CPD Specifier May 2015 issue September 2014 | Page 44

Outdoor Engineering
Kilsaran leads the way in
hard landscaping BIM objects

The Great A15 Debate

by Jeremy Nesbitt, Technical Manager, Clark-Drain
One of the most common queries
we get as a manhole cover
manufacturer is “Can I use an A15
cover on a driveway?” or (all too
often) put another way “I have an
A15 product on my drive that’s
broken, how come?”

Paving and walling specialists,
Kilsaran International, is the first
paving manufacturer to release
a full colour, fully rendered, 3D
library of Building Information
Modelling (BIM) objects as part
of a BIM roll out plan for the
coming months.
The software supports
collaborative partnerships by
allowing industry professionals
including architects, landscapers
and builders, to simulate the
construction process in software
before any physical progression
takes place. As a result, BIM
reduces wastage, time and cost
because any design changes
or snags identified beforehand
can be rectified before the build
starts. Additionally the software
stores objects and further product
information such as data sheets
and maintenance manuals, which
streamline the building process and
reduces paperwork.
Due to BIM increasing efficiency
and accuracy in construction, the
Government has stated that by
2015 all local authorities and public

The confusion is caused by
interpretation of the A15 loading
ie. 1.5 tonnes. To the untrained
eye this equates to less than the
weight of their car so the incorrect
conclusion is drawn that an A15
cover is suitable for their driveway.

sector works are required to use
if within their design. Because of
the cost savings and efficiences
associated with BIM it is very
likely that the private sector will
also fast track the adoption of BIM
modelling.

However, the static mass of a
vehicle and the loads it exerts
through its wheels to the ground is
very much different to the dynamic
l