A Smarter Leveling and Setting Out Trade Creates New Heights in the Construction Industry

Great oaks from little acorns grow, having a solid foundation is especially essential towards the construction industry. The levelling and setting out trade is responsible for setting up levels and job lines to indicate construction procedures, providing directions and convenience to other trades. Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) visited Ho Yick Leveling Co Limited (Ho Yick) and learnt how the trade advances with the younger generations by utilising innovation and digitalisation as well as advanced machinery, to improve accuracy and perform professionalism.

Digitalisation for a More Accurate Construction Detailing

The CIC is keen in encouraging the industry to innovate, maintaining a competitive position in the digital era to keep the edge. Ho Yick Leveling Co Limited thus applies Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other technology to enhance quality and efficiency. During the construction process, sub-contractors would provide building plans that indicate the work of different trades, such as structure and masonry etc. Those plans could be piecemeal and unrelated which may clash with one another. It is also difficult to anticipate the final product from just plain drawings, which may impair the accuracy of the whole construction project.

Contractors are thus applying BIM to address the situation, Mr HUNG Sing-yeung, Director of Ho Yick, points out that the levelling and setting out trade is required to accurately draw or mark ink lines onto site surfaces to specify construction areas and procedures, so levellers need to read and interpret drawing cautiously which is when BIM comes in handy. “Applying BIM allows us to instantly identify the clashes between drawings, easing the process of compartmentalising drawings”.

Ho Yick’s BIM team consists of three to five workers, they receive updates on drawings per week from main and sub-contractors. Mr WOO Chun-kong, project coordinator of Ho Yick, is familiar with BIM application. It only requires them one or two days to pinpoint the clashes in drawing through BIM, allowing them to bring it forward in the meeting with main and sub-contractors, reminding them to update the plans. “BIM enables us to envision the details of each trade for each floor of the building, as well as the preview the construction process. This also enhances the communication between us the levellers and other trade.” The application of BIM facilitate the team to spot and fix issue beforehand, so levellers can mark ink lines based on the most accurate data and information, enhancing construction accuracy.

Extensive Application of BIM to Echo with Future Development and Perform Professionalism

The Government has required that BIM technology must be used in the design and construction of all major government capital works projects with a project estimate of more than HK$30 million. Ir Thomas HO applauded the team’s use of BIM on not only for their own trade on levelling and setting out, but also for the ease of the whole project, creating a win-win situation. Mr HUNG relies on the development of BIM as the future of the construction industry, so Ho Yick showcases their professionalism by applying BIM on projects that have not afore.

The team visualises construction drawings by transforming 2D plans into 3D models, providing convenience to contractors for formulating construction procedures. Mr LEE Kwai-ho, project coordinator of Ho Yick once find out from the BIM model that the step of a staircase is too far from the ground and it even does not have sufficient headroom, he then reflect the problem to the contractors and amendment was made on the spot, improving the plan. Ir Thomas HO appreciates the team’s professionalism, as the benefit of developing BIM to the whole project is much worth the extra effort it requires the team to pay.

A Digital Reform to Enhance Speed and Efficiency Simplifying Construction Process at Early Stage by Drones

Apart from applying digital technology, the levelling and setting out trade has also enhanced their professionalism by transforming from manual operation to relying on advanced machinery. Mr HUNG adds that the trade has now using laser line level, total station and automatic ink line tool to replace levelling hose and ink line tool etc. Advanced instruments can help save time and money, enhancing efficiency. Ho Yick even utilises drones to assist the construction, drone mapping produces real-time map that could create a 3D model of the sites through point cloud modelling. Photos, maps and panorama make the site clear at a glance, construction process can be captured and accuracy can be enhanced.

Mr LAI Chun-to, also project coordinator from Ho Yick, operates drones to review procedures and assure project quality, “You can identify formwork and beams etc by comparing an aerial photograph and the drawing, which allow us to secure the accuracy by reviewing the colour and location from the map.” Drones are used once every one to two weeks to capture the construction sites, the photos and images produced act as the visualised schedule that document the transformation of the project.

The levelling and setting out trade used to be regarded as more conventional, nonetheless Ho Yick Leveling Co Limited breaks this stereotype by extensively applying innovation and digitalisation technology. Not only does it demonstrate the future prospect of the trade, but also attracts new blood to join and fulfil their potential. Echoing with mission of CIC to promote innovation for a safer construction industry, Ir Thomas HO said that Ho Yick’s effort in pursuing excellence is astonishing and a proof that hard work does pay off. He encourages construction practitioners to uphold professionalism, collaborate for an excelling construction industry.