The Irish BIM Innovation Awards winners were announced on Thursday, 10 November in Dublin’s Gibson Hotel. The winners were JJ Rhatigan, BAM, Ostick + Williams, with RPS receiving a special commendation. Prior to the evening Awards, there were great project presentations and keynote speeches during the day conference.  The Awards were a great showcase event for Irish BIM capability. Irish building spoke to CitA Co-founder Dr Alan Hore about the significance of the Awards, the highlights of the event and the year and what is planned for 2017.

Speaking to Dr Alan Hore, we asked him what was achieved by the Awards. He said, “The Awards were a realisation that BIM is becoming more widely used on projects. We were able to quickly collate examples of good practice in using BIM which will help the BICP which we are working on at present, which requires us to identify good case studies.”

Alan gave his opinion on the current level of BIM adoption in Ireland after the Awards and a year of regional events. “We are a lot further ahead than people think. The impact of the UK BIM Mandate has led to Irish companies starting on the BIM Journey in recent years. It is now about progressing with adopting BIM in Ireland. It is about building capability and knowledge sharing. People are winning work as a consequence of their improved BIM capability.”

The Awards were full of interesting moments, with great projects, presentations and talks. Alan gave us his highlights of the Awards.

“The judging was great. We got some great praise from the judges with regards the quality of the projects. I think Joe Mady from the Designer Group gave a very good and pragmatic view of BIM in his presentation. He said that clients don’t need all the data; they just need the data which meets their requirements. I liked how people stayed on throughout the day and into the night. People were very interested in the discussions. There was a good mix of professionals. I was really impressed by the quality of the videos produced by Thady Kavanagh, as were a lot of people I spoke to on the night of the Awards. David Philp was very entertaining but also had a serious message for Ireland to embrace change.”

Speaking about CitA’s partnership with Irish building magazine and BIMIreland.ie, Alan said “I am very happy with it. It is a great partnership. Irish building and BIMIreland.ie have provided the public with great content.”

Alan went on to give us his highlights of 2016. “I think getting the CIC groups together in designing the Smarter Building Series was a great achievement. Getting Paul Doherty to present at the first breakfast meeting was great – he is a big name. The breakfast meetings throughout the year were excellent. Digital Construction Week in October was another highlight with the launch evening held again in the Irish Embassy in London. The recent High Speed 2 event organised by Enterprise Ireland was a significantly important event. It was great to finish strongly with the Awards. All-in-all a successful year. The year of the rising saw CitA mature and rise to many challenges which sets a solid platform for 2017.”

Alan said that CitA are planning for 2017 already. “We will be working more with the regions and getting more SMEs involved on the industry’s BIM Journey. We hope to encourage all of the shortlisted projects at the Irish BIM Innovation Awards to speak during 2017 CitA Smarter Building Series. We intend to build on and deepen the relationship with the CIC constituent groups in 2017 and include them in the design of the 2017 programme. Reaching out to the clients and facility managers will also be important. Building on the idea of the High Speed 2 event (addressing the supply chain) we hope to hear from some signature Irish project teams reiterating the importance of BIM in the delivery of their projects. CitA have lots of ideas, we just need to listen to the members and deliver the right messages. 2017 will also see the return of the CitA BIM Gathering in November, which will focus on Building Capability and Knowledge Sharing. We are currently looking at the idea of hosting an IT showcase as part of the 2017 Gathering. “

Alan concluded telling us about CitA’s 2017 Event Series Survey. “The survey is important for us to get feedback as to what it is the industry wants. We hope to get greater input from all the stakeholders over the coming weeks”.

JJ Rhatigan & Company – Winners of the Construction Category at the Irish BIM Innovation Awards for the Chiswick Community School

At the Irish BIM Innovation Awards, JJ Rhatigan & Company were winners of the Construction Category for the Chiswick Community School which is located in West London. The project, costing £5 million, consists of a two-storey classroom block extension to accommodate 11 teaching classrooms and facilities and a separate extension to increase the dining hall and social facilities. In addition, the works will also include external works and landscaping. Irish building spoke to JJ Rhatigan & Company’s BIM Managers Sean O’Dwyer and Michelle Fahey about the winning project, entering the competition, the company’s BIM work and the experience of the Awards day.

The company’s submission was overseen by Michelle Fahey, BIM Implementation Manager. Michelle described why JJ Rhatigan & Company entered the Awards. “JJ Rhatigan & Company have been developing BIM throughout the company since 2013; we have made significant investment in software, equipment and training. We believed as a company we have advanced our BIM knowledge and experience and decided to showcase one of our UK projects ‘Chiswick Community School’ emphasising an Irish company and our usage of BIM on a UK mandated project.” Michelle coordinated the submission with input from the company BIM team, including the UK BIM Manager Mark Flynn. Sean O’Dwyer, BIM Manager, presented the submission at the CitA event and was delighted to accept the Construction Category Award on behalf of the company.

We asked Sean what he thought was most impressive about the project. His answer highlighted the company’s extensive BIM expertise. “Whilst we have numerous BIM projects across the business, this particular project was a UK mandated BIM project. Furthermore, this project also benefited from an enthusiastic and self-motivated design team which streamlined the BIM delivery on the project. JJ Rhatigan & Company held workshops prior to commencement on site ensuring all areas were explored and addressed promptly.”

The judges praised the projects and the presentations on the day. Michelle said they aim to make use of the feedback.  “We received a very complimentary and detailed report from the judges on the scoring of our project submission. We plan to use this document as part of our BIM continuous improvement process for the coming year. We are delighted given the judges acknowledged that the bar across the industry was set very high.”

We asked what specific criterion won the Award for JJ Rhatigan & Company. Sean said, “We believe that our ability to demonstrate the usage of BIM to meet the BIM Level 2 Mandate on this Chiswick Community School was a big factor, illustrating the uses of Dynamo on the project was another and the continuous collaboration with the project design team showed the willingness of all parties to contribute to the delivery of a successful project.”

The company has received much attention from the industry since the Awards, and acknowledges the work being done to promote the work of the Irish BIM Community. Sean noted, “We are delighted to say that we are receiving lots of positive attention since winning the BIM project award. We have also received numerous congratulations from other contractors, design team and clients. With CitA and BIMIreland.ie playing such a key role in promoting BIM, JJ Rhatigan & Company is getting great exposure and delighted to be a part of the BIM Community in Ireland driving change across the industry.

Sean praised the work of CitA. “The Awards day and event were very well organised. The keynote speakers were very informative and interesting. BIM in Ireland is getting great international exposure and it is advancing at an accelerating pace.”

Being part of a talented and highly qualified BIM team, we asked Michelle for her views on the standard of Irish BIM projects. “The standard across the industry is high, and even without a mandate in Ireland, it is advancing fast and having experienced personnel who understand the value of BIM is key.” Sean concluded saying what is next for JJ Rhatigan & Company in relation to BIM. “We are currently working on numerous live BIM projects and are constantly developing and enhancing BIM to suit our lean project delivery, to the benefit our clients and subcontractors alike.” Both Sean O’Dwyer and Michelle Fahey were interviewed for BIM People and you can find out more about BIM at JJ Rhatigan & Company by reading their interviews on BIMIreland.ie.

BAM – Winners of the Operations and Asset Management Category for the BIM 2 FM on Schools Bundle 4

The Schools Bundle 4 PPP tender was the first public tender competition held in the Irish State which had a BIM Level 2 Mandate as part of its Invitation to Negotiate. Planning, specimen design and the procurement of this project were undertaken by the Department of Education & Skills and the National Development Finance Agency. Irish building spoke to BAM’s BIM Manager Michael Murphy about BAM’s winning project: BIM 2 FM on Schools Bundle 4 (SB4), the company’s BIM work and his opinion of the Awards.

Michael started the discussion by telling us why BAM decided to enter the Awards.

“When we saw the internationally recognised quality of the judging panel as well as the fact that the Awards had a specific category for FM delivery we wanted to enter.” Michael oversaw the company’s submission with assistance from Simon Tritschler, a BIM Specialist and Michael O’Brien, a Senior BIM Coordinator with the company and Secretary of the CitA Southern BIM Region. Michael is also the Chairperson of the CitA Eastern BIM Region. BAM has been one of the key participants in the CitA Regions over the past two years.

BAM have an impressive list of BIM projects. Michael described to us what was most impressive about the much talked about BIM 2 FM on Schools Bundle 4. “BAM delivered full BIM 2 FM on Schools Bundle 4 which for many within the construction industry is the pinnacle of BIM delivery on a project. The project was a full Level 2 delivery and was the first time globally that the Autodesk Building Ops product was used for a commercial BIM 2 FM project. BAM Ireland spent 8 months assisting Autodesk with the development of Building Ops specifically for SB4, which means that SB4 shall hold an important role for all future projects using this solution.”

Regarding the feedback from judges, he said, “The feedback from the judges was very positive with the submission noted as scoring very highly amongst all submissions.” Michael told us about the criteria that won the company the award for the project. “Both innovation and quantifiable outcomes were the areas that our submission scored best which is exactly what BAM wanted to achieve as we would deem these areas to be of most importance.”

We asked if the company’s work in BIM received more attention since winning. He said, “The social media reaction to the Award success has been tremendous and has spiked genuine interest from all of the wider BAM Operational Companies.” BAM Ireland is a subsidiary of Royal BAM Group which operates in a variety of sectors worldwide.

There were other industry events in Dublin on 10 November, yet there was a big attendance in the Gibson Hotel.  Michael said what he thought of the day and CitA’s organisation. “As expected and given the number of other events on the same day; the event was superb. CitA are very lucky to have such a talented and dedicated team of people organising the event. Well done CitA!”

Given his work with CitA and his role with BAM, Michael is in a good position to observe the quality of BIM projects. We asked what were his views on the standard of BIM projects in Ireland. He said, “The current standard of BIM projects in Ireland has improved at a rapid pace in the last 12 months alone. I still believe there is room for improvement but would feel very confident that Ireland is performing as well as most other companies and I think the future for our industry is very bright.”

He told us about the BIM work BAM will be doing in the next while, pointing to the importance of education in BIM adoption. “Scaling our BIM delivery to our extended supply chain is a big item for BAM in 2017. There are many pockets of excellence currently but we know in order for all involved to get the well-documented benefits of a BIM process a greater level of understanding and engagement is now required.”

If you want to find out more about BAM’s BIM projects and Michael’s work in the company and with the CitA Eastern Region you can find his BIM People interview and information on BAM’s projects and achievements on BIMIreland.ie.

Ostick + Williams – Winners of the Design Category for the Wellcome-Wolfston Centre for Experimental Medicine

Ostick + Williams were the winners of the Design Award for the Wellcome-Wolfston Centre for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) at Queen’s University Belfast. This is an innovative and pioneering bio-medical research and development facility with construction costing £20m excluding VAT. Ostick + Williams are a multi-award winning practice. Irish building spoke to BIM Manager Marc Tracey about the company’s submission, BIM work and his opinion of the event.

Marc said they entered the Awards because they thought they had a unique BIM project. “This particular project has broken new ground for Queen’s University Belfast as their first BIM-enabled project and the lessons learnt have directly influenced the Estate Departments direction towards being an informed client and aspirations towards a ‘Smart Campus’. We felt we had a positive story to tell about the approach both the client and project team had towards the WWIEM as a pathfinder for the adoption of BIM.”

As BIM Manager, Marc was responsible for compiling the submission to the Awards. The company Director Ken Geary, KTP Associate Niall Murphy, and Office Manager Lynn Roleston contributed to the overall submission content.

He told us what he thought was most impressive about the project. “The supply teams’ proactive reaction towards adopting BIM is very impressive. In order to derive the benefits we now know are possible, the team, including the client organisation needed to upskill in both technological competencies but also in standards and process associated with the fundamental principles towards BIM Level 2.”

Describing the judges’ criteria and feedback, he said “We received both quantitative and qualitative feedback from the judging panel. The quantitative feedback was in the form of a graph which highlighted the eight criteria and scores reflected on a five-point Likert-scale. This graph demonstrated our highest single score given by any judge, as well as the lowest score and average score for each of the criteria.” Marc told us about the specific criteria that won the company the award “The quantitative feedback suggests that our highest average score was for ‘lessons shared’. We were also at the higher end of the spectrum for ‘collaboration’; ‘interoperability’; ‘standardization’; ‘education’ and ‘quantifiable outcomes’. ‘Lessons shared’ was the specific criteria in which we feel the readers would appreciate most of all as it was Queen’s

University’s proactive reaction to the WWIEM pilot project that has set firm foundations for their subsequent approach to future projects as well as a transformation of their organisational structure and training in order to adopt BIM at every level from procurement through to Facilities Management.”

He said the Awards were excellently organised. “The high calibre of the judging panel is a testament to the approach CitA have towards the adoption and advancement of BIM within Ireland. The keynote speakers were also very insightful.  We even managed to invite Dr Russell Manning to Queen’s University prior to the event and whilst he was in Ireland in order to get advice on how Penn State University have been adopting BIM for FM. We were honoured to have even been shortlisted and would like to formally thank the CitA team for all their hard work in putting this event together.”

He said the standard of BIM projects in Ireland is very high and we have great potential, saying “The event gave us a strong awareness of the high-quality projects in Ireland that have adopted BIM. The skillset that all these companies have demonstrated in the adoption of BIM proves that the Irish Construction Industry can export services and compete worldwide.”

Marc concluded by describing what’s next for the company, listing their other awards and BIM aim. “Ostick + Williams Architects have recently also received recognition for the adoption of BIM by being awarded the RICS BIM4SME award for ‘Best Implementation of Level 2 BIM’ (2016) and shortlisted for RICS BIM4SME ‘Best BIM Newcomer’ (2015). We had also recently been part of the award winning team for the Build Earth Live Competition 2016.

Our aim for the future is to keep developing our BIM competencies through training and investment in cutting edge software. We want to stay abreast of advancements in technology, standards and procedures and ensure they are embedded in our workflow. We also intend to continue working with like-minded companies.”

RPS Group Special Commendation for their work on the M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvement Project in Scotland

RPS Group were awarded a special commendation for their work on Scotland’s M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvement Project at the Irish BIM Innovation Awards. The €600m Motorway Improvements (M8) Project is a major transport infrastructure scheme. It completes the M8 motorway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland and provides upgrades to sections of the M73 and M74. Mark Costello, Director of BIM with RPS spoke to Irish building about RPS Group’s Award, the project entry, their BIM work and opinion of the event.

Mark told us why RPS entered a project to the Awards. “RPS were delighted to be in a position to enter the inaugural Irish BIM Innovation Awards. We entered the competition both to show our support to what is a very important initiative by CitA in association with Irish building magazine and for it to act as a benchmark for the projects we have been delivering in a Level 2 BIM environment, particularly those in the infrastructure sector.”

RPS’s submission was drafted and overseen by Mark and his colleague Dr Ruth Staunton, with input from RPS’s JV partners Elena Baeza from Ferrovial Lagan JV and Dr Alistair Heanen from Amey.

In detail, Mark described what was most impressive about the RPS project “Given the timing of this project (pre-2016 UK BIM  Mandate) and its complexities, the decision in itself to adopt BIM was breaking new ground, seconded by the fact that it was stepping outside the traditional application of BIM on buildings projects, to BIM on infrastructural projects. BIM had not gained widespread acceptance for use as it has today. Our BIM proposal was effectively the Employers Information Requirements (EIR) and also set out the criteria for our pre-BIM Execution Plan (BEP). This was developed into the post-BEP for the project which was then implemented. This represented the first large-scale implementation of Level 2 BIM on a major infrastructural project in Ireland or the UK. The formation of a multi-party BIM committee, comprising of designer, constructor and maintainer, was an innovation which proved to be instrumental in driving improved integration and collaboration across the entire project team and across the whole asset lifecycle. The use of our federated BIM model proved to be an invaluable design and coordination tool while working through the Project complexities.”

Having received a special commendation from the judges for their work on the M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project, we asked Mark about the judges’ feedback. He said “The judges were impressed by our approach to engage representatives from the maintainer during the detailed design phase. This enabled a genuine and integrated team approach to cover the whole asset lifecycle.

The judges also recognised how we applied BIM in a practical and pragmatic way to improve performance across the lifecycle of a large and complex road infrastructure project. Testimony to the quality of this BIM initiative is the cultural change evident in members of the construction and maintenance teams, most of whom have many years of experience in highways projects that have been successfully delivered before the benefits of BIM were widely recognised in the infrastructure sector.”

We asked what specific criterion won the Award. Mark said, “The fact that it is an infrastructural project and BIM is being implemented throughout the whole project lifecycle. We demonstrated collaboration from the outset between designer, constructor and maintainer. The presentation on the day of the conference was delivered by the designer and constructor! This M8 pilot experience has highlighted the importance of fully understanding BIM techniques, capabilities/limitations and best practices in order to obtain the most out of it during the different project stages, and facilitate the delivery of the EIR.

Mark said RPS have received much attention since the Awards and will continue to work with industry and academia to promote the use of Level 2 BIM on all their projects. The RPS team enjoyed the event. Mark said. “We had a fantastic day out! Both the conference and the awards were well organised, with a mix of international and local judges and speakers and we look forward to supporting this event again next year.”

Ireland is certainly punching well above its weight in terms of the delivery of projects in a Level 2 BIM environment, according to Mark. He said that this is evident when attending BIM events in the UK and seeing the level of Irish representation. “Looking at the level of BIM delivery on projects there shows that we are delivering to an equivalent standard, and more in some cases.”

Mark concluded saying what is next for RPS with regards BIM. “We are a national leader in BIM, and are now helping our clients with BIM Development Planning. We are continuously reviewing our projects in line with our Clients’ requirements. We look forward to opportunities in the UK in 2017 with regard to High Speed 2. We recently delivered an advanced Level 2 BIM model on behalf of a contractor client for one of the Main Works Civils Contracts.”

Shortlisted Companies

Murphy Surveys – Heritage Building Surveying and Information Modelling

Murphy Surveys were employed to undertake a measured building survey of a historical site within Dublin City Centre. The project involved high-quality surveys of areas of most concern with surrounding buildings and topography surveyed as context to different degrees. The BIM survey would be used as a starting point and background for a design BIM process.

Irish building asked BIM Manager Alan Halpin what he thought was most impressive about the project. He said, “The most impressive thing was the methods of combining information we supplied on the project. We supplied linked models into an overall site model, Full IFC exports of the site model, linked the CAD information into the Model plans as well as linking the Laser scans to the same positions too. The benefit of using this variety of information is the ability of stakeholders to see a detailed account of the site in one place.”

Alan was impressed with CitA’s overall organisation of the event and the social media activity. We asked what is next for the company regarding BIM. He said. “We continue to explore new ways of working on BIM projects. As we do not involve ourselves in one single aspect of BIM we are constantly working on bringing innovation to the area so that we can help clients benefit by using BIM. The next major step for us, however, may be integration with Smart Cities and CityGML. It is of huge potential to urban planners and governments for planning purposes as well as analysis. As gatherers of large amounts of data on surrounding environments, we are well placed to assist and advance this area within Ireland.”

John Sisk & Son Holdings Ltd – Multinational Data Centre Campus

The development of the Multinational Data Centre Campus was awarded to Sisk by a multinational client. Sisk were awarded the contract through a longstanding relationship and the company’s experience in the delivery of data centres.

Irish building asked Sisk’s BIM Leader for Ireland Cillian Kelly what he thought was most impressive about the project. Cillian said “Our Project is a pilot project for our multinational client, We are currently operating a Collaborative BIM process in a web-based platform along with a BIM Hub and BIM Stations on Site, We are using BIM Level 2 elements on the project which is setting the BIM Standard internationally for our client on all their data centre projects across the world.” 

He enjoyed the Awards Day and CitA’s organisation of the event. “It was a very enjoyable event with great speakers including David Comiskey, Ulster University and David Philp, UK BIM Task Group. It was a very well organised event and it all came together very well on the night.” We asked what is next for Sisk in relation to BIM. He replied “As Ireland’s Largest Building Contractor we will continue to develop our BIM department having received clear direction from our Managing Director, Stephen Bowcott “All Sisk projects over €10m will be implementing BIM.”

Stewart – The Goethe-Institut, Dublin

The redevelopment of the Goethe-Institut’s Irish Headquarters sees the 1790 Georgian townhouse refurbished to its period glory in addition to the creation of a new garden and contemporary mews on the site. The Goethe Institute development at 37 Merrion Square sees the amalgamation of the Institute’s language and cultural programmes into one, facilitating greater interaction between the language students and the cultural programme the institute offers. In order to house the language school on the site a significant garden extension to the rear of the protected Georgian house was required.

BIM Manager Marcus O’Beirne told us that Stewart’s application of BIM on The Goethe-Institut is a good indication of the time and effort that is being invested in BIM in the Irish Construction Industry. This is an example of contractor-driven implementation of BIM processes post-award where BIM was not prescribed by the client.

Irish building asked what was most impressive about Stewart’s project. Marcus said “The redevelopment of Goethe house in itself is a very interesting project. It’s location on Merrion Square, a precarious position between its neighbouring buildings, meant an infill strategy that needed to be adopted. Because of this, in conjunction with how tight the site was a detailed site management model was created. This was used to map out areas that were being used for temporary works, propping, material laydown etc. Although not what an Asset information Model is generally used for, providing a 3D environment of the site has supported the construction team helped with the running, planning and health and safety due to improved visual site layouts, further assisted by in-house 3D printing facilities, allowing physical models to be shown to specialists on site.”

Marcus has attended many CitA events and said the Awards was arguably the most impressive. He said Stewart gains valuable knowledge from attending CitA events and that the practical application of BIM is of great importance. “It gives us a platform to work from and allows us benchmark ourselves against others in the industry, understanding areas that we can further develop, giving us access to expertise in BIM, assisting us in our delivery of a clear company-wide BIM strategy and the stepping stones to getting there. For us practical application is key, we aim to adopt BIM correctly on as many sites as we can in accordance with PAS documentation. There have been instances in the past where BIM had no distinct purpose on projects. Aligning our BIM Strategy with specified protocols and delegating the information correctly is our priority within the company.”

Henry J Lyons – Central Bank of Ireland, North Wall Quay

The new HQ represents an opportunity for the Bank to consolidate its city centre operations into a single, efficient, fit for purpose building with a unified and integrated design approach to assist in fulfilling its statutory objectives.

Pat Kirwan told us what he thought was most impressive about the project.  “The building has a unique façade and in particular the external skin. The external skin consists of panels with different sizes of perforated openings. These act as solar shading and aid in reducing overheating due to solar heat gain. The design of these was critical in achieving the building’s energy rating of BER A2, a design which was highly complex and delivered through BIM.”

Speaking of the event he said, “The Awards proved a fantastic forum for us to showcase our use of BIM on the project. The organisation of the event was impressive.” Henry J Lyons is investing in people and technology as they continue on their BIM Journey. Pat said, “We are rolling out the use of BIM within the practice with the upskilling teams across the studio. Recently, we have invested in new Project Information Management (PIM) software which integrates with our BIM processes. The use of Newforma software and in particular the BIM module within the software will aid us to rationalise the information flow from our models whilst having the ability to directly link models to field operations and reporting.”

Mercury Engineering – Mylan Dublin Respiratory Project, Phase 2

Phase 2 consisted of ten separate project areas assigned to seven different contractors under the management of the main contractor. Mercury Engineering were contracted to complete the M&E scope for the project, Mercury sought to fully embrace the use of the digital construction technologies to drive the coordination, prefabrication and installation process.

BIM Surveyor Ciaran McManus gave Mercury’s presentation at the Awards. He thanked CitA and the judging panel for shortlisting the project. The project was innovative. The project scope gave Mercury the opportunity to further develop and enhance methods of construction previously developed on earlier BIM focused projects. These advances were used to drive efficiency, ensure quality and improve the knowledge base within the project team, and subsequently across the group as a whole. Training of site staff and upskilling in BIM was fundamental. Ciaran said the Mercury team learned a lot on the project which can now be applied on subsequent projects.

McAvoy – Sythwood School 

McAvoy was awarded the contract to design, build and install a two-storey permanent modular extension at Sythwood Primary School in Surrey, England. BIM was a valuable tool in working to a short construction programme and it allowed for better collaboration. Irish building talked to David Clark, Design and Engineering Manager.

We asked David what was most impressive about their project. He said, “The use of BIM in our offsite manufacturing processes was key in allowing us to make faster and more informed decisions at our early design stages, which ultimately allowed the McAvoy Group to accelerate their design phase of the project with greater confidence in the overall design.”

David said the McAvoy team were pleased with the event. “We enjoyed a fantastic day at the Awards ceremony, that was packed full of great presentations and speeches, which was very well organised from start to finish.” Speaking about what is next for McAvoy, he said, “We very much look forward to the exciting changes that are ahead during the move towards an enhanced digital construction approach and we have a dedicated KTP associate, Hadeel Saadoon to research BIM Level 3 so we feel well-placed to benefit from processes development and implement them within the business to improve our overall quality and service to our customers.”

GARLAND – Mercer Institute for Successful Aging (MISA)

The decision to adopt BIM on the MISA project was reached at an early stage due to the significant coordination required within the multi-disciplinary design team. However, the innovative applications of BIM throughout the project went much further. The project started as a Level 2 BIM project in 2014, two years before the UK BIM Mandate. It is one of the first BIM delivered projects in Ireland to a recognised standard. Irish building spoke to GARLAND Director Brian Lahiff.

Brian told us what was most impressive about the MISA project. “The completed building is the largest centre of its type in Europe. The project was carried out within a live acute healthcare environment.  The confined site, within St. James’s Hospital complex in Dublin City Centre, necessitated an irregular floor plan. This complicated the structural layout which also needed to accommodate the architectural spatial requirements. As a result, the building’s floorplan increased from the third floor up, introducing the requirement for a considerable transfer structure at this level. This added complexity in terms of the interface between the structural elements and the routes for mechanical, electrical and plumbing services, required detailed coordination between all design team members.”

He enjoyed the event and praised CitA’s impressive work. Brian told us of GARLAND’s focus on continuous improvement in their BIM work. “We are actively using BIM processes to deliver projects throughout Ireland and internationally.  We continue to learn and apply new knowledge gained as every week passes.  We are always looking for new projects to further develop our BIM skills.”

Kirby – Telecity Data Centre

The Telecity Data Centre project involved the conversion of an existing warehouse and office building into a mission critical Tier 3 Data Centre for a leading provider of carrier-neutral data centres. As MEP contractor, Kirby’s work scope included the design, coordination, installation, testing and commissioning of all mechanical and electrical systems. We spoke to Mark Danaher, BIM Manager at Kirby.

Explaining to us what was most impressive about the project, Mark said, “Our project showcased effective collaboration through the digital process.  Kirby’s BIM team engaged with both the design team and the client at the earliest opportunity allowing for a fully collaborative process. Another impressive aspect of the project was the effective use of offsite prefabrication.”

Mark said the Awards provided a platform for Irish BIM capability and provided Kirby with an opportunity to showcase its BIM capability and expertise. He told us what’s next in Kirby’s BIM plans. “BIM is a central component of our project delivery, enabling us to engage at a very early stage in the product lifecycle which allows us to drive efficiencies and add value for our clients. We will continue to develop our BIM capability and expertise through sustained investment in our people and BIM technology so as to ensure that we remain at the forefront of BIM utilisation. Kirby will continue to collaborate with clients in the creation of ‘construction-led’ BIM models and partake in industry leading initiatives with partners in developing the latest technologies in cognitive buildings and asset management.”

Designer Group – 27 – 33 Baggot Street Upper, Refurbishment Project

The Baggot Street project consisted of a full refurbishment and extension of an existing 1970s seven storey office building. The mechanical and electrical design proposals had to work within the constraints of the existing buildings mass concrete frame. The key challenge on the project was to deliver a building of the highest standards, within budget, on time and ensuring health and safety excellence within the constraints of the existing building.

Joe told us what was most impressive about the project. “The scale of the refurbishment and the limited programme presented a major challenge to the project team in Baggot Street. The objective was to connect the three buildings together with a limited programme, no design model, limited as-builts on this refurbishment project with no remit from the client to deliver a BIM model. It was the decision of the mechanical and electrical contractors to scan the building and produce a BIM model as the coordination of the services in the ceiling would be a real challenge. The creation of a coordinated model was seen as the best solution to resolve the existing building mass concrete frame design.”

He praised the delivery of the Awards and looks forward to the 2017 Gathering.

Speaking of the future, Joe told us “Designer Group are currently looking to expand the BIM team further with the addition of some exciting upcoming projects. We are currently trialling a number of softwares to ensure that we have the best workflow for our company moving forward. This is to ensure that the flow of information from the office, model, fabrication, site and to the client is traceable, seamless and ensures the right people have the right information, at the right time.”

Irish building magazine and BIMIreland.ie would like to congratulate all the companies that entered the Irish BIM Innovation Awards and teams that presented. We would also like to give special mention to the team at CitA for organising this world class event.

The presentations by the BIM teams were excellent and highlighted the work being done by Irish companies at home and abroad. If you want to read more about the Awards, the judges, speakers, and sponsors, visit BIMIreland.ie

This article first appeared in Irish building magazine. Click here to read the entire issue

The content of this site is subject to copyright laws and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior consent of the publishers. The views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.