Skanska is a major global construction company that is driving faster design work in projects, while incorporating ever greater sustainability data to make better decisions.

The construction sector has a labour intensive approach to estimating the carbon/cost balance of building and infrastructure designs. Typically, cost and carbon are assessed manually from completed drawn-designs. Further input may also be required from costing experts to estimate takeoffs (the cost of construction materials) - all before going back through the design lifecycle. This can lead to delays and cost inflation for projects. This state doesn't work for anyone but is accepted as the norm.

Pre-construction time and costs will be lower through AI-automated calculations during the BIM process. This extra data layer adds a further dimension to BIM being used for project planning and is considered to be 5D BIM. Carbon emissions and environmental impacts of construction can be visualised, measured and compared as the design is worked on, resulting in the design of a more environmentally-friendly solution.

The cross-sector innovation partnership, i3P identified the importance of being able to accurately estimate cost and carbon together at the early design stages of a project. Two members, Skanska and Mott MacDonald took the project forward to see how this challenge could be solved.

The partnership formed to develop the AI-enabled Automated Cost and Carbon Estimating (AACE), a software solution that could be integrated with BIM. They committed to trialing AACE on HS2.

The current process for estimating cost and carbon for designs involves manually working with a 3D drawing. Automating this process would speed up decision making during the design process.

To be able to deliver a better solution to estimating cost and carbon at design stage, the partnership developed a standard data structure and mapping methodology. AACE enables an automated quantity take-off from Uniclass to Standard Methods of Measurement (MoM) in cost planning. The data structure is then mapped to Building Information Modelling (BIM), leading to shorter pre-construction phases, reduced project management costs, greater visibility of carbon emissions and overall improved cost & carbon control. AACE will deliver:

• Development of a software solution to automate take-offs from the BIM model using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• An information workflow that enables the efficient use of BIM models in a process of project take-offs for cost and carbon planning and estimation
• Deployment of a comprehensive and standardised approach to whole life cost and carbon estimation

The AACE project consortium consists of:

• Skanska - Cost and carbon estimating technical specialists
• Nomitech - SME and provider of 5D BIM software and development
• Mott MacDonald - BIM authoring and developing standardised libraries
• MTC - Expertise in developing and implementing AI solutions
• HS2 - Infrastructure owner providing a demonstrator environment and route to market
• RICS - professional body responsible for setting and regulating standards in surveying. It has an extensive experience in production and distribution of cost and carbon libraries The best practice guidelines and standardised libraries will be openly shared to commercial and carbon estimating specialists through RICS.

• HS2
• MTC
• Mott MacDonald
• Nomitech
• RICS
• Skanska

i3P and Construction Innovation Hub supported the programme and will help ensure the AACE outputs are disseminated to the wider construction industry.

AACE will help visualise, measure and compare carbon and cost as the design is worked on. It will reduce time and cost at design stage, creating greater efficiencies and productivity. By helping visualise, measure and compare the carbon emissions and environmental impacts of construction, it will lead to more environmentally-friendly buildings.

AACE will make the calculation of carbon and cost quicker for designers, allowing them to more accurately and efficiently visualise, measure and compare the environmental impacts of the buildings they design.

AACE will deliver:

• Development of a software solution to automate take-offs from the BIM model using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• An information workflow that enables the efficient use of BIM models in a process of project take-offs for cost and carbon planning and estimation
• Deployment of a comprehensive and standardised approach to whole life cost and carbon estimation

The aim in deploying the tool is to reduce embodied carbon by 30% and operational carbon by 10%. Skanska estimates that these improved data flows and working practices will significantly reduce project pre-construction and constructions costs by c.13% across the delivery life-cycle. Skanska expects the toolkit to deliver cost savings of c.£2.4m per year for them which, if extrapolated across the UK construction sector, represents a £2.5bn annual saving.

Cost
Skanska estimates that these improved data flows and working practices will significantly reduce project pre-construction and constructions costs by c.13% across the delivery life-cycle. Skanska expects the toolkit to deliver cost savings of c.£2.4m per year for them which, if extrapolated across the UK construction sector, represents a £2.5bn annual saving.

Emissions
The aim in deploying the tool is to reduce embodied carbon by 30% and operational carbon by 10%.

Time
Use of the toolkit dramatically cuts design time.

UKRI case study
Skanska case study, 14 December 2020
HS2 case study, 14 September 2020