Innovative 3D Printed Model helps win major bid

Galliford Try North West win Castlebrook High School Build, by integrating 3D printed model into part of team presentations

Challenge

Galliford Try is a leading construction company, carrying out building and infrastructure works across the UK. The North West regional base, located in Warrington, was bidding to the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to deliver the build of Castlebrook High School. This school is being rebuilt as part of the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s ‘Priority School Building Programme’, which focuses on improving the schools in the worst condition across the country.  As such, this project was being used as a sample scheme, with the successful winner securing the build of all the “Northwest A Batch” buildings, valued at £32 million.

Galliford Try were in a bidding competition against another major contractor.  There was a large team of stakeholders working on this bid and they had identified that various technical solutions needed to be communicated to the ESFA during various engagement meetings.  This included the construction phases and the building design. They approached Hobs 3D to be the communication consultants for the bid, to help interpret and explain the complex information to the wide range of stakeholders.

Hobs joined the existing bid team which included AHR (architects), GVA (town planning consultants), Cundall (traffic and transport, noise, flood risk and drainage, ground condition, and structures), Hoare Lea (mechanical electrical & utilities), Novatia (ICT specialists), and Space Zero (FF&E specialists).

Key Challenges

• Conveying complex information
• Stakeholders have various knowledge-levels
• A large building with multiple internal uses

Solution

Hobs 3D suggested creating a large 3D printed model of the site, which would have interactive elements.  The base would have specifically shaped holes in it and into these would sit ‘plugs’ of the buildings at various stages of the build program.

At the start of the presentation the ‘plugs’ in the scale model showed the existing site and the surrounding area, which the team used to describe the various challenges faced. The model plugs were then updated, in the order of the build process, as the team described the timeline and cost savings. By the end of the process, the final ‘plugs’ showed the completed proposed building within the same context area.

Hobs 3D also printed an ‘exploding’ model of the proposed building, at a much larger size. This model separated into layers to highlight the intricate details within the proposed solution design.

The Result

Gary Thorogood, Project Manager for Galliford Try stated: “In the competition environment the model provided us with confidence throughout the process. It formed an excellent focal point at all client engagement meetings. Hobs were on hand as part of the delivery team and worked around the clock to deliver against particularly tight time constraints.  We were extremely pleased with the result.”

Galliford Try were successful in winning the “Northwest A Batch” buildings. The ESFA were delighted with the design of the sample scheme, which afford some excellent teaching facilities. The 3D printed model assisted in the competition and gave client stakeholders a better understanding of the project. The visual depiction saved time and provided extra clarity in the presentation. This has created an excellent bench mark for future similar schemes.