Breaking down the barriers to 4D adoption

This white paper aims to de-bunk some of the myths surrounding 4D adoption and demonstrates how more stakeholders can benefit from using 4D from the beginning and throughout every construction project.

Foreword

I spend a lot of my time in 4D planning meetings. The format is usually the same: a large screen, a detailed 4D construction model, and input from the team who are about to go out on site and build it. It’s a simple way of working and it’s incredibly effective. The 4D construction model is usually very detailed, and includes the construction sequence, access equipment, safety equipment, permanent and temporary works, and the site survey.

These sessions can be years in advance or can be on the morning of an activity that is planned to happen that same day. The type of projects span all sectors, and vary in scale from small projects to huge infrastructure programs covering 100s of kilometres and years of construction.

The result is always the same – better planning, which delivers significant improvements in safety, time, cost, waste, and collaboration. The adoption of this method of working, which can be referred to as model-based planning, visual planning, digital rehearsal, or simply ‘4D’, is growing at an exponential rate.

The tools that we use to support this process are changing rapidly and becoming ever more flexible and useful for site teams. These sessions are becoming increasingly interactive. Soon, anyone will be able to use a mouse, pick up a game controller, move around equipment and create simple sequences of construction.

This will be a big step forward, and it’s fantastic to see solutions like 3D Repo embrace 4D and pair it with features like SafetiBase. At Freeform, we’re using this process on our new projects and the improvement in team planning is significant.

The site teams are the ones who build our projects, and 4D unlocks their expertise.

For more information, please visit www.4d.construction, our industry group focussed on this topic.

James Bowles
Founder, Freeform & Chair of 4D Construction Group

Introduction

As the construction industry continues with its steady march towards greater digitalisation, interest in 4D is growing as it is increasingly seen as a better way to plan, explain, monitor and report on construction projects. However, despite this interest, there remains a stigma that 4D can be costly, time-consuming and difficult. While this may have been true for some of the first 4D projects to be realised, with the advent of new technologies, 4D no longer needs to be expensive or difficult.

There’s also a common assumption that construction project planners need to wait until the full BIM model is completed before they can start planning in 4D. In fact, 4D planning can begin with a simple ‘communication level model’, and project planners, health and safety professionals, engineers and surveyors can start to reap the rewards of using 4D much earlier in the project.

This white paper aims to de-bunk some of the myths surrounding 4D adoption and demonstrates how more stakeholders can benefit from using 4D from the beginning and throughout every construction project.

This white paper defines:

• Why 4D is moving into the mainstream and how to get started;
• The role of content, technology and people in implementing 4D;
• The value that 4D can bring to benefit every construction project;
• How 4D can improve health and safety, planning, communication and collaboration;
• The intersection of 4D with Modern Methods of Construction (MMC);
• The role of 4D in reducing waste and improving sustainability;
• The future of 4D.

Download the free white paper below to learn more.