Australian industrial and general equipment company Coates Engineering Solution has launched a suite of Building Information Modelling (BIM) compatible CAD models for its temporary works products.
Digital models of Coates’ Quadshore Prop System, Universal Prop System, Dono Brance, and Tilt Prop range are now free to customers.
“While BIM has become widely adopted in the construction industry, the uptake of BIM has been comparatively slow for temporary works. Customers are now requesting digital models of our products, and we’re increasingly seeing BIM integration specified as a supplier requirement when tendering for Tier 1 contracts,” said Coates national technical engineering manager David Dragicevich.
“By creating BIM-compatible models of our products we are enabling project owners and their engineering teams to integrate temporary works into their designs. We’re also helping customers to tender competitively and to harness the value of more informed, efficient and cost-effective solutions.”
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Efficiency, safety and cost effectiveness
According to Dragicevich, BIM enhances the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of temporary works design and improves the safety and efficiency of installation.
“If we attend site for the first time to install a temporary works solution, we often find some unexpected conditions on site that require adjustments to be made,” he said. “BIM gives you a much better understanding of the environment you are designing for, and will be working in, before you get to site.”
Modelling the built environment in three dimensions makes it much faster and easier to translate temporary works designs into different drawings with great detail and rich building information, Coates said.
“BIM brings more detail, context and understanding to the design of temporary works, without necessarily costing you more in design time or labour to build,” said Dragicevich. “BIM also allows a broader range of factors to be considered and design efficiencies to be achieved outside of the scope of temporary works.
“For example, some structural components may not be needed, or they could be replaced with fewer or lower capacity elements, thereby saving time and cost. Or there may be areas where greater support is needed for the safety and integrity of the solution.”
“Extending BIM to include temporary works empowers project teams to find these efficiencies. It can also assist with scoping the plant and machinery requirements, such as access equipment that may be required for installation or removal of the temporary works equipment.”
Enhanced project management and documentation
The better the project documentation, the more accurate the basis for cost estimation, according to Coates.
“Construction project delays are often caused by inaccurate or insufficient project documentation, miscommunication, and lack of coordination. BIM provides a way to address many of these challenges,” said Dragicevich.
“Improving the quality of design and project documentation can streamline the project and lead to greatly improve project outcomes.”