Congratulations to the RICS and the team at BIM4SME for organising such an enjoyable night!

The delightful setting for the evening was the Westminster Boating Place and our enthusiastic host for the evening was Stefan Mordue from the NBS.

Stefan welcomed everyone to this, the RICS BIM4SME’s inaugural Awards event, unique in the industry because they recognise the hard work & achievements of small and medium sized enterprises.

Stefan talked about the strong sense of community that had built up around BIM and the positive role that social media had played facilitating the exchange of ideas and working as a tool for collaboration.

The BIM4SME Awards showcase excellence, promote best practice and highlight the tremendous opportunities BIM presents to small and medium sized businesses.

We are thrilled to have been part of these Awards as finalists in the “BIM SME Innovation” category.

Matt DcDermott, from the RICS opened the evenings speeches followed by Tim Platts, Chair of the BIM4SME working Group. “Being able to respond quickly, showing flexibility in working patterns and seeing BIM as an opportunity for growth for SME’s” were key themes of the evening.

Other high profile speakers addressed us, including Chris Chivers, Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Richard Saxon CBE, Chair of the Judges (and former Chair of BDP)

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.

The Winners of the Awards
Best BIM Project, Medium enterprise (51-250) – Bond Bryan Architects
Best BIM Project, Small enterprise (1-50) – Howard Russell Construction
Best SME BIM Blog – Bond Bryan Architects
Best BIM SME Website – Atom Publishing
Best SME Newcomer – Baxall Construction
Best SME Innovation – Specified By
Best SME Training Strategy – Coombs Ltd
Best SME Engagement and Support Programme – Imarati Engineering

Here are a few images from the evening.

“Live blogging” from the event was by Su Butcher, to find out why these awards matter to the industry, take a look at her blog The First BIM4SME Awards

Are you an SME in the construction industry, are you using BIM? Leave me one word that describes your experience.

Photographs MAPL, BIM4SME, RICS

Join John Staves, Richard Lane and Tina McGeachan for our next Thames Valley BIM Hub Event!

When? Monday 12th January 2015 16:30 – 19:00
Where? Hosted by: BSRIA: Bracknell – Old Bracknell Lane West, Bracknell, RG12 7AH

Our last event focused on design technology. This event looks at collaboration tools, surveying, 3d printing and interactive displays.

Come along if you want to:

stay up-to-date with what’s happening in the BIM world
receive updates from Richard Lane, Chair, on the latest work of the BIM Task Group
network with other companies in the Thames Valley with BIM on their agenda

Companies presenting include:

Project 4 : BIM Collaboration and Management Tools

FARO: 3D measurement technology
Computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software. Technology from FARO permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and compound structures. The devices are used for inspecting components and assemblies, production planning, documenting large volume spaces or structures in 3D, surveying and construction.

Hobs Studios: 3D printing
3D solutions for architectural, engineering, construction and product designers. Hobs has an impressive selection of technologies including full colour 3D printing, stereolithography (SLA) and multijet 3D printing to ensure we can support all forms of rapid prototyping.

Asite: BIM Collaboration and Management Tools

IDN: Interactive technologies
IDN specialise in collaboration and communications in the work place by integrating and supporting the adoption of technology. This includes interactive displays, digital signage, video conferencing, room booking technology, audio, control and collaboration tools.

What Are BIM Hubs?
BIM Hubs are part of a national and regional network established by CIC to promote a consistent understanding of what BIM means to the industry and its impact through all levels of the supply chain.
The resounding strapline to BIM is that we need to work better together and the Thames Valley BIM Hub meet regularly to:
•share BIM knowledge and best practice
•facilitate collaborative activity – helping companies to meet ‘BIM Buddies’
•support the development of the supply chain’s BIM capabilities
•increase BIM capacity across the region
•ensure regional input into national discussion and policy decisions

BIM is the future, so whatever your interest or level of involvement, please join us!

To book your place email Tina@secbe.org.uk
There is no charge for this event but do please let Tina know if you book, but are subsequently unable to attend.

Join John Staves, Richard Lane and Tina McGeachan for our Fourth Thames Valley BIM Hub Event!

BIM Technology Showcase

When? Monday 6 October 4:45pm – 7pm
Where? Whiteknights Campus, Reading

Hosted by: The University of Reading, Design Innovation Research Centre, School of Construction Management and Engineering

Seven technology providers will demonstrate the capabilities of their products and describe their different functions and how they fit within the exchange of information cycle. Short presentations with plenty of time for questions will provide you with a general overview of BIM related software.

Autodesk Pam Bhandal
Bentley (to be confirmed)
COMIT Iain Miskimmin
Graphisoft Andrew Norrie
Solibri A lan Baikie
Tekla Duncan Reed
Vico and Trimble Laura Brown

Visit the BIM CAVE: Dr Maxwell Mallia-Parfitt

Our hosts, the University of Reading, are also offering the chance to experience total immersion within a BIM model. In the BIM CAVE (Collaborative Automatic Virtual Environment) graphics are projected in stereo onto three walls and the floor and viewed with active stereo glasses equipped with a location sensor. As the projector screens form a room sized environment, it is possible to have multiple users stand within one-to-one scale recreations of BIM and CAD models, which enables collaborative discussion, viewing and navigation of the model in real-time.

What Are BIM Hubs?

BIM Hubs are part of a national and regional network established by CIC to promote a consistent understanding of what BIM means to the industry and its impact through all levels of the supply chain.

The resounding strapline to BIM is that we need to work better together and the Thames Valley BIM Hub meet regularly to:
•share BIM knowledge and best practice
•facilitate collaborative activity – helping companies to meet ‘BIM Buddies’
•support the development of the supply chain’s BIM capabilities
•increase BIM capacity across the region
•ensure regional input into national discussion and policy decisions

BIM is the future, so whatever your interest or level of involvement, please join us!

To book your place contact: Julian@secbe.org.uk

There is no charge for this event but do please let Julian know if you book, but are subsequently unable to attend.

Join John Staves, Richard Lane and Tina McGeachan for our Third Thames Valley BIM Hub Event!

When? Thursday 10 July 2014 4.30pm – 7pm
Where? Old Bracknell Lane West, Bracknell, RG12 7AH

Case Study: HMYOI Cookham Wood

Hosted by BSRIA

Cookham Wood was the first Government BIM Early Adopter project and arguably defined what Level 2 BIM is today. It was a steep BIM learning curve from the outset. Balancing the various BIM maturity levels of team members and changing the way some deliverables were approached. Cookham Wood’s impact reverberates throughout the industry.

Learn about the Project Team’s experience of implementing BIM on this early adopter project, the challenges faced, the lessons learnt and how it has informed subsequent projects.

Guest speaker: Fiona Moore
Now a Support Officer with the Government’s BIM Task Group, Fiona has a wide breadth of construction industry experience, including framework management, design/project management and the practical implementation of BIM. Working on custodial projects for over eight years, she was able to experience first-hand the Government’s adoption of BIM, as the Ministry of Justice’s Lead Designer / Technical Assessor on the HMYOI Cookham Wood project.

This will be an information packed event – book your place now!

What Are BIM Hubs?

BIM Hubs are part of a national and regional network established by CIC to promote a consistent understanding of what BIM means to the industry and its impact through all levels of the supply chain.

The resounding strapline to BIM is that we need to work better together and the Thames Valley BIM Hub meet regularly to:

share BIM knowledge and best practice
facilitate collaborative activity – helping companies to meet ‘BIM Buddies’
support the development of the supply chain’s BIM capabilities
increase BIM capacity across the region
ensure regional input into national discussion and policy decisions

BIM is the future, so whatever your interest or level of involvement, please join us!

To book your place contact: tina@secbe.org.uk

There is no charge for this event but do please let Tina know if you book, but are subsequently unable to attend.

Thames Valley BIM Hub Launch Event – What a success …. SOLD OUT!

Construction professionals gathered in Reading last night to attend the launch of the Thames Valley BIM Hub.

BIM Hubs are part of a national and regional network established by CIC to promote a consistent understanding of what BIM means to the industry and its impact through all levels of the supply chain.

Our thanks go to SECBE, Richard Lane and David Miller for making the launch event such a success.

Sharing BIM knowledge and best practice across the region.

In the true spirit of collaboration, John Staves shared his experience of a recent BIM project, where he highlighted time, cost and quality benefits – these are all achievable through the use of BIM.

Click here to read our BIM Case Study

BIM Hub

Join John Staves and Richard Lane for the launch of the Thames Valley BIM Hub.

When? Thursday 23 January 2014 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Where? Hilton Hotel, Drake Way, Reading, RG2 0GQ

Itinerary
5.30– 6.00pm | Beat the traffic and networking
6.00 – 6.15pm | Richard Lane & John Staves – Welcome & Introduction
6.15 – 6.30pm | Richard Lane – The Big Picture
6.30 – 6.45pm | John Staves – BIM Case Study 1
6.45- 7.00pm | David Miller, David Miller Architects – BIM Case Study 2

7.00 – 7.15pm | Tina McGeachan – FutureFit a programme of free business support for SMEs to plan and implement their individual BIM strategies

7.15 – 7.30pm | Workshop / discussion – What do you want from the Thames Valley BIM Hub?

email Tina@secbe.org.uk to book your place now.

BIM Hubs are part of a national and regional network established by CIC to promote a consistent understanding of what BIM means to the industry and its impact through all levels of the supply chain.

The resounding strapline to BIM is that we need to work better together and the Thames Valley Hub will meet regularly to:

share BIM knowledge and best practice
facilitate collaborative activity – helping companies to meet ‘BIM Buddies’
support the development of the supply chain’s BIM capabilities
increase BIM capacity across the region
ensure regional input into national discussion and policy decisions

BIM is the future, so whatever your interest or level of involvement, please join us!

BIM Technology Showcase

Visit the BIM CAVE: Dr Maxwell Mallia-Parfitt

Let's Discuss Your Project