Laura - Construction Manager (Main), June 2016

PUZZLING OVER PRODUCTIVITY
INTELLIGENT MACHINES ON SITE
CPD: AVOID BIM INFORMATION OVERLOAD
INSIDE: CONTACT NEWSLETTER
FOR MEMBERS OF THE CIOB
JUNE 2016
WWW.CONSTRUCTIONMANAGERMAGAZINE.COM
CONSTRUCTION’SVIRTUALFUTURECONSTRUCTIONMANAGER|JUNE2016|WWW.CONSTRUCTIONMANAGERMAGAZINE.COM
And how construction could use it
Virtual reality
01_CM.June16_COVER.indd 1 16/05/2016 17:27

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News and views
04 Adonis raps short-term culture
NIC chairman puts focus on
industry raising productivity.
05 Contractors warned of safety fines
Industry likely to see more stiff
sentences after Balfour’s payout.
06 CIOB: Military make ideal managers
Institute launches bid to help
ex-forces leavers realise potential.
08 CIOB takes ONE CIOB on tour
Roadshows publicise new initiative.
Plus Chris Blythe on how changing
attitudes to corporate wrongdoing
are currently playing out in court.
10 Feedback
Letters, comments and readers’
views on how the new mayor of
London should tackle housing.
Features
12 What’s the big idea?
Virtual reality innovations led the
way at this year’s CIOB and BRE
Accelerate to Innovate event.
20 Focus on productivity
As construction’s productivity
continues to drag, a major CIOB
survey shows that the issue
remains far from straightforward.
28 Earth-shattering technology
Advances in machine control
technology are bringing digital
innovation to site, saving time
and raising productivity.
32 Hillhead preview
CM’s pick of the best construction
equipment at this year’s show.
34 CPD: Better definition with BIM
Knowing exactly how much
information to provide at the
different stages of the BIM process
is key to efficient project delivery.
58 Project of the month
Willmott Dixon’s Met Office
scheme in Devon.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | JUNE 2016 | 3
Take the test on this issue’s CPD topic
on BIM and additional topics at
www.constructionmanagermagazine.com/cpd
VISIT
CIOBJOBS.COM
WHERE THE
BEST CANDIDATES
FIND THE BEST
ROLES
AgendaJune16
12
Construction professional
38 A check on corruption
How has the Bribery Act made an
impact on the industry in the five
years since it became law?
39 BIM bytes
Successful clash detection means
maintaining consistency within
a complex web of obligations.
40 Keeping up with CDM 2015
A year after the Construction
(Design and Management)
Regulations came into force, some
small firms continue to struggle.
42 Greening infrastructure
PAS 2080 is setting out to cut
carbon emissions – and costs –
in the infrastructure sector.
+ Contact
44-55
All the latest news
and reports from CIOB
members and branches
58
34
03_CMJUNE16_AGENDA.indd 3 16/05/2016 17:19

4 | JUNE 2016 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
News
Adonisrapsconstruction’s‘shortterm’culture
National Infrastructure Commission chairman says raising productivity is ‘critical’ for industry
“Quite simply,
we need to do
more — and we
need to do it
faster, better
and cheaper”
LordAdonis,
National
Infrastructure
Commission
Lord Adonis has turned up the heat
on construction over productivity, with
a warning that the industry must ditch
its “short-term” culture.
The chairman of the National
Infrastructure Commission (NIC) shared
his views exclusively with Construction
Manager, ahead of a keynote speech he
will make to the industry later this month.
Adonis, who was being tipped for a
transport role with new London mayor
Sadiq Khan as CM went to press, described
raising productivity as a “critical issue”
for construction.
“Construction has changed hugely for
the better in recent years, yet still many
in the industry feel it has a long way to go
to rid itself of the ‘this is the way we have
always done it’ culture,” he said.
“If the UK is to develop the projects that
this country needs, we need to ensure that
we are getting the highest possible quality
at the lowest possible whole-life cost.
“Quite simply, we need to do more – and
we need to do it faster, better and cheaper.”
“That means thinking beyond the
short-term and taking advantage of every
innovation and incremental improvement
that might help us on that journey.”
Adonis, who will speak at the
Construction Productivity Forum on
8 June, added that public and private
sector construction clients also had a
responsibility to push productivity.
“They have the ability, and the self-
Contractors could raise their productivity
considerably by working more closely with
construction equipment manufacturers, according
to the leading plant trade body.
“Technology has moved on massively in the
last five years, but we’re not sure if contractors
realise the potential efficiency gains they could
make,” said Rob Oliver, CEO of the Construction
Equipment Association (CEA).
He points to intelligent machine control, where
3D site models are integrated with GNSS on
earthmoving equipment. Manufacturers such
as Komatsu say the technology will deliver 30%
improvements in productivity through more
efficient digging, less fuel use and reduced wear-
and-tear on machines (see p28-31).
“The greater efficiencies construction
equipment now offers can make a big difference
to a contractor’s bottom line,” said Oliver.
However, he warned that there is currently limited
interaction between plant manufacturers and
contractors.
“Contractors are the end users of our equipment,
but they interface with plant hirers,
so manufacturers rarely get much feedback
from site,” Oliver explained.
He added that the CEA and its member
manufacturers were keen to work more closely
with the wider construction industry on the
productivity issue.
“The Construction 2025 targets are very
ambitious, so all parts of the industry need to
work together,” Oliver said. “We have support from
Build UK and the CIOB who see our point.
“Together we can present a united front to the
government to influence policy, for example,
encouraging public procurement to include greater
reward for technical innovations.
“Let’s look forward to what a construction site
might look like in 10 years. We have seen one
revolution get underway with off-site
manufacturing, but there hasn’t really been a
revolution in construction equipment. ”We need
to clear the path for the innovators, so that new
technology gets used on site.”
Work with us to boost
construction productivity,
say plant chiefs
CICEROGROUP
interest, to drive new ways of thinking
and the adoption of new technologies
along the supply chain,” he said.
“Supporting innovation and raising
productivity are critical issues for
the construction industry and for the
delivery of major infrastructure projects
across the UK.”
Adonis was Transport Secretary in
Gordon Brown’s government from 2009
to 2010, but resigned the Labour whip
in the House of Lords in October 2015 to
take the newly created NIC role.
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
figures suggest that construction
productivity growth is slow, improving
just 7% over two decades, although
this is disputed in a new report published
by the CIOB (see p20-26).
Paul Nash, incoming president of the
Institute, said it was hard to believe
construction had not grown considerably
more productive in recent years, given
the steady fall in accidents on site and
the emergence of innovations such as
offsite manufacturing.
“For decades, studies have suggested
numerous solutions to improve
construction’s productivity, yet the data
indicates growth is weak at best,” said
Nash. “We might ask – is construction
productivity being measured in the most
accurate way? Are we getting the wrong
impression from the data?”
He added: “It’s important to point
out that poor productivity growth
in construction is not just a UK
phenomenon: in developed nations
globally we see the same occurrence,
which drags down the productivity
performance of the wider economy.”
The Construction Productivity Forum,
organised by the Construction
Equipment Association, takes place
in London on 8 June.
04_5_NEWS.CMJune16.indd 4 17/05/2016 10:29

Construction companies should brace
themselves for more site raids from the
Home Office, which is stepping up its
campaign to root out illegal workers.
Operation Magnify, a UK-wide
enforcement campaign, was launched in
October 2015 to clamp down on firms
employing and exploiting illegal migrant
workers.
“Although many construction businesses
complete the right-to-work checks, stolen
and counterfeit documents are used
sometimes by criminal gangs to enable
migrants to work illegally in the UK,” said a
Home Office statement issued last month.
“If these are not spotted, businesses can
inadvertently allow immigration offenders
access to critical national infrastructure
projects. Companies working on sensitive
construction projects have a clear
responsibility to safeguard the integrity of
identity checking processes.”
The Home Office said immigration officers
were working closely with other
government departments to identify
offenders and take action against
construction companies who are using
illegal workers on their sites.
“Construction businesses must have a
strong understanding of the seriousness of
this issue across the organisation,” the
Home Office warned.
News
The £2.6m fine imposed on Balfour
Beatty last month for a fatal trench
collapse signals a new era of multi-million-
pound payouts for serious accidents, a
leading safety adviser has predicted.
“We are seeing significant increases
in fines – potentially a five to tenfold rise
– under the new sentencing guidelines
which came into force in February,” said
Neal Stone, deputy chief executive at the
British Safety Council, one of the UK’s
largest safety advisory bodies.
Large contractors, defined by the
Sentencing Council as firms with a
turnover above £50m, can be fined up to
£20m under the new guidelines. However,
Stone pointed out that this is not a cap.
“The wording says, ‘Where an offending
organisation’s turnover or equivalent very
greatly exceeds the threshold for large
organisations, it may be necessary to move
outside the suggested range to achieve a
proportionate sentence’,” he said.
Contractors warned to expect more big safety fines
Industry likely to see further stiff sentences following Balfour’’s £2.6m payout for trench collapse
“So where deaths are involved, where
there is a high degree of culpability,
where it involves a large organisation, the
fines could be much higher. I know of one
leading QC who has publicly stated that a
£100m fine is not inconceivable.”
Stone said that past fines had
been “derisory” and that the Council’s
1,200 corporate construction
members supported the change to the
sentencing guidelines.
The fine handed out to Balfour Beatty,
one of the largest ever in the construction
sector, followed a Health Safety
Executive (HSE) investigation into the
death of a 32-year-old working under
subcontract for the firm’s utility business
on 14 April 2010.
It followed a £2m fine handed out to
Travis Perkins after a customer was killed
by a company vehicle at the builders
merchants’ yard at Wolverton, Milton
Keynes in November 2012.
The length of the time it took for
the cases to come to court is another
matter for concern, said Stone.
“Justice is not served by such delays,”
he added. “Murder trials don’t take
six years.”
Last November, trade union UCATT
criticised the HSE for an eight-year
investigation into a death on a south
London demolition site, for which
contractor 777 was fined £215,000.
The HSE said that “several complex
investigations... meant average time taken
between an incident and a prosecution
has increased” in recent years, but that
80% of prosecutions were approved
within three years.
HSE figures show there were 258
prosecution cases in 2014/15, 243
(94%) of which resulted in a guilty
verdict for at least one offence. The
resulting fines from these prosecutions
totalled £3,976,000.
“I know of one
leading QC
who has
publicly stated
that a £100m
fine is not
inconceivable”
NealStone,
BritishSafety
Council
New legislation in last year’s Immigration
Bill allows for tougher penalties and
sanctions to be imposed on rogue
employers who exploit illegal migrants,
including closing down businesses that
flout the law.
Lincolnshire-based contractor Sword
Construction faces a £400,000 fine after an
Operation Magnify site blitz found 20 illegal
workers on one of its sites last October.
The CIOB has been working on the
problem with the Home Office, and chief
executive Chris Blythe called on main
contractors to take more responsibility for
checking their supply chains do not exploit
illegal workers.
He said: “Contractors who duck out of
their responsibilities by blaming the
subcontractor risk reputational damage and
are liable to incur significant financial
penalties and site shutdowns. The
uncertainty amongst clients which stems
from reports of modern slavery also risks the
image and success of the entire industry.”
“Contractors who duck
responsibility… are likely
to incur significant
financial penalties”
ChrisBlythe,CIOB
Home Office steps
up crackdown on illegal
site workers
ALAMY
04_5_NEWS.CMJune16.indd 5 17/05/2016 10:29

CIOBNews
“All the skills
they have
learned in the
military are
transferable,
such as
leadership”
Rebecca
Lovelace,Circle
ThreeConsulting
Military leavers ‘ideal’ for management roles
CIOB launches campaign to attract ex-military to construction ahead of Armed Forces Day
Military leavers who enter the
construction industry often “aim too low”,
taking junior roles when they are more
suited to management jobs, according to
an armed forces recruitment adviser.
Rebecca Lovelace, BuildForce project
manager from Circle Three Consulting,
told Construction Manager that many
ex armed forces members are “interested
in the industry”, but believe their skills are
only suited to lower-level entry positions
when they should be aiming much higher.
She was speaking as the CIOB launched
a new campaign to attract military leavers
into the construction industry, ahead of
Armed Forces day on 25 June.
“Many people’s expectations are too
low, when they could and should be
aiming for management positions in the
construction industry,” Lovelace said.
“All the skills they have learned in
the military are transferable, such as
leadership, management of people and
resources. With the help of ourselves,
CIOB and some of our construction
partners, we hope to put people on the
right path and with some further training
and direction they can excel.”
Buildforce works directly with a number
of large contractors – such as Carillion,
Crossrail, LendLease, Morgan Sindall and
Wilson James as well as others – to place
military leavers into construction jobs.
The organisation has been in
existence for 18 months and is an
initiative co-ordinated by industry
charity the Construction Youth Trust and
part-funded by the CITB. It was set up
to educate, inspire and inform service
leavers about the wide range of career
opportunities in construction.
The armed services and construction
have a long history, with many ex-armed
forces members joining the industry.
Both share an ethos and enjoy cultural
similarities such as having clear hierarchies
and chains of command, as well as relying
on careful planning behind the scenes
rather than just boots on the ground,
according to Lovelace.
With thousands of people leaving the
military each year, the CIOB is keen to
attract some of the best people and offer
them a number of routes to get chartered.
The idea is mutually beneficial for both
parties as defence cuts continue and
there remains a large skills shortage in
the construction industry.
The CIOB offers a number of routes
to becoming chartered, depending on
experience and qualifications.
For example, if an ex-military member
has a degree, they can study part-time for
the CIOB Graduate Conversion Course, a
fast way of building up knowledge
and expertise of site management.
The Institute also supports candidates
with technical qualifications, such as an
HNC in Military Clerk of Works, or Design
Draughtsman Class 1, into full Chartered
Membership through a number of
programmes, such as Chartered Membership
Programme or CIOB Accredited National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).
www.ciob.org/routes/i-have-
military-background
www.buildforce.org.uk
Candidate No. of votes
Richard Sapcote FCIOB 1,084
Ivan McCarthy FCIOB 1,075
Paul Dockerill FCIOB 891
David Philp FCIOB 840
Jason Margetts FCIOB 811
Tim Barrett FCIOB 772
The CIOB has elected two new trustees to its board.
In total, 2,879 voters took part (14.4% of the
electorate), with seven spoilt papers confirmed.
Each voter was able to cast a maximum of two votes.
The results are shown in the table above.
In accordance with the Institute’s by-laws,
the two candidates with the highest votes are
deemed elected from the close of the AGM.
Richard Sapcote and Ivan McCarthy have
accepted the positions and will be elected to
the Board of Trustees for tenure of three years,
commencing at the close of the AGM.
The Board of Trustees consists of 16 CIOB
Fellows and Members. These have the ultimate
responsibility for directing the affairs of the
Institute and delivering its Royal Charter objectives.
They set policy, oversee the budget and are legally
responsible for the Institute.
The AGM will take place on 11 July at the Grand
Hyatt Hotel, Hong Kong.
Two elected to CIOB Board of Trustees
Teamwork: construction and the military share cultural similarities
Richard Sapcote and Ivan McCarthy accept positions for three years
06_CMJun16_CIOBnews.indd 6 17/05/2016 10:34

CIOBNews
A couple of recent court cases have
helped to highlight the changing mood
towards institutional wrongdoing. They
show just how far attitudes towards
those that transgress have intensified
and evolved over time.
The first that springs to mind saw
consultancy firm Sweett Group ordered
to pay £2.25m for breaching the Bribery
Act in the United Arab Emirates, the
first full-blown corporate prosecution of
its kind under the Act. The Serious Fraud
Office, which will often opt for a Deferred
Prosecution Agreement (DPA) when
parties agree to co-operate with the
authorities, chose not to offer a DPA
despite the decision to plead guilty.
Without adequate anti-bribery
procedures in place firms have little
in the way of protection. When
instances do occur there is no scope for
mitigation. We only need to look at the
size of the penalty to see this.
The other, more recent, case involved
Balfour Beatty. For breaching health
and safety legislation, the firm was
handed a £2.6m fine after a trench
collapse in which one employee died.
Some have said that it is wrong to
take money out of the industry with
fines, and it would be better spent
ensuring that training is improved,
particularly in smaller firms. The point is
missed. The fine is a punishment – and
in this instance the firm was not an SME.
The same commentators suggest a
smaller fine combined with a court-
supervised safety training programme
for firms in breach of the law could be the
way forward. Again I have to disagree.
This shifts responsibility onto the courts
and turns something of vital importance
into another box-ticking exercise.
Contractors are right to be concerned
about the potential scale of fines for
breaches in health and safety legislation,
but the remedy is in their hands.
What both cases have in common is
the fact that neither firm could claim any
mitigation. Both failed to demonstrate
that the appropriate steps had been
taken to prevent either accident.
People do make mistakes. That’s life.
On occasion you also get a rogue
operator. But it is well-designed
policies and procedures that provide
the scope for mitigation on the rare
occasion when things do go wrong.
So where are the next tripwires likely
to be? The transparency in supply chain
regulations in S54 of the Modern Slavery
Act 2015 is a starting point. While the
initial focus is on reporting in supply
chains, the only court you will end up in at
the very beginning is the court of public
opinion. As we know, it’s now this court
which can drive the legislative process.
ChrisBlythe
Two cases show how
attitudes to corporate
offences are changing
ONE CIOB takes its show on the road
Institute will roll out the CIOB’s new Local Hub support structure
throughout the UK as part of its service improvement initiative
Following a meeting of the Board of
Trustees, and the input and collaboration
of a number of members since 2013, the
CIOB is launching ONE CIOB, a new initiative
to support and help members’ changing
needs at a local level.
Over the coming year, a range of new
services will be introduced to support
members, such as making events more
accessible, improving the CPD programme
and online content, upgrading management
systems, and delivering improved
communications and external engagement.
A new Local Hub structure will also be
rolled out to deliver them. The hub is an
administrative centre, which will deliver
events and services within a geographic
region. It will have dedicated staff, budget
and six elected committee members.
Alan Crane FCIOB, chairman of ONE
CIOB,said: “One CIOB means high quality to
every member in the world, no matter what
their position or where they work.”
A series of roadshows are being
run though May and June so members
can find out more about the change and
what it means to them.
Take advantage of CIOB’s subsidised BIM training
The CIOB is launching a brand new course to keep
staff up to date on latest BIM techniques and
capabilities and to meet the government PQQ
requirements.
The course, run by trainer Etienne Le Roux ICIOB, a
BIM project manager with Turner and Townsend, aims
to demystify BIM to CIOB members, equipping them to
work in a BIM environment at the level of excellence
expected by both their companies and their clients.
The course covers everyone in a construction
or project management role, or who is responsible
for tendering and responding to PQQs.
Speaking about the need for the course, Le Roux
said that while most people are aware of BIM, many
are still unprepared but know they need to upskill.
He said: “I have trained everyone from clients,
architects, engineers, project managers, cost managers
and facility managers. Most have never worked on a
BIM project, however, they understand that there is a
need to upskill themselves to prepare for the impact
that BIM will have on their roles.”
He added: “I would encourage all CIOB members
to take advantage of this heavily subsidised course
to gain a clear understanding of
how BIM principles can be used to improve
construction performance.”
Upcoming dates for the courses are:
14-16, 21-22 June - CIOB London
12-13 July - CIOB London
27-28 September – Leeds
11-12 October - CIOB London
The CIOB is also holding its annual international
conference in Hong Kong on 14 July. The conference,
Constructing the Future, will provide insight into
the latest industry knowledge and a chance to
debate on the key issues facing all sectors of the
construction industry.
Speakers are set to include: Graham Robinson,
director, Global Construction Perspective; Professor
Stuart Green from the University of Reading; and
incoming 2016/2017 CIOB president Paul Nash.
The cost to attend is £130 for members and
£150 for non-members.
Details at membersforum.ciob.org/conference
Each roadshow will give a briefing about
the plans and the new Local Hub structure.
There will also be an opportunity to network
with other members.
Roadshows will last an hour and a half
and will take place after work.
“ONE CIOB
means high
quality to
every member
in the world,
no matter
what their
position or
where they
work”
Alan Crane
FCIOB, chairman
of ONE CIOB
2 June 6.30pm Truro
6 June 6.30pm Perth
7 June 6.30pm Chester-le-Street,
Durham
8 June 7pm HKT/MYT/SGT / 8pm
CST / 12pm BST -
Hong Kong, China,
Singapore, Malaysia
webinar
8 June 7pm Belfast
9 June 7pm Dublin
10 June 7pm NZT / 4pm AWST/
6pm AEST / 9am BST -
New Zealand, Sydney
Perth webinar
14 June 4pm EDT / 8pm BST,
Americas webinar
15 June 6.30pm Cambridge
16 June 6.30pm Stansted
21 June 6.30pm Oxford
22 June 6.30pm UK Ireland webinar
5 July 6.30pm London
6 July 6.30pm Basingstoke
19 July 6.30pm Sevenoaks
20 July 6.30pm Stretton, Cheshire
21 July 6.30pm North Preston
8_CM.JUNE16.CIOB news.indd 8 17/05/2016 10:40

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BLY0070 May CS.indd 1 16/05/2016 15:22

Views
Time for a rethink on
construction productivity
CONSTRUCTION HAS A PRODUCTIVITY PROBLEM.
At least, that’s the view of Lord Adonis,
National Infrastructure Commission
chairman [see News, p4-5]. And it is a view
supported by figures from the Office for
National Statistics (ONS), which show
miserable construction productivity growth
of just 7% over the last two decades.
But sometimes statistics can be
misleading.
The CIOB has produced a wide-ranging
study on construction productivity
[see p20-27], which asked 130 MPs and
almost 500 senior industry professionals
how construction productivity could
be improved.
Many concerns the report raises will
sound familiar: wasteful procurement,
poor communication, bad people
management.
But it makes another important point
– that official figures on construction may
not tell the whole productivity story.
For example, one great construction
innovation movement of recent years –
the shift towards prefabrication – may
have caused a large chunk of industry
activity to be reclassified as
manufacturing. Because factory work is
usually more productive than site work,
this ‘innovation’ may actually have
reduced construction productivity, as
measured by official statisticians.
The report also argues that any
measure of construction productivity
needs to take a more holistic approach
and consider the wider impact the
industry has on society. For example,
Gentoo housing association’s ‘Boiler on
Prescription’ project has proved a link
between more energy-efficient homes
and improved health and welfare of
tenants. So better buildings make people
happier and healthier, which encourages
them to be more productive.
The report does not deny that there is
room for improvement in the industry’s
productivity. One of the survey’s findings is
that construction regards investment in
machinery as a low priority. Though as we
see in our construction equipment special
[p20-27], digital technology is helping the
plant sector make great productivity strides.
So while construction does have a
productivity problem, it is only partly to
do with the industry’s own performance
– it is also down to the way construction
productivity is measured.
VIRTUAL REALITY IS MAKING its first forays into
the construction sector, with two
demonstrations at last month’s Accelerate
to Innovate event organised by the BRE
and CIOB [see p12-18].
The innovations featured ‘Oculus Rift’
style headsets to create virtual
construction site environments, for use in
training and particularly to improve health
and safety. Could they have a future in
the ‘real’ construction world? Industry
experts who watched the demonstrations
liked the potential, particularly as a
possible means for integrating health and
safety with BIM.
In an issue where we debate ways for
construction to boost its productivity, it is
encouraging to see the industry is not
short on innovators.
Will Mann, acting editor
Feedback
Let's show social responsibility
Mark Winters, via website
Stephen Lines FCIOB, past president for
CIOB Middle East, is absolutely correct!
One has to have a moral stance (Questions
raised over Qatar labour abuse, CM May).
I am afraid corporate bodies are only
interested in profit at the expense of
everyone else. All they will ever come up
with is we are complying with all the
regulations that the country requires, so
they can wash their hands of the problem.
Christophe Krief MCIOB, via website
At least an institute of professionals is
doing something. Bravo, CIOB! Why are other
institutes silent on this subject? I thought
architects, engineers and other chartered
professionals had a social responsibility?
Maybe not when it comes to profit...
Mukesh Kashyap FCIOB, via website
Legislation, strictness is one side, the other
iscommitmentandbeingsociallyresponsible
(Construction firms warned about
corruption and slavery, online). It is time
British companies demonstrated maturity
and responsiveness to the rest of the world.
Be wary of self-certification
Richard Wheeler FCIOB, via website
Employers, employers’ agents and client's
representatives take note. (Faults found in
17 Edinburgh schools self-certified by Miller,
online). Inspection by second parties and
by the building insurer during construction
is the best approach to sustainable
development of the built environment.
Paul Maher, via website
Most projects these days are design and
build, which sounds fine on the outside but
is fraught with risk. We need external
supervision similar to a clerk of works,
as even the most competent specialist
sub-contractors have problems with
their own systems/work packages.
The labour on site is critical – that's
where mistakes are made, often due to time
constraints or even lack of understanding.
Good quality costs money.
More Construction Manager
online and on Twitter
Our twice-weekly newsletters give you breaking news and
online-only content, including more coverage of skills shortages
and the carbon agenda, and fresh perspectives on the week’s
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10_11.CM.JUNE16_VIEWS.indd 10 17/05/2016 15:12

associations following reductions in
social rents, and public attitudes towards
density and development all require
addressing.
A shortage of construction skills could
also further damage Khan’s housing and
infrastructure plans, so firms need to be
encouraged to train and recruit people to
careers in the construction sector.
Mark Robinson
Chief executive officer,
Scape Group
The new mayor will
understand that his priority
is to deliver on his housing pledges,
but to meet his promise of 80,000 new
homes a year, he will need to get London
building homes at a faster rate than either
of his predecessors.
The new mayor must act quickly to
provide the detail on how he will change
the London Plan and exactly when and
how he will call in planning decisions
that don’t provide sufficient numbers of
affordable homes. Local authorities have
been unable to deliver more affordable
housing because of restrictions on public
spending, and the new administration
Hall will have to set out exactly how it will
increase the number of affordable homes
within these spending limits.
Vox pop
What should the new mayor of London’s
top priority be on housing?
Contact us
Do you have an
opinion on any
of this month’s
articles? Email:
construction-
manager@atom
publishing.co.uk
Patrick Flaherty
Chief executive –
UK Ireland, Aecom
Housing should not
be tackled in isolation.
New homes must be built in lock-step
with infrastructure and employment
opportunities. A joined-up approach
that recognises the symbiotic
relationship between housing, transport
infrastructure, hospitals, schools and
jobs is required. And a broader choice
of dwelling types and tenures, so that
homes are built as part of sustainable
communities, is essential.
Addressing the shortfall requires
region-wide collaboration and vision. Key
to this will be building a coalition of the
willing with local authorities surrounding
the capital that want to share in economic
growth and are prepared to look beyond
local housing needs.
Brian Berry
Chief executive, Federation
of Master Builders
If the new mayor of
London wants to address
the housing crisis, he must focus on
revitalising the SME house-building
sector. He has – quite rightly – set himself
some very ambitious targets on housing
and to achieve them, smaller house
builders need to be firing on all cylinders.
SMEs are well suited to build out
sites more quickly, which will assist in
increasing the speed of delivery, and
they are capable of building out the small
and micro sites that will be cumulatively
crucial in delivering sufficient numbers.
To this end, giving SMEs a fair chance
with public land designated for housing
would be a welcome boost.
Sadiq Khan has insisted he wants
to work hand in hand with the house-
building industry to boost numbers,
so we’re hoping he’ll soon grasp how
counter-productive imposing a uniform
50% affordable housing target would be.
If he really insists upon one in two homes
in every development being affordable,
then a lot of those developments simply
won’t get built.
Shelagh Grant
Chief executive,
Housing Forum
We should have mixed
affordable communities –
we should strive for that. That
would be a great legacy for London.
We appreciate the mayor set out
housing so centrally to his campaign
– we think that was the right thing to
do. Inevitably there has to be some
flexibility looking at individual sites and
probably the need to be some strategy
for thresholds on affordable housing.
You can't be too rigid, but you have to
understand how the market works.
There are many challenges with
estate regeneration and communities
should have their say if they want to
stay together, but at the same time it is a
problem to get the same level of density
in when you're redeveloping.
Eddie Tuttle
Principal policy and public
affairs manager, CIOB
There needs to be pan-
government collaboration
across the GLA, Whitehall, Westminster
and local authorities both in and outside
Greater London if effective action is to be
taken – the mayor’s powers only go so far.
The declining number of housing
starts, the changing role of housing
Less than zero
Adam Harper, via website
Many in the industry had significantly
invested in training, in new methods and
techniques in anticipation of zero carbon
homes, and it was disappointing that the
government pulled the rug from under our
feet (Zero carbon campaigners lifted by
Lords defeat for government, online).
Construction has to play its part in moving
to a low carbon economy and zero carbon
homes are an important part of that. For
Learning with Minecraft
Dave Briggs, via website
My 10-year-old saw my copy of CM and
sat down and read the article on Minecraft
(New kids on the blocks, CM May).
After he had finished reading it, he
started to try and build the CCTV tower
in Minecraft. He was really excited trying
to recreate it. Maybe he has a future in this
industry. Maybe this is way to grab the
attention of schoolkids to show them
what this industry can offer.
Toaddress
thecrisis,he
mustfocuson
revitalisingthe
SMEhouse-
buildingsector
Brian Berry,
Federation of
Master Builders
many of us, there is pride in designing and
constructing,highqualityhomeswhichhavea
highenergyperformanceandlowenergybills.
Keeping up steel standards
RN Cowling MCIAT (retired), via website
In consideration of the use of Chinese or any
other foreign structural steel components in
the UK industry (More pressure on
contractors to buy British steel, online), will
such alternatives be tested to equal or
better our old BS449 standards/tables?
Housing promise:
London mayor Sadiq
Khan put affordable
housing at the centre
of his campaign
10_11.CM.JUNE16_VIEWS.indd 11 16/05/2016 12:44

FeatureInnovations
How do construction inventions make the move from bright idea to
industry standard? James Kenny reports from the CIOB and BRE’s
Accelerate to Innovate event, where inventors showcase their ideas
WHERE WILL THE NEXT construction
innovation come from? Construction
Manager and a panel of experts headed
to the BRE last month to see eight new
inventions, any of which may one day
transform the industry.
Organised by the CIOB and BRE, the
Accelerate to Innovate event brings
together “innovators”, pitching their
fledgling inventions, and a panel of
experts, or “mentors”. The annual event
aims to provide advice, open doors
and help the innovators make headway
in a competitive industry.
University of Reading professor
Stuart Green, chair of the CIOB’s
innovation and research panel, was one
of the mentors. He believes that the
benefits flow both ways.
“The innovators could learn from the
mentors, but also the mentors learn
from the innovators,” he says. “It shows
that the construction sector is hugely
innovative, which sometimes people
Professor
Stuart Green
University of
Reading, chair,
CIOB Innovation
and Research Panel
Dr Deborah
Pullen
Group research
director,
BRE
Kathryn Vowles
Business
development
director,
Balfour Beatty
Dr Rennie
Chadwick
Innovation and
performance
director,
Osborne
Dr Jackie Maguire
Director,
IP strategy,
Coller IP
Paul Oakley
Associate
director BIM,
BRE
Saleem Akram
Director of
construction,
innovation and
development,
CIOB
The innovators
(from left): Ludovico
Carozza, Mehdi
Alhaddad, Michael
Kohn, Aparajithan
Sivanathan, Sidney
Newton, Sarah Davis,
John Egan and
Gregory Malek
doubt it is. But this a sector that has
innovation in its lifeblood.”
And Saleem Akram, the CIOB’s
director of construction, innovation
and development, adds: “No one in
the industry wants good ideas sitting
on a shelf. This initiative is not a
competition – it’s a collaboration
between innovators and those who can
help open doors to the wider industry.”
BIM and digital innovation dominate
new construction technology
at present – and this
year’s event proved
no exception.
Visions
ofthefuture
Accelerate to Innovate’s industry mentors
12_18.innovate.V2.CM.June16final.indd 12 16/05/2016 15:25

FeatureInnovations
iHR – immersive Hybrid
Reality for Construction
Training and Practice
Virtual reality training system
Dr Ludovico Carozza, research
associate, Heriot-Watt University
What is it?
A virtual reality, Oculus Rift-style system
with a headset (worn by Kathryn Vowles,
left) that allows wearers to conduct
“real” physical tasks while fully immersed
in virtual environments. It is based on
relatively affordable commodity hardware.
Why is it innovative?
It provides trainees and workers with
“real-life” scenarios on high-risk jobs such
as nuclear sites – as a more effective way
of preparing them for work on site.
Has it been used by the industry?
Not yet.
What next?
Plans to improve the user experience and
to develop a lightweight, “untethered”
system used without connection to
an external device. The main aim is to
attract investors to sustain technology
and product development.
www.ice.hw.ac.uk
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Rennie Chadwick: “The technology
is great. But, with my contractor hat on,
what’s the value for my business?”
Jackie Maguire: “It will be best suited
for high-risk, highly skilled activities in
high-risk environments – for example
welding in power stations.”
Kathryn Vowles: “There is value for this
in selection and training.”

FeatureInnovations
The Situation Engine
Virtual-reality health
and safety training
Dr Sidney Newton, director,
NewtonLowe
What is it?
It aims to improve on-site health and
safety behaviour by delivering a virtual
site experience based on actual project
models using a headset and video game
technology. Activities can be benchmarked
and situations adapted to individual needs.
Witnessing and discussing potential
site accidents is a different approach
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Kathryn Vowles:
“Changing behaviour
is what the industry
recognises as where
the safety gains are
now. So you’re hitting
the sweet spot.”
Paul Oakley: “There
isabigpushwith
usingBIMtointegrate
healthandsafety–
youmaybeatthe
forefrontofthat.”
Jackie Maguire:
“From a health and
safety perspective,
I liked the way
it involved a
whole team.”
to changing behaviour compared to
traditional training. The proprietary
system of controls allows the trainer
to replay a situation, so the learner can
experience it from multiple perspectives.
In the training facilities of Hong Kong
contractor Gammon Construction and
trialled at four Australian universities.
What next?
Situation models tailored to particular
projects and workplace contexts. It
plans to work with BIM consultancies to
promote the technology to a wider client
base, and develop a standard health and
safety training and assessment product.
www.newtonlowe.com
CSattAR Photogrammetric
Deformation Monitoring
Structural movement monitor
Mehdi Alhaddad, researcher
at Cambridge Centre for Smart
Infrastructure Construction (CSIC)
What is it?
CSattAR uses
photogrammetry
to monitor
structural
movement on
infrastructure
projects.
It is small and easy to install, using
low-cost cameras to measure minute
movements without disruption. Based
on technology used in labs to measure
particle movements, it can measure
the tiniest variation – less than 0.1mm –
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Jackie Maguire:
“It needs to be a
technology play –
it’s cheaper than
other products
out there. But you
may need to get it
patented, depending
on how it works.”
Paul Oakley:
“In seismic areas,
there could be an
application for this.”
Stuart Green:
“Brilliant technology
– I can see every
tunnel construction
project wanting this.”
so is particularly suitable for identifying
deformation in tunnels.
Used on projects including London
Crossrail, CERN and monitoring the disused
Royal Mail tunnel in central London.
What next?
There are plans for a spin-off company to
develop the system for commercial use.
www-smartinfrastructure.eng.cam.ac.uk
BIMUp 5D
BIM compliancy on a budget
Gregory Malek, director, BIMUp
What is it?
It enables
quantity take-off
from SketchUp
3D models.
BiMUp 5D can
perform complex
calculations using
formulas and
produce as many reports as required using
bespoke templates.
Because it can be used with SketchUp,
designs can be BIM compliant
without expensive software, and
cost modelling can be auto-generated
from the earliest design models.
It can easily be introduced to SMEs
and the supply chain where upfront
cost and potential return on investment
in BIM is becoming a serious issue.
Scaffolding design on a scheme in High
Holborn, central London. Scaffolders need
health and safety sign-off for design and
buildability of scaffolding, so they design
and take the quantities off that.
What next?
It needs to convert site visits into sales.
BiMUp 3D and BiMUp Viewer are in
development.
www.bimup.co.uk
CSattAR’s small size allows ease of installation
Dangerous game: the Situation Engine delivers safety training on a virtual site


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FeatureInnovations
Skills4Leadership
in Construction
Online leadership game
Sarah Davis and Beverley Hammond,
Skills4Stem
What is it?
An online video game to collect, analyse
and map leadership traits.
It aims to engage people through
gaming, in contrast to more conventional
leadership training. One scenario is a hike
to Everest, where the user leads a team
and must make key decisions, such as
assigning tasks to team members and
dealing with events such as bad weather.
The software assesses the user’s skills
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Jackie Maguire:
“I was really inspired
as it’s a different
approach. But you
might have to adapt
to get it picked up by
companies. You might
have to buy into them,
rather than they you.”
Rennie Chadwick:
“I could say to my
HR director that
I’ve seen this great
product, and she
would say: ‘Where
has the competency
model come from?
What backs up those
competencies?’”
Paul Oakley:
“Perhaps a smaller
version for free is
needed to get more
people interested?”
by analysing the choices, providing an
alternative to conventional skills analysis
or psychometric-style tests.
It has been adapted by some smaller
companies, but is struggling to get
volume takeup. Preliminary discussions
with some of the large contractors.
What next?
More industry support and building a
higher profile. It is looking for funders
to develop a version that will collect,
analyse and map behaviours affecting
health and safety on site.
skills4stem.com
Activity Tracking and Body
Area Network (AT-BAN)
Motion tracking system
Dr Aparajithan Sivanathan, research
associate, Heriot-Watt University
What is it?
AT-BAN captures physical motion data
through tracking sensors worn by workers
on site (pictured left and below right). The
data retrieved can be analysed against
health, safety and productivity standards.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) caused
an estimated 14 million UK workdays to
be lost in 2012/13 and are common in the
industry. Data collected from site activity
can now be measured against health and
safety benchmarks to monitor risk.
The product also allows other types
of sensor to be attached, allowing
companies to create customised devices.
In use in two construction training
centres (Forth Valley College and
Edinburgh College).
What next?
Has talked to the NHS and HSE about
how the technology could be used. Plans
for a spin-out company from Heriot-Watt
University to focus on training, wearable
technology and MSD risk diagnostics.
www.ice.hw.ac.uk
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Saleem Akram:
“My only concern is
that it tracks such
personal info and
data. Not everyone
wants things like
their blood pressure
revealed.”
Kathryn Vowles:
“It is a very
interesting concept
for tracking work
in high-pressure
environments. There
is a question about
data protocols but
there are ways
around it.”
Peak performance: Sarah Davis (above left) and
Beverley Hammond use the scenario of a hike to
Everest to assess players’ leadership skills


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FeatureInnovations
Last year’s winner –
3D Move
One of the standout innovations from
the 2015 event was the 3D Move,
from University of Reading research
fellow Dr Maxwell Mallia-Parfitt and
lecturer Dr Dragana Nikolic
The product (right) was a mobile version
of a “BIM cave” – typically a room in a
university or specialist facility fitted with
angled screens on which images from
the BIM model are projected at 1:1 scale.
They are useful for walk-throughs, clash
detection and design consultations.
3D Move was a lightweight mobile
version, available to hire and ready to
deploy after a 30-minute set-up. It’s a 78kg
combination of three linked screens, three
projectors and a computer running the Unity
games engine software that takes data
from a Revit BIM model and turns it into a
game-like navigation experience.
One year on, where is the product now?
Has it been adopted by the industry?
Mallia-Parfitt tells CM he has moved
from academia into industry by joining
Coins:Fulcro, a company that delivers
applied technologies to the construction
sector and helped to develop the product.
Stickyworld
Soft Landings
communication platform
Michael Kohn, CEO, Stickyworld
What is it?
An online
communications
platform for
Soft Landings.
The Stickyworld
platform enables
smarter stakeholder
involvement
throughout
construction projects, from design
briefing through to handover, training,
post-occupancy evaluation and aftercare.
The Soft Landings process relies on
strong communications between people
of different expertise, including clients
and end-users. Unlike mainstream
collaboration platforms, Stickyworld is
geared towards presenting and explaining
data, not just sharing it. It suits projects
with wide stakeholder groups.
By hospitals and councils, which have
huge stakeholder groups.
What next?
The aim is to sell subscriptions
and supporting services from
September 2016.
info.stickyworld.com
Jenca
Online host for open-source
BIM apps in the cloud
John Egan (right) and Connor
Alexander, co-founders, Jenca
What is it?
The first online marketplace for open
BIM apps. Developers use Jenca’s hosting
service to put their BIM applications on
the platform like an app store – end-users
choose and run apps from the browser.
Jenca makes BIM accessible to the
masses by hosting BIM applications in
one place. An on-demand pricing model
means no upfront cost, which may favour
SMEs struggling to get on board with
BIM. Jenca’s wider aim is to provide an
open-source alternative and democratise
technology in the built environment.
Not yet.
MENTORS’ VIEWS
Stuart Green: “If I had £10,000 in my back
pocket I’d be too tempted to invest.”
Rennie Chadwick: “The not-for-profit
principles are brilliant. But a lot of people
won’t care about that. You need to show
people examples of how it can work for them.”
Paul Oakley: “The industry does need some
open-source solutions that can get everyone
involved with the BIM process.”
He took the mentors’ comments from
last year on board, significantly reducing
its size and improving the technology.
“We’ve developed the technology to
a point where it can be used on projects
and now we’re just looking for clients who
are interested and can implement the
technology,” he says. “We are working with
a number of large Tier 1 contractors and
we have interest from large infrastructure
projects. With our new prototype we’ve
significantly reduced the footprint.”
He adds: “We’ve made it to a point
where it’s a drag-and-drop technology.
We’re also able to play back 360 degree
stills. The pricing model is still to be
decided, but it has reduced. It depends
on client and application.”
www.coins-fulcro.com
What next?
Continue to accrue interest in the platform
from end-users and developers.
www.jenca.org

OC-CSII-W2
EN 998-1
COMPLIAN
TWITH EUROPEAN
STANDARD

FeatureProductivity
How can the construction industry improve
its productivity? A CIOB survey of MPs and
industry professionals has attempted to
provide an answer – but the issue is not
straightforward. Will Mann explains
THE HEADLINE DATA does not paint a positive
picture. Since 1994, official figures show
UK construction productivity growth has
been sluggish at best, improving just 7%
over two decades. This is well behind
other industry sectors, and drags down
the productivity performance of the UK
as a whole (see sector chart, p21).
That will not please the government,
which launched its own productivity plan
for the UK economy last year and wants
construction to deliver projects 50%
quicker and 33% cheaper by 2025.
So how – if at all – can construction
productivity be improved? This was
the central question addressed by
a wide-ranging study commissioned
productivity
conundrum
20_26.productivity.CM.June16.indd 20 16/05/2016 16:40

FeatureProductivity
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
Construction productivity comparisons across Europe (% change since 1994)
n France
n Germany
n Italy
n Netherlands
n Spain
n UK
Productivity comparisons by sector (UK) (% change since 1994)
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
Source: ONS. Index adjusted to 1994 = 100
n Construction
n Services
n Manufacturing
n Whole economy
m
by the CIOB, surveying the views of
130 MPs and almost 500 senior industry
professionals. Their views are presented
and analysed in this article.
But it is not an easy question to answer.
For one thing, measuring productivity
is difficult. “In economic terms, the
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
defines productivity as the rate of output
per unit of input – so creating more
output for a given input should result in
higher living standards,” explains the
CIOB report author, industry analyst Brian
Green. “However, while the concept may
be simple to grasp, in practice measuring
and interpreting productivity is fraught.”
Green and other commentators feel
that the data on construction
output published by the ONS is not
necessarily a fair reflection of the
industry’s productivity (see box, p21).
Also, it is not an issue that other
countries have cracked (see Europe chart,
above). Using the same measures as the
ONS, UK construction is – contrary to
popular belief – actually slightly more
productive than most of our counterparts
in the major western European
economies. So whatever our productivity
problems are, they are shared by
construction industries abroad.
This is by no means the first time
construction has examined its
productivity. The concern within
The accuracy of official construction
statistics has long been a bone of
contention for industry economists. And
finding data which accurately measures
construction productivity is a “slippery”
business, the CIOB report’s author Brian
Green acknowledges.
Although there are many different
productivity measures that are used, across
all industries, the most common benchmark
is output per hour worked, which has been
used for this CIOB study. However, it does
not necessarily tell the full story.
ONS data shows output per hour
worked in 2012 in construction was
£23.60. This compares very unfavourably
with other industries. In chemicals and
pharmaceuticals the figure was £73.30,
in finance and insurance £56.30, while in
real estate it was £230.60.
“The wide spread reflects, in part, the
labour intensity within each sector,” says
Green. “In construction repair and
maintenance, for instance, work is noticeably
more labour intensive than most new build.
And over the years the share of repair and
maintenance has increased.”
Another concern about the data is
what actually counts as construction.
“When determining the productivity of
construction we measure the value added
on site as the output and the labour (hours
worked) on site as the input,” says Green.
“But this does not then capture the
materials supply chain or the professionals
engaged in planning, financing and design.
“Offsite manufacture is seen as a way to
boost productivity. It certainly can. However,
productivity is about adding value and if work
moves from the site to the factory the value
added is likely to be classed as manufacturing,
not construction, in the statistics.
“The work remaining on site may well
end up being the less skilled and, in
economic terms, less productive.”
So paradoxically, while innovation in
building design and product manufacturing
may increase the overall productivity in the
process of delivering and maintaining the
built environment – this does not
necessarily raise productivity on site.
Statistically such advances can, in fact,
reduce measured construction productivity.
Indeed, data from both the UK and abroad
suggests that construction productivity
over recent decades has stalled or fallen.
Clearly this is illogical. The steady fall in
deaths on site, and the delivery of vastly
better-performing buildings, helped by
advances in technology, materials and
techniques, indicate that the construction
industry is doing something right. But does
that mean the statistics are wrong?
“No,” says Green. “We just need to know
what they mean and what they are telling us.
And to this end the report argues for better
statistics to help guide policy.”
Lies, damned lies and statistics
Why measuring construction
productivity is tricky

Source: OECD. Index adjusted to 1994 = 100

FeatureProductivity
MPs v industry top three priorities for raising construction productivity (%)
People
Innovation
Economy
Investment
Procurement
Regulation
Organisation
Industry structure
69
64
53
47
47
55
41
19
29
32
27
23
17
40
9
20
0 20 40 60 80
n MPs’ top three priorities
n Industry’s top three priorities
MPs v industry top priority for raising construction productivity (%)
People
Economy
Innovation
Investment
Procurement
Regulation
Organisation
Industry structure
38
29
23
26
15
10
9
4
5
8
3
6
3
11
2
6
0 10 20 30 40
n MPs’ top priority
n Industry’s top priority
government and industry is reflected
in a stream of reports over the decades,
dating back as far the Simon Committee
report of 1944, which was commissioned
during the second world war.
“Despite being commissioned at
different times to address different
immediate political, economic, social or
industrial concerns, similar themes recur,”
says Green. “Procurement, prefabrication
and standardisation, communication,
There appears to be significant
consensus between the industry and
MPs on broad policy areas that are seen
as potentially the most effective in
improving construction’s productivity.
Both groups placed people issues as
top, with the economy and innovation
making up the top three most supported
of the eight broad policy areas listed.
One large difference was in attitudes
to investment – in areas like plant and
machinery – from within the industry
itself. This had significantly more support
from MPs than the industry, where it
ranked last. Most likely to be in the top
three priorities for both MPs and the
industry respondents were the economy,
policy certainty and planning, with the
industry very strong on policy certainty.
More than half of industry respondents
ranked either people issues (29%) or the
economy (26%) as their top priority for
improving construction productivity.
Almost a third ranked people and more
than half ranked the economy in their top
three. Least likely to be ranked as a top
three priority were the broad areas of
industry structure and investment.
A point of note is how highly industry
respondents ranked organisation –
above procurement and regulation.
While it is a category that can be
considered broad, it seems reasonable
to assume that the view of the industry
from within is that it is poorly organised.
MPs are far less likely to prioritise
issues that appear to require more
detailed industry knowledge, such as
organisation, industry structure and
regulation. MPs also see investment and
innovation as far more important than
the industry for improving productivity.
Where differences lie are around
policies that may require more industry-
specific knowledge. So MPs show
significantly less immediate enthusiasm
than industry for areas such as industry
structure, organisation and regulation.
“There is no political will
to improve productivity.
Otherwise, quality training
and qualifications would be
properly administered and individuals
would value their qualifications.
Unfortunately training is not and
individuals do not. Also, to ensure skills
are taken seriously, there needs to be
a system of rules and regulations that
support those with qualifications and
the firms that employ them. Instead,
firms compete on price and the market
dictates that the lowest tender wins.”
Dr Stephen Gruneberg, industrial economist
and reader at the University of Westminster
Priorities for raising construction productivity
fragmentation between and within
the design and build processes,
safety, casual labour and quality.”
The CIOB survey responses
show that, broadly, those issues
are still among the top concerns,
for both the industry and
politicians (see detailed analysis
in priorities box above).
Generally, there was a high degree of
consensus between the views expressed
by MPs and construction professionals.
The one that comfortably comes first
is people. For both MPs and industry
respondents people issues were most
likely to be selected as the top and
within the top three most impactful policy
areas to improve industry productivity.
This is, of course, not the first time
that the industry has been told how
important its people are – or that it
has a shortage of them.
“Everyone is chasing their tails
trying to find the solution to
the productivity puzzle. Yet, if
we are honest with ourselves,
we know where the answers are. Every
day we see duplication of effort, under-
investment in innovation, and time
spent jumping through procurement and
regulatory hoops that create little value.
The problem is not one of knowing what
we can do to improve productivity, but
knowing how the industry can change
its whole business model to one that
allows these improvements to occur.”
Alasdair Reisner, chief executive at the Civil
Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)
“Construction should first
and foremost be measured
by the outcomes it
generates for the wider
economy and quality of life. It is
a means to an end. The cost of
construction – and maintenance –
of a facility, whether a building
or a piece of transport or energy
infrastructure, is dwarfed by
the effect that well-designed,
well-built and well-maintained
facilities have on the productivity
of the rest of the economy.”
Don Ward, chief executive at
Constructing Excellence


23.ad.CMJUNE16.Wernickresize.indd 2 17/05/2016 14:22

FeatureProductivity
MPs v industry ranking of policy options to boost UK construction productivity (%)
A commitment to boost public investment in private
sector construction during a recession
The establishment of the National infrastructure
Commission to focus on long-term planning of major projects
Designing public sector contracts to encourage private
companies to improve productivity
Increasing funding allocated for training,
eg an apprenticeship levy
Reforming land taxation to encourage more efficient use of
land, eg a land value tax model in place of stamp duty
Enhancing incentives to deliver greener and smarter
buildings through grants and tax breaks
Increased public spending on research
and development
Providing incentives for companies to encourage
labour saving processes
50
52
49
50
43
38
40
48
40
29
30
37
20
23
18
23
0 10 20 30 40 50
n MPs ranking in top three n Industry ranking policy in top three
The UK Commission for Employment
and Skills, in a 2014 report, reckoned
construction would need about one
million new recruits by 2022. The
Department for Business Innovation
Skills produced a study in 2013
called Supply Chain Analysis into the
Construction Industry, which found
that the quality of site management was
pivotal to improving productivity. This
was particularly true of the ability of the
site management to communicate well.
Both industry and MPs want stability
and see the National Infrastructure
Commission (NIC) as an important means
of achieving that. Construction
professionals are particularly keen on
the government pumping in public funds
to keep the industry ticking over when
a recession bites.
However, construction is less keen on
investing itself. When asked to assess the
effectiveness of eight broad policy areas for
raising productivity within construction, the
industry respondents ranked investment in
areas such as plant and machinery last.
The problem in analysing these results,
as Green says, is that “they tell us things
we already know about what is wrong
with the industry, and what improvements
need to be made – but there’s something
How the survey
was conducted
MPs survey: The CIOB
commissioned research
consultancy ComRes,
which interviewed
150 MPs between
25 February and
6 April 2016. Data
was weighted by party
and region to be
representative of the
House of Commons.
Industry survey: The
CIOB used an online
survey to canvass
opinion from 481
industry professionals.
While weighted
towards CIOB
membership, responses
also came from
members of the Royal
Institute of British
Architects (RIBA), the
Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors
(RICS), the Construction
Equipment Association
(CEA) and the
Construction Products
Association (CPA).
The consensus was generally
strong on specific policy types, with
boosting investment in a recession
and the National Infrastructure
Commission (NIC) ranking high and
increased public spending on RD low.
Asked to prioritise a list of specific
policies, industry respondents were
most likely to rank as their top three
priorities: first, a commitment to
boost public investment during a
recession (52%); second, establishing
the NIC to focus on long-term
planning (50%); and, third, increasing
funding for training (48%).
Asked to prioritise specific
policies, MPs were most likely to
rank, first, a commitment to boost
public investment during a recession;
and, second, establishing the NIC
to focus on long-term planning,
in their top three.
The main areas of difference
appear to be more industry support
for incentives on green/smart
building and more enthusiasm for
increased funding for training.
Conversely the industry ranked land
taxation reform much lower than MPs.
Overall, comparing MPs and
industry responses suggests a high
level of correlation in views. But one
immediate observation is that while
policy certainty seems to matter to
both MPs and the industry, it matters
more to the industry.
Policy options for raising construction productivity
“Construction is highly cyclical
and the business models
within the industry through
the supply chain have been
established to deal with the volatile
nature of activity in the sector. Any
improvement in quality, value and
efficiency will involve a change in the
business model so firms throughout
the supply chain can invest in skills,
capital and new technologies.”
Dr Noble Francis, economics director
at Construction Products Association
(CPA) and visiting professor at the
University of Westminster
“Our research tells us
that productivity increases
come when firms invest in
technology and skills.
Typically, low skills bring low
productivity. Improving skill levels in
the sector requires a long-term and
sustainable approach to recruitment
and training. Direct employment,
where employees are upskilled
regularly, is one of the best
ways to achieve this.”
Lee Bryer, research and development
operations manager at the Construction
Industry Training Board (CITB)
“The delivery and procurement
process for construction in
the UK is far too long and
wasteful. Clients and their
advisers too often adopt onerous
tendering processes which costs the
industry a huge amount of money and
wastes time. The industry would be far
better served by creating collaborative
forms of contract, and by clients and
end-users negotiating to form their
design and delivery teams for their
projects rather than adopting costly
and lengthy tendering processes.”
TonyGiddings,formerpartneratArgentLLP


FeatureProductivity
HEAD
stopping us from making them”. Similar
sentiments have been echoed by other
construction commentators (see p22-24).
“Both Noble Francis and Alasdair
Reisner point to the need for new
business models within the industry that
can provide a context in which firms see
reason to take the much-recognised
actions to raise productivity,” says Green.
“Tony Giddings may not use the same
phrase, but in calling for more
collaborative working he is, in effect,
challenging the existing business models
operating within the industry.”
There’s one other important point that
emerges from the report, which harks
back to the concerns expressed earlier
about the reliability of construction data.
“There is a need to measure more
effectively the productivity of the
whole process of delivering the built
environment and its impact on wider UK
productivity – rather than just what
happens on site,” says Green.
“Better buildings and infrastructure
contribute to productivity not just through
their primary function or through directly
contributing to increased economic
output. Making people happier, safer and
healthier encourages them to be more
productive and reduces costs elsewhere.”
He points to the “Boiler on Prescription”
trial project, piloted in the north-east
by housing association Gentoo Group,
which discovered a strong link between
improving the energy efficiency of
its stock and improvements in its tenants’
health and welfare.
“Compared to roads or railways, it
provides a less direct – but no less
significant – example of how construction
influences UK productivity,” says Green.
“The built environment that
construction delivers influences every
aspect of the lives of every person that
engages with the modern world. It
influences their health, education,
effectiveness at work, their travel to work
and how they spend their leisure time.
“It impacts not just on the quality of
life but the effectiveness of the economy.
In other words – its productivity.
An understanding of this should be
at the heart of policy-making.
“Construction needs to be seen
not just as a low-productivity
problem, but as a solution, supporting
a high-productivity UK.” CM
The so-called “productivity puzzle”
is a regular topic of debate, and with
good cause: the latest UK figures,
released in April, show the biggest fall
since the financial crisis in 2008.
The government has recognised
the risks of poor productivity growth
and has made improving it a policy
priority. As chancellor George Osborne
stated in the first Budget of the
Conservative government in 2015:
“Our weak productivity shows we
don’t train enough or build enough
or invest enough. This we are
determined to change.”
The government’s concern is
two-fold: UK productivity growth has
stalled for the best part of a decade,
and for years the UK has lagged
behind other developed nations.
Improving productivity – labour
productivity at least – should pave the
way for higher wages. It should make
more people buy goods and services
because they get better value for
money. And it should reduce waste and
see resources used more efficiently.
So what does this mean for the
construction industry? For decades,
studies have suggested solutions to
improve construction’s productivity,
yet the data suggests growth is weak
at best. So, from the outset, we
needed to take a step back and
see the bigger picture.
Poor productivity growth in
construction is not just a UK
phenomenon: in developed nations
globally we see the same occurrence,
which drags down the performance
of the wider economy.
So we might reasonably ask if
there is anything inherent within
construction that means it will never
be on a par with other sectors – can we
only automate and standardise so far?
Is it being measured in the most
accurate way? Are any unexplored
barriers holding back progress?
This report seeks to highlight the
fact that the construction industry
should not be viewed in isolation
when talking about how to improve
productivity. Construction, and
the wider built environment, has a
major bearing on how productive
we are as a nation.
And the recommendations from
this report reflect this approach, with
high priority given to the contextual
issues – how we can better measure
productivity; how we can demonstrate
the wider value of construction; how
firms can recognise that their current
business models may be an obstacle
to productivity growth – as opposed
to specific proposals.
This report throws up as many
questions as it answers. But our focus
is clear. The CIOB wants to kickstart
the debate into productivity not just in
terms of the industry itself, but how
construction benefits productivity
in the UK as a whole.
Paul Nash FCIOB
incoming
president,
CIOB
Why construction is crucial to the nation’s productivity
The knock-on effects of an effective industry are felt throughout the UK


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TechnicalConstructionequipment
DIGITAL
DIGGING
WHEN WEIGHING UP ideas for improving
productivity, construction professionals
often overlook site equipment.
Indeed, in the CIOB productivity survey
covered in pages 20-26, the industry
ranked investment in areas such as plant
and machinery last, when asked to assess
the effectiveness of eight policies for
raising construction productivity.
That is surprising. For recent advances in
digital technology used with construction
machinery are resulting in massive
productivity improvements. The companies
leading the charge in machine control
technology – where a combination of 3D
terrain models and global navigation
satellite system (GNSS) tracking is used to
position and guide earthmoving equipment
– agree that a 30% increase in productivity
is possible, sometimes much more.
“The savings come mainly from the
accuracy of the grading, which means there
is no need to overlap the bucket, and
elimination of rework,” explains Richard
Clement, planning manager at Japanese
construction equipment manufacturer
Komatsu. “These savings result in lower
machine hours, hence lower fuel usage
Building information modelling is rarely
discussed in terms of earthworks, yet
using 3D models with GNSS-enabled
equipment – intelligent machine
control – can generate 30% productivity
improvements. Will Mann explains

28_31.Tech plants.CMJune16final.indd 28 17/05/2016 11:06

Collins Earthworks was appointed by main
contractor Winvic Construction to deliver the
cut-and-fill operation for retailer Amazon’s giant
distribution hub in Ellistown, Leicestershire
On the 370,000 sq m site, the earthworks
contractor is using six dozers and three excavators,
all of them working from 3D models loaded onto
the in-cab control, and equipped with Trimble’s
GNSS capability. The kit is supplied by
Trimble’s dealer Sitech.
Collins director Patrick Gaffney says: “We are
using the technology to control the layers of fill,
delivering a maximum of 22 layers and an average
of 14 across the site. We can cut to tolerances of
within 10mm. It is a ‘balanced’ cut and fill, with
no material going off site.”
Gaffney says the technology has made
Collins’ operations far more efficient.
“In the past, using a 2D approach, we have
would had three or four people on a site of this size,
setting up laser levelling equipment every morning,
to measure progress of the earthworks and control
all the plant we have here,” he explains. “There is no
need for that with the 3D system on the in-cab
control, because the operators will now cut or
trim to the correct level in the design, without
the need for any checking.
“Without the technology, this job would have
taken us 25 to 26 weeks. But we will finish in
22 weeks. The 3D model and GNSS technology
gives us a real competitive edge.”
How machine control works
Case study: Collins Earthworks, Amazon
distribution centre, Leicestershire
1 From the initial survey of the site,
a 3D model of the terrain is created.
2 Design engineers use the model to plan
the earthworks operation, including any
value-engineering, and ensuring that no
material needs to leave the site.
3 This design model is then transferred to
the in-cab display of the machine operator,
usually by 3G or 4G, who gets a 3D
visualisation of the terrain on screen,
in profile, plan and cross section.
4 GNSS sensors on the arms and
body provide a real time update of the
machine’ position, as the operator
manoeuvres around the site, and guide the
movement of the blade or bucket. The
accuracy can be to within a centimetre.
5 As the cut-and-fill operation progresses,
the 3D model is updated in real time,
informing the operator of progress,
and allowing engineers to view – and
if necessary change – the design
without visiting the site.
Leica sensors mounted on the dozer use
GNSS technology to display the machine’s
position on the in-cab display (inset).
Excavators on the
site are working
from 3D models

Brooks says the operator can use the
technology in manual mode, where the
light bars act as a guide, or automatic
mode, where the blade is automatically
moved to the correct position.
Surge in technology adoption
The last two years have seen a surge in
adoption of machine control technology,
according to Kevin Minton, director at the
Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA).
“Two years ago, the theory was known
about but not widely used,” he says. “Now
all the earthmoving contractors will have
machine control-enabled kit in their fleet.”
Clement says use of the technology
varies significantly by country, with the UK
still some way behind northern Europe, and
by business segment. “Here, we are seeing
high use of machine control in road
construction and housing developments,
however there are still projects where,
although the earthworks design exists as a
3D model, contractors are still not making
use of the technology,” he explains.
One perceived barrier to its wider
adoption is skills, though Williams says
the technology is “not difficult” to grasp.
“Even someone with no prior
knowledge of machine control can pick it
up quite quickly,” he says. “You only need
to learn its functionality once, which
means less training, and increased
motivation for the operator.”
Leica is currently building a training
academy in Shropshire with plant
hirer Hawk, and Williams says this will
help grow the pool of operators who
understand the technology. “The
Construction Plant Competence Scheme
(CPCS) needs a module on machine control,
which it doesn't at present, but we are
working towards that,” he adds.
But perhaps a bigger obstacle to wider
adoption is a lack of knowledge of the
technology further up the supply chain.
“On the Aberdeen Western Peripheral
Route, one of the UK's biggest earthmoving
jobs, there are 120 machines using our
technology,” Williams says. “And that's
because an early decision was taken by the
contractor team Connect Roads [a Balfour
Beatty, Galliford Try and Carillion team] to
use machine control. But that is rare.”
Clement says that, paradoxically, plant
hirers may be reluctant to embrace
machine control because the greater
productivity will mean shorter hire
and effectively an increase in tonnes per
hour as an ultimate measure.”
“There are also reduced maintenance
costs due to less wear and tear on the
machine, and – although it is harder to
quantify – less operator fatigue,” adds
Neil Williams, engineering manager with
positioning specialist Leica Geosystems,
which pairs its technology with original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for
use on excavators and dozers.
Historically, cut-and-fill operations
would be staked out by hand, and
progress monitored by on-site engineers,
using laser monitoring equipment.
Machine control eliminates that.
“The stake-out is now done digitally,”
says Peter Brooks, operations manager
with Sitech, UK dealer for Trimble,
another positioning technology firm which
works with OEMs. “Surveyors create 3D
models of the terrain, when they survey the
site. This model is then transferred to the
machine operator's in-cab control unit, who
uses it to plot the cut-and fill operation.”
The digital model makes it easier for
engineers to tinker with the design, without
having to leave their office, and plan the
cut-and-fill so that no material needs to
leave site. And from the operator's
perspective, machine control makes the
digging execution far more efficient.
“The model is displayed to the operator
in profile, plan and cross-section,” Brooks
Above: Operational
view of the monitor in
a Komatsu excavator
Left: Sitech, UK
dealer for positioning
specialists Trimble,
works with OEMs
(original equipment
manufacturers) to
install the machine
control technology
explains. “GNSS sensors on the arms and
body of the machine show exactly where
the machine is in relation to the design.
The operator can track the movement
of the bucket and blade, and the display
unit provides the cut and fill values down
to within a centimetre.
“The cab display includes light bars
which help the operator align the blade
when digging out a particular section, for
example a gully line. The bars are green
as long as the operator follows the right
alignment, but will turn amber if the
machine strays off it.”


Intelligent machine control – key players
l Komatsu Japanese construction
equipment manufacturer which developed
the first machine control excavator, the
PC210LCi-10. Komatsu uses GNSS
technology from Topcon, combined with its
own sensors and controllers, to create the
machine control functionality.
l Caterpillar AccuGrade Cat’s machine
control system comes pre-enabled on
many of the manufacturer’s machines,
along with GNSS-enabled technology.
Cat has made AccuGrade open to third-
party providers of positioning software,
such as Leica and Trimble.
l Leica Geosystems Positioning
technology specialist, providing a portfolio
of products which link surveying software
and equipment with machine control
applications via GNSS. Leica sensors
are mounted on to OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) machines.
l Trimble Another provider of positioning
services and software, Trimble has agreed
deals to integrate its GNSS-controlled
machine control technology with OEMs
such as Hyundai, Volvo and Doosan. Sitech
is the UK and Ireland dealer for Trimble.
l Topcon Teams up its geospatial
positioning software with OEMs such as
Komatsu to provide machine control
capability, plus tracking of other onsite
activity such as haul truck movement.
l Prolec Made its name providing
sensor, hardware and software technologies
for construction equipment to improve
safety, though has now entered the machine
control arena, also working with OEMs.
l Moba Known as a highways and waste
management specialist, Moba provides
measurement and control technology
which integrates with earthmoving and
road construction machinery.
periods. “The UK is quite unusual in how
strong and influential the hire sector is,
compared to in Europe,” he says. “We need
main contractors and clients to become
aware of the technology's benefits, the
time and money savings possible.”
In the meantime, machine control
technology seems certain to advance
further. So far, it has been chiefly used on
excavators and dozers, though Komatsu
and Trimble are investigating using the
technology for compactors, where sensors
automatically detect when the required
compaction values have been reached.
Williams says: “If you consider that
Formula One is the 'playground' for car
innovation, mining is the equivalent for
construction equipment. In that sector, there
are driverless trucks which operate in mines.
Obviously that is an enclosed, controlled
environment where there are not as many
safety risks. But I think that will eventually
happen on construction sites too.”
Will the day come when robotic
earthmoving equipment, controlled via
3D models and GNSS, is commonplace?
Clement is cautious. “Current
technology provides for semi-automatic
operations, but operator input is still
vital,” he says. “For example, encountering
rocks in otherwise soft material will
require the operator to devise a strategy
to work around the obstacles.
“Komatsu is studying the possibility of
surveying the working area for such hidden
obstacles. But without an understanding
of the surface and sub-surface conditions,
full automatic operation is unlikely.”
But Clement believes there is “no
doubt” that some level of robotic
operation will emerge, given that
“construction technology is just starting
down the path of automation that
manufacturing started many years ago”.
An indication of the wider potential for
machine control can be found overseas. In
Japan, where an ageing population has led
to concerns about labour shortages, the
government wants to boost construction
productivity, and Komatsu has begun
exploring the potential for using drones to
guide automated machinery on some
earthworks projects.
“We need main
contractors
and clients
to become
aware of the
technology’s
benefits,
the time and
money savings
possible”
RichardClement,
Komatsu
Komatsu developed
the first machine
control excavator,
the PC210LCi-10
“The aim is to use technology to improve
the construction progress, because they
will have less worker hours,” says Clement.
Williams says that northern Europe is
10 years ahead of the UK. “In the Swedish
market, their equivalent of Highways
England has made machine control
mandatory,” he says. “Leica alone does £1m
of business a month in Sweden, whereas
in the UK, the whole market for machine
control technology is only £7m a year.
“So there is plenty of growth
potential here – if we can get clients
and main contractors to appreciate
the technology.“ CM

KNOWYOUR QUARRY
This month, Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry will host
the world’s biggest exhibition of working
quarrying, construction and recycling
equipment. More than 460 UK and international
suppliers of plant, machinery, materials and
services will be on show, many carrying out
live demonstrations. CM picks out five things
you won’t want to miss
Hyundai pushes productivity with HX series
Hyundai will be unveiling a host of new machines, including the 52-tonne capacity
HX520L crawler excavator and 31-tonne HL980 wheel loader in the live
demonstration. It will also display its new HX480L 49.5-tonne excavator (pictured).
According to Hyundai, its HX series excavators provide “higher productivity and faster
operation” while an in-cab “eco gauge” can help cut fuel consumption by up to 12%.
Liebherr goes green
Liebherr will exhibit its latest large
wheel loader – the 23-tonne, XPower
L 566. The manufacturer says the
Stage IV/Tier 4F-compliant machine
can offer fuel savings of up to 30%
and up to 20% more breakout force.
Small is beautiful
with Takeuchi
Mini-excavator specialist
Takeuchi will show off its
new hybrid electric,
1.6-tonne mini-excavator.
The TB216 machine
(pictured) is designed for
use in internal or zero-emission
environments. The Japanese firm
will also exhibit its 9-tonne TB290
and 8-tonne TB280FR
zero-swing models, both
with new-style cabs.
And if you’ve still got time...
l Case will unveil its largest ever dozer
at Hillhead, the 2050M. The 21-tonne
wheeled dozer offers up to 14% more
power than its previous biggest.
l Terex Finlay will preview its I-140RS impact
crusher, with on-board detachable sizing screen.
l Doosan will show its new Stage IV-compliant
machines, including 52-tonne DX530LC-5
crawler excavator.
l Bell Equipment says its new B60E
articulated dumptruck is one of the lowest
cost-per-tonne machines on the market.
l Compact equipment specialist Bobcat’s key
exhibit will be its T590 compact tracked loader.
l Datatag ID will promote the Micro-Cesar
security tagging system, which features an
integrated QR code to deter theft.
l Hitachi will show off its recently launched
50-tonne ZX490-6 excavator, with new
hydraulic system to reduce fuel consumption.
l Garic will be at Hillhead with MB Dust Control’s
spray cannons, which use “misting” to suppress
the smallest dust particles, and have a powerful
spraying distance of up to 100m.
Hillhead 2016 takes place from 28–30 June at
Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, Derbyshire.
Machine control with Caterpillar, Finning and Sitech
Caterpillar’s UK dealer Finning will be demonstrating its Cat D6N
LGP dozer – which incorporates Cat grade control technology and
Trimble’s 3D software – in the live area. Finning’s technology
partner Sitech, Trimble’s UK agent, will be on hand to explain 3D
machine control and site-positioning software. The new
Cat 730C2 articulated truck (pictured right), with 28-tonne
capacity, will also make its first UK appearance.
Sturdy but eco-friendly – JCB’s new wheeled excavator
JCB will give a Hillhead debut to the Hydradig 110W, its new
wheeled excavator. The Hydradig (below) has a sturdy
all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-steer chassis based on the
manufacturer’s Loadall telescopic handler. JCB says the compact
Hydradig has been designed to offer better “visibility, stability,
manoeuvrability and mobility”, allowing operators to turn and
work in a single carriageway with an under-4m turning radius.
32.Techcase studies.CMJune16.indd 32 17/05/2016 12:40

33.ad.CMAPR16.Solibri.indd 2 22/03/2016 15:27

ContinuingProfessionalDevelopment
BIM
• Anagreedlevelofdefinition (LOD)is crucialto efficientuseofBIM
• LODwillchangeover the duration ofaconstructionproject
• ThecorrectLOD should be defined and recordedattheoutset
CPD
Better definition
with BIM
Understanding how much information to provide at
different stages of the BIM process is vital if the
benefits of the technology are to be realised.
Duncan Reed from Trimble explains
stages, but potentially much more later
on. In this respect, the software used
becomes an important guiding tool.
When an organisation enters the BIM
process – at any of the eight stages
defined by the BIM Task Force’s Digital
Plan of Work (DPoW) – it needs to know
how much information it is expected to
provide. To get the best out of BIM, it is
important that a project team member
does not overproduce or underdeliver
on information for the model. Otherwise
the lean principles which underpin BIM
are unlikely to be realised.
This point is illustrated in the table (see
opposite page), which shows the process of
designing and detailing a building structure
using BIM. Here, Tekla Structural Designer
has been used to develop the model
definition. In the early stages of the project,
the structural analysis is the most important
factor. By stage three, only the sizes of
the structural members have become
known. As the project progresses to stage
four, the locations of the members, along
with their physical and performance
properties, have been determined.
At the end of stage five, the level of
model definition needs to be completely
defined, at which point the structure is
procured from a specialist supplier, in this
case a precast concrete frame manufacturer.
Importantly, the Tekla Structures model can
be used by the manufacturer to produce
all the structural frame components.
Accurate member sizes and accurate
geometry as well as end plates, welds,
bolts and 2D fabrication information are
generated directly from the 3D model.
The example shows how overproducing
information for a BIM model during the
early stages of a project is as unhelpful
as underproducing. Detailing the
reinforcement required for a concrete
column at stage two is pointless, as the
framing material has not been decided,
and the scheme may ultimately choose a
steel frame solution at stage three.
On the other hand, modelling the
optimal level of information ensures
BIM CAN DELIVER HUGE efficiencies in the
construction process – but only if members
of the project team clearly understand their
roles. This is particularly important when
providing information for the model.
In UK building information modelling
(BIM) terminology, the acronym LOD
usually refers to “level of definition”,
meaning the amount of model detail or
information detail provided at different
stages of a project. It is an acronym
that can sometimes be misinterpreted
(see box, p36), but a clear understanding
of its meaning and purpose is vital.
At the start of a project, agreeing the
appropriate LOD throughout the lifecycle
of a scheme is central to using BIM
efficiently and successfully.
One important thing to understand
about LOD is that it will change over the
duration of a construction project – with
less definition required during the early
Comparison between stage four “design” detail (LOD 300) and stage six “as built” detail (LOD 400 –500).
Note the extra detail in the more advanced stage of the model (on the right)
34_37_CM.June16_CPD.indd 34 17/05/2016 14:34

ContinuingProfessionalDevelopment
BIM
“Over-
producing
information
for a BIM
model during
the early
stages of
a project is
as unhelpful
as under-
producing”
Stage Project stages Overview – required Example–reinforced Software
number information* concrete column options
PAS 1192- RIBA Plan
2:2013 of Work
0 Strategy Strategic This is still very much At these stages the
definition at a business case need for a concrete
level – is there even a column will not
need to change an have been defined.
existing asset or
construct a new one?
1 Brief Preparation The development of
and brief project outcomes –
the scope of a project.
2 Concept Concept This should include The need for a Trimble
design the outline column has been SketchUp
proposals for the identified in the
design, architectural, design, but it may Tekla
structural and not be concrete Structural
building services. at this stage. Designer
Tekla
Structures
3 Definition Developed By this stage there A concrete column Tekla
design should be a has been chosen Structural
coordinated design, and an initial Designer
though still not a design carried out.
complete design. Size is known, Tekla
location is still Structures
potentially
approximate.
4 Design Technical The scheme will be The detail design Tekla
design fully designed and has determined Structural
coordinated, using the size location and Designer
supply chain data both physical and
where appropriate performance Tekla
rather than just properties of the Structures
designer information. concrete column.
5 Build and Construction Offsite manufacturing The concrete column Tekla
commission and onsite construction is installed on site in Structures
in accordance with the accordance with the
construction programme. design parameters.

6 Handover Handover Handover of asset Details of “as Tekla
and and and conclusion of built” concrete Structural
close out close out construction contract. column within Designer
documentation
and BIM model. Tekla
Structures
7 Operations In use Useful information to “Can we remove Tekla
and end the operations team to this column?” Structural
of life be available in a Designer
suitable format.
Tekla
Structures
Design development of a reinforced concrete
column using Tekla BIM software
an efficient process for designers and
detailers. This ensures technical queries
are virtually eliminated, reducing delays
and waste in the construction process.
It is very easy to get bogged down in
information overload. For BIM to be used
successfully, the team should start by
defining what information is important and
when in the lifecycle of the project. The
suite of BIM Standards, PAS1192-2:2013
and PAS 1192-3:2014, help project teams
to define the information needed.
The correct level of model definition
over the life of a project should be defined
and recorded at the outset, so that all
Tekla software for the construction
and structural engineering industries
is produced by Trimble, a technology
company with the vision of transforming
the way the world works. Tekla solutions
are used for realising projects around
the world, from housing and bridges
to factories and skyscrapers.
www.tekla.com/uk/solutions
*Text paraphrased from the RIBA Plan of Works 2013 Overview.

34_37_CM.June16_CPD.indd 35 17/05/2016 14:34

Laura - Construction Manager (Main), June 2016

Laura - Construction Manager (Main), June 2016

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