Everton have provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Laing O'Rourke have built a virtual model of the club's stunning new stadium.
Work has been underway for 13 months on the waterfront site and supporters have been hugely excited about the progress that is being made in front of their eyes. The framework for the ground can now be seen growing impressively above the construction site with concrete terracing being regularly placed in the stands.
One of the most important tools for contractors Laing over this process, however, has been Building Information Modelling (BIM), which has provided them with the opportunity to build the project twice – virtually, and now in reality. The ground has been completed in digital form to the minute details, and Craig Wallace, a digital engineer for Laing O’Rourke, has explained why it is so crucial to the project as a whole.
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"We like to think we have already built Everton Stadium," explained Craig, who works within the offices at Bramley-Moore Dock. "It’s been built virtually on screen in a simulated environment, and now physically on site. The real benefit is that this enables us to resolve issues upfront, in a simulated environment, before work begins on-site.
"That promotes efficiency gains, reduction in risks, leads to programme and cost benefits and provides certainty throughout the life-cycle of the build. It took some teamwork to pull together and it’s a real collaborative effort, in that our entire supply chain contribute to the model.
"All of the different disciplines, such as electrical, mechanical, structural and architectural, develop their own 3D model, involving their scope of work, and then share them with us on a collaborative online platform. That provides us with around 1,500 shared model files, which we then combine into a master model for the entire team to use.
"From that, the entire project team can work to co-ordinate the build and ensure there are no clashes within the disciplines."
The 3D model, representing what will be constructed in terms of the design, incorporates the three dimensions of width, depth and height.
Then, by introducing the vital dimension of time and linking model elements to the construction programme activities, the cutting-edge 4D model allows the Laing O’Rourke team to visualise the construction sequence and assess potential risks or clashes in the programme, along with opportunities that might not have been seen using more traditional methods.
The rolling model can be accessed by the workforce on site, via screens or mobile phones, enabling them to undertake the precise workloads and feedback on progress to keep the information flow going.
"Working with our supply chain, we can use the model and embedded data to visually track the progress of the build and then communicate this through dashboard reporting,” added Craig.
"The model is integral to dictating, with precise detail, the just-in-time delivery slots for tonnes of steelwork and the thousands of concrete wall panels, pillars and beams. The model is accurate as it can be, and by coordinating the disciplines we can then increase the accuracy as the design progresses.
"Out of the models we can then extract the drawings and then they, along with the 3D models, can be used in parallel by the workforce."
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