BIM and Public Infrastructure Policy Compliance

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a digital process that encompasses all aspects, disciplines and systems of built assets within a single virtual model. This allows stakeholders to collaborate more accurately and efficiently than with traditional processes.

1. Rapid capability assessment

Developing BIM capabilities or a Digital way of asset-management, requires that the organisational capabilities are supportive of and in alignment with the way how digital-information is collected, managed and utilised to realise value. For instance, huge cost-savings, risk-reduction and compliance-improvement can be realised through capabilities that inherently align to the holistic digital-information landscape. Our Rapid BIM Capability Assessment Tool (RB-CAT) has 68 distinct criteria to assess the current-state maturity, and prioritises the investment into low-maturity capabilities, allowing organisations to reach their target-state in a phased, risk-controlled and value-driven manner.

Additionally, our Digital Maturity Assessment Tool enables organisations to self-assess their level of digital maturity. The objective is to gain a picture of organisation’s current level of digital maturity to help identify what is being done well and where the improvements can be made.

The tool presents five pillars of digital maturity (Governance and leadership, People and Culture, Capacity and capability, Innovation, and Technology) and divides each pillar into 5 levels of maturity – Minimal to Transformed. Under each level is listed the characteristics we would expect to find in an organisation that is at that level of digital maturity.

2. Compliance to Government policies

Following the UK Government’s standards and approach of utilising BIM for improving outcomes from public infrastructure projects, the Commonwealth and state governments in Australia have embarked on an adventure to transform the way public-sector infrastructure projects are delivered.

There are massive cost blowouts, design flaws, health and safety risks, and unclear ROI from several infrastructure projects undertaken in Australia. Consequently, the governments at the three levels, have rolled out policies and mandates for utilising Building Information Modelling (BIM) and ISO19650 standards for creating, collecting, utilising, reporting and maintaining the digital-information relating to infrastructure projects and assets.

VCG has been actively working with the industry and the governments, including the Commonwealth, NSW, Queensland and Victorian governments, for developing strategies and a user-centered approach for designing the digital-information architecture for BIM implementation and roll-outs.

Our services include:

  • Rapid capability assessment in 4-6 weeks
  • Minimal BIM Viable Product (MBVP) development to retrofit BIM Standards into the existing technology landscapes in close consultation with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Typically this can take anywhere between 5-15 weeks to develop a fully operational and accepted MVP
  • Common Data Environment (CDE): We have our own subscription-based CDE solutions for organisations of varying sizes. We also work with organisations to develop and support on-premise or cloud-based custom BIM solutions that are specific to our client needs
  • Benchmarking and value-realisation: We are so confident of our approach that we offer a risk-sharing / risk-reward based proposition where we provide the digital solutions and our fees are dependent on the value realised from BIM adoption, including cost-reduction

3. Digital Design Studio

We are a digital agency specialising in communication specialising in articulating complex ideas through use of emerging technology for user-centered story-telling and visualisation.

We specialise in the field of digital communications for infrastructure, the built environment and precinct redevelopment and renewal. We focus on finding the ‘why’ at the heart of each project and bringing it to life through creative strategy, film and print, and by leveraging installation, apps and interactive technologies.

We offer ‘App in a Day’ service for creating MVP in close consultation with the users and stakeholders, providing an effective way of discovering and capturing the business requirements through hands-on interaction with the technology in a collaborative workshop setting.

4. Immersive Technologies: 2D/3D modelling, Virtual/Mixed Reality and 3D Printing

Digital engineering is the art of creating, capturing and integrating data using a digital skillset.

From drawings to simulations and 3D models, engineers are increasingly using advanced technologies to capture data and craft design in a digitised environment. Through progressive applications, the art of digital engineering enables designers to explore possibilities and develop innovative solutions in a virtual environment.

Gaming technology, augmented and virtual reality as well as 3D are having a huge impact on how the vision for major infrastructure and built environment projects are being communicated to project stakeholders, including Government, investors and the public

While 3D models are considered as the most comprehensible form of digital engineering, it is the computable data behind the model that opens the window to vast possibilities and opportunities. Once the design is finished, the digital information can be utilised by the construction and operations teams, allowing them to unlock its potential by manipulating the data for their advantage and for the community they are building for.

Asset management is the systematic process of deploying, operating, maintaining, upgrading and disposing of built environment assets. Effective asset management requires an effective management of asset-information at all levels of an organisation. For instance the digital-information relating to assets are created and utilised in planning, controlling and monitoring of asset performance that combines management, financial, economic and other activities and practices.

Over the past decade, Building Information Modelling (BIM), as an intelligent 3D model-based process to inform and communicate project decisions, has received much attention in the design and construction stages of buildings and transport infrastructure. However, the use of BIM for asset management has only recently been recognised in terms of its benefits to managing assets when using 3D models.

Sustainable Built Environment National Research Council (SBEnrc) has developed material that can be used directly by industry practitioners in increasing the level of use of BIM-based technologies in the implementation or improvement of asset management systems within their organisations.

Gathering information for assets for which there are no previous digital records is a challenging task. Starting with the end requirements in mind is critically important, so as to avoid the gathering of unnecessary information. The capture of 3D information can be performed in three different ways:

  • Taking onsite measurements and creating a BIM model directly from the measurements. This works well for simpler structures and rectilinear geometries;
  • Using photogrammetry. Taking many overlapping photos and using photogrammetry software to build the 3D geometry through complex geometric calculations.
  • Using a laser scanner, for which there exist several technologies.
how can we help you?

VCG Digital has been instrumental in guiding our Digital change and BIM initiative. This has allowed us to invest objectively with an eye on value and focus on outcomes for the end-users”

Director
, a Water Utility organisation