Productivity app launched

Responding to UK government’s Construction Sector Deal, international property and construction consultancy Gleeds has launched a new design app.

Frame© is a new online BIM and project management application, designed to allow members of the construction team to collaborate easily and deliver all the benefits of BIM Level 2, including reduction of risk, better cost management and the more accurate projection of timelines.

Frame© is a direct response to the Construction Sector Deal, which calls for the transformation of productivity of the industry to the benefit of the wider economy.

Richard Steer, Chairman of Gleeds Worldwide, said: “A staggering one third of UK companies have seen little or no productivity increase since the year 2000 according to a Bank of England survey. For the best part of a decade our productivity growth has been consistently weaker than at any point since 1965 and as a result each of us is on average 1/5th poorer today than we would be if productivity had continued at its previous rate.

“A major reason for this is our failure to invest in new technology so Gleeds is proud to have developed Frame© in a bid to make the construction process more transparent, whilst reducing the costs of building. To incentivise others in the industry we have offered it as a pro bono option for over 100 firms, from contractors to architects, and it will now be rolled out across the built environment,” he went on to add.

With a focus on collaboration, Frame© provides an easy to follow narrative around what BIM Level 2 is, what the processes are, and when they should be implemented, as well as holding an extensive suite of templates and guidance based on Gleeds’ expertise.

Paul Hill, BIM specialist at professional services firm Arup, reviewed the beta version of the Frame© application and is an advocate for programmes of its type. He said: “An app like Frame© gives us much greater clarity of the BIM process and its roles and responsibilities, providing an exceptional level of detail around what has been and what needs to be delivered over the life cycle of a project. As a result, we would be able to reduce the risks associated with a scheme”.

Accessed via desktop or mobile, the developers advocate Frame© as representing a fundamental step change in the way buildings are constructed and maintained, helping to improve productivity through enhanced transparency and supply chain connectivity. Gleeds argues that it is one of the first substantive technology-based responses to the government sponsored Farmer Report, which implored those who work in the built environment to “modernise or die”.

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