New bespoke BIM education for Balfour Beatty

Thursday 23 February 2012
MediaCityUK
The first of a series of unique education sessions on building information modelling (BIM) for Balfour Beatty’s managers was organised at the MediaCityUK campus of the University of Salford recently.

The programme concentrates on the business aspects of BIM but also develops knowledge of the interfaces between design, production, facilities management and operations through a mix of lectures and workshops.

The course was jointly developed after Salford helped to host the Balfour Beatty launch event ‘Global BIM Expo’ last summer.

The aim of the course is to introduce the attendees to key aspects of BIM and to show how it will improve their business outcomes.

Each course comprises three days and is aimed at key managers within the Balfour Beatty Group and will add real value to Balfour Beatty’s BIM journey by equipping senior staff to manage the process of leading the optimal design, building, maintenance and operation of buildings ‘beyond delivery’.

David Philp, BIM Programme Director at Balfour Beatty said: “This high level BIM strategy course enhanced knowledge of BIM across our businesses but more especially the concepts underlying the development of a BIM implementation plan and the need for collaboration across both the supply chain and entire project life-cycle.”

BIM is the process of creating and managing building data in collaborative working environment during its life cycle from planning through design and construction to operation and maintenance.

Professor Arto Kiviniemi from the University’s School of the Built Environment said: “We are very proud that Balfour Beatty chose the University of Salford for this very important initiative and we hope that this might mark the beginning of a long collaboration.”