Hobson & Porter leads the way into digital age with BIM Level 2 status

Dan Lamplough, pre-construction manager for Hobson & Porter, with Gemma Watson, QMS manager, who were both influential in the firm’s BIM Level 2 accreditation process.

AWARD-WINNING construction firm Hobson & Porter has become one of the first contractors in the East Riding region to achieve the Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 standard.

The status from the accrediting body British Standards Institution (BSI) demonstrates the company’s capabilities in the creation, collation and exchange of shared 3D models and a range of intelligent, structured data.

Dan Lamplough, pre-construction manager for Hobson & Porter, said it follows two years of hard work, hours of training, changes of processes and a six-figure investment of new software and technology.

He said: “Achieving this is a massive step for Hobson & Porter. It will future proof the business and enable us to work more collaboratively with our suppliers and bring greater value to our clients.

“BIM is the management of information in the construction industry which is tying in what we’ve been doing for years with the new digital construction age.

“It’s all about inputting information into one central source to make sure we deliver buildings more efficiently in a more collaborative manner.”

BIM is the management of information through the whole life cycle of a built asset – from the initial design, all the way through to constructing and maintaining through the use of digital modelling.

The accreditation is in line with PAS 1192, which is the specification for information management for the delivery phase of construction projects using building information modelling.

Dan added: “Essentially it adopts the principles of early contractor involvement. We’re involved with the client to start developing schemes from an early stage, producing the information upfront so that you can hand over at the end of a building an asset with a lot more information that can be used for the full lifecycle of a building.

“It means we’re utilising the supply chain early in the scheme, getting the input from specialist trades. Everyone works in a much more collaborative manner to produce a better product and the output is a lot more usable throughout the lifecycle.”

BIM Level 2 represents an excellent opportunity for the UK construction industry to use digital-orientated information shared in a collaborative environment.

Accredited companies must demonstrate competence of resources, as well as robustness of systems and processes.

The BIM process brings together high-end digital technology and collaborative behaviours to create a data-led project environment which gives all the organisations involved consistent, detailed and real-time project information from a single shared source. This information can be accessed instantly via both traditional computers and also site-based handheld devices, dramatically improving accuracy and responsiveness.