Every few months there is a conversation on Social Media about what element or system classification code should be given to a pipe or a brick.
"Can a brick be classified 'Ss_25_13_50 Masonry wall systems' or 'EF_25_10 Walls'?"
"Can a pipe be classified 'Ss_60_40_37_81 Solar heating systems' or 'EF_60_40 Space heating and cooling'.
The answer to both questions is 'no'.
Classification deals with 'types of' things. Modelling is what defines what is 'part of'.
So a brick may be a type of 'Pr_20_93_52_15 Clay bricks' and the pipe may be a type of 'Pr_65_52_63_17 Copper pipelines'.
A modelling tool is what then determines whether that type of brick is part of a particular type of wall system. A modelling tool determines whether that type of pipe is part of a particular type of heating system.
This may not just be the modelled relationship between a product and a system, but any 'part of' relationship. Further examples would be:
A digital projector (Pr) is part of a classroom or meeting room (SL)
A security system (Ss) is part of health club or doctor's surgery (En)
The job of a classification system is limited to grouping types of similar items. A construction professional will then use modelling tools to link objects together to represent the physical built asset.
More advanced modelling tools may suggest relationships to help the construction professional do this modelling. For example, a design tool may allow the user to easily show which space type a door opens into and out from. Equally a specification tool may suggest suitable systems when a product is added to a job - 'would you like to add this ceramic tile to a wall tiling system or floor tiling system?'. But that is the job of the modelling tool, not the classification system.
It looks at BIM as technology enabling collaborative project teams to work with consistent, standardised data. It asks why construction is less productive than other industries and proposes a 27 point action plan grouped in nine categories.
It concludes that the supply chain should collaborate and work more closely together. Clients, in particular governments around the world, should mandate BIM on their projects, running pilot projects and investing in training and incentives. Finally, it re-iterates the benefits such as improved quality, reduced costs, decisions that reduce environmental impact and greater certainty around outcomes.
It's always a nice suprise to see NBS initiatives mentioned in global publications - so it was great to see NBS National BIM Library being given as an example of creating a digital marketplace for construction.
Top marks to the BIM Show Live team and the delegates for putting on a fantastic show this week despite of the worst snow in Newcastle for the last decade.
A review and some useful links from some of the sessions below...
1. Dave Philp, Digital Built Britain
As always with BIM Show Live, Dave Philp opened the show. He arrived on stage with an electric guitar player playing 'I would walk 500 miles', which was fitting considering the weather conditions and the public transport options to get to the conference!
Dave gave an update from Digital Built Britain. He promoted the success of the standards, the difference this was making at home and the recognition this was getting overseas.
There was a mention of ISO 19650 parts 1 and 2 which are now well progressed and looked at the influence the PAS 1192 standards have had over these.
Looking to the future, the Government want to create a 'National Digital Twin' of the countries physical infrastructure. But let's get the foundations right.
2. Rob Charlton, Space Group
Rob gave the state of the nation address. He reflected on previous years where he looked at which disciplines were adopting BIM and which were not. Rob now believes everyone is committed. He then looked at some examples that he sees through his BIM Technologies business. The big private sector clients, the big tier one contractors and the university estates and building teams - all now fully committed to a digital future.
The Boiler Room in the North East - Where Innovation Happens
(like the design for the steam engine that was used for 150 years)
Is everyone perfectly adopting the PAS 1192 standards? Maybe not, but it's not similar to ISO 9001. Where we may not be perfect. But the majority are now 'there or thereabouts'.
AI, Blockchain, VR and AR were identified as emerging technologies. But then there was a reflection on Carillion going out of business and the disaster that was Grenfell. Why is the construction industry on the front page of the newspapers for the wrong reason.
How can we check that what is specified is specified correctly and then is followed through on site? There used to be a clerk of works working for the client that gave reassurance on quality. Can we use new technology to provide a 'digital clerk of works' checking that the products specified are installed and the quality levels specified are followed?
Personally speaking, this message is one that the data providers and software companies can help with. Provide standardised data structures, provide technology that helps coordinate this and provide technologies that help provide transparency of decision making.
3. Anders Hvid, Dare Disrupt
Anders looked at how digital technologies have changed and are changing the world.
He started by looking at the improvements in robotics in recent years.
When looking at the difference between small improvements vs revolutionary disruptions he gave two examples:
- Kodak improved by taking their film capacity from 24 to 36 to 44 photographs. With digital you can now get 100,000 photographs on a 128MB memory card for £20.
- Opening a bookshops costs roughly the same every time you open a shop. Selling books digitally costs are very similar whether you sell 100 books or 1,000,000.
When Apple released their phone. It didn't do converstions as well as Nokia - poorer quality audio and a rubbish batter life. But users accept a little pain to get future gain. The lesson being that you may have to go through a little pain at first before seeing big enhancements.
4. Sarah Rock and May Winfield, UK BIM Alliance
Sarah and May presented their BIM+Legal report.
The Winfield Rock Report
One of the headline recommendations is saying 'This is going to be a BIM project' or 'This is going to be a BIM Level 2 project' isn't enough. As part of the contract documentation a set of Employer's Information Requirements and responding BIM Execution Plan is what sets the rules of (a) what is expected and then (b) what is agreed at the start of the project.
The BIM Level 2 standards give the framework, but on a specific project the rules must be agreed within this framework.
5. Paul Swaddle, NBS
My colleague Paul Swaddle did a session on cyber security and it was fascinating with lots and lots of good links. A selection of these are below that are definitely worth reading:
"Do the best you can until you know better... ...then when you know better, do better"
Finally, apparently this was the user interface that controlled the Hawaii missile alert systems:
Which link am I supposed to click?
6. My session
My session at 4pm on day two was slightly late in the day considering that red and orange weather warnings across the country telling people to get home :)
However, I really appreciated those that stayed back to take part.
Three - Consider how emerging technologies can help you
I looked at AI and AR and the rise of the cloud and big data.
I then reflected back on the challenge that Rob Charlton set at the start of the conference about creating a 'Digital Clerk of Work'.
A couple of video sequences below, click play and then maximise the screen if you'd like to see them:
Structured digital data = greater clarity and transparency
Publish a coordinated model and specification to the cloud
Finally, we've just posted a great team case study on theNBS.com of a collaborative team working to BIM Level 2 on a school project. Short video interviews with the client, the contractors, architect, building service engineer and structural engineer. Please check it out and share:
Last year I was interviewed by the CBI on emerging technologies and the construction industry as part of their Innovation Survey. I received a hard copy of the resulting report a few days ago and it was nice to see a quote from that interview included...
CBI Report on Disrupting the Future
The report focuses on the three technologies that the survey suggested would have the biggest industry impact in the upcoming years.
It's a free report that gives an introduction to each subject, then insight into likely adoption patterns, opinions, case studies, barriers, recommendations and tips. Download now for free to have a read:
Some bits and pieces that I highlighted from the report are below:
Introduction:
Adoption of technology is essential to raising productivity, spreading properity and opening-up new paths for growth.
Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and the Internet of Things are set to go mainstream.
The Internet of Things unlocks data. Artificial Intelligence solves problems. Blockchain changes how businesses exchange value.
A third of companies declare themselves 'early adopters' of technologies. A quarter of companies declare themselves as 'followers'.
Artificial Intelligence:
Has transitioned from programmed 'intelligent' behavior (the enemy in a computer game) to 'neural networks' that work in a similar way to the human brain.
Over the next five years AI holds the top spot as the technology set to impact across all sectors
90% of the world's data has been created in the last 24 months
Although not yet used in construction, around 35% expect to use it within the next five years. However, almost 50% of technology companies already use it.
75% of businesses recognise that AI will help with prediction and pre-emptive decisions
Block chain:
A virtual record of transparent, secure, transactions
Rebecca De Cicco from Digital Node speaking about experience consulting globally
There is also, myself and my NBS colleague Paul Swaddle speaking. Plug below (it would be great if we both made it onto people's schedule)...
Paul on the Wednesday
Me on the Thursday
There will be three or four NBS folk there throughout the event - so please come and see us if you want to know more about our solutions.
Over the years I have blogged from pretty much all of the BIM Show Live events. I've tagged every one of these posts - so please feel free to check them out by clicking below - it will give you a good flavour of what to expect at the event:
- BIM Show Live Blog Post Collection 2012 to 2018
Hopefully see you there. For ticket information please see:
- bimshowlive.co.uk
In terms of data, the cloud and the internet of things there are many examples of how this revolutionising the world around us. Whether this is Fleet Management of Trucks, Smart Retail or Smart Motorways - 'things' (trucks, products, cars) are given a data structure. Sensors then report on the real-time performance of these things by push information into this data structure in the cloud. Decisions can then be made based on past and existing performance to improve existing or future performance.
I enjoy running. And one thing that has made this hobby more enjoyable in recent years is 'seeing the data'.
Last year I bought a Garmin Watch and I am completely fascinated by the data analysis it offers.
For example, the runner, the route and the conditions are given a data structure. For example:
The runner
Age
Weight
Heart rate
Steps per minute
The route
Distance
Elevation
Location
The conditions
Temperature
Wind
Time of day
It's then the job of runner to go for a run, and a sensor to report the data up to the cloud.
Example 'run stats' below show a distance of 10.07km, a time of 55:14, an elevation gain of 207m (thanks Durham!) and a temperature of 2.8 degrees. The only manual effort from the runner here was giving the run a name 'Four hills challenge' and tagging it by the type of run 'training' (oh, and the small effort of running it!).
Key data
In terms of adding an x axis for duration it is possible to plot elevation, pace, heart rate, cadence against time. In the example below, there is a clear correlation between heart rate and when the extra effort was put in for the hill climbs.
(One criticism for the Garmin Team - The scaling of the elevation is poor for the y-axis. The chart in green below doesn't show how horrible this run really is - 42m to 88m climb out of Durham city centre is agony!)
More detailed data
The ability to break down a race into 'splits' - for example 1km splits - allows the runner to monitor real time progress. For example, if you want to run a 25:00 parkrun. If you do your first km in 5:30 then you know you have to speed things up a bit.
Breaking down the data
The heart rate monitor is also a nice touch to see how hard your body is actually working.
Time spent in each heart rate zone
It's good to see the data from one run, and as every run has the same data structure, there is a lot of power in the ability to look across a number of runs. In the example below the filter query is 'Show all runs classified as 'training', 'between the date range of 1/1/17 and 31/12/17' and sort by 'most hilly'.
Querying across the wider data set
With the data being on the cloud - it means that access is possible from any device. Your watch, your phone or your computer. The same data - just different user experiences based on context and available screen size.
One set of data - access anywhere
Going one step up the data tree - from run, to runs to everyone's runs - if you are prepared to share your Garmin data - then you get lots more data and insight back in return.
One very nice feature is the ability to create 'Segments'. On a route, someone records a start and finish point, and creates a 'Segment' on the cloud. All runners that then run through that segment at any time then have their best time recorded.
The example below shows a lap of the Consett Parkrun circuit. The data shows every Garmin runner who has gone through that segment. It then allows you to benchmark yourself against them. Any part of the world can be set up as a 'running race' where you are racing against virtual ghosts of previous runners - which is pretty cool. In the future, I am sure augmented reality running races will be taking place around the local parks where you can race against yourself!
(Note - A little more care needed for cyclists).
Benchmarking over a specific segment of land
Finally, over a given time period, you can benchmark your efforts against the running world. How did running for around about two hours last week match up to the rest of the world?
Benchmarking against the other runners in the Garmin community
...and how is this relevant to construction???...
Most of my blog posts are around digital construction. So it is a fair question to ask what this has to do with other items on this blog?
Well consider 'the run' equivalent to a building or a manufacturer product. Consider a shared data structure. Consider a sensor pushing performance data to the cloud.
Would it be useful to be able to see how this is performing over time? Would it be useful to compare this performance against the rest of a client's portfolio? Would it be useful to share this data securely with a community and benchmark the performance against similar buildings/products regionally, nationally or globally?
The answer of course is 'yes'.
Data, the cloud and the internet of things is going to change the construction industry. We'll have the most incredible feedback loop which will be used to improve how we operate assets in the existing built environment and how we design when working on the next generation of projects.
- and if anyone fancies a run - hopefully see you at AU5K later in the year!
After doing a number of projects over recent years to support the Government's construction initiatives, it was nice to be invited to participate in an event to help shape the oppositions strategy in this area.
Whenever you do a roundtable, you know that you will not get too much time to speak. So in preparation I wrote notes on the train down as to some of the key points against the discussion topics. These are below...
A roundtable session helping to influencing political strategy
1. How can we ensure we have the workforce required to meet the needs of the nation with future potential impacts on immigration?
We have to not take for granted that our young people will choose a career in the industry. At secondary school, those with a talent for designing and with a talent for building things must be made aware of the opportunities in the AEC sector. We need to show it’s an innovative, modern, rewarding career for those wanting to design or build. And something like engineering isn’t just for white males. The best talent it school is from a diverse background – this then isn’t represented in industry.
Going further, for those attracted to getting a professional qualification and university. There must be support on funding to help with fees. Equally the case to choose a career in the AEC sector must be made – and we’re up against stiff competition from automotive, aerospace and increasingly digital industries.
As we grow our countries infrastructure, we will of course still need immigration to meet demand. But in parallel to pulling in talent from around the world, we need to maximise the opportunities for our young people coming through our education system.
Stats:
6.3% of GDP
£45bn of government spend
16% of UK employment = 2.9million jobs
2. To what extent can modern-methods-of-construction (MMC) and digital technologies transform the construction sector and how we can maximise their potential?
To appreciate the impact of digital technologies, you need to simply look at ten year steps to see how much has changed and how much will change. Ten years ago we had desktop products, physical libraries and the prime exchange format was paper. Twenty years ago we were taught design on a physical drawing board.
In ten years’ time we will be working collaboratively in the cloud and the knowledge we consume will be from a feedback loop coming from actual operation data with processing from artificial intelligence. Undoubtedly, MMC will grow and grow, we’ve standardised brick, block, door and window sizes and produce these in a factory. The same will happen with bedrooms, classrooms, bathrooms and surgeries.
3. How do we drive up productivity and standards within the small to medium enterprise (SME) construction sector?
SMEs do not have the research and development budget that larger organisations have. They cannot afford the luxury of dedicated staff to manage and champion standard, process or information in their office.
To allow SMEs to drive up their productivity standards there must be organisations and groups that pull together best practice and distribute this knowledge. At NBS we recognised that there was standardised way of producing specifications in the 1960s. We filled that need and now have affordable offerings for all sizes of projects. Five or six years ago we recognised there was no standardisation around objects and classification for BIM. Again, we filled that need and this gives great efficiencies and reduces waste across the industry.
Big Ben is poorly
Some impressive architecture/engineering within Portcullis House
The most expensive meeting space in London in £/m2?
The second event (the following week) was in support of an iniative to build a hub for global construction in the North East. A project called ic3. This event was at the Palace of Westminster.
NBS are one of a large number of companies in the 'BIM arena' within the North East that are supporting this initiative. In the words of Northumbria University vice chancellor Prof Andrew Wathey... “Building information modelling, smart cities, sustainability and the digital industry will have the ability to come together to play a significant role in the economic future of the North East. “This centre, building on core research strengths at Northumbria University, in association with other partners, will make a key contribution to this process. The new centre will establish the North East’s role in the global leadership and application of this work.”
