Building Information Modelling (BIM) is revolutionising the way buildings and infrastructure are designed, constructed, and managed. It’s a service that Rossi Long has offered to our clients for many years helping to boost productivity and enhance coordination.
We caught up with our BIM Manager, to find out all about this area of engineering.
What is BIM?
BIM, which stands for Building Information Modelling, is a digital tool that represents a building or infrastructure project.
It brings together architectural, engineering, and construction data, allowing us to create a detailed 3D model. BIM provides a complete and accurate view of the design, construction, and operation stages of a project.
Why is BIM such a valuable tool in construction and engineering?
There are four main reasons why it’s such a usual tool in designing buildings and infrastructure.
BIM allows us to collaborate with other designers and project stakeholders (architects, mechanical engineers, specialist designers, contractors and clients) to share model information on a regular basis throughout the project. By sharing the model throughout the project, it helps reduce misunderstandings and errors, leading to a more efficient workflow.
BIM allows for more detailed and accurate design and planning. Together with the design team, we can visualise the project in 3D, identify potential conflicts early on. This allows for better decision-making regarding materials, systems, and construction methods.
BIM helps us transfer design data seamlessly between analysis software and BIM tools like Autodesk Revit. This leads to more accurate, optimised designs that can adapt to changes as they occur.
BIM provides a shared platform where all stakeholders work on the same model, ensuring everyone uses the most up-to-date information. This greatly improves communication and helps resolve design conflicts early on. By visualising the project in 3D, it's easier to discuss design changes, identify potential issues, and resolve clashes.
How does BIM benefit the Project Team?
BIM is an incredibly useful tool for understanding and visualising the structure as the design evolves. It also enhances collaboration by allowing for early design efficiencies to be explored in more detail.
Initially, Rossi Long used BIM to increase productivity by speeding up the drawing process and integrating 3D models with structural analysis software. Now, even if BIM isn’t a project requirement, we use it to create 3D structural building models for most of our medium and large projects, as well as for more complex small projects.
Over the last year, we have provided engineering support for several largescale, high-profile projects. Each of these schemes has reaped the benefits of BIM during both the design and construction phase.
How does BIM help with sustainable construction?
With the close integration of our design software to our building models, we can deliver the efficient designs that meet our clients’ needs. Additionally, we have also been able to quickly evaluate our design options to establish the most sustainable choices based on their embodied carbon using carbon calculation tools embedded within the software platforms.
How is Rossi Long using technology like AR and AI within BIM?
The primary BIM authoring software that we use is Autodesk Revit which has the advantage of seamlessly integrating with Augmented reality (AR).
Once a model is created in Revit, it can be exported to AR devices like smartphones or tablets, allowing users to see how the design will look on-site or even view to walk around the building during construction.
We’re still at an early stage with AI which will no doubt change the way we work in the coming years. AI tools are already being used for tasks such as carbon analysis, advanced image rendering, and converting 2D plans into 3D models, and we’re excited to see how this technology will shape the future.
What skills and training are needed to effectively use BIM
Becoming an expert in BIM, to the point where you’re capable of handling complex projects and staying up to date with industry trends, can take several years of dedicated learning and practical experience.
Effective BIM users need strong communication skills for coordinating with project teams and solving issues, attention to detail to ensure model accuracy, and problem-solving abilities. A solid understanding of computer hardware and software is also essential for operating BIM tools and troubleshooting technical issues.
A background in civil or structural engineering is beneficial, and if you want to expand your knowledge further, a HNC or equivalent qualification in civil engineering deepen your expertise.
What training/resources does Rossi Long offer to keep staff up to date with the latest changes and trends?
At Rossi Long, we regularly assess the training needs of our team, recognising that everyone’s BIM skills and experience vary.
In-house, we provide regular technical BIM forums to knowledge share and learn best practices and we’re also subscribed to a CAD Learning platform which gives the opportunity for independent learning and growth.
We also offer staff regular training opportunities from our software supplier and share knowledge across the team from internet-based sources.
What does the future hold for BIM?
AI and machine learning, which can automate tasks and provide predictive analytics, is definitely one to watch. Virtual Reality (VR) will also play a significant role, enabling real-time collaboration and immersive design experiences.
BIM will continue to be crucial for construction management, with applications in construction sequencing, prefabrication, and modular construction. It’ll be essential for sustainable design and building performance, as it allows for energy modelling and lifecycle assessment. Digital twins, virtual replicas of physical assets, will enable real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
We'll be staying informed about these trends and preparing for future challenges through continuous training and evaluation of new software solutions so we can effectively leverage BIM and contribute to successful projects.
Rossi Long is committed to staying at the forefront of these trends, continuously training our team and exploring new technologies to ensure we effectively leverage BIM and contribute to successful projects.
Supporting charities and giving something back to our communities is something we are proud of. That is why each year, we have chosen to commit to a nominated charity by taking part in various fundraising initiatives.
Once again, our Charity of the Year has been nominated by our staff, giving them an opportunity to select a cause which means something to them.
This year, we are thrilled to announce that we will be supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK. This fantastic charity helps anyone affected by pancreatic cancer, from patients to their loved ones across the UK. They do this through research breakthroughs, campaigning and expert support. Because people with pancreatic cancer need more than hope. Their vision is that everyone with pancreatic cancer survives to live long and well.
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer with more than half of people diagnosed dying within three months. Around 10,500 people a year are diagnosed with the disease in the UK, but it has the lowest cancer survival rate with around 9,000 dying every year.
Throughout the year, our staff will be joining in with a variety of activities to help raise vital funds for the charity. From bake-offs to photography competitions, “wear a hat day” to a pizza lunch, we have lots planned. We also are in the early stages of planning our big charity fundraiser for the year, and we will share more soon.
We are looking forward to working with Pancreatic Cancer UK and their aim to make a difference in the fight against this devastating disease.
To learn more about this brilliant charity and the work they do, visit their website.
Last year we announced that we would support the pregnancy loss charity, TimeNorfolk, as our charity of the year for 2024. TimeNorfolk provides wellbeing support to anyone in Norfolk and Waveney who experiences mental health challenges due to pregnancy loss.
We are proud to have raised vital funds for this all-important charity through various fundraising activities throughout the year. Our biggest event was our Wherryman’s Way Walking Challenge, which saw a group of the Rossi Long team battling the exhausting heat during one of the hottest days of the year to walk over 23 miles in around 9 ½ hours. We were thrilled to have raised an incredible £2,000 in aid of TimeNorfolk alone for this event alone.
In September, Senior Structural Engineer Tom Purchase took to the streets of Norwich to run alongside 6,940 other participants to complete this year’s Run Norwich. We’ve also organised plenty of smaller events in the office, which have included Fish and Chips Day where staff traded in their usual lunch money as a donation for a meal from the local chippy, a photography competition, guess the number of sweets in a jar, a Christmas bake sale with a competition for the best-decorated cake and a Christmas clothing day where staff could get festive in any Christmas attire they fancied.
We have had a terrific time raising money in aid of TimeNorfolk and we’re thrilled to announce our final fundraising total – £2,420! A huge thank you to all our staff for going the extra mile to achieve this total and to everyone who contributed and supported our efforts.
Looking ahead, we’re looking forward to supporting another important charity throughout 2025.
Traditional construction practices often have a heavy environmental toll including high energy consumption, carbon emissions, and habitat destruction.
While it is widely acknowledged that the world faces unprecedented challenges in protecting the environment related to climate change and resource depletion, other environmental stressors and the value of rare and unique habitats are becoming more apparent. As more aspects of the environment prove to be under stress, adopting sustainability solutions, including the principle of Nutrient Neutrality in construction and civil engineering, becomes increasingly imperative.
In March 2022, Natural England (on behalf of the Government) wrote to the Local Planning Authority and County Council Chief Executives and Heads of Planning, as well as several other local and national governmental bodies. They outlined new requirements for the approval of new development, designed to ensure that some of the most important wildlife sites in England do not experience any further adverse effects caused by nutrients entering the environment in the construction of new development.
While this advice focuses on development that includes new overnight accommodation, which is predominantly new housing, the ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU (known as the Dutch Case), also prompted the Government to introduce other measures. The new measures aim to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the environment, leading to deterioration in the condition of designated environmental sites.
What is Nutrient Neutrality?
Nutrient Neutrality is the term used to describe the scenario where the nutrient output (which is measured in total phosphorous and total nitrogen) of a development has been limited to the level that existed prior to development. This is achieved by introducing measures to capture nutrients on-site or by offsetting by reducing the level of nutrients discharged from other sources.
The excess of nutrients affecting designated environmental sites is caused by several factors, including planned and unplanned release of treated and untreated sewage from the existing population and agricultural run-off. It also comprises the construction of new housing development and its contribution through the change in land use and the influx of new population.
Additional population from new residential development increases the volume of phosphorus and nitrogen passing through sewage treatment works. These nutrients, while required for any ecosystem to survive, in excess can encourage the disproportionate growth of algae and other microorganisms (i.e. algal blooms). This is a process known as eutrophication that leads to the reduction in available oxygen which can be devastating for sensitive aquatic species and ecosystems.
Norfolk and Nutrient Neutrality
Many ecologically valuable sites and species in England are identified and designated under a European Directive known as the Habitats Directive. Subsequently, these and the areas that support them, are designated under various UK regulations as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
Norfolk contains many SACs; some of which are chosen based on their aquatic habitats, such as those found in the Broads and the River Wensum (a chalk-fed oolite river channel). Local Planning Authorities cannot approve developments incorporating new overnight accommodation within these SACs if the development would increase the amount of nutrients entering the SAC.
In Norfolk, a consortium of local authorities has formed a company called Norfolk Environmental Credits to help developments achieve Nutrient Neutrality using credits. Developers may have the option to purchase credits generated from these types of solutions to offset the impact of their development or to implement some of these solutions themselves.
Other options for offsetting nutrient production include replacing heavily polluting septic tanks with less polluting treatment options, introducing water-saving measures into new and existing accommodation and enhancing water recycling infrastructure such as sewage treatment works.
Whichever option is used, the mitigation must result in no net increase in nutrients entering the environment for the lifetime of the development. They must be robustly evidenced and secured before a decision notice being issued by the Local Planning Authority.
A consortium of Norfolk Local Planning Authorities and Anglia Water has formed a not-for-profit company producing nutrient credits called Norfolk Environmental Credits Ltd (NEC). They have already completed a mitigation project involving the removal of livestock from some areas of land at Markshall Farm, next to the A47 south of Norwich. This project has allowed a significant number of housing projects to move forward. In addition, the Nutrient Mitigation Fund – Norfolk was recently launched, which offers £200,000 grants and is backed by a fund of £9.3M to help potential new entrants to the credit market develop solutions.
Our Experience
Many of our clients have faced their projects being delayed due to the introduction of the requirement to demonstrate Nutrient Neutrality.
Our team of experienced civil engineers at Rossi Long Consulting regularly works with developers to help them address the significant challenges arising from the introduction of the new measure. We can provide clients with either the evidence base required to obtain nutrient credits and allow their projects to proceed or with engineered solutions where credits are not viable.
By exploring innovative solutions with other stakeholders and regulatory bodies, we are also able to assist clients who are seeking an alternative resolution where neither of these are an option.
To continue to expand our expertise in this new and rapidly evolving field, we work closely with Local Planning Authorities, Water Companies, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Norfolk Environmental Credits and various other stakeholders. The knowledge and experience we have gained over the last two years since Natural England advised of the requirement to achieve Nutrient Neutrality, and the relationships we have built with key stakeholders, makes us ideally placed to assist clients with finding the right Nutrient Neutrality solution.
We are pleased to announce that we have been appointed by East Suffolk Council to assist with the planning application for the regeneration of two brownfield sites in the area of Kirkley Waterfront, Lowestoft.
Following a competitive tendering submission, we were confirmed as the selected engineers to provide engineering consultancy for remediation works, and a comprehensive hybrid planning application for the sites.
The two sites that are being considered for redevelopment are the former Sanyo and Survitec sites which cover 8 hectares in total. The redevelopment forms part of the wider Kirkley Waterfront and Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood (SUN) plan which is in the early stages of planning to develop the Lowestoft Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Areas into a mixed-use development.
Image courtesy of East Suffolk Council
On Saturday 29th June, 13 members of the Rossi Long team donned their hiking boots to step up to the challenge of walking 20-miles in aid of the pregnancy loss charity, TimeNorfolk.
Setting off bright and early at 8.30 am, the route took them along the picturesque path from Reedham to Bramerton, along a mixture of county roads, and nettle and grass-lined tracks. With a few breaks along the way to recharge, the team made it to the finishing line having walked an extra few miles to what was planned, resulting in the walk being almost 23-miles, taking an incredible 9 1/2 hours.
Although exhausted, those who crossed the finish line were thrilled to have completed the walk and immensely proud for raising money for this all-important charity.
TimeNorfolk is Rossi Long Consulting’s chosen charity of the year and, to raise money and awareness for the charity, we have organised several events including our biggest fundraiser, our Wherryman’s Way Walking Challenge. We’re excited to announce we have raised over a staggering £2,000 to date for our walk and are so thankful to those who have supported us on this mission.
The charity provides wellbeing support to anyone in Norfolk and Waveney who experiences mental health challenges due to pregnancy loss at any stage, baby loss or pregnancy choices.
Please visit our JustGiving Page if you would like to make a donation.
Rossi Long Consulting is thrilled to announce two award wins at this year’s Norfolk Constructing Excellence Awards. This follows on from the awards received last year for Project of the Year and Innovation Awards for Oxburgh Hall.
Our exceptional engineering consultancy on the community-focused Priscilla Bacon Lodge project was recognised with a win for the LSI Architect’s led design team in the Project of the Year category.
We were also honoured to be part of the team that received Residential Project of the Year which included our outstanding civil and structural engineering contributions to the Bowers Green, Hopton, housing development.
Further projects that our team of skilled engineers undertook throughout the last year received award nominations. The Big School East Wing Refurbishment at Gresham's School was shortlisted in the Delivering Value category and two projects, Feilden House and Royal West Norfolk Golf Club competed in the Regeneration and Retrofit categories.
Receiving these awards and nominations is a real demonstration of our unwavering commitment, dedication and expertise in delivering top-tier engineering solutions across a range of sectors. We are immensely proud to be integral members of the teams behind these remarkable projects and are pleased to see their invaluable contributions to the local community recognised.
Supporting charities and giving back to the local community is something we're proud to do as a company.
In 2024, we have decided to support a charity throughout the year with the aim of raising as much money as possible through various fun activities.
We are delighted to announce that this year’s nominated charity is TimeNorfolk, The Pregnancy Loss Charity. This all-important charity was voted for by our staff and is close to the hearts of many in our office.
TimeNorfolk provides wellbeing support to anyone in Norfolk and Waveney who experiences mental health challenges due to pregnancy loss at any stage, baby loss or pregnancy choices.
We already have loads of fundraising initiatives planned for the year, including our big event, our Wherryman’s Way Walking challenge! Staff will be setting out on June 29th to hike 20 miles along Wherryman’s Way between Norwich and Great Yarmouth in aid of TimeNorfolk.
We will be raising money via our Just Giving page and would be extremely grateful of your donations, support and encouragement before, during and after the event.
Visit TimeNorfolk’s website for more information on the brilliant work this charity offers to those dealing with the pain and trauma of pregnancy loss.
Registered charity number: 1157905
Sustainable Engineering and GGBS
In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable construction practices, Engineers are constantly seeking solutions to reduce the environmental impact of building materials.
One such solution that has been used since the nineteenth century due to its ability to improve concrete’s durability is Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS). GGBS, a by-product from the blast furnaces used to make iron and steel, possesses unique properties that can enhance the performance of concrete while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Concrete in Construction
Concrete is the most widely used construction material globally; in the UK alone, it is estimated that around 37.5 million cubic metres are used in the construction industry each year. However, concrete has long been associated with significant carbon emissions during its production. The process of manufacturing traditional Portland cement, a key component of concrete, releases substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Using GGBS to Reduce Carbon Emissions
One of the primary advantages of GGBS is its ability to replace a portion of the cement content in concrete mixes, leading to a decrease in overall carbon emissions. By replacing a percentage of cement with GGBS, Engineers can achieve concrete mixes with improved durability, reduced heat of hydration, and enhanced resistance to aggressive environments.
GGBS - a Limited Resource
However, a recent paper from the Institution of Structural Engineers highlights that GGBS is in fact a limited resource and has almost been fully exploited around the world. Although global supplies should continue to be utilised where technically needed, such as for durability or for temperature and crack control, beyond these alternative options should be considered.
If other cement substitutes are available locally these should be used in place of GGBS. With the introduction of the new British Standards for Concrete (BS8500-1:2023 and BS8500-2:2023) in November 2023, the range of low carbon options permitted has increased to aid with optimising the use of GGBS and to enable GGBS to be primarily used where required for technical reasons. The most significant change to the Standards has been the introduction of the use of multi-component cements, also known as Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). As an example, GGBS and limestone or pulverised fly ash and limestone can be used in combination with a cement replacement. The revised BS8500 now permits up to 65% cement replacement, whereas with the previous standards this was limited to 35%.
Further research is also being carried out into the use of alternative materials such as calcined clay. This could mean that future updates to British Standards allows for additional options to reduce the cement content of concrete, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.
Our Approach
As Engineers we fully understand our role in helping to reduce the impact of Portland cement in construction.
When presented with a project, we will assess whether GGBS is required for technical reasons or if there are alternative concrete mixes that can be provided. By having an in-depth understanding of the latest British Standards, we are up-to-date on the current alternative concrete mixes that are available to best inform our clients of how the carbon emissions associated with concrete can be reduced.
A new 23-home housing development, where we have been providing Civil and Structural Engineering support, is nearing completion. Manor Green, located in the South Norfolk village of Hales, has been hailed a Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) success. The SuDS has been designed and approved through the Section 38 process to the satisfaction of Norfolk County Council Highways and LLFA Departments.
What are SuDS?
SuDS are a solution within construction to allow natural drainage and encourage infiltration of surface water to help prevent flooding and pollution risks that can arise from urban run-off.
Often swales and filter strips are incorporated in SuDS design which can be covered by grass or other natural coverings such as wildflowers to allow for an eco-friendly solution. The filter strips remove silt found within the water before it reaches the swale to prevent it from clogging up. Swales are shallow channels that allow for water to be collected before it filters through to the ground underneath.
SuDS at Manor Green
At Manor Green, we opted for filter strips and swales covered by grass along the edge of the paving to enable water on the highways to be naturally filtered away. The surface water, once captured within these swales, then either absorbs naturally into the surrounding ground or down into a perforated pipe. The pipe then directs the remaining water into two soakaways within the housing development.
The Future of Sustainable Drainage
SuDS is a sustainable drainage solution which moves away from the traditional approach, that would generally have surface water run-off going through underground pipes and into large storage tanks.
SuDS offers significant advantages over conventional pipe drainage systems. Flood risk is reduced by attenuating the rate and quantity of surface water run-off from a site, which therefore promotes groundwater recharge and improves water quality and amenity.
Planning Policy requires all future housing developments to incorporate SuDS within their plans to help tackle the effects of climate change and to protect our environment.