THE OPPORTUNITIES that are presented by new building information modelling (BIM) technology to facilitate compliance with Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations 2010 were presented in this well-attended workshop. 
Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations stipulates: ‘The person carrying out the work shall give fire safety information to the responsible person not later than the date of completion of the work, or the date of occupation. . . whichever is earlier.’
The aim of the regulation is to ensure that information essential to life safety is communicated to the owner, occupier and/or end user, so that the building can be managed appropriately. It applies to building extensions, change of use, and new-build projects.
 
Focus on conformity
 
Dr Kirti Ruikar, from Loughborough University, told delegates that the current trend is to focus on conformity rather than performance. ‘What is needed is a manual that includes all the performance-related fire safety considerations of a building’s mechanics, to be handed over to the responsible person,’ she said. 
BIM is a process that leads stakeholders through the building lifecycle. She described it not as a 3D model but as an nD model, adding: ‘It helps people move away from the silo-based mentality, client frustrations and cost overruns. It helps to support a more collaborative approach with a vision that is understood, and to deliver and manage away from a physical environment to a virtual one.’
She emphasised that BIM is a different animal to CAD. Whereas the latter features objects and products represented by lines, and materials represented using standard notations, and also requires representations to be interpreted by an ‘expert’, BIM uses context-sensitive actual objects. It enables the detection of clashes in design, gives a 3D representation of product data, includes performance data and can be linked to manufacturers’ catalogues.
 
BIM in practice
 
Nick Blenkarn, director at 3D surveying company Severn Partnership, went on to present an example of how BIM is used in practice. He explained how BIM can not only be applied using high-tech 3D geometry (the company works with Gexcon to provide this) to simulate explosions, fires and fluid dynamics, but also as a low-tech solution to assist end-users to brief people on risks, inform disaster response, and educate on health and safety. 
Mr Blenkarn explained: ‘Scanning technology is used to capture in near real time the parameters of a building. We can survey the building in 3D and then take that into a building information modelling environment. 
‘We decide later what information we want to take forward into our building information model. You can then feed back into that model the parameters you know are needed for compliance with Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations.’
The low-tech application, which is being delivered in partnership with a company called Seeable, uses games-engine technology to create an accessible building information model. 2D plans are also generated from the 3D scan. 
‘Because it’s based on games technology, every item can be controlled, so you can click on a button and immediately see where, for example, all the fire extinguishers are, or where the fire risks are,’ explained Mr Blenkarn.
‘What we get is visualisation that we can then use and cross-pollinate for different purposes,’ he said. ‘It could be Regulation 38 information; it could be a health and safety briefing; or it could be situational awareness, so that a person managing a facility can actually brief people without visiting the premises.’