The Landscape Institute has appointed a university BIM researcher currently on loan to landscape practice Colour Urban Design to write a new book on BIM for its members.
The book is intended to provide a roadmap to BIM for a landscape architecture practice, as well as providing other consultants working in the construction industry with a starting point for developing their BIM capabilities.
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It will be divided into three sections, providing guidance for business leaders, project managers and technicians.
The author, Henry Fenby-Taylor (pictured above), was appointed to Colour via a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Teesside University in November 2013. As a BIM system designer, he is applying BIM project management standards and enhancing software productivity and efficiency to the practice, which has offices in London, Newcastle and Doha.
Fenby-Taylor commented: “BIM is all about enhancing the accessibility and persistence of design information throughout the lifecycle of a constructed landscape. Through BIM we can facilitate better decision-making, based on better, clearer information. This can only result in a construction and management process that is ultimately more cost effective and delivers upon the expectations of clients and the public.”
“With the Government Construction Strategy requiring adoption of BIM by 2016 on centrally procured projects, landscape architecture is uniquely positioned, alongside architecture, civil engineering and regional scale planning, to deliver far-reaching benefits that will impact millions of people in their everyday lives. It is our goal to ensure that these innovations can be accurately and reliably delivered throughout the lifecycle of built environment assets.”
KTPs typically last for two years and are a collaboration between a university and a company. They are part-funded by Innovate UK to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills.
Fenby-Taylor said: “Having the chance to work with both professionals and academics in this area is unique and we are doing some cutting-edge work.
“My role is more research focused and so I can afford to experiment and try new things. It means I can look at new models of doing things and it’s not going to impact on the company.”
The KTP is supervised by Professor Nashwan Dawood from Teesside University’s School of Science & Engineering, who said: “The use of BIM technology in landscape architecture projects is quite rare so the work being carried out at Colour should have some extremely interesting outcomes for the industry.”
Peter Owens, Colour’s design and managing director, highlighted the role of BIM in landscape design: “For landscape architects, a fully functioning, holistic BIM solution to the design of space that includes ground modelling, coordination with underground services and extends to maintenance in addition to our standard services, will provide clients with a far more effective design solution than anything that is traditionally available.”
And the Landscape Institute’s BIM Working Group coordinator, Jim Riches, added: “Henry is suited to this role due to his vast knowledge and experience already gained from working on BIM projects and via his own research. He is a valued member of the Landscape Institute BIM Group and is one of few people who are fully conversant with the intricacies of BIM and how it can and will be applied to landscape. He already has the confidence of the Landscape Institute BIM group with whom he has developed a sound working relationship.”
BIM is all about enhancing the accessibility and persistence of design information throughout the lifecycle of a constructed landscape. Through BIM we can facilitate better decision-making, based on better, clearer information.
– Henry Fenby-Taylor, Colour Urban Design
