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Issue 6 June 1997 |
World Construction Community Sign Global IT InitiativeAt the Global Meeting (previewed last issue) of the world's construction community, representatives from ten countries signed an initiative to form a global network of Construction IT Centres promoting best practice use of IT in construction. Contractors, Consultants, IT suppliers and Academics from Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, UK and USA were present. Martin Betts, Chief Executive of Construct IT UK who hosted the event said, " We believe that a co-ordinated approach to the development of IT systems will open up significant opportunities for international trade. Although a number of mechanisms for collaborative working exist in a number of countries, wider collaboration involving a diverse range of participants, is essential". Following the review of the research and implementation of IT in construction in different countries all parties agreed that most key issues were similar and that the solutions being developed had many common features. The nine point initiative includes a commitment by all parties to; seek opportunities for collaborative projects, support global standardisation efforts, form an Internet-based information network and show-case research, innovation and practical implementation of construction IT. It was agreed that the effectiveness of this collaborative effort should be measured periodically and reviewed accordingly. Betts hopes that the meeting will lead to moves that will transform the construction industry in a way similar to how the European car industry was revolutionised when Japanese manufacturing methods were imported. Nine point planThe signatories to the Initiative undertook; to initiate a network for the co-ordinated innovation and global application of advanced IT to support improvement in the world's construction processes. They will do this by:
For more information see the Construct IT Homepage
We are delighted with the progress that was made at our recent fifth members meeting at the Heathrow Excelsior on May 21/22. At this meeting we had a chance to review progress with the Centre's Action Plan. It is staggering to see that looking back we have more than met our founding objectives in a much shorter time than we had originally anticipated. We are now moving on to a whole new range of activities embracing: tackling the Year 2000 issue, holding technology demonstrators, working towards an IT management toolkit, coordinating an international network, and others about which more details will emerge in future issues. It seems incredible to think that over the last seven months we have now had 10 major meetings and seminars which have been attended by more than 600 people. There is still a long way to go in ensuring the network's message gets to all of our target audiences but we seem to have come a very long way since 10 contractors and 7 universities met together for the first time in Cheshire just over 2 years ago. Our 10 major events in seven months include: 2 members meetings, 2 benchmarking seminars, a Year 2000 briefing, a CPN workshop, a health check launch, a benchmarking retrospective, a YES/SET week technology demonstrator seminar and a major international meeting. We have also had in-house briefings with various member companies. The international meeting has spawned the Armathwaite Initiative, a report on which will be circulated shortly. This has brought together industrialists and academics leading similar ventures to Construct IT in nine other countries including USA, Sweden, Finland, Japan, Australia, South Africa and Hong Kong. This internationalising of the work of our network is not a distraction from our UK-focused activities but a means of ensuring that what we are doing in the UK is well informed by global research, innovation, development and best practice. We are delighted with the continuing support we are getting from the DoE through their new senior appointments within the Construction Sponsorship Directorate and look forward to continuing to work closely with DoE, with CRISP, IMI and other major public bodies to ensure that the Centre's work informs and is informed by the broader national initiatives. Construct IT on it's global mission reaches AustraliaProfessor Martin Betts of Construct IT UK was guest speaker in Melbourne in April at the fourth Construction Industry Institute annual conference of Australia. Within the theme, "Getting the most from the Team", Professor Betts demonstrated how companies world-wide currently deploy IT as a major driver for increased teamworking and improved performance. Betts's mission whilst in Australia was to encourage the setting up of an Australian Construct IT network. He gave presentations in the two major states (New South Wales and Victoria) which proved particularly helpful in disseminating the IT message. Betts was accompanied on the trip by David Smith of Unisys and their visit generated particular interest in both national and international benchmarking of IT through the various stages of the construction process. The UK Construct IT network is also seeking to get major global research organisations to share a common vision for research priorities in the future. This work has been spearheaded by Professor Denny McGeorge of Newcastle University, New South Wales. He led a UK based project team as part of a recent sabbatical spent working with the Construct IT Centre. He is leading the formation of the Australian Construct IT Network. Betts said, "IT innovation will significantly impact on the Australian construction market and it is essential that firms in Australia's construction industry are active participants in the global IT movement".
Standing room only at YES/SET Week Showcase for ConstructionThe Construct IT Centre of Excellence in collaboration with The Year of Engineering Success (YES) mounted a very successful Information Technology showcase for construction at this year's SET event . The morning session was chaired by Dr Tim Broyd of W S Atkins. The meeting room was full to bursting with standing room only. Broyd's opening speech set the tone for the morning when he said, "Construction is perceived as uncool, dirty and dull. Construct IT is cool, clean and exciting!". The showcase explored 4 key projects that are pushing visualisation and communications technologies forward. Other sessions focused on live demonstrations with an opportunity to interact with Internet versions of some of the applications. The Application of Object Orientated Techniques to Concept Planning and DesignPresented by Mike Russell of WS Atkins, the session discussed the company's internal development project called VROOMS (Virtual Reality and Object Orientated Modelling Systems). A live demonstration used a case study of a design concept in which object modelling, cost modelling and virtual reality visualisation were pragmatically employed to meet a given brief. Groupware in the Building Design ProcessBT's Steve Towndrow talked about the Lotus Notes groupware application called BAIRS which provides inter organisation communication of design information and drawings. A live demonstration showed how drawings can be downloaded, reviewed, marked up and signed off with full integration to E-Mail. Virtual Reality in the Built EnvironmentDr Alan Penn of The Bartlett School, University College London provided a demonstration of how VR technology is being used by some companies associated with the VR Centre to improve the productivity of their processes and the quality of their design. Site Communications and VisualisationIn this final session David Leevers of BICC plc illustrated how the necessary visualisation and communications technologies are being integrated and evaluated in three projects funded by the EU ACTS communication's R & D programme. MICC is developing the radio communications infrastructure for the construction site, RESOLV is capturing the 3D appearance and structure of the site for combining with CAD visualisations and CICC is an integrating project lead by BICC/Balfour Beatty and including UK participants Bovis, Ove Arup, BT and Brunel University which is piloting these concepts on UK construction sites. The session also gave some exciting glimpses into the future by presenting a vision of how remote people and information could leap out of the PC screen to draw everyone into a dynamic and effective virtual organisation The whole event was showcased in relation to the work of the Construct I.T. initiative in which the Centre of Excellence has a key role to play. Managing the Year 2K date change problemA Senior Executive Meeting for the Construction Industry took place at Masons Solicitors in April and was attended by 70 major players. The seminar followed the publication of the Construct IT report entitled, 'Senior Executive Briefing - Managing the Millenium Date Change Problem' which was published in conjunction with Masons and Unisys. The report is intended to develop the best practice approach and give practical guidance to senior executives within the industry as to the management issues involved in Year 2000 remedial projects and how best to control the risks which may arise. There is widespread concern within government and industry generally that problems caused by software being unable to cope with the Millenium date change may severely affect UK companies' profitability and survival as we approach the next century. This sentiment may not be shared by leaders in the construction industry as yet, due in part to the way in which information technology is currently used and managed by the industry. The difficulty faced by many Construction IT managers is in persuading senior management to take on the responsibility for resolution of the problem, as they would with any major construction project which is running into difficulty. Two more seminars are being held in Manchester and Leeds (see Diary Dates) together with follow up events in September 1997 as project experience within the construction industry becomes available. If you wish to register for these seminars, please contact Emma Rostron on: Telephone: 0113 233 8905 Fax: 0113 245 4285 E-mail: emma.rostron@masons.com Diary Dates........2-4th July -- IGDS Examinations 2nd July -- Year 2000 Date Change Seminar, Oulton Park Hotel, Leeds 3rd July -- Year 2000 Date Change Seminar, World Trade Centre, Exchange Quays, Manchester 3/4th July -- IGDS Mentor's Meeting - IT Demonstrations, Salford University 17th July -- Management Board Meeting, Salford 22nd July -- Research Workplan Seminar, RSA London 18th Sept -- Management Board Meeting, London 2-4th Oct -- IGDS MSc Prior Learning Module 15-17th Oct -- IGDS MSc Communications and Internet Module 16th Oct -- IGDS PMC 29-31st Oct -- IGDS MSc Strategic Management & Business Process Analysis Module 23-24th Oct -- Construct IT Members Meeting
New MembersConstruct IT welcomes the University of Bath to its membership this month. The School of Management at the university are undertaking a research programme called the Agile Construction Initiative (ACI). Its key aim is to facilitate the flow of information regarding current world best practice to the programme's industrial partners and to provide a forum for industrialists, policy makers and academics to discuss challenges currently facing the industry. Be a part of a growing networkThe Construct IT Centre of Excellence fulfils a vital role in bringing together those involved, directly or indirectly, with the construction industry in the UK to improve, ultimately, the industry's competitive performance. To find out more about becoming a part of our growing network contact Martin Betts on 0161 295 5362. New NumbersPlease note our telephone numbers have changed. The 745 changes to 295, however, you may still use the 745 exchange for the next three months. What is the Centre of Excellence?The Centre is an industry-led network of construction industry Companies, Universities
and Research Institutes, and Professional Institutions and Trade Associations
co-ordinating their work in Construction IT Research and Innovation for the benefit of UK
industry. The Centre is administered by: Tel: +44 (0) 161-745-5362 The centre maintains web pages at: http://www.salford.ac.uk/survey/centex/ and is in the early stages of developing a research database at: http://www.construct.rdg.ac.uk/it.html Those members of the centre using e-mail can be collectively reached at: constructit@rdg.ac.uk If you wish to subscribe to this list server, send your e-mail address to: constructit-request@rdg.ac.uk Any member wishing to forward material for inclusion in the newsletter please do so to Christine Thompson at: ParkDale Communications
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