DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION
FOR US, DIGITAL DELIVERY IS ABOUT HOW WE USE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE OUR PROJECTS MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCT, COMMISSION AND HAND OVER TO OUR CLIENTS.
IN 2024, WE FOCUSED ON WHERE WE SEE THE BIGGEST 'BANG FOR OUR BUCK' - IN THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE.
CAPTURING REALITY
360-degree reality capture technology, OpenSpace, is being utilised to scan sites and existing client assets. Integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) allows field notes, with detailed geolocated photos, tags, and status, to be assigned as issues to team members and reviewed back in the design alongside the 3D model.
This is enabling us to revisit sites virtually (reducing multiple site visits), helping our subcontractors accurately price work and keeping our clients updated with construction progress.
Our team at Horsley Water Treatment Works capture weekly progress along the same route to compare and demonstrate progress, and to support site diaries, technical queries and cost events.
SETTING OUT FROM DATA
Innovative Leica iCon technology is being used on several projects to build directly from the data in the published 3D model. The iCon controller can open the model directly from ACC, and the site engineer can select the coordinates and features to set out.
The benefits? Reducing the amount of 2D drawings required and ‘double-handling’ information we produce in design, uploading the as-built data (including any changes agreed on site) directly and saving time at completion.
Using the Leica iCon allowed us to set out structures directly from model data held in ACC. Our Wark-on-Tyne Sewage Treatment Works project is operating using the 3D model only, with no drawings. To aid setting out, the 3D model is broken down and issued to the engineer via ACC as and when required — saving time waiting for drawings.
MACHINE CONTROL
We continue to invest in our fleet of intelligent excavators, training, and processes to support their effective use. We’re even exploring AI-powered software with Komatsu which can optimise the best route and excavation sequence. Using machine control not only improves accuracy and productivity, but also minimises the need for engineers to be physically present and in the proximity of the construction plant – helping us achieve our health and safety vision of ‘Beyond Zero.’
To help with the construction of wetlands at Dearne Reach in Yorkshire (pictured above), we have used three dozers and two excavators in conjunction with smart construction dashboard software. This means we can monitor the progress of the as-built excavation data to visualise progress in real time and compare this progress to the design.
DIGITAL INSPECTION AND TESTING - RIGHT 1ST TIME:
We’re deploying ACC Build – an industry-leading construction management tool — to improve the quality of inspections, testing and commissioning. Cutting-edge cloud mobile technology makes it easy for site teams to check, test and commission the assets we build. It also allows us to share progress in real time with our clients by automating the production of reports and Power BI dashboards.
ACC Build will also allow us to efficiently hand over digital asset information at the click of a button – eliminating a process that traditionally takes days. As we work more closely with our client systems, this will build the foundations of digital twins that they will be able to use to operate, maintain and optimise their asset.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER TO DELIVER BETTER OUTCOMES
At Wark-on-Tyne Sewage Treatment Works, intelligent piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) were successfully implemented on the scheme to embed key metadata and asset tagging. This improved efficiency and accuracy and delivered programme savings. Intelligent P&IDs are in the early stages of adoption within the water industry, so the results from the project at Wark-on-Tyne are shaping the delivery of future projects and helping to drive innovation across the industry. The information model was also used to embed safety hazard information.
The Wark-on-Tyne team’s progressive methods earned them global winner status of Mott MacDonald’s Excellence in Digital Delivery Award for outstanding levels of collaboration across design, construction and client teams – all underpinned by technology. Their forward-thinking approach is just one example of how we are using our unique position in the water sector to lead on digital transformation, delivering better outcomes for our clients, their customers, and the industry itself.
TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
As part of Mott MacDonald’s global digital delivery Practice, we are leading the virtual construction community.
The Practice is a global network of colleagues who are bringing the best of digital to transform a variety of processes used in the construction phase, including data capture, simulation, visualisation, interface with site operations and modern methods of construction.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
We continue to explore use cases for generative AI – 2024 included testing Microsoft Copilot:
Figures below taken from data collected during Q4 2024
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