In order to witness real, constructive progress in South African infrastructure, government needs to overhaul its approach to public sector projects.
This is according to Richard Smedley-Williams, regional director for WorldsView for Southern Africa, who writes: “Until South Africans stop using the same tools and methods,we will continue to experience the same problems. This is especially applicable to low-cost housing, where short-term, low cost solutions have resulted in structures that those living below the breadline cannot afford to maintain.
“Through mandating a more collaborative approach to projects that South Africa will see better quality design, less wastage, and projects that finish on time. To the architectural industry at large, this approach is defined as Building Information Modelling (BIM).
“BIM refers to the philosophy in which architects, engineers, and technical service providers all work together on one platform in real time, adding relevant building information and data to the digital model and thereby visualising the projected requirements and impact of a building before construction takes place. If such an approach was mandated by government, there would be one uniform way of submitting and receiving approval for building projects that would include all necessary data and information.
“There is a common misconception that the cost to implement BIM is high. However, it is the low-cost projects and those who fall in the lower income bracket who would benefit the most from BIM’s ability to model buildings before construction.
“In a South African context, government could use the intelligence derived from BIM to roll out low cost housing that is sustainable in the long term. Currently low-cost structures can cost a lot to maintain; to heat in winter or to cool in summer. Even those that make use of solar-power geysers have drawbacks in that there is no consideration for the water source for this housing.
“If government mandated BIM, it could roll out cleverly designed low-cost housing with sustainable insulation. This would, in turn, lessen the use of paraffin (and the fires it causes) or asbestos (and the illnesses it results in).
“The successful results of this method have already been experienced by our international peers.
“Singapore, for example, aims to implement the fastest building permitting system in the world. To this end, it has devised a BIM e-submission system which streamlines the process for regulatory submission. Project teams only need to submit one building model, which contains all of the information needed to meet the requirements of a regulatory agency.
“In the UK, government’s overarching aim in the construction industry is to reduce the cost of municipal construction projects by 20% and to reduce the UK’s carbon intensity in line with its European Union (EU) carbon commitments.
To reach this goal, the UK government has undertaken several targeted steps, one of which is a commitment to BIM in government projects over a five year time frame, and mandating BIM from 2016 onwards.
“This is not to say that BIM has not been adopted at all in South Africa. A fair amount of private firms can be considered leaders in BIM, and some factions of South African government have already adopted the philosophy. For example, the Department of Environmental Affairs recently used BIM in the construction of its headquarters, which incorporates design, construction and operational practices that will significantly reduce or eliminate any negative impact on the environment and the buildings occupants.
“Still, while small pockets begin to shift, there is a long way to go. South Africa has no vocalised 20/20 vision for infrastructure; public project delivery takes longer than necessary and the time it takes for those implementing the project to get paid takes even longer. While government spend could be effectively allocated to address urgent needs, there are often instances in which local municipalities are giving money back to governments.
“With targeted infrastructure spend and the mandating of a process that allows all public and private sector parties to work together effectively, South Africans can use design for what it is meant to do: solve problems.”
