Curtin Malaysia lecturers and students undergo digital construction management training

Miri – 1 April 2021 – Civil and construction engineering lecturers and students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently completed the first phase of an online ‘BIM Project’ training designed to familiarise them with modern Building Information Modelling (BIM) digital tools and project management solutions for the construction industry.

The training was organised by the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering and the Curtin Highway Infrastructure & Innovation Hub (CHIRI) at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science in collaboration with PCSS Consultancy Sdn. Bhd., a Sarawak-based project management consultancy.

The training was an outcome of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Curtin Malaysia and PCSS Consultancy for collaboration in academic development, staff and student advancement and project management-related research signed in October last year.

It was also part of the Faculty of Engineering and Science’s ‘Digitalisation Initiatives 2020 BIM Project’, which aims to provide opportunities for staff and students to gain practical experience with modern tools for digitalisation in construction.

In the first phase of the training, from December 2020 to February 2021, the lecturers and students were trained on a suite of specialised software provided by PCSS Consultancy, including Autodesk Revit, a BIM software for professionals in the construction industry; Oracle Primavera P6, an enterprise project portfolio management software; and Synchro, an integrated digital construction management software that focuses on project delivery.

The training involves taking the ongoing development of Curtin Malaysia’s new Lakeside IV student housing project as a case study, allowing the lecturers and students to relate what they learn to a real-life scenario. They will apply the knowledge and skills they acquired in the first phase to the housing project under the mentorship of engineers from PCSS Consultancy in the second phase from March to December 2021.

“We are very privileged to have experts from PCSS Consultancy train our lecturers and students in the use of the software. The company’s staff are highly experienced and can draw on their involvement in the Battersea Power Station redevelopment project in London where they introduced the Synchro 4D software in the management of the project. They are also involved in local mega projects such as the Pan Borneo Highway and Sarawak Second Trunk Road,” said Dr. Wong Kwong Soon, Head of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering.

Dr. Wong said civil and construction engineering students at Curtin Malaysia already use Autodesk Revit in their course and BIM is an integral part of the civil and construction engineering curriculum. This is line with both current industry practice and advances in civil and construction engineering education in universities across the world. It is also aligned with the Public Works Department (JKR) Strategic Plan 2021-2025, which has set a target for adoption of BIM in the Malaysian construction industry by 50 per cent next year and 80 per cent by 2025.

He added that Curtin Malaysia’s BIM Project will inevitably help students enhance their knowledge and skills in BIM and related software, and applying the software to actual construction projects on its campus will add relevance to the students’ learning. Currently, in addition to the Lakeside IV student housing project, there are the Engineering Research Laboratory and new cafeteria projects which are nearing completion, and a new Digital Centre of Excellence project set to commence later this year.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu said the incorporation of BIM in the course curriculum sets Curtin’s civil and construction engineering course apart from others.

“Our students are learning the latest methods and technologies in the construction industry, and getting hands-on experience in the use of construction management software will make them more competent and job-ready when they graduate,” said Professor Vu.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Construction Engineering (Honours), which is a comprehensive combination of civil engineering and construction engineering. The qualification has extensive support and collaboration from industry players and is both highly prized by graduates and respected by professional engineers. It also offers a high level of job mobility.

In the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, Curtin was ranked in the top 100 universities globally for Civil and Structural Engineering.

Screen grab of some of the lecturers and students participating in the BIM Project training.