Every revolution trails new vocabulary in its wake, and technology revolutions are no different: AI uses G* semiology (of course it does), but that's nothing compared to the magical realism of Web Development, where the geek community has seemingly trawled the darker recesses of Lord of the Rings to come up with Python, Swift (an elf?), and the simply outlandish, Ruby on Rails. Tea with Swift might seem entertaining, but I wouldn't want to stumble across a Python or a Ruby on Rails on any given dark night in Peckham. Neither of them does exactly what they say on the tin (or I hope they don't), but you certainly can't say the same for today's construction technologies: they've opted for BIM as part of their new lexicon or Building Information Modelling for long.
So, what's this BIM all about, then?
Well, it's pretty straightforward, really (unlike G*): BIM is about bringing together just about every piece of information that could possibly have any relevance to every conceivable component of a new building, and by seamlessly pooling and sharing that information (which is where the computers come in), the entire design and build process can be made massively more efficient. The scope for otherwise inevitable mistakes and discrepancies is minimised, and at the same time (literally), the capacity for collaborative working is radically enhanced: that means less waste and lower costs over the lifetime of the project, with buildings going up more quickly where they're needed most. So, what's not to like? This is building back better on steroids.
Inevitably, therefore, in addition to making up a bigger and bigger part of the day-to-day vocabulary of enlightened contractors (like Modulex), BIM has also caught the attention of the UK Government, which is hardly surprising given reducing housing costs and minimising construction delays has been a policy imperative for every administration since Pitt. More recently, though, in the halcyon pre-Brexit days of 2016, to be precise, a tailor-made BIM Mandate was actually launched by David Cameron's Government (www.assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...just before Cameron himself resigned in the rubble of Brexit's fallout.
The BIM Mandate
The Mandate is dedicated (apparently passionately) to herding truculent UK contractors towards a "full collaborative mode", and it does that by creating four steps to perfection (quaintly numbered zero to three): a "zero" meaning no collaboration at all between the design team and anybody else on the project, everything put down on paper using 2D CAD and pencils, and virtually nothing happening by way of technical engagement at all (not a state of affairs any modern contractor would recognise, but there you go: that's what level zero looks like). Then we move through BIM Level 1 (patterns of "limited collaboration" with "some" 3D CAD technologies) and beyond that to BIM Level 3: the big one…the sweet pastures of collaborative working, where contractors make extensive use of 3D CAD modelling within a "fully federated" structure. That, with a classic lack of Civil Service imagination, is known as the "Gold Standard".
And if this all sounds like a long-winded way of saying something quite simple…well, of course, it is, but it's still worth looking into (see above).
ConstrucTech: A new gold standard
Modern Construction, and Modular Construction, in particular, is bang on message with that "fully federated" model… It's known as ConstrucTech (more new vocabulary)…
AI technologies can be used to generate more accurate and reliable tender documentation (underestimates having been a persistent curse of UK construction (see HS2 for example)); modular components can be created using specialist software and tested data (enabling the production of custom-made design solutions…on demand); and high traffic areas can be identified in advance, so as to accurately assess the need for enhanced product specifications down the line: the list of tangible benefits goes on…and on.
That's what BIM will look like in the future, and its already way beyond BIM 3: so, welcome to the new Gold Standard…welcome to Modular Construction.
Modulex (www.modulex.in)
Modulex is a ConstrucTech Company working at the vanguard of emerging global construction: making use of 3D volumetric steel modular techniques: harnessing the power of emerging technologies, including AI, Blockchain and IoT, to meet burgeoning housing and infrastructure needs in developing and emerging markets. Delivering at pace and with optimal cost efficiencies.
Executive Overview
ConstrucTech, and offsite construction, in particular, is already shaping a better future and helping us all build back better.
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