Building information modelling – moving Crossrail, UK, forward

The data management foundations for the Crossrail railway project in London, UK were established in 2007, a full 4 years before the UK government construction strategy (GCS) paper which required all major UK government construction projects to be fully working in collaborative three-dimensional building information modelling, with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic, by 2016. Building on lessons learned from predecessor projects such as High Speed 1, Crossrail's approach to technical information was founded on similar principles to those outlined by the UK government consturction strategy. This project is notable for being the first major European project to use a BS 1192 collaborative working environment with a fully 3D model-based design. This paper provides an overview of the journey taken by Crossrail in setting up its technical information foundation and how this aligns to the subsequent emerging requirements set out by the UK government consturction strategy. Furthermore it outlines how Crossrail has adapted and refined its approach in the light of the strategy and provides lessons learned to date for wider use by the industry.