Log In
Seven bridges, including the Tyne Bridge (front), join Newcastle and Gateshead. The BIM Show Live 2019, a digital construction event, attracted “world leading experts in some incredible, next-generation subjects” to the area. (VisitBritain)
BIM Show Live 2019, a digital construction event in Newcastle Upon Tyne, had a direct tie to the city’s role as the building information modelling (BIM) capital of the U.K and a legacy goal of trying to woo a new generation into the industry.
“This is a brilliant example of a leading business event maximising the impact it can have on the local community,” Paul Szomoru, director of tourism and business events at the NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, told Conference News. “In hosting BIM Show Live, Newcastle is attracting world leading experts in some incredible, next-generation subjects, and the leaders behind it are seeking to inspire local young people to see a potential career in this exciting area.”
The event, which took place in late February, offered interactive workshops by industry leaders including 3D measurement company FARO and U.S. software company Autodesk, which defines BIM as “an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives architecture, engineering, and construction professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.”
Faced with an increasing skills shortage in the U.K. construction sector, the three-day event began with BIM Inspiration Day, which showcased emerging technologies being used in the construction industry (such as robotics, 3D modelling, and cloud technology) to youths from schools across the North East.
Rob Charlton, CEO of U.K.-based Space Group, the event’s organiser, told Conference News: “Technology is advancing at an exponential rate and is reflected within the construction sector through our use of VR, AR, artificial intelligence, drones, and robotics. Young people today are immersed in technology, so it’s vital we show them that the industry is far more tech-driven than it once was.”
The BIM Awards — which took place on the first evening of the event — brought together some of the brightest minds in the industry, honouring projects, products, and concepts that involve innovative uses of BIM.