Building on the successes of past events, the 5th BIM Gathering virtual conference “Construction Innovations for Future Generations” will be hosted virtually on 21-23 September.

The event will continue to act as a focal point for all stakeholders, both from home and abroad to come together to share their research, case studies and experiences of working with Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Digital Technologies.

This year the Gathering will focus on what has been hindering digital adoption to date and the innovations and interventions that will be necessary to unlock greater productivity in the AEC sector.

Limited tickets are still available register now to avoid disappointment.

The Virtual Conference Themes are:

1.  A CULTURAL SHIFT IN ATTITUDE TOWARDS BIM

   The digital transformation of the industry has taken immense steps forward, both in mitigating the working restrictions and bringing forward new ways working that may not have been envisaged before the current COVID-19 outbreak. The industry needs to gain a better-informed understanding of what BIM has to offer in terms of technology for their business and prepare strategically to thrive in the face of anticipated further disruptions and technological development. The client needs to learn that it is no longer good enough to ask for ‘BIM’ as it is not a single concept or entity. BIM implementation is a fundamental first step of the digital journey for all stakeholders.

2. A DIGITALLY ENABLED SAFER AND HEALTHIER WORK ENVIRONMENT

   The COVID-19 pandemic is changing numerous aspects of how we live but it profoundly changed how we work on our construction sites and has forced millions to work from home. It also puts a spotlight on corporate technology and whether companies can operate productively and efficiently with many of their staff working at home. Whether it is working in healthier and smarter buildings or simply using workplace apps to include features focusing on health and safety of our talent pool of employees.

3. USE OF BIM COLLABORATION STANDARDS IS THE NORM

   BIM supports the sharing and integration of information and collaboration. The new international BIM standard IS EN ISO 19650 provides a collaborative framework for managing information through BIM throughout the whole life cycle of an asset recognising the potential value of information. The emphasis is now less on the model and more on information management. One of the most important documents in the ISO process is linking information management of asset delivery to that of its operation and maintenance. We must as an industry think more holistically about the buildings we create and how they will perform for our clients and end users.

4. GETTING BIM AND OFF-SITE PRODUCTION TO WORK HAND IN HAND

   BIM and offsite construction go hand in hand by reducing costs through improved resource efficiency and advanced data management. Offsite manufacturing and BIM both serve as valuable solutions in terms of improving performance of the construction industry, but they should be combined to give maximum impact. Benefits of using BIM in conjunction with off-site production include improved schedule performance, minimised construction costs, co-ordination and clash detection, prefabrication of components and improved project quality. So much efficiency can be gained by thinking about modular design and modular installations that provide better outcomes for all.

5. INNOVATIVE PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACT VEHICLES

   Contracts and procurement vehicles need to be more collaborative in the future founded on a shared “risk and reward” model. To digitally procure effectively, a suitable contractual vehicle should be deployed that will facilitate better digital workflows. An example of such a vehicle is Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). This requires a cultural change in the mindset of both public and private procurers and a new business model, which, whilst disruptive, will be necessary for the next generation of public and private clients. Too much emphasis is placed on out-dated traditional linear design-bid-build models which are overly focused on lowest price, unfair risk transfer and are not designed for more modern digitally created information management workflows.

6. HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCES

   The future of generation of workers in construction is set for radical change. 2020 was a pivotal point for society and construction. Into the future we need to see a greater awareness and desire to redress the sustainable impacts of the built environment through the carbon impacts of the construction process itself, embracing the circular economy, moving towards a greener industrialised and digitised industry. What this means is that many of the future skills requirements will need to be more adaptive and digitally focused. Construction will need to adapt, address diversity and attract people from a different background, such as strategists, cognitive and systems thinkers, data analysts and data scientists, digital operatives, and robotic programmers.

7. SMARTER CITIES, SMART BUILDINGS AND DATA

   Smart cities and smart buildings use ICT and the IoT to manage resources and assets more effectively, the aim being that the sharing of data, data analytics, AI, machine learning and 3D printing can create a smart environment and that national/digital twins can further enhance their performance using lessons learned to enrich the social well-being of their citizens and occupants.

8. NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

   With innovations in technology, construction professionals can expect more novel and valuable transformations, backed by augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), drones, drones, robotics, 5G, distributed-ledger technology (Blockchain), digital twins, dependency-driven analytics, big data analysis and 3D printing. The future is about fresh tech-savviness of professionals adopting digital tools and trend setting technological advancements. With emerging tech-related jobs, the younger generation have an exciting decade ahead to apply creativity to processes.

9. WOMEN IN BIM AND CONSTRUCTION

   The construction industry remains one of the most male-dominated industries in the world. According to women in ‘BIM diversity is crucial to collaborative BIM and encouraging women into this sector is of critical importance’. Construction businesses are now looking at digital capability and BIM as a beacon for attracting more females in the sector. It is critical that the younger females are engaged, and that our schools and universities approach this in a way that allows this growth to flourish and digitisation and BIM can play a key role in showcasing a smart, clean, safe and tech savvy industry.

10. A PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

    Technology and BIM can help the industry to move away from classical linear models (take-make-dispose) towards a paradigm shift to a more innovative regenerative economic system, where wastes are eliminated, through the maximisation of reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling to create a closed-loop system, minimising the use of resource input and the creation of waste. Technologies and future BIM innovations will enable a regenerative mindset to pervade through our industry, supporting the entire construction lifecycle to dramatically reduce its negative impact on the health of our environment.

Book your Tickets HERE