September 17th, 2015: A team of architects and engineers from Dubai Municipality has been exploring the next generation of design technology during a recent training program delivered by Canadian University Dubai (CUD).
The delegation of more than 20 Municipality personnel took part in a week-long series of workshops aimed at introducing them to the fundamental principles and applications of Building Information Modeling (BIM), an emerging standard in the process of architectural design, documentation, construction and facility management.
The training program, which was delivered in partnership with technology services provider, BIM Engineering Solutions (BIMES), marked the beginning of collaborations between CUD and Dubai Municipality to build capacity in the new design paradigm, which has the potential to transform the way construction projects are planned, developed and managed.
The technology enables the design of a building as a digital 3D model, rather than traditional crafting of 2D drawings, and allows for the addition of metadata, such as massing, cost, structural, thermal, and other characteristics. As a digital resource, the data can be shared between clients, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to deliver instant design updates that can dramatically speed up the construction lifecycle.
The standard first broke into the sector in the United States in the late 2000s and Singapore in early 2015. With the UK Government set to adopt the technology from the beginning of next year, the UAE is also exploring how this major innovation can help to manage its future urban development plans.
According to program instructor Mr. Florian Techel, an assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Interior Design at CUD, it’s a challenging but worthwhile move that must be undertaken at a sector level; and while Dubai Municipality are taking the lead through such training programs, the whole industry must be prepared for a substantial process transformation.
He said, “The construction sector in the UAE stands before a fundamental paradigm shift that will affect every stakeholder in the field. We are making the transition from a process that has been the mainstream for hundreds of years, to a sophisticated technology-driven platform that will require the re-education of the entire market.”
For Dubai Municipality Principal Architect, Mr. Mohamed Shabana, the benefits of making this transition are clear. He said, “The speed, clarity and level of coordination this system brings to the design process will have an immense, positive impact upon the way we work. This training has been invaluable in providing both an academic and practical overview of what represents the future of our industry.”
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