We are bringing Belfast’s iconic Erskine House to life.
As a ‘digital by default’ company, digital construction tools are applied to add value and streamline processes and workflows across GRAHAM's expansive portfolio.
The £14m Erskine House project, which will help reinvigorate Belfast’s city centre, is significantly benefitting from this approach.
Specifically, BIM 360 Field, an innovative digital construction tool, is helping the on-site team to deliver a “stand-out build” as GRAHAM Contract Manager, Andrew Moore, explains:
“I am really proud of the way the site team has implemented BIM 360 Field into its daily workflows. Having worked on projects without digital technology previously, I can really see the difference BIM 360 Field provides, it makes capturing and sharing information faster and easier and will ensure that Erskine House will stand out as a high-quality build.”
Construction
The 1980s building in Chichester Street was demolished in July 2017 before construction on Erskine House began in September.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has signed an agreement to lease over 100,000 sq. ft of office space within Erskine House for a period of 25 years. Approximately 1,600 employees are expected to move into the new HMRC office upon completion.
Due to handover in March 2019, GRAHAM was appointed to design and construct the new Grade A office accommodation, incorporating shell and core retail units, all within a BIM Level 2 compliant information environment, enabling efficient workflows and increasing collaboration throughout the project.
Quality Compliance
BIM 360 Field has many features, each of which have delivered unique benefits to the project.
The ‘Checklist’ function is used to create forms for inspection. Crucially, checklists are essential for Quality Assurance (QA)/Quality Compliance (QC) and safety checks.
Standard GRAHAM QA inspection templates are edited and made specific to the project. These specific QA checklists are then loaded onto software/iPads and are subsequently ready for the site team to capture information in real time.
In partnership, GRAHAM’s Digital Construction Team and the Quality Department have worked collaboratively to develop QA/QC procedures and ensure the information is being captured in a structured manor to enable efficient data capture and the seamless access of information.
QA at Erskine House
The site team at Erskine House has followed the defined procedures from the project outset.
To date 6,500+ photos have been captured using the digital technology while over 300 checklists have been completed since September 2017.
Significantly, speed of data capture has also improved on site, which has resulted in considerable benefits for the project as a whole.
In addition, the team has adopted a standard naming structure that helps to collate information together, making it easier to find the data at a later date. The naming focuses on three key areas:
- Location/Level
- Element
- Pour (specific to concrete)
By stating the naming structures, whilst naming checklists, information can be easily grouped, and this provides a clearer vision of the progress of the project.
The naming structures also ensure that data can be easily found much more efficiently.
The site team has consistently exceeded expectations by adding the completion date of work within the name, which has helped to group the information even further.
The review of the concrete work package on the BIM 360 Field Software is a great example of how the site team has applied this naming structure. Different checklist templates are grouped together, providing information from delivery dockets and marked up drawings. Photographic evidence of the work completed on site is also captured.
Commenting on the Erskine House project, GRAHAM’s Head of Quality Development and Supply Chain Management, Keith Patrick, said:
“It’s great to see another of our projects fully embracing BIM 360 Field. Information captured through the use of quality checklists is helping the site team deliver a building of the highest quality to HMRC. This is just one of the benefits delivered through the use of BIM.”
Delivering lasting impact
As a contractual BIM Level 2 project, GRAHAM has an obligation to deliver this project in compliance with BIM Level 2 processes and procedures. GRAHAM’s in-house Digital Construction Team is overseeing BIM delivery through the development of the BIM Execution Plan and providing structured useful information.
Digital Construction Team Coordinator, Chris Millar, believes the implementation of BIM at Erskine House has greatly enhanced the quality of the project. He said:
“By fully utilising digital tools it is clear that the site team has really improved the outputs emanating from this project. It is very rewarding to be a part of such a collaborative team that is practically helping to deliver lasting impact.”