For the design, AECOM used structure-, architecture- and production-combined BIM to assist with the design of the facility. AECOM provided all non-process consultancy services for the award-winning distillery, which was recently recognized by the Institution of Civil Engineers and is certified as “Excellent” under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
“The challenge at Roseisle was to design a building that wrapped around the complex process equipment required to distill malt whisky while maintaining the high level of flexibility required for future maintenance and advancement of technology, ” said Steve Ferguson, AECOM associate director, Building Engineering, Europe. “By using BIM and integrating the 3-D architectural, structural and complex-process equipment models, the team was able to coordinate and manage the build solution in a virtual environment prior to constructing onsite, and the result was a fully coordinated, efficient and collaborative process.”
As lead consultant, AECOM created a unique, flexible structure that allows the roof and walls to be removed when equipment needs replacing.
“The ceiling has structural redundancy, for when the fermentation units need to be replaced,” said Nathaniel Buckingham, a senior engineer for AECOM in Europe. “The client was concerned about the environmental impact of the replacement process, so we constructed a building that was able to reuse co-products from the distilling process to provide energy where, in the past, these residues would be removed and used as animal feed.”
AECOM’s technical leadership continues to drive the Building Information Modeling solution across all of its businesses. The company’s professionals have also utilized BIM in major projects around the world, including the design of England’s Chester Zoo; the BBC Pacific Quay Headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland; and the MHMC Hospital in Sharja, United Arab Emirates.
The distillery is currently operational.