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Sir Robert McAlpine Leverages iConstruct™ for Greater Efficiency in Large Construction Projects

In its 155-year history, Sir Robert McAlpine has worked on some of Britain’s most iconic landmarks, from the restoration of Big Ben to the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.  
 
To drive greater levels of automation in such large and complex projects, the company has adopted iConstruct and achieved significant efficiency gains. 

A Need for Greater Integration and Automation 

The company constantly seeks to innovate and enhance its existing technology. In the past decades, it has been at the forefront of adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM) to mitigate risk and deliver better results, for example. 

To build on this approach, the digital construction team conducted a comprehensive review of the software ecosystem six years ago to identify overlaps, gaps and blockers in existing workflows. 

The review highlighted the potential for greater integration and automation. "We began to see that there was a missing piece in our existing toolset to enhance tools like Autodesk Navisworks and bring efficiencies in our day-to-day activities, such as clash detection," explains Nick Leach, Digital Construction Director at Sir Robert McAlpine. The company also aimed to meet evolving client requirements for file formats and deliverables. 

Why iConstruct Was the Right Fit 

To address these needs, iConstruct emerged as the perfect fit.  

A key factor in its favor was its ability to deliver immediate impact. Unlike tools that require overhauling existing workflows, iConstruct integrates seamlessly into platforms like Autodesk Navisworks and delivers rapid results. "Both myself and some members of the team had used iConstruct in the past. We didn’t need to create a pilot—we knew what we were getting," Nick Leach explains. 

One of iConstruct’s main benefits is automating repetitive tasks that would otherwise consume valuable time. Engineers, for instance, now run clash coordination workflows overnight instead of manually during work hours. This not only frees up resources but also enables the team to focus on resolving issues rather than managing data. 

Crucial Capabilities for Large and Complex Projects 

Another standout feature is iConstruct’s ability to handle large datasets efficiently—a critical capability on massive projects. "Some of the projects we work on, such as the Battersea Power Station, will have more than 300 model files. They take up a lot of space and memory, so the possibility to handle them and have work automated outside of working hours is a big benefit for us," Nick Leach notes. 

iConstruct also excels at automating the federation of models and exporting them into various formats like IFC and DWG. This capability helps fulfill contractual deliverables, especially when clients require specific file formats that aren’t natively supported by other platforms. "iConstruct’s ability to create a federated model and then export it as one IFC file has been quite powerful for us," says Nick Leach. 

Beyond these core functions, iConstruct offers advanced tools for importing external information, creating links to various file types and adding or modifying custom data within models. 

Consistency Across Projects 

Today, iConstruct is part of the company’s core digital toolkit. Its consistent use helps reduce onboarding time and ensures smoother workflows. "People frequently move between projects and might not always stay for the full duration of a project. If we utilize similar tools across projects and have this core technology toolkit, it significantly simplifies everyone’s tasks. Whether you’re transitioning from a healthcare project to a commercial office building, you’re dealing with familiar platforms and workflows," Nick Leach explains. 

In the future, Nick Leach sees digital solutions like iConstruct as central to managing growing competitive pressures. "We’re always looking for ways to gain better efficiency. As an industry, construction is becoming a tougher place, with a lot of factors impacting project delivery, and technology certainly plays a pivotal role in alleviating those stresses that we have."

To know more about how iConstruct helped the company achieve efficient results, read the full case study here.