Company Spotlight: Crane Building Services

  • Logo: Company Spotlight:  Crane Building Services

Crane speak to Banyards Consultants to find out how they are using their BIM components

The Company Spotlight section on bimstore gives readers the opportunity to learn all about the history, BIM journey and latest Building Information Modelling developments of some of the industry’s most recognisable names.

In the spotlight this time is Crane Building Services and Utilities, who recently spoke to Banyards Consultants, a regular user of Crane’s BIM content, to find out how they are using the BIM components and their thoughts on BIM.Crane Building Services & Utilities is part of the Fluid Handling Division of Crane Co a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products with a substantial international presence. Crane BS&U is headquartered in Ipswich, with other operations in Hitchin and Northampton, as well as overseas in the UAE and China.

A combination of application knowledge, high-quality products and sharp customer focus has helped to position Crane as a leading manufacturer and supplier of valves and control solutions.

There is a growing focus on delivering super energy efficient buildings, working closely with our partners enables us to develop and fine tune our products ensuring that what we develop meets the performance targets and is fit for purpose.

Neil Gibson, Technical Sales Manager at Crane BS&U interviewed Sam Kench, Project Engineer at Banyards Consultants who are M&E Consultants specialising in Building Services Design, BIM & Building Physics and Commissioning Management / Validation. Banyards is a regular user of Crane BIM content and one of the first consultancies to be accredited to level 2 BIM with BSI, their clients include Skanska, Lang-O’Rourke, Faithful & Gould, Ealing Council & Wokingham Council.

The Co-Operative Group also employed Banyards on the No1 Angel Square project to oversee and monitor the validation of the M&E services of their new Headquarters building. Banyards managed the integrated MEP design and their ability to ensure strict compliance with specified tolerances and adherence to CIBSE codes ensured that the building achieved the highest ever BREEAM rating as ‘Outstanding’ at 96.4% efficient.

Neil Gibson wanted to find out more about how Crane’s bimstore offering was working for Banyards. Here is what Sam Kench had to say:Can you tell us a bit about how you are utilising Crane’s BIM content?We are currently using Cranes BIM content on the Poplars Hostel project in Ealing with the entire project being developed using Revit Architecture, and MEP. It is a complete refurbishment project, staggered over two phases, for the Hostel accommodation and Community Hub. Banyards have been using Crane valves as their default selection and we have downloaded Crane’s entire library.

Tell us what it means to be compliant?Compliance is very important, it demonstrates our capability and commitment to deliver BIM projects in accordance with the PAS 1192-2 standard, a key requirement of the Governments Construction strategy. Can you tell us the most recent valves you downloaded from our library?A variety of general valves including Isolation valves, check valves, commissioning sets, drains etc. We haven’t looked at Crane’s variable flow products such as PICVs and DPCVs yet but this is planned for the near future. What BIM support if any have you needed from Crane?I have the option to call Crane direct and speak to their BIM expert in-house so any requests such as additional sizes or valves specific products they have been able to assist with, they have been very responsive which is excellent when time matters.With so many manufacturers now adding their content to BIM, why choose Crane?We consider Crane to be a leading manufacturer of valves within the industry, Crane has one of the largest ranges available within the bimstore, which significantly reduces the time required to fill gaps in by modelling them from scratch. Banyards have downloaded the library and imported this into our standard template on Revit, Crane is also an approved manufacturer within our specification so for us that’s a big plus. What difficulties if any have you found with BIM?Banyards are accredited to Level 2 BIM by BSI https://www. banyards.co.uk/bim/services/bim-level-2/ and one of the first consultancies to achieve this. We would like to be in a position to share models between all parties such as architects, structural engineers, contractors, clients, facilities management etc. This would help significantly reduce the duplication of work. One of the difficulties we face is that many contractors are not yet proficient with BIM and Revit models so the information is often exported as a standard 2D drawing, losing the smart BIM features and 3D coordination. It is so important that manufacturers follow Crane’s example and actively develop their products within Revit / BIM allowing for the integration of future technologies and Revit compliance enabling a smoother start to finish Revit/ BIM process for all.

Crane Fluid Systems, a leading brand of Crane Building Services & Utilities, have recently extended their BIM object range on bimstore. They offer a full range of traditional valves as well as a range of commissioning valves for static and variable flow systems, including their (PICV) Pressure Independent range. One of the first valve manufacturers to develop a comprehensive offering of BIM-ready product components, Crane have had thousands of downloads from countries across the globe since they first launched their objects back in November 2013. If you would like to find out more about Crane Fluid Systems, give them a call on 01473 277358 or visit www.cranefs.com. Alternatively, you can contact Banyard Consultants on 01732 467000 or visit www.banyards.co.uk

About bimstore: bimstore is the UK’s original BIM object library. Developed by specifiers for specifiers, we create and host high-quality manufacturer specific BIM content, making it easy to browse and download the world’s best collection of BIM components. If you need any help with BIM content creation then get in touch with the bimstore team today.

Community comments

Latest News

Webinar Replay: BIM’s Role In Product Specification

Posted 27.03.2024

Introduction to BIM Webinar: BIM’s Role In Product Specification
Play VideoPlay Video

This webinar series was curated especially for an audience concerned with the Australian built environment. A range of industry pioneers revealed how BIM & Revit content is going to transform the world of construction there. It featured practical tips and real-life experience from knowledgeable experts. In this second episode, hear from Adam Ward, CTO of Space Group. This very accessible session is for people at all stages of their Building Information Modeling (BIM) journey. He will take you through BIM and its role in product specification.

Hamworthy Heating: The benefits of Stainless Steel in hot water generation

Posted 26.03.2024

With stainless steel becoming a popular choice for hot water products, our friends at Hamworthy Heating take a look at some of the key factors driving this trend.

Fire Protection Is Key for New FrameSafe FR Membrane

Posted 25.03.2024

Leading manufacturer Glidevale Protect has launched Protect FrameSafe FR - a new Class A2-s1, d0 flame retardant external wall breather membrane offering fire protection across low, medium and high-rise buildings.

CloseClose