Case examples
Durham Cathedral, 2014
Vision
The estates team at Durham Cathedral were seeking to apply digital solutions to improve the curation and management of this 900-year-old World Heritage Site.
Process
Previously, reliance was placed on architectural drawings dating from the last century as a base for decision making and assessment of condition of the fabric of the building. These were frequently inaccurate and often misplaced. The traditional restoration processes for the building were very labour-intensive and costly, and therefore impacted by budget constraints. Architects and contractors have had to be paid to make bespoke studies due to limited access to files. Traditional surveying methods were often too intrusive for the sensitive nature of the building.
The Chapter House was chosen as a pilot project to demonstrate the benefits of BIM processes to existing buildings. This saw the historic structure turned into a digital 3D model to support the improved management of this well visited facility. The project demonstrated how digital building technology can improve the efficiency in management and operations of buildings, through the transition from traditional FM procedures to the utilisation of digital information and 3D models to deliver greater value to heritage buildings.
BIM was investigated as a methodology to achieve efficiencies by supporting the transition facility management procedures to a process that utilizes digital information and 3D models to deliver greater value.
To capture as-built conditions of the Chapter House, 3D laser scanning was used to produce geometric models, known as point clouds. The point cloud was then imported into authoring software to create the 3D model, which was populated with parametric data resulting in a data-rich ‘intelligent’ model. This included condition information of the structure and traditional outputs, such as elevations, sections, and floor plans.
Outcome
The model allowed the creation of condition surveys to interlink with the history of each element; maintenance schedules; accurate stone surveying; visual walk-throughs which could be used for virtual tours; scaffolding simulation for refurbishment planning; scenario planning e.g. plan an exhibition inside a room; field tool utilising mobile technology to explore and update the model on site.
Following the creation of the model, it became apparent to the client that it was necessary that all relevant team members engage and support its use. This strong commitment is required to overcome the significant cultural challenges as well as the technical and procedure shift required for BIM workflow. Appropriate training and support schemes in place would facilitate the transition. To future escalate BIM adoption, it was agreed that a solid business case, based on the advantages from this pilot project needed to be presented, to demonstrate the efficiencies of improved facilities and justify the improved upfront costs.