Carel describes himself as “the construction guy that does Rubik’s cubes for fun, so a nerdy jock. Involving myself in the use of technology not only in the design process but in ensuring a smoother construction process was almost inevitable,” he laughs.
“Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been a topic of discussion in the engineering consulting industry for many years, but there’s a lot more to digitally transforming design and construction than building information-rich models,” he says. “We use BIM 360 in construction management, for example, to support and manage contractual communication and quality control digitally.”
Carel says there has been an evolution in the industry towards a better understanding of what BIM is, and what it is not. “Modelling building designs is only a small part of what the software can do,” he explains. “It’s also a completely paperless, cloud-based project management system that includes design, making it an extremely powerful tool to improve site management and the construction process overall.”
Carel has made huge strides in embedding the construction and project management capability of “BIM” software in the project management knowledge group within WSP in Africa. “It’s through this shift in how we use the software that capabilities like Digital Twins become possible,” he says. “Mapping an information-rich digital model against the project under construction as well as each step of the construction process – from ordering correct material quantities to monitoring progress and quality on site – is what using a Digital Twin effectively is all about. And this is only possible if the experts needed at each step of the construction process are also involved in developing the model.”
By bringing engineering managers, project managers and other stakeholders in to help develop the Digital Twin, Carel has driven the adoption of a digital approach to infrastructure development within WSP locally. “For instance, we include quality management and the construction schedule in the model development so that have a much more realistic view of how the project will be built on site.”
For Carel, the journey has been one of adopting AutoDesk Construction Cloud (formerly known as BIM) to its fullest extent so that it’s benefits can be delivered to the engineering team, the construction team and, most importantly, the client.
“We use the tool to ensure that all 12 knowledge groups of construction project management are adhered to and that we are working ever more efficiently and effectively,” he says. “There’s a been a shift in how we approach projects end-to-end so that all the professionals – from engineers to project managers – are much closer to the designs, models and finished project from the beginning. This streamlines the resources required to deliver successful projects.”
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