The NHF has published a brochure that aims to help housing associations implement digital asset management.
In collaboration with the UK BIM Alliance, the ‘BIM for Housing Associations’ project seeks to aid housing associations in digitising asset information, complying with the Building Safety Regulator reforms due in 2021, and in benefiting from improved procurement, handover, asset management, and reduced waste.
The NHF and the UK BIM Alliance have launched the brochure, ‘BIM for housing associations: Asset management in the 21st century’, to ease housing associations into these BIM-related practices.
The project team is led by Jack Ostrofsky, head of Quality and Design at Southern Housing Group.
Funding has been provided by A2 Dominion, Notting Hill Genesis, Peabody, Optivo, and Southern Housing Group – all members of G15, a group of London’s largest housing associations that own or manage more than 600,000 homes.
In the context of the Grenfell tragedy, the Hackitt Review, and the recent draft Building Safety Bill, pressure is growing to manage the creation, handover and retention of vital building and fire safety information, as a minimum.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) explained
BIM (Building Information Modelling) is the managed scoping, production, checking, and delivery of digital asset information.
It is thought that BIM can therefore help associations meet and maintain a building safety case, as well as bring other benefits.
However, while housing associations are well placed to benefit from integrating BIM processes into their development and asset management strategies, few hold sufficient information about their projects.
This project is developing a set of exemplar documents, compliant with the latest ISO 19650 processes, which together with a report will provide a quick start guide to implementing digital processes.
They will cover:
- The business case for BIM for housing associations, including examples of projects in action
- The benefits of applying BIM processes to existing buildings
- Exemplar Asset Information Requirements for asset management
- Exemplar Exchange Information Requirements for development projects, and
- Advice on the procurement process and appointment of relevant professionals
Large-scale collaboration
The project brings together participants from across the housing sector including asset managers from associations of all sizes, with support from those working in the field such as architects, engineers, BIM consultants, and contractors.
The project is further endorsed by the NHF and the UK BIM Alliance, a cross-industry body dedicated to the practical implementation of digital processes in construction and infrastructure.
Project chair Jack Ostrofsky said: “Getting the right information out of the development process is challenging, and construction professionals only have an outside view of what housing associations need.
“This client-led project aims to bring people from every discipline together to create a toolbox to enable BIM for residential.”
Amy Simmons, head of Policy at the NHF, said: “This project represents a practical effort to help our members meet their requirements with regard to building safety, but also to become more efficient in their asset management processes. The documents will be free to use to all.”
Sarah Davidson, Implementation co-lead at the UK BIM Alliance, added: “Client-led requirements for digital information management are an essential part of the process for implementing BIM across industry, and not just in the ho using sector.
“The Alliance are pleased to support this project. We hope that its outcomes will support and influence all those working in digitising our industry.”
The project has been underway since 2019 and is aiming to publish its suite of documents towards the end of 2020.
Working Groups are chaired by Varun Soni (Head of BIM, Calfordseaden llp), Shaun Kelly (Head of Technical, Quality and Compliance, Altair Ltd) and Lloyd Connors (Former Head of Information Management, Airey Miller, now Head of IT at Homes for Lambeth).
The project manager is Su Butcher, who is the director of Just Practising Ltd.
36 organisations have so far participated in the production of the guidance.
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