The entire Palace of Westminster, including the Houses of Parliament, will be modelled in BIM ahead of its planned refurbishment.
Chartered surveyor Plowman Craven has been appointed to a five-year framework for the Parliamentary Estate, as part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme for the Palace of Westminster, which will include creation of the 3D model.
Last year, an independent feasibility study into the required rebuilding at the Palace was carried out by by Deloitte Real Estate, Aecom and HOK. It priced the work at up to £5.7bn and said it could take 32 years to deliver, assuming a rolling programme of work that would allow the seat of government to stay in Westminster.
Plowman Craven said its commission from the Parliamentary Estates Directorate involves a laser scan survey and production of a BIM model “which will be the platform for the Restoration and Renewal Programme”.
“This 3D model will help to facilitate the subsequent planning, design and construction work, as well as the future management of the Palace,” said Malcolm Donald, director at Plowman Craven. “We look forward to contributing our BIM capability to this vital project to preserve and protect a UNESCO World Heritage Site of national and global significance.”
The House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords House Committee commissioned a study in 2012 to investigate the condition of the fabric of the Palace, which indicated that, unless significant restoration work is undertaken, major, irreversible damage may be done. However, any restoration programme is unlikely to start before 2020/21.
£5.7bn; that’s a lot of money to spend. Surely a completely new building on a new site would be more cost effective. Is this Government for real?