Simon Williams-Gunn, BIM Manager (CH2M), describes the issues of asset tagging on this massive 25km sewer tunnel project.

1. Asset Tagging at Thames Tideway
Simon Williams-Gunn

2. Asset Identification
Simon Williams-Gunn
BIM Manager

3. Who we are

4. What we do

5. Project overview

6. Innovation at Tideway
To deliver a World Class asset, collaborative thinking and product lifecycle lies at the
heart of innovation investment decisions.
Tideways’ mature supply chain understands how to engage with innovative clients
to deliver value - Delivers UK government ‘Construction 2025’ industry vision.
Tideways’ Innovation vision
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is recognised as the ‘game changer’ in terms of
Innovation on [UK] projects.
Tideways’ Legacy Strategy States
A clear Innovation strategy will help release the potential of this historic,
essential endeavour, not just for the river and all the people who use it, for
work or pleasure, but for the environment in general, for London more broadly
and for the country as a whole.

7. BIM at Tideway
“Level 2 BIM maturity is a series of
domain and collaborative federated
models, consisting of both 3D
geometrical and non-graphical data,
prepared by different parties during
the project life-cycle within the context
of a common data environment. The
project participants provide defined,
validated outputs via digital data
transactions using proprietary
information exchanges between
various systems in a structured and
reusable form.”

8. BIM at Tideway
The requirement for the Main Works Contractors
for BIM is embedded within the Works Information
provided at the Invitation to Tender phase. It is
rooted in and derived from industry standards and
OPEN formats such as IFC and COBie.
It includes requirements for:
• BIM Execution Planning (BEP)
• Information standards and data exchanges
• Collaboration, Coordination and Compliance
And critically:
• Asset Data standards and deliverables

9. BIM targets
To provide an Asset Information Model
(AIM) that will be used during project
construction and then upon project
completion to catalogue features built
and aid in the management, operation
and maintenance of the system to
control CSO discharges to the tidal
Thames.
This will be achieved by procuring
Project Information Models (PIM) from
our Contractors progressively developed
during the works and submitted at
critical decision points: Employers
submission gates for detail design, for
construction,
as constructed and takeover.

10. The connumdrum
• Dealing with an asset management process that deals with the large and the
small but in many cases with nothing in between
• The need to test and confirm the OPEN BIM approach and specific technical
requirements provided to Main Works Tenderers
• Embedded processes and resources focused on the traditional delivery of
the Development Consent Order (DCO) and the Main Works Tenders
• A requirement to provide a level 2 BIM data drop of its reference design to
its key stakeholder Thames Water, in order to initiate and complete their
estimation and asset management processes
• But as a project the team had to ensure value for the project stakeholders
and minimise spend and budget creep related to developing technology
which the project may or may not require at a later date

11. What we had - Graphical Information
Data or information conveyed by geometry, with or without associated
properties, spatially coordinated to represent and enable physical interaction
with, or analysis of, an asset.
• Parametric modelling of the
each site to enable drawing
production
• Semi intelligent 3D objects
based on parts and families
but focused on construction
materials rather than function
• Integrated with other model
forms such as laser survey
point clouds

12. What we had - Non-graphical
Information
Data or information conveyed as values only, with or without associated properties
but still potentially spatially coordinated, to represent and enable the query or
analysis of an asset.

13. What we had - Documentation
Information for use in the briefing, design, construction operation, maintenance or
decommissioning of a construction project, managed within a common data
environment based upon a BS1192 collaborative process.

14. What we had – a knowledgeable and
flexible vendor
Long standing mutually beneficial
relationship between ch2m and
Bentley Systems. The project
benefiting from the availability of
the enterprise license agreement
enabling the full use of the product
range and the a long term technical
working relationship with their
professional consultancy services.
They already had a product that had
80% of the functionality but was
aimed at the end of the Lifecycle.

15. Collaborative Learning
The connection between people
Innovation definition
“the successful commercial exploitation of new ideas. It includes,
scientific, technological, organisational, financial, and business
activities leading to the commercial introduction of a new (or
improved) product or service”
(Dodgson, Gann and Salter,
2008: 2)
Thames Tideway Tunnel
= Super Sewer!
HS2
Olympics
Crossrail 2
Lee Tunnel
Crossrail

16. The solution

17. Asset structure
Based upon the projects understanding of how to describe its assets within an
industry standard data model capable of providing data to TW’s O&M CMMS.

18. The chambers tag provides the information relationships required to ‘describe’
it and relate it to other components.
Functional Asset example - chamber
W23.0 Wastewater Chamber
W23.01 Type
W23.02 Maintainer
W23.03 Lifecycle Status
W23.04 Construction Material
W23.05 Chamber diameter
W23.06 Chamber Width
W23.07 Chamber Invert level
W23.08 Asset Code
W23.09 Date Built
W23.10 Year Built
W23.12 Chamber Depth
W23.13 Soffit Level
W23.14 Chamber Volume
W23.16 Vesting Date
W23.17 Devesting Date
W23.19 Flushing type
VCTEF Victoria Embankment FS
ECH - Chamber
Sample Pick list
Interception
Outfall
Valve
Air Treatment
De-areation
VCTEF-ECV-000001

19. Component Asset example - penstock
Each component also has an asset tag to that ‘describes’ it, including any
potential product information from a Physical Item Number (PIN).
W23.0 Control Valve
W6.00 PIN
W6.01 Type
W6.02 Maintainer
W6.03 Purpose
W6.04 Lifecycle Status
W6.05 Date Built
W6.06 Location check method
W6.07 Trunk
W6.08 GPS
W6.09 Valve width
W6.10 Material
W6.12 Control method
W6.13 Soffit Level
W6.14 Flip Installed Device
W6.16 Vesting Date
Sample Pick list
Penstock
Flap
Non return
Sluice
PIN field for
Physical item number
Powered by
VCTEF-ECH-000003 (Hydraulic Actuator 1)
ECV – Control Valve
VCTEF Victoria Embankment FS

20. Non-graphical data captured using BS1192-4:2014
COBie standard data sheet with inherent relationships

21. Federate non-graphical data

22. Non-graphical asset information data store

23. Asset structure now available within the CDE

24. Apply non-graphical data to graphical data

25. The non-graphical information available
within the modelling application

26. Assets linked to associated documentation

27. Generate IFC and iModel output
(and the non-graphical using the same COBie tool)

28. BIM targets effectively achieved
At the appropriate LOMD for reference design
To provide an Asset Information Model
(AIM) that will be used during project
construction and then upon project
completion to catalogue features built
and aid in the management, operation
and maintenance of the system to
control CSO discharges to the tidal
Thames.
This will be achieved by procuring
Project Information Models (PIM) from
our Contractors progressively developed
during the works and submitted at
critical decision points: Employers
submission gates for detail design, for
construction,
as constructed and takeover.

29. Thank You
Any Questions?