically react to changingconditions.

“Some companies will now bethinking that they can rest awhile having achieved ‘level 2’.However, the reality is thatlevel 2 was not intended as thedestination; it is the departurepoint to fuel the journey towardsdata, information, knowledgeand wisdom.”

Picturing a data enabledenvironmentImagine an emergency situation in an innercity high street where a fire breaks out. It isimportant to protect life and contain theenvironment to stop the fire spreading. Bymonitoring fire detection equipment andtemperatures within spaces linked to a 3Dbuilding model it is possible to assess theextent of the fire and determine the bestescape paths. Access to detailed buildinginformation can provide rich information on possible danger and safety areas, firecontainment strategies and rescue planning.

Now bring into the scenario anonymous cellular data feeds, linked to the buildingmodel which can indicate the location orconcentration of people in the building or inother dangerous areas.

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www.clearboxbim.com

Then consider the weather. If it’s windy,sending an emergency code to sensors toclose air vents and seal the building mayhelp bring the fire under control and stop thefire and smoke from spreading. Anonymouscellular device feeds can also inform theemergency services on the dangers of predicted debris areas based on structuralinformation and weather conditions. Trafficsystems can automatically place signals on redto avoid traffic entering the area, and corridorsopened up to assist first responder access.

An effective responseAnalysing trends from simulations on realtime and historic data, adding in such thingsas detailed building models, GIS informa-tion, weather and transportation feeds,movement of people, and so on, can bringintelligence and inform us on how situationscan be prevented or responded to moreeffectively in the future.

This kind of approach is already starting tohappen in small steps through the UK’sefforts to smooth out traffic flow by introduc-ing ‘smart motorways’.

However to move forward I would suggestthat we need to have a full physical and func-tional representation of our built assets at anobject, or element level. We cannot achievewhat is required in the future with the infor-mation being locked away in 3D models anddocument management systems. This kind ofscenario calls for a data-enabled collaborativeenvironment that can share detailed attributeinformation, in context from a database platform.

Making headwayIntelligent clients are already starting to consider how they can use information todrive better decisions. The supply chain alsoneed to focus on their systems and processes

so that they can meet the growing need toshare a data driven, object-based informationmodel which contains the full physical andfunctional characteristics of the asset.

There are companies making real headwaywith a data-centric information platform thatsits on a database. I am currently workingwith one of the leading companies, ClearboxLimited www.clearboxbim.com in the UK,who are committed to driving forward adata-driven information environment. Overthe past two years the BIMXtra cloud basedsolution has been used on over 500 projects,and provides a real insight into analytics andBig Data and the journey in front of us.

Contact me with views and comments at:steve.dunwell@elev8consult.com■

Graeme ForbesManaging Directorsales@clearboxbim.com

0800 085 9872www.clearboxbim.com