Crossrail and Whitechapel Station
// Advancing digital construction at Whitechapel Station through coordinated BIM delivery and construction assurance.
Whitechapel Station was one of the most technically complex stations delivered as part of the Crossrail project, bringing together the Hammersmith & City and District Lines with the new Elizabeth Line. Working alongside Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and VINCI (BBMV), Informed Engineering provided specialist digital engineering expertise throughout the design and construction of the station, helping transform coordinated digital information into buildable solutions on site.
Embedded within the design office to begin with, Informed Engineering assisted the designer in establishing, developing and leading a team of 30 CAD and BIM specialists on behalf of the responsible for producing coordinated civil, structural, architectural, electrical and public health models. The team developed detailed construction models from the design information, ensuring all deliverables met Crossrail’s BIM standards and information management requirements. Informed Engineering also trained the wider delivery team in digital modelling workflows and ProjectWise processes, embedding a consistent approach to model production and information management.
As the project progressed, Informed Engineering transitioned into the construction team as BIM Manager, creating a direct link between design and site delivery. A structured BIM Task system enabled construction teams to request additional drawings, sections, dimensions, setting out information and model extracts whenever greater detail was required.
More than 1,000 BIM tasks were managed, improving collaboration between designers, fabricators and site teams while establishing the federated model as the primary source of construction information.
Digital engineering also played a vital role in construction assurance. Laser surveys verified major steel installations before railway possessions, reducing risk and avoiding unnecessary disruption to London Underground services. SYNCHRO 4D models tested construction sequencing, temporary works, crane operations, logistics and site layouts, validating buildability before work commenced. Informed Engineering also produced digital driver line of sight simulations, allowing train operators to visualise changes to the station environment before services resumed following possessions.
The success of the approach resulted in Informed Engineering being commissioned to deliver the same digital construction expertise on a second Crossrail station at Pudding Mill Lane, demonstrating the value of robust BIM, information management and digital engineering on major infrastructure programmes by providing 4D simulation services.
