Case examples

Vision

Leeds Beckett Estates Services procure, acquire, manage, maintain and operate 108 built assets that host 2,900 staff and 29,000 students. The estates strategy sought to improve the condition of their estate, improve space utilisation, reduce carbon emissions and become one of leading clients in BIM.

The main purpose of the project was to examine how to improve the implementation of BIM within Leeds Beckett University and recommend a BIM enabled vision and implementation Roadmap.

Process

A number of detailed interviews were carried out to gain an understanding of the current process and workflows, along with the key aspirations of each department within the Estates Services.

There was little common understanding of what BIM was or consistent communication strategy between departments in place within the organisation. There was also limited structured knowledge management in place, so lessons learned were not consistently passed between projects. To fully engage with BIM, departments needed to go through a cultural change and collaborate together around sharing information.

A breakdown of BIM opportunities and recommendations were explored and the corporate vision for BIM aligned to the organisation’s business values and business plan. Examples of key documents were provided to help Leeds Beckett request the information needed to efficiently run the estate within BIM. The project also examined the procurement of a new CAFM system and advised on how this could be BIM enabled.

Outcome

The overriding recommendations for delivering BIM aim to position the University as leaders in the adoption of BIM within large estate owners.

They also aim to support Leeds Beckett to drive efficiencies out of their new and existing estate, through the maximisation of space utilisation, the potential reduction in carbon, and enhanced user experience.

The industry is on the cusp of a significant change and Leeds Beckett can drive this forward from a client’s perspective, which is what is currently missing.