SERVICES DELIVERED

• Mechanical Ductwork & Piping
• Electrical Containment & Data
• Lighting & Security Systems
• Fire Detection
• Public Health Plumbing

PROJECT INFORMATION

Representing a £145 million investment in world-class academic infrastructure, this premier 17,500 sqm higher education facility serves as a major civic and institutional hub. Opened in January 2022, the award-winning building required highly coordinated MEP engineering to support its complex multi-use spaces, which include large-scale lecture theatres, sports facilities, and academic offices. To ensure the sophisticated architectural vision was practically constructible, the project demanded rigorous, high-level BIM coordination.

WHAT WE DID

Leading the digital coordination pipeline on behalf of a major tier-one MEP contractor, the focus was to engineer the transition of the facility's multi-disciplinary models through RIBA Stage 5 fabrication and final RIBA Stage 6 as-built delivery.

The primary mandate was to translate complex design intent into highly accurate, clash-free, and fabrication-ready mechanical and electrical models. This involved developing and managing the detailed spatial coordination for high-density ductwork, complex piping networks, and extensive electrical containment. By actively managing the federated model environment, we ensured all services were meticulously routed to fit within the building's demanding architectural constraints. The engagement concluded with the rigorous verification and delivery of final Stage 6 as-built drawings, guaranteeing the client received a high-fidelity digital asset for long-term lifecycle management.

OVERCOME CHALLENGES

The project faced severe technical and procedural bottlenecks that threatened the overarching delivery schedule. Upon integrating into the coordination team, the project was suffering from a critical 60% deficit in final BIM deliverables. This severe backlog was further compounded by late-stage design changes driven by sudden supplier and equipment updates.

To rapidly close the data deficit and absorb the design changes without derailing the construction schedule, a high-frequency, structured coordination framework was deployed. By instituting weekly, targeted coordination workshops directly with the main contractor and broader project stakeholders, every late-stage update was meticulously tracked, documented, and immediately integrated into the federated models. This proactive management approach successfully dissolved the communication breakdowns, completely cleared the 60% documentation backlog, and ensured the MEP packages were delivered flawlessly on schedule.