Digital Construction Verification: Team Success for BAM & FARO
The BAM Construction team (part of the Royal BAM Group) used the FARO® Laser Scanner technology and FARO BuildIT Construction Software to demonstrate that the construction was in compliance with the strict specified dimensional tolerances, subsequent to the construction of the concrete pool tank and before the pool’s tiles were fitted to ensure critical success factors of the project.
The impressive new £26m Dover District Leisure Center, inaugurated in 2019, features a competition standard eight-lane swimming pool – and for competition swimming pools, build accuracy is paramount. Appointed in 2016, BAM Construction was charged with delivering a first-class sports facility over an extensive site – they knew a good quality build was going to involve an element of BIM process supported by technology to quickly verify as-built pool dimensions and closeout risk. In addition to the standard features of pool design such as ensuring that the structure is obviously watertight and can withstand the pressure generated by the volume of water, as it is a competition pool, a variety of other criteria needed to be met. Demanding dimensional tolerances state that the pool’s walls should be parallel and at right angles to both the swimming course and the water surface and that the pool length should be certified. In elite sporting events, poor construction tolerances can mean the difference between gold and silver…
The structural engineer provided their model which formed the basis of the setting out and construction of the pool tank. Furthermore, throughout the construction period, a collaborative effort from the design team resulted in a well-coordinated, project information model of the facility. The BAM Construction team then added 4D (time) related data to the project information model to demonstrate the building program and to ensure the logistics were planned effectively to ensure deliveries and subcontractor trades were in line with the program. Subsequent to the construction of the concrete pool tank and before the pool’s tiles were fitted, BAM Construction team used the FocusS Laser Scanner along with BuildIT Construction Software to demonstrate that the construction was in compliance with the dimensional tolerances required. Daniel Brenchley (BAM Construction Project Manager) explained: “there would have been considerable time and cost implications if dimensional errors in the pool were found after the tiles were fixed, great care and attention was paid when forming the pool tank.” BuildIT Construction allowed BAM to verify as-built dimensions.
FARO BuildIT Construction Scan vs Model Surface Deviation Analysis
The design team had specified tile thickness and the nominal adhesive thickness required enabling BAM to build the pool tank to meet the finished dimensions. “In accordance with our ‘right-first-time’ objectives, to confirm that all of the faces of the pool tank were correct and that no ‘buckling’ had occurred after the removal of the pool tank formwork, prior to tile fixing we conducted a detailed laser scan of the pool tank’s faces and used BuildIT Construction Software to make comparisons with our 3D model”, says Daniel.
“Our construction approach was vindicated by the results achieved by the laser scans and the reports delivered by BuildIT Construction. As we’d planned, no pool tank wall ‘intrusions’ were found, but several shallow ‘hollows’ were detected. Through the use of BuildIT Construction, the identified areas were highlighted in a graphic report and the accurate XYZ coordinates of the hollows enable the team to precisely locate the areas and resolve the issues”.
As the process of scanning and verification using BuildIT Construction Software is so quick and effective, BAM was able then to repeat the procedure to demonstrate once again that the completed, tiled pool met the stringent Olympic certified criteria. This single rapid and repeatable, on-site workflow enabled by the use of BuildIT Construction Software at the Dover Leisure Center pool consisted of:
- Controlled Scanning the pool tank
- Surface analysis against the digital model
- Reporting discrepancies
- Extracting XYZ-Coordinates
- Identifying deviation positions in the field
- Rectify any deviations
Industry figures suggest that as much as 30% of construction cost is related to onsite rework and that 10% of materials are wasted altogether. BuildIT Construction Software is a verification tool that is designed to significantly reduce this waste by delivering rapid feed-back and promoting ‘right-first-time’ methods. BuildIT Construction enables teams to accelerate validation times and to produce tolerance evaluation studies with impressive accuracy.
“We are looking to integrate the use of BuildIT Construction Software with our FARO solutions portfolio to help further reduce rework and reduce waste in our construction projects.”
- Mark Taylor, Digital Construction Manager at Royal BAM Group
BuildIT Construction in many ways enables on-site activities to become more like a ‘build and verify’ factory shop-floor. Enabling quality assurance and proving adherence to design intent through all building processes and by utilizing smart data capture, near real-time analysis and fast industry-standard reporting, quality control is no longer the preserve of the off-site factory.
Mark Taylor, Digital Construction Manager at Royal BAM Group, added “Because of their ease of use and the outstanding accuracy they deliver, BAM Construction uses a range of FARO solutions on projects throughout the UK. We have recently looked to integrate the use of BuildIT Construction Software with our FARO products to help further reduce rework and waste in our construction projects. This combination has allowed us to dramatically improve our traditional workflows, to continuously monitor projects, and to make real-time comparisons of our 3D scan data against construction issue information. The rapid BuildIT Construction feedback process provides confidence in the executed work and supports intelligent decision making when errors or omissions are discovered on site. To ensure we are constructing 'right-first-time' we build it digitally before we build it for real. BuildIT Construction allows us the live feedback loop to ensure we are meeting tolerances and are in line with the live model“.
Four Good Reasons
- Clear validation of what has been constructed against the design intent model
- More efficient to concentrate on other tasks (Saving of 5 engineering days)
- Increased Quality through reduced work
- Demonstratable value of the BuildIT Construction solution
Summary
The use of FARO’s construction validation hardware and software solution is enabling BAM Construction to embed the BIM process of validating what has ‘just’ been constructed against the design model.
About Royal BAM Group
From its origins in 1869 as a carpentry workshop in the heart of the Netherlands, Royal BAM Group has become a successful group of companies with activities in numerous European countries and worldwide. Today, it ranks among the largest construction companies in Europe and is the market leader in the Netherlands. BAM operates in the construction, property, civil engineering, public-private partnerships, mechanical and electrical contracting and consultancy engineering sectors. With around 28,000 employees, BAM is responsible for the implementation of thousands of projects every year. Some are spectacular (due to their size or technical complexity), but many others are more modest construction contracts. BAM is currently undertaking projects in more than 30 countries around the world.