Upcoming BIMcert Conference at Titanic Belfast on 22 January titled ‘Reducing the Energy Footprint in the Built Environment’ will showcase the BIMcert project achievements.
This industry leading conference in Titanic Belfast will showcase the outputs and successes of the BIMcert project led by Belfast Metropolitan College. With an international line-up of speakers from across Europe including Macedonia, Croatia and Denmark this event will highlight how the BIMcert partners have empowered the construction sector to embrace digital transformation and have powered change in the construction sector to reduce carbon emissions targets.
Paul McCormack the Project Co-ordinator states: “Digital transformation is impacting all sectors. However, to date the construction sector as a whole has been hesitant to accept the digitalisation process. The BIMcert project successfully targeted the entire construction supply chain in order to stimulate demand for sustainable energy skills and to embrace digital transformation using Building Information Modelling as the key tool to drive change.”
The conference will also seek to map a pathway for continued digital transformation actions in the built environment and speakers from industry, public sector and EU bodies will highlight the challenges and opportunities for companies and individuals alike. Ms Maja-Marija Nahod, Deputy Minister for Construction and Energy Efficiency, Croatia will highlight how Croatia has embraced the outputs from the BIMcert project to deliver energy efficiency in the building sector, and the impact of making changes. The Chair of the EU BIM Task Group Souheil Soubra will detail the advantages to be achieved as Europe seeks to develop a world class digital construction sector.
Acknowledging the success and impact of the BIMcert project with Belfast Met being the first FE College in the UK to win and lead a H2020 project, Belfast Met Director Damian Duffy stated: “Educating the workforce in digital skills is a key foundation step in stimulating demand, developing and implementing a digital transformation skills roadmap for the construction sector. Belfast Met have led the education process enabling participants to share and amplify content online, allowing participants to collaborate digitally and to become impulsive about their sustainable energy skills.”
In recognising the impact of the BIMcert project within the construction sector Amandine Lacourt Project Adviser, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises stated: “The BIMcert digital bite-sized training and micro-accreditation system is a powerful tool for professionals of the building value chain to get their skills recognised and valued by the market. This can be expected to give significant traction to sustainability related skills in the AEC industry.”
The conference will also examine how the entire energy circle is improving the energy performance in buildings with Dr James Harty, Copenhagen School of Design and Technology and Gordon Sutherland Head of Sector, EASME speaking on the Importance of the Energy Performance Buildings Directive and how these directives can be implemented to 2030 and beyond.
BIMcert successes
BIMcert developed and delivered a series of training interventions using digital technology and improved blended techniques to support, enhance and maximise the impact of energy efficient skills at all operational levels within the modern construction industry. BIMcert provided an accessible portal for training the vast middle tier of the construction industry supply chain workers to improve their BIM access skills leading to better collaborative working that guarantees energy efficient, sustainable buildings and increased quality throughout the entire construction supply chain. BIMcert empowered and enabled participants to go beyond their current non-integrated construction functionality to an optimum digitally enabled energy efficient position allowing them to employ all the IT enabled functionality and the BIM tools, processes, services and products to deliver near zero carbon construction and renovation.
