New advanced technology, set to revolutionize the Construction industry, is being used in the construction of the new Bradford College campus, the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC).

The new ATC eco-friendly campus, measuring 3,600m², will feature solar panels, a bio-diverse roof and super-efficient plant, putting the building on track to achieve Excellent rating through sustainability scheme BREEAM.

The design creates a flexible solution that is distinctive, a high quality addition to Great Horton Road, complementing the new campus, The David Hockney Building and adding to the regeneration of Bradford.

Building contractors BAM Construction using Building Information Modelling (BIM), manage design, plan site activities and are trailing direct links from the architects design model for ‘setting out’. The use of digital workflows will reduce the reliance on traditional methods of 'Setting Out' and Verification of a building.  In the construction industry, this refers to the act of measuring and marking out a full size plan of a building or element of a building on site, and verifying that what was built is in accordance with the design. This would be done using a combination of a total station, tape and on paper records.

Mark Taylor, Digital Construction Manager, BAM
These digital workflows include using Autodesk’s BIM 360 web service to access the BIM via an iPad app in the site which is seamlessly integrated with Topcon’s LN-100 robotic total station. The app synchronizes with  BIM 360  to download and upload project 3D models with point location coordinate detail. Once paired with Topcon’s LN-100, BIM 360 Layout on the iPad guides the user to the exact location of those points on the job site for easy site layout and/or location verification activities. All records are integrated with the project BIM without the need for paper records.

Elaborating further Mark Taylor, Digital Construction Manager for BAM Construction said: "What we are trying to do is connect BIM from the designers office to the site.  We can take information direct from the model, via the cloud onto the iPad and then out onto site. This streamlines the process of getting BIM to the site."

BAM Construction is one of the few Construction companies in the UK to be trailing this technology, having made significant early investment. One of the early projects it used BIM on extensively was Leeds Arena. Cloud based technologies are  also allowing BAM to improve the management of its buildings after their construction is completed for FM- something it does for many clients.

Mark added: "Utilizing these sorts of tools will support construction. It will streamline the process and it will give us greater certainty and reduce the risk of errors. It connects all the good co-ordinated design work that has been done in the model environment to where we are actually delivering the project."

Mark is a former Civil Engineering student of the College and was delighted to be piloting the new technology in the construction of the new campus.  Mark said: "For me it is especially interesting because 20 years ago when I was stood 500 yards away learning how to do this in the traditional way. It’s fantastic to see how the industry has progressed."

For further information about the ATC visit website.

To get involved in this development or to find out more please contact: Ronan O'Beirne, Director of Learning, Development and Research at Bradford College [email protected]