buildingSMART 2012

The National BIM Roadmap workshops completed.

Each workshop has reviewed an updated Key Issues paper using this as a starting point to elaborate the Roadmap. The objectives of the workshop were:

• What are the key issues to the rapid adoption and effective use of BIM in the design, construction and management of built facilities?
• How do we achieve these in a National, Australasian and international context?

Final Workshop Canberra 22 March 2012

Appropriately, the Canberra meeting had a strong representation from Commonwealth agencies with an interest in the use of BIM extending from direct facility procurers such as the Department of Defence and APCC, to climate change  and energy efficiency departments and also including Spatial Data groups.

Two New Zealand attendees, respectively from the NZ Department of Housing and Building and one of the country's major contractors MainZeal, were active participants in the meeting. In addition we were fortunate to have Rob Owen, Coordinator for the CIB Priority Theme - Improving Construction and Use through Integrated Design & Delivery Solutions (IDDS) from the Salford Centre for Research & Innovation in the Built & Human Environment, UK.

Simon Lloyd-Evans from NZ DBH indicated Consenting (we would call Code Checking in OZ) was a focus of their work and would assist both residential construction compliance checking as well as support the Christchurch earhquake rebuilding program. Collaboration with NZ is being discussed, potentially linking the Australian activites to a NZ Strategic Industry group Building and Construction Productivity Partnership.

At the concluding discussion - with now some preliminary views from the preceding state workshops - the group focussed on who should be leading the proposed activities: ACIF with a recognized construction industry peer role was a common suggestion; the product manufacturing industry needs a single body similar to the previous Building Product Innovation Council; spatial data & GIS interests also need to determine a representative body. Local Govenrnment has been weakly represented at workshops, although processes such as  ePlanning would benefit greatly from an integration of BIM and spatial data.

What actions does the Commonwealth need to take? Rob Owen provided an up-to-date status of the UK Mandate, where he observed the commitment by their government and the setting of a deadline - 2016 - had give the industry a guarantee for the adoption of BIM and the industry has enthusiastically commenced an ambitious re-training program with associated activities to meet - and in several cases exceed - the targets and dates.

Next Steps

Approximately 150 persons representing all parts of the industry have contributed to the Roadmap development process. A draft roadmap document is now being prepared, to be reviewed by State workshop groups and then finally edited and reviewed for DIIRTE submission to BEIIC and The Minister. 

Several workshops recommended we present the report directly to the Minister with a industry panel representing the key interests of clients, responsible authorities and all types of service providers in the sector.

All these ideas will be considered as we develop the NBR report.

The State Workshops

All groups examined six key areas:

• Product Information and BIM Libraries
• Adoption of Common BIM Guidelines & Information Exchange
• Compliance and Certification
• Procurement, Legal Issues & Insurance
• Business Process Change
• Multi-disciplinary BIM Education

Sydney 27 Feb 2012

 

The first of the NBR workshops was held on 27 Feb in Sydney attended by 26 representatives from a wide cross-section of the construction industry - Government (clients and regulators), Designers, Contractors, Educators and Building Product manufacturers. Facilitiators Mark Tait (Investa) and Jim Plume (UNSW) were assisted by local correspondents Sian Gibbons (NSW DOE) and Sam Bassillious (RLB).

The challenge of building product data on an industry level was championed by blueScope Steel, Boral & NATSPEC and many others recognizing the need for consistent and comprehensive data to move from geometry models to performance and analysis models. The role of Stanadards Australia was identified to ensure international compatibility.

Our thanks go to DOE for hosting the event!

To follow-up on the workshop in Sydney please contact Sam Bassillious mobile: +61 407 236 045 or Sian Gibbons mobile: +61 412 886 670

Adelaide 1 Mar 2012

 

Getting thirty key players in the SA Construction Industry into the same room for a whole morning, at short notice, is not easy – but they came, and they worked hard to map the future of Building Information Modelling (BIM)  in Australia and what the key priorities should be for policy, research and funding. Participants included both  State and Federal Government representatives, builders, key specialist trades, consultants, unions, the Property Council, universities and the Construction Industry Training Board, ably led by Jim Plume and Mark Tait.

Highlights included the use of BIM on a number of large projects in SA; the growing commitment of universities to teaching BIM and the pioneering work of the CITB in designing courses for on-site trades.
The degree of enthusiasm for the task can be gauged by the commitment of the group to meet again in three months to receive an update on progress and work towards making the construction industry in SA a leader in the adoption of the technology.

Thanks to John Held for his efforts in making this event a success.

To follow-up on the workshop in Adeliade please contact John Held mobile: +61 417 840 337, or Mark Shelbourn mobile: +61 428 771 234

Hobart 6 Mar 2012

 

Facilitators John Mitchell and Peter Scuderi assisted a good cross-section of government and industry to prioritise action required for the effective wide-spread adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in the Tasmanian and wider Australian economies.
The group saw a priority to be the need for BIM education to be treated as an integrated and extensible continuum to support all building architecture, engineering, construction and operation industry participants.
The group strongly supported the need for governments to demonstrate leadership by adjusting their procurement processes to accommodate the effective use of BIM and to provide material assistance to help Australian industry transition to the widespread use of BIM within the growing Australian digital economy and to leverage Australia’s international competitiveness through the use of the technology.

Thanks to DHHS Tasmania for hosting the event.

To follow-up on the workshop in Hobart please contact Wayne Eastley mobile: +61 429 809 373 or Fred Lijauco

Melbourne 7 Mar 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with several other of the workshops, attendees believe the Roadmap is a unique opportunity to transform construction sector work-practices, implement IPD, support truly innovative construction manufacturing and assist with urban planning and infrastructure. The work of the RAIA/Consult Australia IPD and BIM Education working group was also fed into the discussion.

A highlight of the meeting was the contribution from VANZI who are working on a Australian/New Zealand initiative to improve access to all public data associated with the Built Environment. This would integrate land, GIS and BIM data to support many government, development, planning and facility management data access objectives.

The meeting concluded with a strong recommendation to deliver the Roadmap to the Commonwealth Government through a high level industry panel and a direct submission to the Minister.

Thanks to Ben May & AECOM for hosting the event.

To follow-up on the workshop in Melbourne please contact Steve Appleby mobile: +61 421 205 736

Perth 9 Mar 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Perth Workshop brought together an excellent group of industry representatives, though a little light on representatives from construction firms. The group settled quickly to the task and worked solidly through to 1 pm, teasing out the initiatives and engaging in constructive debate about how to move the industry forward.  John Mitchell and Jim Plume facilitated the event, with strong support from Sid Thoo who single-handedly made the workshop happen. Thanks Sid and Patrick!

It was exciting to see a representative from the mining sector present, bringing another perspective to the discussion and forming an invaluable link to a strong player in the construction arena. As with other workshops, we are seeing an energetic engagement from industry, with strong calls for concerted government action in support of BIM adoption across the sector.

A common theme has been the need to ensure Australia adopts and participates in International standards for BIM so that our national construction sector is compatible and competitive with the global industry. 

To follow-up on the workshop in Perth please contact Sid Thoo mobile: +61 414 542 376

Brisbane 12 Mar 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Queensland workshop on 12th March 2012 was well attended by a very diverse mix of 28 industry experts, representatives and leaders.  Facilitators Peter Scuderi (Arup) and Mark Tait (Investa) ran a tight ship - as expected after having the opportunity to already see what worked best from most other states.  With the support of Co-ordinator Caroline Treacy (COBiE Group), we were pushed to contribute at every level and the abundance and strength of the outcomes meant that it was well worth it.  Attendees included Builders, Industry Association representatives, Consultants, Clients, Government Capital Works Directors, Educators and Researchers.  Thanks must go out to Arup for their fantastic hosting and support for this event.
 
Much discussion was had regarding the need for a national body to develop, direct and support a set of national standards which would become mandatory at various levels progressively.  There was obvious support for better education tools and for them to be aimed more proportionally at clients and operators so that values can be shared from the earliest project stage possible.
 
We all embarked on the day so proactively and productively that by midday we were starting to fade.  Upon parting there were murmurs of “next steps” and “no choice” as participants wandered off knowing that they had personally done their bit to make a difference to the future of property and construction in Australia.  We are now looking forward to contributing in those next steps…

To follow-up on the workshop in Brisbane please contact Caroline Treacy mobile: +61 412 785 116