The Sellafield Product and Tailings Stores Reprocessing Plant, delivered by program and project partners, is enjoying the benefits of 4D Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, with the introduction of a second twin ‘BIM cavern’ in the project team’s Warrington office.

This follows the introduction of the project’s first BIM cave earlier this year at the Sellafield site.

BIM is a process of creating and managing a digital representation of the physical elements of the project and the information associated with these objects.

The 2 BIM caves and 4D modeling capability bring significant benefits to one of Sellafield’s largest construction projects ever. Benefits include greater collaboration to improve planning, scheduling, communication, and better project visualization.

Steve Harnwell, Sellafield Produce and Residue Stores Reprocessing Plant, Delivery Manager, said:

Increasing our BIM capability improves day-to-day “line of sight” project planning by improving the connection between our team members in Cumbria and Warrington to visualize the project plan and build sequencing.

We can predict well in advance where we are with construction today, reduce risk, the potential for costly delays, and we are already safely accelerating construction in some areas.

There are also significant security benefits, we now have a live camera feed from the site which means our team members and stakeholders can view what is happening from office security, which allows us to avoid the physical risks associated with being on a construction site. .

We continue to hone team members on technology that will benefit every phase of the project lifecycle, even long after construction is complete and operational.

The primary use of Cave BIM on the project to date has been its use with the 4D model which combines the 3D models created throughout the preliminary and detailed design phases of the project, with schedule information.

The model, which is now linked live between the project site in Sellafield and the Warrington offices, and the 4D planning team, provides real-time updates on construction progress.

Having two BIM caves enhances collaboration within the project team, allowing the team to share the project model on and off the Sellafield site, coordinate construction planning and sequencing, and to ensure that all stakeholders have an immersive view of the project at all times.