The Reality of Delivering BIM
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has a reputation within the construction industry as being something with huge transformative potential. An interview between Andy Bourne, Director and BIM recruitment specialist at Charlton Recruitment, and Gary Fannon, Head of BIM at Willmott Dixon, elaborates on some of the issues tackled by those tasked with gaining industry buy-in in order to realise that incredible potential.
Willmott Dixon is the second largest, privately-owned construction business in the UK. With an annual turnover of £1.25bn, it is no small player. Size notwithstanding, the task faced by Fannon was significant. Arriving in the role in 2014, he found a piecemeal approach to BIM, with an over-reliance on internal expertise. His first task was to integrate BIM into the entire business. A ‘few battles with a few architects’ was really only the start of the war. Fortunately, a framework called “Scape” gave “huge traction” and oversaw an increase in level 2 schemes from a handful to 50.
Such an increase forced the supply chain to react. However, as they were unprepared for this, Willmott Dixon had to fill the gap and provide support for them, for example by writing their EIRs, just as it was already doing for its own people. Although this inevitably involved a significant amount of work, it left Willmott Dixon in a reasonable position to look at a four-year plan. One of the chief elements of this is to sharpen appetites for BIM. Currently, there is still a residual perception in some teams, that BIM is too far “away from the coalface”. Willmott Dixon’s solution to this is to use technology on site to “generate the excitement”. Fannon suggests that site staff who are allowed to play around with a 3D model and some VR goggles are more likely to see the benefits for their own day-to-day work, as well as projects as a whole.
Ultimately, a comprehensive digital management system is the “dream ticket”. Having “everything talking to everything else” will reduce duplication and the number of alternative platforms in the business.
Even allowing for the successes to date, Fannon also identified the need for still more cultural buy-in. Currently, some teams within the business are more conservative than others. Fannon’s view is that pitching BIM better, getting board level support and simplifying technology are all key.
It’s too early to know how and to what extent, when properly implemented, BIM will revolutionise the construction industry. After all, this is an industry already going through an exceedingly rocky patch. Fannon identified Brexit, forthcoming carbon reduction targets and attracting youngsters into both the professional and trade side of the business as particular issues to work through. He also noted the need to revamp apprenticeships and make them “a key driver”.
As a final point, Fannon believes that although the Government task force failed to sell BIM in the first place, it is the role of the construction industry to pick up the pieces and communicate the nuances of BIM in a language that customers can understand.
