BIM and Digital expert Carl Collins has been appointed by CIBSE to lead a range of initiatives planned for imminent launch to members and the Building Services supply chain.
The appointment reinforces CIBSE’s leadership and role in developing BIM tools for the MEP sector and for the operation and performance of built assets, seeking to spread the benefits of a data-led approach across the whole life of buildings, especially in the operational phase, when MEP engineers can use digital asset information to add real value to owners and occupiers.
Les Copeland, Chair of the CIBSE BIM Steering Group, said: “CIBSE recognises that BIM and the digital world are a key, integral part of moving construction as a whole forward in delivering high quality built assets that meet the needs of clients and users into the future.
“We are determined to play a full role in forging the way forward for the industry by seeking, developing and delivering collaborative tools, guidance and training for the building services sector.
“The development of peer-reviewed, industry consensus Product Data Templates (PDTs) marked a significant – and growing – first step, and this will now be followed by more practical guidance and support for the sector.”
Carl Collins has more than 30 years’ experience working in engineering environments, including Arup, for whom he worked in the unified design group and Arup Associates. He has worked with CIBSE developing their approach to BIM for the last five years, and joins CIBSE as one of the industry’s foremost experts on the use of BIM in the built environment. He comments:
“I’m very excited to be joining CIBSE and driving our whole approach to BIM. The industry’s relationship with BIM often gets bogged down in issues of compliance, and we focus more on the rules and regulations than on the actual benefits using digital data can bring.
“Our approach will help people to use BIM better by becoming digital engineers – using data to improve everything about the way they work rather than just using a narrow set of tools to do a few specific jobs. The data revolution will be as important to engineering over the next 20 years as computers have been over the last 20, so the more effective we are at using it to our advantage the better.”