Case study: Heathrow Terminal 5, the T5 Agreement and the single model environment

Heathrow Terminal 5 opened in 2008 and was, at the time, one of Europe's largest construction projects. Two features make it a case study for BIM people: the T5 Agreement, a partnering contract in which the client, BAA, kept the project's risk rather than passing it down, and the single model environment, a shared information environment in which each item was meant to be represented only once.

At a glance

What was done

• The T5 Agreement: suppliers worked under one partnering framework, with BAA holding the risk, so that teams could solve problems together instead of defending their positions. Accounts describe cost-reimbursable payment with incentives tied to targets.
• The single model environment: design and construction information was brought into one environment, with the aim that each item existed once, so everyone worked from the same information.
• 3D before building: the team used the shared models to analyse and coordinate complex parts, such as the roof, and to plan construction ahead of work on site.

What it shows

T5 links two things that are often discussed separately: how the contract shares risk and how information is shared. Working from one environment was easier when the contract rewarded the whole team for solving problems, which is the same idea as IPD and alliancing.

Often misquoted

• "T5 was a fixed-price project." The agreement kept the risk with the client; that was its point.
• "T5 used ISO 19650." It predates it by many years; its practice fed into later UK guidance.

Where to read more

Arup's project page on Heathrow Terminal 5; published academic studies of the T5 Agreement (for example working papers from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School); trade press coverage of the T5 IT and information strategy.