In this new article in industry magazine, Concrete, Rob Umphray, our Director of BIM discusses the need for the supply sector to fully leverage the benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM). With concrete being one of the most widely used construction materials, it is time to realise BIM’s potential to transform all its related workflows. It is time for concrete industry BIM to take a step forward.

BIM can bring major business opportunities – not only to precast manufacturers but also concrete suppliers. The data and specifications of either can be used to create BIM objects for planners and designers to access via BIM Libraries.

Ahead of the wave of concrete industry BIM

The article examines the use of concrete for a coastal defence system by our customer Wyre Council in Rossall, north-west England, which adopted BIM processes before the current guidelines were even published. The project required vast amounts of concrete for much of the defence system like wave breakers, a rear flood wall and precast steps for every 100m of the construction.

The team at Wyre Council that drove this part of the project recognised that BIM would greatly support project outcomes as well as provide a digital asset for the lifetime of the defence wall. As Carl Green, who is head of engineering at the council, puts it: “I was determined that the next generation of people who would be renewing the defences in 50 years’ time wouldn’t face the same challenges as my team.”

The smart use of BIM in the Rossall project, which deployed Sitedesk software to support its management, enabled a direct dialogue with the concrete industry. This kind of close collaboration is exactly what BIM was intended to deliver. Rob believes that concrete manufacturers need to get on board with BIM without haste. Read the article in full here to find out why.