Property, development and construction professionals from across the country gathered in Birmingham last week (15th May 2014) for the inaugural fbe (forum for the built environment) national conference.
The theme for the conference focused on unlocking competitive advantage, specifically through BIM (Building Information Modelling), which was spotlighted as the new standard for all development and construction projects across the board.
In his opening address, fbe’s national chairman Howard Gadd commented: “fbe has enjoyed a long history in construction and has always encouraged its members to work together. We hopethis conference will not only facilitate new contacts and connections but also establish some national priorities for procuring and executing work nationwide.”
Seven seminar sessions were delivered by a panel of prominent speakers representing industry and academia.
• David Hawkins, chairman of the committee to develop a BS11000 framework for collaboration, highlighted the importance of creating a culture of change in the way working relationships are cultivated, with a particular emphasis on consistency, common standards and cohesiveness;
• Rob Manning and Tony Lorrimer from the Government’s BIM task group discussed how the country is engaging with BIM and where it can create significant time, cost and even human life savings, citing an example with the Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service;
• Peter Trebilcock, director of BIM at Balfour Beatty gave real life examples of where BIM is used in practice, including addressing some of the common misconceptions and concluding by stressing the importance of educating future generations and establishing greater links with universities to widen understanding of BIM;
• Ian Rye of Aedas presented an architectural perspective and how the perception of BIM as a complex, heavyweight and expensive process needs to be re-evaluated to change habitual practices and generate more widespread use;
• The University of Wolverhampton’s Martin Huggins talked about the opportunities BIM’s technology creates, specifically regarding the increased flow on information between groups of people.
• David Emery of Virtechs highlighted how BIM is enabling the construction industry to “prototype its product” as well as some of the more sophisticated software available to achieve this. David also mentioned a fantastic facility at Coventry University; the UK’s only 3D simulator which is used to visualise buildings together with providing a ‘live’ training facility for site managers;
• Lastly, Paul Wilson from Provelio presented an insightful account on winning work, giving delegates a plethora of hints and tips on how to present work, research and acting as ambassadors for each other.
Following the conference, guests were invited to attend the national awards dinner, with master of ceremonies, Ian Irving. Four awards were presented including Best Private Sector Project to EDG Property for The School Yard, Birmingham; Best Public Sector Project and Most Innovative Scheme for the Manchester Town Hall redevelopment and the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution went to Cambria Branch’s Malcolm Howard for over 30 years’ dedicated service. Comedian, Paddy Lennox provided after-dinner entertainment and a collection of over £750 was raised for Wooden Spoon, the chairman’s chosen charity.
“The conference highlighted the broad reach fbe has across the UK, with representatives attending from Bath; Black Country & Telford; Leicester; London; Manchester; Nottingham, Yorkshire and the West Midlands. Our speakers delivered a fascinating picture of how construction is changing and the messages we need to take back to the branches to win work. I am confident it also acted as a reminder of how well-placed fbe is as a networking organisation and that if we continue our conversations, we have a healthy future ahead.” Concluded Howard Gadd.
