Marble Arch Place, is a mixed-use development opposite the famous London landmark, Marble Arch at Hyde Park.
It consists of a 5 storey basement, topped off with an 18 storey residential tower, containing 54 luxury apartments, and a 7 storey commercial building, containing 95,000 sq. ft. of office space.
What were the challenges and what made the project successful.
The project was situated on an awkwardly shaped plot and the basement was constructed top-down from the ground floor, while at the same time constructing the superstructure towers above.
The concrete frame contractor, Careys Civil Engineering, who already used advanced BIM technology and techniques to plan the complex construction sequence, realised that having all of the reinforcement in the 3D model, would be extremely beneficial and save time and money on costly delays due to bars not fitting, or details not working during construction.
Careys also have a stringent health and safety policy, so by better planning much earlier in the process, the amount of bar cutting on site would also be minimised.
What benefits utilizing BIM and Tekla Software brought to the project.
During the detailing process, problem areas were identified and flagged up for review with the main consultant. This would then be followed by a design review meeting either on site or via skype with the 3D model as the main focal point, which would allow the issue to be visualised much easier, but would then also allow a solution to be discussed and agreed while looking at the model.
By having every bar detailed on the project, Careys were also able to visualise and plan out pour sequences much more easily and identify any areas that would be difficult to install, or spot potential buildability issues that would not have been flagged up by traditional 2D RC detailing. 3D models were issued alongside every 2D drawing and made available to all parties involved.
The project in numbers
Total volume of concrete 30,000m3. Total tonnage of rebar 4000t, project timescale Total 100 weeks
