The new application responds directly to the objectives of the construction Sector Deal, announced last year, which set out to transform the overall productivity of the industry to the benefit of the wider economy.

Watch the video below to discover the full benefits of Frame©:

 

The construction sector is one of the largest industries in the UK representing around 6% of gross domestic product and the government is keen to promote better adoption of digital and manufacturing technologies in order to achieve its aim of reducing costs, timelines and greenhouse gas emissions linked to the creation of the built environment.

Richard Steer, Chairman of Gleeds Worldwide, said: “A staggering one third of UK companies have seen little or no productivity increase since the year 2000 according to a Bank of England survey. For the best part of a decade our productivity growth has been consistently weaker than at any point since 1965 and as a result each of us is on average 1/5th poorer today than we would be if productivity had continued at its previous rate.

A major reason for this is our failure to invest in new technology so Gleeds is proud to have developed Frame© in a bid to make the construction process more transparent, whilst reducing the costs of building. To incentivise others in the industry we have offered it as a pro bono option for over 100 firms, from contractors to architects, and it will now be rolled out across the built environment,” he went on to add. 

Frame©’s primary function is to support all members of a construction project team in delivering the benefits of BIM Level 2, including reduction of risk, better cost management and the more accurate projection of timelines. With a focus on collaboration, Frame© provides an easy to follow narrative around what BIM Level 2 is, what the processes are, and when they should be implemented, as well as holding an extensive suite of templates and guidance based on Gleeds’ expertise.


Paul Hill, BIM specialist at professional services firm Arup, reviewed the beta version of the Frame© application and is an advocate for programmes of its type. He said: “An app like Frame© gives us much greater clarity of the BIM process and its roles and responsibilities, providing an exceptional level of detail around what has been and what needs to be delivered over the life cycle of a project. As a result, we would be able to reduce the risks associated with a scheme”.

Accessed via desktop or mobile, the developers advocate Frame© as representing a fundamental step change in the way buildings are constructed and maintained, helping to improve productivity through enhanced transparency and supply chain connectivity. Gleeds argues that it is one of the first substantive technology-based responses to the government sponsored Farmer Report, which implored those who work in the built environment to “modernise or die”.

Co-sponsored by the British Chamber of Commerce and hosted by Norman Lamb MP, chair of the science and technology select committee, the event brought together representatives from some of the biggest businesses in construction and architecture to showcase the digital innovations helping the industry to reach its full potential.

Gleeds was joined by other businesses from the industry who took the opportunity to demonstrate the steps they are taking to address the issue of stagnating productivity, including Paul Miles and Ken Shuttleworth from renowned architectural practice, Make and Mark Goldspink from Purcell, both of whom demonstrated the latest in design related technology.

Stuart Senior, director and executive board member at Gleeds, heading up the development of Frame©, concluded: “In spite of some improvements it is still true that over half of all construction projects currently cost more and take longer than they should. Construction is the second least digitalised industry in the UK so with the advent of BIM technology we want to reimagine project delivery, harnessing the power of our independent thinking to pioneer new tools and initiatives.

We are incredibly proud to be announcing the official launch of Frame© while taking the opportunity to showcase the work others are doing to deliver innovative digital solutions to the problem of productivity in construction” he said. 

For more information, or to register for the Frame© application visit FrameBIM.com and create an account.

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Julian Barlow

Julian Barlow
PR Consultant