LetsBuild, recently formed by the merger of Belgium’s APROPLAN and Denmark’s GenieBelt, will soon be launching an ambitious BIM product to seamlessly link on-site activities and checks to the project’s BIM model.
Most companies in the construction industry are focusing on implementing BIM because of the benefits it offers to architects, engineers and clients alike. But how well is BIM being implemented on site, where the actual construction activity is being carried out?
Based on feedback from multiple construction companies in different countries, LetsBuild has concluded that there is a big gap between the office-based BIM model and the construction workers who need to enrich the model with data from site. Workers are struggling to use BIM tools in their daily activities and that causes frustration, lack of focus and even errors.
This is not a paywall. Registration allows us to enhance your experience across Construction Management and ensure we deliver you quality editorial content.
Registering also means you can manage your own CPDs, comments, newsletter sign-ups and privacy settings.
LetsBuild’s solution will put BIM in the hands of construction workers to allow them to seamlessly provide real-time data from site without having to struggle with unfamiliar tools. The app will connect the BIM objects in the model to site activities, checks and forms to allow a transparent digital built environment.
In that way, the BIM model will be enriched with field data and the underlying BIM object data will be made available to people in the field.
As the BIM solution will be fully integrated with LetsBuild’s APROPLAN app, on-site quality and safety processes will be directly linked to the underlying BIM model. Based on the company’s quality protocol, set by the QHSE (quality, health, safety & environment) manager, BIM object classes can be linked to specific forms and checklists so that on-site checks are standardised across projects for the same class of objects.
Linking BIM object classes to the physical construction work allows for seamless and transparent on-site workflows.
As an example, imagine that a fire-proof door needs to be installed. Using classification, the BIM object representing the door will be linked to certain forms in the APROPLAN app. This ensures that the correct door is installed correctly and also documents that it has been signed off on site.
The forms triggered will depend on the type of project and object classifications, as different projects comply to different standards at different phases of the construction process.
LetsBuild aims to make BIM easy to use on site and across multiple projects while providing comprehensive data to enhance as-built documentation and learning. For more information click here.
“The goal of our BIM integration is to easily gather all data in one place, standardise processes at company level, and allow project teams to map BIM objects to their specific projects and streamline their work processes. This enables on-site workers and teams to focus on project execution without having to work with a complicated BIM model,” says Thomas Goubau, CRO of LetsBuild.
