BIM Task Group Newsletter 21st Edition

www.bimtaskgroup.org 

@BIMgcs 

p12 Uniclass2: 

Demistified 

p28 an Interview 

with dr Barry Blackwell 

Business Innovation 

& Skills (BIS) 

p36 Spotlight on: 

Liz Reading (aka @BIMhubs) 

CIC Events & 

Communications 

Manager 

21st Edition 

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Week ending 9th June 2013 

View this week’s 

Round the parish news 

Uniclass 2: 

Demystified 

Uniclass2 

Demystified 

Read more 

This week’s feature story


Newsletter, 20th edition | Week ending 2nd June 2013 

DEPARTMENTAL ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OFFICER ACTIVITIES (1) 

(Department of Health) 

ProCure21+ (P21+) 

Training Development 

• Howard Jeffrey met with the Principal Supply Chain 

Partner (PSCP) and Trust at Midlands hospital project to 

benchmark BIM and review their Plain Language Questions. 

It was agreed with the Trust and PSCP to designate 

as an early adopter project (EAP) in the area of FM 

engagement with the BIM process. 

{ Philip Isgar } 

{ Adam Matthews } 

• Adam Matthews and Richard Lane 

presented the BIM Task Group 

Training Strategy to the UKCG 

Training Group 

• Adam Matthews updated think- 

BIM on the Training strategy 

• Howard met with a second PSCP at another Midlands 

hospital project to benchmark BIM and review PLQ’s. 

Agreed with PSCP to designate as EAP in the area 

of supply chain engagement with the BIM process. 

Defence Infrastructure 

Organisation (DIO) 

Preparation for the next project meeting 

with DIO’s BIM Lead. 

{ Richard Lane } { Anne Kemp } 

Departmental Engagement 

and Support Officers 

{ John Lorimer } 

{ Graeme Tappenden } 

{ Nick Shaw } 

Local Government 

- Graeme visited iESE Local Government 

Procurement Hub BIM SIG in 

Winchester who work with a large number 

of Local Authorities across the southern 

half of England. iESE are looking 

to include BIM in their processes and 

contractor framework and are considering 

on specific current projects. Both major 

contractors present are active with BIM. 

3



DEPARTMENTAL ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OFFICER ACTIVITIES (2) 

Nuclear 

Environment Agency 

- Philip met with members of the Nuclear 

Industry Council and the forming Client Group. 

Met with Nuclear Skills Academy and has planned 

meetings with NDA Estate - Magnox Sites Sellafield 

Ltd and the newly forming BIM4Nuclear 

Working Group (Philip will Chair and be hosted 

by National Nuclear Laboratories). 

{ Philip Isgar } 

{ Adam Matthews } 

• Anne met with the EA BIM Management 

Team to plan the programme and clarify 

objectives. Two early adopters are now 

identified. Agreed to set up BIM Working 

Group with key reps from the Agency and 

its supply chain, similar to that for HA. 

{ Richard Lane } { Anne Kemp } 

Departmental Engagement 

and Support Officers 

Highways Agency (HA) 

• A successful workshop with key reps from 

the proposed early adopters went ahead 

this week. We have been developing a 

framework to support the Accelerated 

Delivery Programme - good progress 

on this. The outcome of this particular 

workshop were the BIM Deliverable 

Questions at key points in the process. 

{ John Lorimer } 

{ Graeme Tappenden } 

{ Nick Shaw } 

5



CORE TEAM MEMBER ACTIVITIES (1) 

Mark Bew 

Task Group – Chair 

Adam Matthews 

Departmental Delivery Lead 

• HS2 workshop preparation with Bill Grose and 

Jon Kirby 

• BIM Core Team meeting, discussed the programme, 

offering more reports to use with 

COBie and early Adopter progress 

• The Cookham wood savings were confirmed 

and will be announced at the Construction 

Summit in July…..”They are worth the wait”! 

• Attended a social outcomes design and delivery 

workshop at Arup 

• COBie for Infrastructure planning workshop 

• Various department preparation meetings including; 

HS2, HA and Local Government 

• EU BIM Conference planning with BIS and European 

stakeholders 

• thinkBIM discussion on the BIM Task Group training 

strategy and plan 

• UKCG Training Working Group meeting with Richard 

Lane 

• Internal BIM Core team presentation on updated Training 

Strategy and Delivery Team’s departmental engagement 

process 

• Information exchange with Germany’s developing 

BIM Working group 

7



CORE TEAM MEMBER ACTIVITIES (2) 

David Philp 

Cabinet Office 

BIM Regional Hub: Champions 

Training Day 

Presented at the Tekla Europe BIM Conference alongside Professor Arto 

Kivinemi. The UK Level 2 BIM programme was seen as a respected 

international standard and lots of interest from across the various countries 

present. 

Keynote for The Chartered Institute for IT CMSG Conference - Configuration 

Management – Benefiting from Experience. 

Visited the Crossrail BIM Training Academy – lots of good takeaways, 

thanks to the team for their time. 

Chaired the BIM Regional Hubs, collaboration and training session. 

Presentations and Q&As with Roy Evans (GSL) and Simon Rawlinson 

(BIM Commercial Suite). Thanks to all the Hub Champions for attending 

and their continued support and efforts. 

Discussion with private sector clients about programme elements and how they 

can develop parallel standards for their own projects to give supply chain consistency 

of market demand. 

Update meeting with Emma Wharton, CO Construction Team. 

Planning activities for GCS Summit BIM/GSL Knowledge Hub. 

Note: Digital Library and Newsletter archive added to website 

news pages (thanks to Monika, our web designer 

and newsletter co-editor). 

David & Arto at European BIM 

Conference 

Visit to Crossrail Academy 

9



Government Soft Landings (GSL) 

Implementation with central 

government departments. 

We have met twice this week with the team on the BIS early adopter project at the National Measurement 

Laboratory (NML) where the team are actively applying the GSL approach. We identified and reviewed the 

key themes of GSL with their end users and operators in order to understand their future needs and to identify 

their required project outcomes. Subsequent to this they have established a series of stakeholder groups to 

understand what they have to be thinking about in terms of project outcomes related to scientific performance 

and maintenance. We met with their project team and provided an overview of the GSL implementation tool 

and have started to map on to this the aspects of GSL that they are currently undertaking. They will identify 

future opportunities to incorporate GSL into the processes of specification, design, reviews and commissioning 

/ testing, and performance evaluation. 

The NML day that we attended had GSL as a core theme and identified the GSL Champion as a prominent 

role. The day was focussed on establishing protocols and outcomes that would be needed for the scientific, 

maintenance and other operational stakeholders and has ensured that GSL has started at the heart of the project. 

During the week GSL was reviewed with the Environment Agency and they feel that it should be a relatively 

uncomplicated process to implement within their project approach. We are going to undertake a GSL mapping 

exercise to identify where GSL might not be adopted in their current process. 

{ Rob Manning } 

Tools associated 

with GSL 

{ Deborah Rowland } 

GSL Events 

An awareness workshop was held with the CIC 

BIM Hub regional representatives where it was 

agreed that looking further at GSL from the perspectives 

of different stakeholders would be useful 

and would support them in getting the message 

out across the country. In addition, it was agreed 

that CIC BIM Hubs are going to try and identify 

further examples of GSL from the private sector 

and from the wider government perspective to assist 

in sharing lessons learned. 

A meeting with the Education Funding Agency identified that they are happy to embrace GSL approach and 

we are shortly going to meet again to identify the next steps which will include a look at where GSL is not 

being adopted and could be implemented further. A key focus will be upon how to reflect the needs and skills 

development of the people who maintain and operate schools. 

The MoJ are now undertaking POE on a regular basis and have forwarded a further POE study to us; we will 

look to these as case studies so that we make sure that this knowledge is taken across into other departments 

through the means of the GSL Stewardship Group. 

Thanks to those who have responded to nominate representatives on the GSL Stewardship Group – 

we still need to hear from a few remaining departments about who their GSL lead is going to be. 

If you are a representative of the Government Construction Board or the Facilities Management 

Board and have not yet been in contact then please do so . 

Work on PAS 1192 Part 3 is expected to start next 

week. 

We met with a software company who are interested to 

develop their application further in support of the GSL 

approach. Currently they are providing their services 

on education and defence projects. 

Attended a CarbonBuzz event that publicised a free 

resource which allows anyone to share building energy 

use data on an anonymous basis and publish projects 

to showcase expertise. 

{ Roy Evans } 

11


Newsletter, 21st edition | Week ending 9th June 2013 

Uniclass 2: 

Demystified 

Whether you are in the supermarket or searching for information 

on Google maps, classification is the key to finding 

“what you want 

Uniclass2 and Integrated, Interoperable Data 

Both the US and UK Governments have, 

in recent years, promoted the idea of open, 

reusable data to create a culture of collaboration, 

sharing and knowledge reuse. 

Barack Obama recently mandated an Open 

” 

by Sarah Delany & Stuart Chalmers 

Data Executive Order stating that “government 

data shall be made freely available in 

open, machine-readable formats” [2], while 

the UK Goverment has invested £10m in 

the Open Data Institute [3] to promote 

a culture of publishing and utilising data 

openly for sharing and reuse, as well as releasing 

over 9000 government datasets through the data. 

gov.uk initiative [4]. 

The idea to follow these principles and release the 

new Uniclass2 system in a such a way began with 

the BIM Gateway project [5], a joint Technology 

Strategy Board funded initiative led by the RIBA 

Technical Research Department and Geoffrey 

Makstutis at the University of the Arts London, 

aiming to deliver a structured, reusable online 

Uniclass2 system for the construction industry 

that would: 

* Be fit for BIM level 3 and the aim of “Integrated, 

Interoperable Data”. 

* Be available in a variety of non-proprietary, reusable 

digital formats. 

While the original Uniclass was published in 1997 

as a hard copy book of tables, the release of Uniclass2 

requires a delivery method with the ability 

to provide new, well documented releases and 

versioned updates as the classification matures, and 

to cater for new processes, materials and working 

methods brought about by the uptake of BIM. 

The BIM Gateway project has so far produced 

structured data versions of the first seven Uniclass2 

tables released, available 

through a fully 

searchable tool and 

downloadable in a number click of open > p.16 formats 

(though the BIM Task Group labs [6]). Because 

of the open structured format of the data, visualisation 

tools can also be applied to process and 

present the Uniclass2 system in a variety of ways 

click > p.18 click > p.20 

to help convey the structure and hierarchy inherent 

in the classification. 

Stuart Chalmers 

Stuart Chalmers is BIM Technical 

Manager at BRE, researching and 

developing tools and processes for BIM 

collaboration and certification. 

Before joining the BRE, he worked 

as a Technical Research Officer at 

the Royal Institute of British Architects, 

managing and developing BIM related 

research projects, specifically 

inthe representation and use 

of construction project information and 

collaborative knowledge management. 

He is technical advisor to 

the Construction Project Information 

Committee and sits on the Uniclass2 

working group and the BuildingSMART 

UKI Technical Group. 

He previously worked at 

the SP Technical Research Institute 

of Sweden, contributing to design 

communication languages for distributed 

driving simulator prototypes and 

at the University of Glasgow, 

investigating the modelling 

and collaborative re-use of astronomy 

information as part of 

the International Virtual Observatory 

Alliance (IVOA) data 

representation initiative 

13



The full Uniclass2 tables will cover 

the complete project lifecycle. 

15



The current Uniclass2 tables are available 

are available as a fully searchable tool on 

the BIM Task Group website 

17



As open, structured data, Uniclass2 

can be visualised in a number of ways 

19



As open, structured data, Uniclass2 

can be visualised in a number of ways 

21



Classification 

Whether you are in the supermarket or searching 

for information on Google maps, classification 

is the key to finding what you want. Classification 

should provide a system that allows 

information to be found and retrieved easily, 

with ‘rules’ that are easy to understand, even 

intuitive, and allow information to be added 

in a logical manner. It must also be possible to 

reference, update, and maintain the information. 

Building on the original Uniclass 1997, 

Uniclass 2 is the classification system that sets 

out to provide this for the construction industry 

in the BIM age. 

The basis for Uniclass 2 is the international 

standard ISO 12006-2 which sets out the 

issues very clearly: 

Modern information systems for the construction 

industry, whether local or networked, 

need to handle data of many different types, 

e.g. geometrical data, technical properties, cost 

data, maintenance data, for use within different 

applications such as CAD, specification, 

product information and cost information 

systems. All these data and the relations between 

them need to be defined and structured 

in such a way that the stored information is 

consistent and reliable within and between the 

different applications. 

So the principles are clear but the implementation 

is often not so evident, especially when 

using a national standard rather than a practice 

specific method. Anyone who has used either 

NBS or NES specification tools will have used 

the Common Arrangement of Work Sections 

(CAWS) which is one of the tables from Uniclass 

1997. However the classification is buried 

in the software so there is no need to understand 

it. 

People creating graphical (3D modelled) information 

found the elements table, G, more 

appropriate for their needs and Librarians and 

Manufacturers have used the products table, 

L, extensively but the problem with the tables 

in Uniclass 1997 is that it is not easy to link 

from one table to another. Linking graphical 

information to specification, for example, 

could not be done in the original Uniclass. So 

CPIc (the Construction Projects Information 

committee) has set about resolving this situation 

in order to provide a classification for 

use by anyone in the construction industry 

throughout the lifecycle of a project by producing 

and publishing proposals for Uniclass 

2. 

Uniclass 2 objectives 

• To produce a classification system for structuring 

information that is freely available for 

all participants throughout the life cycle of a 

project and beyond 

• Endorsed by all construction and property 

bodies and professional institutions 

• To be dynamic, available in a variety of 

interoperable formats 

• Managed by a team of experts who will 

monitor requests, update and control versioning. 

The Scope of Uniclass 2 covers architecture 

(buildings and landscape), and civil and 

process engineering; the terminology will be 

the same from table to table; and the tables 

will link logically. Coding will generally be in 

four and sometimes five levels, ranging from 

table reference, through Group and Sub-group 

to object. The coding below level 1 will be 

numeric with alpha characters to identify the 

table content. 

The full list of tables to be developed is: 

Management tables 

FI – Form of Information 

Style of presentation, basic nature or 

status and type of medium. 

SD – Subject Discipline 

Body of knowledge of a profession or 

field of knowledge. 

Mn – Management 

Processes for planning, administrating 

or assessing operations specific to the 

construction industry and its agents. 

PP – Project Phases 

A table giving a framework for infor 

mation throughout the stages defined 

in the CIC work stages. 

Zz – CAD 

Life cycle tables 

Re - 

Di - 

Co – 

Ac – 

Sp – 

En – 

Regions 

A collection of related districts and 

their infrastructure networks. 

Districts 

A collection of related complexes 

and their infrastructure networks. 

Complexes 

One or more adjacent entities 

collectively serving one or more 

activity. 

Activities 

Function carried out in a space or 

of spaces. Some spaces may be used for 

a number of activities either simultane 

ously or consecutively. 

Spaces 

Location contained within, or oth 

erwise associated with, a building or 

other construction entity 

Entities 

Independent construction result of sig 

Ee – 

Ss – 

Pr – 

nificant scale. Entities can contain one 

or more spaces for one or more activi 

ties in a complex. 

Elements 

Part of an entity which, in itself or in 

combination with other such 

parts, forms an entity 

Systems 

Built objects made up of several prod 

ucts, collectively serving a common 

purpose, often a single trade. 

Products 

Material construction resource intend 

ed for incorporation in a permanent 

manner in a construction entity 

Ml – Materials 

Substances and materials from which 

products, elements and entities 

can be made. 

PC – 

Properties and Characteristics 

Performance factors associated with 

complexes, spaces, entities, elements, 

systems and products. 

CA – Construction Aids 

Material resources used in production, 

maintenance and demolition activities, 

but not intended for 

incorporation in construction entities. 

Linking tables 

WR – Work Results 

Construction result achieved in the 

production stage or by subse 

quent alteration, maintenance or 

demolition processes 

WS – Work Results Substructure 

Sets out a framework for all informa 

tion in the Work results table to give a 

consistent approach. 

23



Current Work 

Members of CPI and its sponsors are preparing 

some Use cases to illustrate how the tables can 

be used, both on buildings and infrastructure 

projects. 

NBS has used the Work Results table for NBS 

Create – the new specification package – and 

this has provided a valuable test for how the 

coding works. 

A revised version of the Products table is being 

prepared following feedback on the proposal 

on the website. 

So it’s time to get involved and ensure that the 

UK has a fully operational and useable classification 

for BIM. 

If you want to be involved or have any ideas or 

comments, then please contact: 

Sarah Delany (sarah@cpic.org.uk) 

For further information browse the following 

websites: 

• CPI (www.cpic.org.uk) 

• BIM Gateway (www.bimgateway.co.uk) 

• NBS (www.thenbs.com) 

Where we are now and how you can help 

Some of the tables are ready to be used now and feedback from that use will help to illustrate where 

things are missing and what is not easy to understand. 

The tables available in beta format on 

the BIM Task Group website are: 

Tables available for comment on 

the CPI website are: 

p 

The tables develop through a logical hierarchy such that large objects or ‘complexes’ are made up of a 

number of ‘entities’ such as buildings, roads, car parks, bridges, etc.; and will accommodate a number 

of different ‘activities’. 

An ‘entity’ can be defined by ‘activities’ carried out, the ‘spaces’ contained and ‘elements’. 

Elements are walls, roofs, pavements, ventilation systems and these are made up of ‘systems’ which 

comprise ‘products’. 

These table titles are specific to the definitions in ISO 12006-2 in most cases but the terms may be 

used in different ways by different organisations. CPI is developing a list of synonyms to help to clarify 

what tables are appropriate in what circumstances and you can assist with this. 

The Uniclass working group meet 

regularly to discuss and develop new 

Uniclass2 tables, and to take 

on board comments and suggestions 

from industry 

23



Each table has groups of similar information and follows a hierarchy that expands with increasing 

levels of granulation from a two digit code to six digits. For example, in the Administrative and 

Commercial group of the entities table Commercial Administrative Buildings are classified as 25-50 

with small single office buildings having a lower level classification of 25-50-70. This principle of 

increasing granulation applies to all tables. 

Activities 

Using the tables 

Complexes 

Entities 

Activities Spaces Elements 

Systems 

Products 

There are no hard and fast rules about what is right, so choosing the appropriate table is subjective. 

The following are all possibilities for classifying a prison leaving the choice of the most appropriate to 

the users but with some consensus sought across the project team. 

Co_25_85 Detention complexes 

Co_25_85_10 International detention co 

plexes 

Co_25_85_30 National detention complexes 

Co_25_85_50 Regional detention complexes 

Co_25_85_70 Local detention complexes 

Ac_25_85 Detention activities 

Ac_25_85_15 Communal inmate day activities 

Ac_25_85_22 Detaining 

Ac_25_85_28 Exercising 

Ac_25_85_35 Guarding detainees 

Ac_25_85_38 Holding 

Ac_25_85_59 Open secure visiting 

Ac_25_85_66 Private secure visiting 

Ac_25_85_95 Vehicle impounding 

En_25_85 Detention entities 

En_25_85_10 International detention builings 

En_25_85_12 International detention 

grounds 

En_25_85_30 National detention buildings 

En_25_85_32 National detention grounds 

En_25_85_50 Regional detention buildings 

En_25_85_52 Regional detention grounds 

En_25_85_70 Local detention buildings 

En_25_85_72 Local detention grounds 

Sp_25_85 Detention spaces 

Sp_25_85_15 Communal inmate dayrooms 

Sp_25_85_22 Detention cells 

Sp_25_85_28 Exercise yards 

Sp_25_85_35 Guard stations 

Sp_25_85_38 Holding cells 

Sp_25_85_59 Open secure visiting rooms 

Sp_25_85_66 Private secure visiting rooms 

Sp_25_85_95 Vehicle impound yards 

Terminology is another issue, so that words 

that we use and understand among ourselves 

may not be as clear to others. The language 

in classification therefore has to be generic 

but project specific information can use more 

familiar language. 

For example, a prison is described generically 

as a Detention complex or a Detention Activity. 

Although the classification uses a generic 

term, the project specific term can still be 

Holloway Prison and the description can either 

be of a complex or an activity – both are valid 

but a client may have a preference for which is 

most appropriate. 

Another example is that ‘station’ can be used 

to describe a place for catching a train or bus, 

but it is also used to describe a ‘fire station’ and 

a ‘work station’. So the classification has to be 

generic so that it is clear what is being coded. 

A station is an embarkation and disembarkation 

complex generically but will be known as 

a station as far as the project is concerned. 

23



Future Updates 

Further Uniclass2 developments in the coming 

months include additional tables covering 

products, project phases, CAD and work results 

substructure, and a full repository containing versioned, 

downloadable Uniclass2 releases. 

Currently Uniclass2 contains 7 complete 

tables, with further tables being released 

in the coming months 

Sarah Delany 

Sarah is a technical author 

at NBS with responsibility for 

the mechanical services sections 

in the NBS products. 

She joined NBS in 2002 

and worked on the first launch 

of NBS Engineering Services. 

Sarah is also secretary 

of the CPI committee and is involved 

with the current projects 

for unifying Uniclass and updating 

the CPIx protocol. 

Having graduated from 

Loughborough University, 

Sarah started her career as 

a contractor with Rosser and Russell followed 

by a period at 

R W Gregory and Partners. 

In 1985 Sarah became editor 

of NES when it was owned 

by CIBSE and took over as manager 

in the 1990’s. 

For updates on further Uniclass2 developments, 

and other Uniclass2 news follow @CPICommittee 

on twitter. 

web reference 

Uniclass2 will be available to download 

from a fully versioned repository 

in a variety of open formats 

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/publicdata-means-the-uk-is-open-for-business 

[2] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/09/obama-administration-releases-historic-open-data-rules-enhance-governmen 

[3] http://www.theodi.org/ 

[4] http://data.gov.uk/about-us 

[5] http://www.bimgateway.co.uk/ 

26/09/2012 

Glasgow 

[6] http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/uniclass2/ 

23

“ ” 

The BIM ‘genie’ is well 

and truly out of the bottle 



an Interview 

with 

dr Barry 

Blackwell 

Business 

Innovation 

& Skills (BIS) 

29



BIM: PEOPLE MATTERS 

14 QUESTIONS WITH 

DR BARRY BLACKWELL 

BUSINESS INNOVATION 

Q& SKILLS (BIS) 

This week we interview Barry Blackwell who is 

the BIS Policy Lead for exploitation of BIM and 

Programme Manager for the Government Grant 

Programme. He is also a Member of the BIM 

Programme Steering Group and is developing UK 

strategic development of BIM with the BIM Group. 

Barry a founding member of the BIM team shares 

his thoughts on BIM and his passion for time-pieces. 

1 2 

Hi Barry, can you tell us a little about your 

background? 

I am a Geologist by background, worked in the 

North Sea, returned to Uni, and then started 

as a Chartered accountant for a year in private 

practice before getting a good offer from a then 

Government Research Establishment to undertake 

research into the mineralogy of aggregates. 

I transferred to central government as part of 

the M4I programme in 2000 and then into 

policy positions. 

What is BIS’ current role with the UK Government 

BIM roll out? 

I lead for BIS on BIM, work closely with 

Cabinet Office on the programme and manage 

the BIS’s Grant programme with Construction 

Industry Council. My main interest now that 

the programme is in train is about the growth 

potential of BIM, EU engagement and paving 

the way for the next iteration of BIM (thought 

Digital Built Britain). But I should make 

it clear that the views I express here are not 

necessarily those of the Department but solely 

mine and made as a member of the BIM Task 

Group. For the avoidance of any doubt, I am 

in no shape or form a BIM expert. 

31



3 4 5 

Where you immediately converted to BIM. 

Actually, no. Some people ‘get it’ first time 

but when I first heard of BIM (If I recall correctly 

from a NESTA report) I was very sceptical 

and resistant. However, I have a passionate 

interest in (strategic) Lean construction 

and Design for Manufacturer and Assembly 

(DfMA) and I had a ‘Eureka’ moment on the 

connectivity of the ideas and I have not looked 

back. There is no shame in being a doubter - 

the only shame is false pride stopping a person 

from altering their view in light of emerging 

evidence. I think many people will start by 

being sceptical and, should I be any yardstick 

to go by, they will need time to rationalise BIM 

to their own vision and model of good quality 

construction delivery (this period of adjustment 

is necessary and one reason why we provided 

a four-year lead-in to to the programme) the 

important thing then is to act decisively. 

How did BIS get involved with the BIM 

programme? 

Looking back from what has been achieved to 

date and taking into account the fact it is only 

comparatively recently that BIM has become 

part of the lexicon for most people, it is difficult 

to believe that the idea of a BIM implementation 

strategy was hatched out over a conversation 

with Mark Bew and colleagues back 

2009. Then, as now, BIS encourages officials 

to follow their instincts on new ideas and I 

agreed with Mark to establish a working group 

to devise a strategy within 6 months to inform 

the Government Construction Board. Not 

knowing what the result would be, my boss 

here agreed to ‘carve-out’ a bit of time from 

the programme to allow the work to progress 

- in what, surely, must be counted as one of 

the pivotal decisions in UK BIM. This work 

turned into what is widely termed the ‘BIS 

BIM Strategy’ and then adopted by the Government’s 

Construction Strategy and the now 

familiar joint Cabinet Office/BIS programme. 

Why has the programme be successful? 

Firstly the people, The BIM-team are fantastic 

and a true exemplar of how the Civil 

Service and Industry can work together as a 

single team. I have the greatest respect for the 

talent, vision and leadership of Mark and Paul 

Morrell (who have done so much) and to the 

Construction Industry Council. But lets just 

give a bit of nod to the Civil Servants/public 

officials across government who quietly have 

‘done their bit’. 

Secondly it is a sound strategy, which requires 

clients to clearly set out their data requirements 

whilst leaving the industry to respond commercially 

(and in being non-proprietary in terms 

of BIM tools). 

Thirdly, over the last few years there has been 

a growing desire within industry (and the 

client base) to accelerate change away from 

the ‘old ways’ - BIM was in the right place at 

the right time. In this and many other ways 

I recognise we have had been fortunate - we 

grabbed the fortune given to us and used it to 

the advantage of the BIM project. The team’s 

motto was ‘keep going’ forward. 

6 

How is important do you think BIM is to the 

future of the UK construction sector? 

BIM (in it widest definition of tools, process 

and culture) is a big part of the change agenda 

for the industry (and their clients) but it has to 

be set within an overarching approach to construction 

which brings in other ideas - including 

‘lean’ thinking and improved procurement. 

It almost goes without saying that it has to be 

used ‘intelligently and knowledgably’. It also 

about clients and industry working as a team 

and I would like to say that there is no ‘I’ in 

BIM ...but alas. 

33



7 8 9 

As 

It is often stated that the UK approach to 

BIM puts us number 1 in the global league 

table. Do you think this is the case ? 

Does it matter? but what we can say is our 

programme is much commented on around the 

world and our approach is improving the image 

of the construction sector both domestically 

and internationally and anecdotal evidence suggests 

we are ‘winning work’ on the back of it. 

Importantly, major software supplier are also 

investing time and effort in the UK and there is 

growing confidence for our own 

software industry. 

What do you think is the next big milestone 

in the BIM programme? 

BIM (in the widest definition) is a portal to a 

‘new world’ and in common with all new ideas 

or inventions (say graphene) we are only just 

beginning to understand its potential. ‘Good’ 

Data supplied, information gleaned, and quality 

decision taken, will pave the way for better 

design, construct and operation of assets on a 

project, programme and portfolio scale (how 

more efficiently could the management of the 

entire estates be with the use of BIM information?). 

I am also interested in data/information 

flows within the wider built environment 

and how BIM connects. On a more immediate 

scale I think BIM-enabled ‘Lean construction’ 

with DFMA (and offsite) will now really 

come into shape focus. 

Looking forward how important is it for the 

UK to lead on Level 3 BIM maturity? 

The BIM ‘genie’ is well and truly out of the 

bottle and innovation will be relatively swift 

with this new technology - there will be many 

new opportunities for construction and software 

companies. To stand still will be to go 

backwards as other countries ‘leap-frog’ - but 

why would this be important? BIM is global 

and construction is becoming increasingly 

global and, by degrees, eroding away any 

domestic insulation from global competitors 

. We are in a good position to cement UK 

presence in developing common BIM standard, 

protocols and processes - which surely would 

be good for the UK and potentially a source of 

competitive advantage. 

10 

a long serving civil servant what has been 

your most memorable career moment? 

Investigating the micro-structure and mineralogy 

of UK greywacke deposits to better 

understand their alkali-reactivity and which 

ultimately led to a new technical standard. I 

worked with a great team (never to be reassembled) 

which included internationally respected 

scientists. I vividly remember the period as 

the mantle of project and scientific leadership 

passed from the hands of the older generation 

to my generation - I was no longer the ‘young 

scientist’ and took the opportunity. I don’t 

doubt there is someone in the BIM2050 who 

will shortly experience the same - BIM will, if 

not already, be theirs to take forward -grasp the 

opportunity and I wish you well. 

35



11 

There must have been some funny stories! 

Any you can share? 

My trouble is that I tend to laugh in all the 

wrong places ... it gets me into trouble 

13 

12 

So for someone so switched onto digital 

construction why are you so interested in 

analogue clocks and watches? 

On one level precision mechanical watch/clock 

manufacture is ‘advanced manufacturing’ and 

I suspect been using sophisticated software 

for ‘donkey years’. Even mechanical watchmakers 

continually innovate in design and 

utilise modern high-grade ceramic materials 

We understand you are a fan of mechanical 

time pieces . 

Yes, I have two main hobbies - medal collecting 

to the Great War (and hence my often 

cited date of 21st March 1918 in connection 

with the strategy) and I am a member of the 

OMRS. As you correctly say, I am doing my 

examinations for the British Horological Institute 

- in fact, badly, as the BHI have amazing 

craft persons as exam markers - they don’t 

dumb-down, they don’t pass second best and 

they are not driven by ‘pass’ statistics (as I am 

shortly to find out) - long may that live. 

and, of course, they aim to produce something 

which works accurately first time - not unlike 

construction. Software tools do have many 

‘mind-blowing’ attributes but can it match the 

feeling of handling a well-crafted mechanical 

object? I love handling something built by 

people long ago, sharing the same experience 

of generations of craft persons in dismantling/ 

repairing the object (and probably use the 

same descriptive language) and the intense 

concentration and ‘nerves’ of replacing parts of 

no greater that a couple of millimetres knowing 

they could ‘ping’ if you get it wrong ( I recommend 

everyone have a go ) In short, its like 

the construction industry it is about talented 

people - constructing incedible structures. 

14 

Tell us something about yourself we would 

not know. 

I am a member of MCIPS. 

37



Regional BIM 

Hubs: The Untold 

Story… 

The Regional Hubs help raise awareness and benefits 

of BIM; help facilitate the early adoption of BIM 

processes and working methods throughout the UK’s 

construction industry. The Hubs also provide an 

“important feedback mechanism into the Task Group. 

In March 2012 at a 

meeting of the Chairs 

of CIC’s regional 

committees, BIS and the BIM Task 

Group tasked us with creating the BIM 

Regional Hubs. CIC has had network 

of regional committees across the UK 

for some ten plus years now and I have 

been managing them for nearly five so 

it seemed only natural that we would 

align these new hubs with our current 

arrangement. Our regional committees 

already provide an influential, collecby 

Liz Reading 

” 

tive voice for the Built Environment; consider 

issues relevant to their region and to promote 

public awareness of the construction industry. 

The regions had already become aware of 

Building Information Modelling and its 

importance to the industry. They believed 

BIM information and guidance should be 

offered on a local level under the CIC umbrella 

encompassing the industry as a whole and 

welcomed the suggestion of the Hubs. The 

Regional Hubs would help raise 

awareness and the benefits of 

BIM and help facilitate 

the early adoption 

of BIM processes 

and 

working 

methods 

throughout the UK’s construction industry. 

The Hubs would also provide an important 

feedback mechanism into the Government. 

Each Hub would be headed up by a BIM 

Champion who would be a BIM font of 

knowledge for their region, supported by a 

member of the task group. 

The BIM Hubs Objectives were set as: 

BIM Hubs Objectives 

• Interface with the core team and the emerging legacy 

support organisation to raise awareness of the 

BIM programme and its requirements 

• Act as a conduit for relevant information on the 

programme to ensure a consistent and contextualised 

message is disseminated 

• Enable regional engagement in national discussions 

• Encourage the sharing of BIM knowledge and best 

practice within the networks 

• Facilitate regional collaborative activity to support 

the development of the supply chain’s BIM capabilities 

• Provide linkage with the GCS BIM Task Group and 

the CIC BIM Forum 

• Provide valuable feedback to the core team 

37



To help kick start the hubs we decided to run a 

series of events across the UK which would act 

as an launch for the Hubs as well as seminar 

introducing practitioners to BIM. The event 

series, ‘A BIM Focus’, was developed featuring 

task group members talks and local case 

studies. It became the most retweeted tweet @ 

CICTweet (how about that for a tongue twister) 

had ever sent which paved the way for the 

Hubs having their own social media platform 

@BIMHubs. 

In my infinite wisdom, and because I already 

had a weeks holiday booked in October, it was 

decided that these 17 events would run over 

the course of six weeks in the autumn of 2012. 

We referred to these events as BIM on tour 

and likened ourselves to rock stars, although 

no one threw a TV out of a hotel window. 

The first event took place on September 25th 

in Newcastle and despite nearly not making 

the event due to torrential rains and flooded 

rail lines, which unfortunately also deterred 

a few of attendees, it was still a very positive 

first event. After a soggy start in Newcastle 

we went onwards to Edinburgh and Glasgow 

for our two Scottish events, then the following 

week Wrexham and Manchester. After my trip 

away we carried on with Cambridge, Coventry, 

Nottingham, Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, 

Hull, London (x2), Northampton and finally 

Belfast. With over 1500 people registered 

to attend the BIM Focus events we aimed to 

equip them with basic BIM knowledge, some 

real life BIM stories and provided plenty of 

opportunity for questions, no matter how silly 

delegates may have deemed them, to be asked. 

Highlights from the Hub events include a 

missing Task Group Member in Cambridge 

and having to play a video of David Philp instead, 

(virtual Philpster) listening to some great 

case studies from across the UK including a 

rather refreshing one which actually discussed 

the costs. Tweeting tirelessly from every event, 

dispelling some rather interesting myths and 

the speakers deciding they each wanted to shoe 

horn a certain phrase into their presentations 

during the Belfast event (I won’t reveal what 

but if you were there then no your ears weren’t 

deceiving you). 

“ 

I was very grateful to have the chance 

to be involved with the BIM hubs launch events. 

I learned a lot and found the whole experience 

to be very enlightening. It was fascinating meeting 

so many people with such diverse interests in BIM. 

” 

Gary Ross, 

West Midlands BIM Hub Champion/ 

Director of BIM Solutions, Amtech Group” 

Gary Ross, David Philp and 

Northern Ireland BIM Hub 

Champion Melanie Dawson 

taking questions 

at the Belfast Event 

08/11/2012 

Belfast 

26/09/2012 

Glasgow 

02/10/2012 

Manchester 

01/10/2012 

Wrexham 

22/10/2012 

Coventry 

31/10/2012 

Cardiff 

01/11/2012 

Leeds 

26/09/2012 

Edinburgh 

29/10/2012 

Exeter 

Events assistant Kamila Tomaszewska 

and Liz Reading 

25/09/2012 

Newcastle 

06/11/2012 

Northampton 

30/10/2012 

Bristol 

02/11/2012 

Hull 

23/10/2012 

Nottingham 

18/10/2012 

Cambridge 

05/11/2012 

London 

39



Kamila Tomaszewska 

41



43



London BIM Hub Champion, David Miller 

“ 

The BIM Focus events were 

a great launching pad for many people to get 

their BIM journey underway, receiving the latest 

information and being able to feedback opinions and 

viewpoints from a multitude of different perspectives on 

the demand side and throughout the design and 

construction supply chains. 

Graham Watts, OBE, CIC Chief Executive” 

Graham Watts 

45



Dear Diary.... 

{ Liz shares her thoughts 

on BIM events } 

www.cic.org.uk 

47

Liz Reading 

As well being responsible 

for CIC’s Regional Committees 

and the BIM Regional Hubs 

Liz is also CIC’s Events 

& Communications Manager. 

Liz has worked 

within the Built Environment 

for nearly ten years, 

in both New York and London, 

and has a degree 

After the events is when the real work began, 

collating feedback, fielding emails from people 

eager to be a part of their local hub and 

appointing champions for those hubs that 

hadn’t already sprung to life. With the help 

of Dave we managed to blackmail people into 

becoming our champs, these were people we 

knew had a real working in-depth knowledge 

of BIM and a passion for collaboration within 

our industry. The North East, Welsh and 

Scottish BIM Hubs had already taken off and 

with all champions allocated by the end of 

2012, 2013 saw the first meetings, events and 

offerings from the Hubs. 

Different Hubs have taken different approaches 

some had big workshops open to everyone 

who was interested and some created smaller 

focus groups that hold larger events for everyone 

to attend. In Wales and the South East, 

given the particularly large geographical areas 

these cover, satellite hubs have also been developed 

to support the main hub activity whilst 

also spreading the BIM gospel. In terms of 

central guidance we feel the same as with our 

regional committees, there isn’t a single one 

size fits all approach. The regions all have their 

own issues and ways of working which best fits 

their needs so we just need to make sure we 

supply them with the most up to date information 

and guidance. 

The North East ran a highly commended one 

day BIM Competition for SME teams which 

I hope to see other hubs replicating. The London 

region is just about to kick off with is first 

event, BIM for Beginners, which has been likened 

to a cross between speed dating and the 

antiques road show. The East Midlands is just 

about to run an event on the real cost of BIM 

and Wales and Northern Ireland have held full 

day seminar but to name a few of the offerings 

from across the country. The hubs have also 

made good links with other organisations such 

as local government, chambers of commerce, 

educational establishments, ConstructionSkills 

and constructing excellence. 

Centrally we are offering support to the hubs 

in terms of logistics, admin support and event 

organisations but we are also ensuring that we 

bring the champions together to discuss what 

is happening and working well in their respect 

regions. We are sharing the latest BIM knowledge 

with them, in essence, training the trainer 

so that they can and disseminate this latest information 

to their region. We are also working 

closely with BIM4SME after supporting them 

on their official launch event and we hope to 

link up more closely with them in the regions 

to reach those all important SME’s. 

For further information on the BIM hubs 

please contact BIMhubs@cic.org.uk and keep 

an eye on our website for the latest news and 

events www.cic.org.uk. 

49



Contact us 

Website Updates 

We would love to hear from you 

Do you have any comments on the Labs Portal, 

your upcoming events or general comments? 

Then contact us at: info@bimtaskgroup.org 

• BIM Taskgroup Digital Library and Newsletter Archive added to 

website news pages 

• New content - GSL reports, produced by Rob Manning - added to 

Department Guidance Documents section 

51

BIM Task Group Newsletter 21st Edition

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