Abstract
The recent publication of the Roadmap to Digital Transition for Ireland's Construction Industry 2018-2021 clearly identified training and education as key priorities in the development of core BIM competences to stimulate the transition towards a more collaborative digital working environment. It identified an urgent need for a consistent and coherent digital experience for students in Irish education and industry to help grow capacity and maturity in the use of BIM and other innovative techniques. The higher education sector has a vital role to play. Key to this will be ensuring appropriate graduate knowledge, skills and competences, ongoing professional development and upskilling of higher education staff, and significant collaboration with industry. This chapter will present a best practice example of academic-industry collaboration, which resulted in the delivery of a flexible Level 8 programme for industry, the implementation of a BIM strategy within an academic context, and the establishment of a focused research group, which is currently engaged in ongoing applied research.
TopIntroduction
The World Economic Forum (2016) has identified the need for the construction sector to drive a transformation that will initiate a mindset ‘breakthrough’ in relation to technology, materials, and tools; processes and operations; strategy and business model innovation; people, organization, and culture; industry collaboration; joint industry marketing; regulation and policies and public procurement. The World Economic Forum (2018) also presents a vision of ‘building in a virtual world’ where automation, robotics, connected systems and cloud technology permeate daily life and industries of all kinds resulting in digital technologies replacing manual work and Artificial Intelligence (AI) led design and engineering processes creating 7D lifecycle asset models including 3D object data, scheduling (4D), cost (5D), sustainability (6D), and operations and maintenance (O/M) (7D). Building Information Modelling (BIM) is identified not only as a key enabler for collaboration and efficiency but also as a facilitator to utilize other exciting technological applications (3D printing, robotics, augmented and virtual realities and artificial intelligence) in these possible future scenarios. The digital transition presents enormous challenges for the built environment sector, which are further accentuated by the ongoing talent shortage resulting from a failure to innovate, competition from other industries, conservative work cultures and ongoing image difficulties (World Economic Forum, 2018). Historically, the hesitation to fully embrace change and innovation has seen productivity stagnate and even decrease over the past 50 years (World Economic Forum, 2017). In Ireland, the recent publication of Building Future Skills: The Demand for Skills in Ireland’s Built Environment Sector to 2030 (National Skills Council/Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2020) has clearly identified the increasing importance of BIM and digital construction (including virtual, augmented or mixed reality; mobile technology; smart sensors; artificial intelligence, blockchain, drones etc.), which is creating an urgent need for additional upskilling and retraining to respond to these trends. The report found that the top three roles that were most difficult to recruit were Quantity Surveyors, BIM Operators/Experts and Mechanical or Electrical Engineers.
Key Terms in this Chapter
BIM Competences: Relates to concepts of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviours and successful performance ( Scottish Futures Trust, 2018 ), which can be interpretated within different contexts i.e., as an individual, team, project, role, task, process, practice, etc.
Building Information Management: Is a process for creating and managing information on a construction project across the whole lifecycle (NBS, 2016 AU137: The in-text citation "NBS, 2016" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Building Information Model: Is a digital description of every aspect of the built asset drawing on information assembled collaboratively and updated at key stages of a project (NBS, 2016 AU138: The in-text citation "NBS, 2016" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
BIM Learning Outcomes: Can be defined as a statement of what the learner is expected to be able to do on successful completion of a BIM-related module or programme, to demonstrate their knowledge, understandings, skills and/or competences.
BIM Education: In the context of this chapter is defined as any module or programme that has BIM-related learning outcomes, curriculum content and/or associated assessment activities.