The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre provides a wide range of support to help businesses through their BIM journey. Skills and training manager Lisa Deane discusses what’s on offer
The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) supports innovation projects that bring together construction businesses, university experts and public sector partners to deliver transformational change in the construction industry.
Here at CSIC, naturally we want to see our sector transform into to one that makes better use of digitisation and automation to drive greater profitability, productivity, efficiency and sustainability. We see BIM as a key part of that transformation. It will support the creation of buildings that are fit for the 21st century – greener, more efficient and with more intelligent infrastructure.
With support from Scottish Enterprise and in conjunction with a range of industry partners, we will soon be launching Phase 2 of our free BIM in Practice programme to help individuals and organisations on their journey towards implementing BIM Level 2.
As many will be familiar with, BIM Level 2 can deliver cost savings, reduced risk and added value to construction projects in the context of a more collaborative and innovative environment. Design information is shared through a common file format, which enables organisations to work collaboratively on small- and large-scale construction projects, reducing risks.
Our free programme of support has been designed to:
- Raise awareness of the opportunities Scottish supply chain companies can realise through BIM Level 2.
- Demonstrate the benefits that can be achieved through knowledge sharing, collaboration, innovation and best practice – all founding principles of Level 2.
- Support business through the adoption phase.
Throughout the first year of the programme, over 200 businesses benefited from the support available through workshops and an online advisory service.
In addition to the workshops previously run throughout Scotland, this year’s refreshed programme provides organisations with even greater benefits including physical workshops, e-learning modules, a collaborative platform aimed at enabling discussion and facilitating best practice, and a catalogue of support through a library of useful information and content hosted at www.cs-ic.org/BIM.
The programme is designed to support businesses from their initial awareness of BIM practices to the continuous development of their BIM journey, offering support at all the following stages: Awareness – Understanding – Implementation – Adoption – Standard Practice – Continuous Development.
Awareness – For businesses who are unfamiliar with BIM, our introductory workshops will offer an overview of the benefits working with BIM can bring to an organisation and the practices and processes involved. These workshops will be hosted at the CSIC Innovation Factory near Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Additionally, this workshop will be available as an e-learning module.
Understanding – Acknowledging that BIM requires significant investment and commitment of resources to any organisation considering adoption, our BIM For Business Leaders e-learning module is designed to enable greater understanding of BIM by CEOs, finance directors and other senior leaders involved in strategic decision-making.
Implementation – Covering the areas involved in implementing BIM such as People, Processes, Systems and Practices, these workshops support this stage in an organisation’s journey. There will be eight events held throughout Scotland, which are open to businesses from across the industry. In addition, four specific workshops will focus on particular groups within the industry, such as architecture and design. These workshops will provide greater detail on the specifics of implementing BIM for businesses in these areas and will also be available as e-learning modules.
Adoption – Once adopted, our online learning resources will help consolidate knowledge.
Standard Practice – For businesses already adopting BIM, CSIC can provide support and guidance through our online collaboration platform and FAQ library.
Continuous Development – Whether a business is just setting out on its journey or a little further down the road, our expertise and resources can be accessed.
To maximise the benefits of this free programme of support, CSIC strongly recommends that interested businesses sign up to the full series of workshops and support. In doing so, businesses will also benefit from a 20% discount on membership of CSIC’s Innovation Factory and access to innovation project support and potential funding.
Full details of the programme can be found at: www.cs-ic.org/bim
All our events are carried out in partnership with other organisations. Interested in collaborating? Contact Lisa Deane on 0141 212 5250 or email ldeane@cs-ic.org for more information.
The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is one of eight industry-led and demand-driven Innovation Centres supported by the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and 13 Scottish universities.
L Deane
Training Manager
The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre
0141 212 5250
