Building Information Modelling (BIM) is playing a pioneering role in the realisation by Interserve of three new facilities for West Yorkshire Police in Wakefield and Leeds.
The police service is an enthusiastic advocate of the use of BIM by the international support services and construction group for the project. The facilities include two new divisional headquarters with associated custody facilities for Leeds and Wakefield Divisions, and a new Specialist Operational Training Centre at Carr Gate, Wakefield where the Operational Support Division is based. All are to be delivered to a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Expected to be categorised as BIM Level 2, there are a number of areas in which the way BIM is being used on the scheme is proving to be ground-breaking. Jacobs Engineering Group has produced just one integrated BIM model for each of the three facilities. This approach is unusual: projects usually incorporate a model each for architectural input, M&E input and engineering input, which are then combined. This integrated BIM model approach was made possible thanks to Interserve's decision to use Jacobs as a 'one stop shop'.
The scheme has seen Jacobs working with Autodesk to develop the capabilities of Autodesk Revit software in order to accommodate certain requirements of the project. For example, an application of Autodesk Revit was developed in order to produce automated room elevations. Jacobs is in fact using the West Yorkshire Police scheme as an example of BIM best practice.
Another example of a revolutionary approach to the use of BIM for this scheme lies in how it facilitates the close integration of construction processes with facilities management services right from the start. This means that looking at the lifecycle costs of the buildings as opposed to just the build costs is far easier. Even a detail such as the use of LED lights in the buildings' car parks in order to reduce long-term maintenance costs can be included. BIM on this scheme is allowing Interserve's Construction and Support Services divisions to work in partnership, sharing information at every stage of the build whose detail is unprecedented.
(CD/JP)
Construction News
20/11/2013
BIM Plays Important Role In Interserve's New Facilities

09/07/2025
Network Space Developments has formally submitted an outline planning application to redevelop the former Cadent Gas Works site on Winwick Road, just north of Warrington town centre.
The plans propose up to 100,000 sq ft of high-quality employment space, intended to accommodate a range of industria

09/07/2025
The City of London Corporation has granted planning permission for two major high-rise schemes at opposite ends of the City's historic skyscraper cluster, reinforcing the Square Mile’s reputation as a global business and cultural hub.
The approved projects, a 45-storey tower at 63 St Mary's Axe and

09/07/2025
Construction firm Kier has signed a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) with global healthcare company Haleon to deliver a state-of-the-art Oral Health Innovation Hub in Weybridge, Surrey.
The landmark project, announced by the UK Government during its International Investment Summit, will p

09/07/2025
One of the UK's largest housebuilders, Persimmon Homes Severn Valley, has submitted detailed proposals for the construction of 562 new homes in Cribbs Causeway, as part of the next phase of its major Fishpool Hill development near Bristol.
The latest reserved matters applications cover phase two of

09/07/2025
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has reached a significant milestone, following five consecutive weekends of intensive engineering work between Leeds and York to advance electrification of the line.
As part of the ongoing upgrades, engineers have now installed 7.5 kilometres of overhead line eq

09/07/2025
Plans to transform the Teviot Estate in Poplar have reached a major milestone, with Tower Hamlets Council granting a resolution to approve the £800 million redevelopment at its Strategic Development Committee meeting on Tuesday, 8 July.
The Hill Group and housing association Poplar HARCA are leadin

09/07/2025
Wates has joined Stepnell, Morgan Sindall, Kier, and BAM as a Gold Corporate Partner of the Centre for Construction Best Practice (CCBP), marking a major milestone in efforts to improve collaboration, innovation, and delivery standards across the UK construction sector.
The five major contractors a

09/07/2025
Roger Bullivant Limited (RBL) has been appointed by main contractor McLaren to carry out piling works for a new Boxing Academy and school development in Hackney, East London.
The high-profile project, commissioned by the Department for Education and the Boxing Academy Trust, will transform an unfin

09/07/2025
Key redevelopment projects at Central Library and Peterscourt, part of the wider Vine Towns Fund initiative, are set to move forward as Cabinet prepares to review an update and approve contracts at a meeting on 15 July.
The update outlines the final phase of the £25 million Vine project, which is p

09/07/2025
Seven of the UK's largest housebuilders have offered a combined £100 million settlement in response to a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into alleged information sharing practices that raised competition concerns.
The CMA launched the probe last year amid suspicions that Barra