BIM underpins the first project of joint venture
The first project designed by Corde to receive planning approval is for a new science centre for St John’s School in Leatherhead. Corde is a joint-venture company set up by architects ADP, structural engineers AKS Ward and services engineers KJ Tait.
The company was set up in 2013 to take advantage of interdisciplinary design practice enabled through Building Information Modelling (BIM). Instead of traditional ‘silos’ of expertise, architects and engineers from each discipline are working together in one location to design the project. The building is due for completion in autumn 2015.
Roger FitzGerald, ADP chair, and director of Corde said, ‘The greatest benefit has been the integration of design work that results directly from having architects and engineers sitting next to each other looking at the same BIM model. The result is excellent collaborative working, with architecture and engineering merging seamlessly.
‘As well as providing the client with a better co-ordinated end product. There are efficiency gains too. We are working to a tight budget, and BIM is helping us to achieve this, making the design as rational and minimalist as possible. This cuts costs for the client, and also makes the design team leaner and more efficient as well.
The design process has been very efficient, not least because points of detail are being addressed much earlier. That has enabled us to show the client 3-dimensional images early in the design process, giving users a clear understanding of what the building will look like, and helping decision-making. So in summary we are offering clients a better design product, reducing risks and saving money.’
