RIBA Plan of Work 2020

[1]

By reading various BIM standards and manuals, you can better understand the references of design and construction processes contained in these studies after reading the assumptions of the entire investment process to which BIM is only a complementary tool. These two currents of documents coincide. Thus, a better understanding of BIM documentation and project phases can be found in the work plans, stages or phases of a building. From strategy to use. The British RIBA is the author of the revision of the work plan for 2020 and each of the 8 stages of the work needs to be discussed. The UK strategy for digitizing the built environment is becoming the backbone of the European construction sector and can therefore be seen as a cornerstone of the BIM construction sector work plan. The document is available in English on the website listed (at the bottom of the article) in the sources. Unfortunately, the inability to quote the entire document makes it necessary to discuss it without citing digital translations or document automation. The RIBA documentation is copyrighted without permission for reuse and has not been posted in the public domains.

Below I present briefly the scope of the stages and requirements of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 [2]:

STAGE 0 - Strategic definition

This is the stage of preparation of the entire investment, where the legitimacy of building a new facility, its location and functional scope should be considered. Collect all available, non-detailed information on the proposed location and experiences (including costs) from other projects and other facilities. A stage serves as a business justification for moving to the next stage.

STAGE 1 - Preparation and briefing

It's time to budget your investment. In order to do this, it is necessary to outline the strategic framework of the project in terms of: quality, sustainable development goals, spatial requirements, preparation of the project program, feasibility study, procurement strategy for the next stages.

STAGE 2 - Conceptual design

This stage is the time of developing an architectural concept in order to answer the questions and assumptions posed in the previous stage. At this stage, it is necessary to determine the manner of implementing the main assumptions that the client wants to achieve (e.g. budget, time, quality, sustainable development goals, environmental protection, etc.) and to develop a detailed investment program. It is a place for consulting assumptions with specialists and working out the best solutions determining the roadmap for all further stages.

STAGE 3 - Spatial coordination

The stage is used to coordinate the architectural concept with other design industries. The result of work at this stage is a multi-industry concept. It is time to analyze the design assumptions of the previous stage in terms of: costs, specifications, energy sources including renewable energy sources. At this stage, simulations and variants should be carried out for the investor's goals, such as: budget, sustainable development goals, quality, etc. The work is completed by applying for appropriate administrative decisions,

ETPA 4 - Technical design

The stage of detailing the project from the earlier stage with full technical studies in all specializations, development of detailed specifications, full integration of construction systems and devices and extension of the project with specialist studies with reference to the relevant legal provisions and standards. The end of the stage is the development of documentation that provides complete information for production and construction.

STAGE 5 - Production and construction

The entire stage is determined by the construction process: orders and assembly. The design team is limited to providing answers and clarifying design solutions. The stage also includes the preparation of the building for commissioning with the simultaneous development of a building manual.

STEP 6 - Handover

This stage determines the moment of handing over the building by the contractor to the investor, during which the investor's inspectors have time to submit comments on faults and start-ups. It is the time to train the technical team of the building in the operation of devices and installed systems, and to prepare the investor to start the facility depending on the function: handover of apartments, opening of a hotel, shopping center, etc. It is important that project teams get feedback about packed problems in order to verify assumptions for the future.

ETP 7 - Use

Implementation of management and checking the operation of the building. Implementation of various solutions increasing the facility's efficiency (reducing energy, water consumption, etc.). Checking the previous assumptions in reality with their evaluation and feedback to the design and executive teams. Updated building handbook, ongoing maintenance and service.

The conclusion that comes from the entire RIBA Plan of Work 2020 appears automatically if at any of the stages there is a problem with incorrectly configured assumptions of the early stage here. One should go back to the stage where the wrong assumption was made and repeat all the way through the stages. That is why a realistic and specialized approach to each stage is so important. Not only the last ones. The greatest success of the teams involved in the entire investment is that there is no need to return to the previous stages. Closing individual parts also gives a very good psychological perception of closing individual tasks without the need to modify the information already generated. What in the case of using BIM is a very difficult and time-consuming task, especially in the later stages of work.

Sources:

[1] pixabay.com

[2] RIBA Plan of Work 2020 - architecture.com - https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-landing-page/riba-plan-of-work#available-resources