Industry practitioners, academics and researchers attend 1st Borneo BIM Symposium at Curtin Malaysia

Miri – 19 December 2019 – The recent 2-day 1^st Borneo Building Information Modelling (BIM) Symposium jointly hosted by the Curtin Highway Infrastructure Research and Innovation (CHIRI) hub, Department of Civil and Construction Engineering and student-run Curtin Civil Society of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) saw over 100 industry practitioners, academics and researchers gathering to share ideas and experiences related to the use of BIM in engineering design and construction.

A pre-symposium ‘CIDB Proficiency Training: BIM Concept and Theory’ workshop for 55 of the symposium participants was conducted by two trainers from MyBIM Centre the day earlier.

The first day of the symposium began with a welcoming speech by Acting Dean of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science Associate Professor Vincent Lee and an opening address by Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Beena Giridharan on behalf of Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Jim Mienczakowski.

In his speech delivered by Professor Giridharan, Professor Mienczakowski said BIM is an exciting new field in civil and construction engineering and the symposium was an excellent platform for experts from industry and academia to share their insights and experiences, and discuss various aspects of BIM and other new and evolving technologies.

“As a university committed to innovation and change, Curtin believes engineers and scientists, long regarded as agents of innovation and change, have an important role to play in addressing the phenomenal changes the world faces today, both societal and environmental, due to the unprecedented development of new technologies,” he said.

Professor Mienczakowski expressed hopes that the symposium participants would not only examine the tremendous strides made in technology and the sciences, particularly in the digital realm, but also engage in constructive dialogues on concepts, ideas and technology related to BIM that could create more sustainable environments for the future.

This was followed by keynote sessions by Dr. Mohd. Harris Bin Mohd. Ismail, Chief Executive Officer of Ascension Technology Sdn. Bhd.; Andy Tiong, Senior Professional Services Manager of PCSS Consultancy, and Kuthur Sriram, Senior Account Manager – APAC & South East Asia of Bentley Institute, who delivered talks on ‘BIM Implementation: Theory & Practices’, ’Advanced Digital Construction in BIM’ and ‘Digital Twin in Building Industry’ respectively.

In the afternoon, a workshop on ‘Use of Laser Scan for BIM Application’ was conducted by Raimi Ahmad of ACA Pacific, followed by case study sessions entitled ‘Is BIM an Alien?’ conducted Arthur Gan of Computer Graphics Network, and ‘Use of Revit and Robots for Design’ by Curtin Malaysia students under the supervision of Ir. Meheron Selowara Joo, Dr. Sharon Yee and Dr. Low Wai Wah.

Students and staff of Curtin Malaysia, as well as students of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, University of Malaya, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and University of Nottingham Malaysia, who were mainly Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students, made 13 presentations in two parallel sessions later in the day.

The second day began with two keynote sessions, the first entitled ‘Initiative MyBIM – CIDB’ by Muhammad Syaiful Ahdat Muhammad Fetri, Manager of CIDB e-Construct Services Sdn. Bhd., and the second entitled ‘Integration of BIM & Artificial Intelligence’ by Muhammad Iyas Mahzan of Unified Training & Management.

These sessions were followed by a workshop on ‘BIM Application for Infrastructure Construction’ facilitated by Tony Joseph, Development Lead of MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn. Bhd., before the closing ceremony.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin’s related Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons.) in Construction Management and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Civil and Construction Engineering.

The four-year Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons.) in Construction Management is a relatively new course introduced in 2018. It is a management-oriented degree that prepares students for professional roles in the building and infrastructure construction industries, including quantity surveying, project planning and utilisation of construction technologies. Graduates can look forward to careers as construction managers, contract administrators, project managers, quantity surveyors, building contractors, property developers and more.

The four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Civil and Construction Engineering, meanwhile, is a comprehensive combination of civil engineering and construction engineering. It is a professional and practically-orientated course that has extensive support and collaboration from industry players and is highly prized by graduates and respected by professional engineers.

More information on the courses can be found at https://courses.curtin.edu.my.

Professor Beena Giridharan presenting a souvenir to keynote speaker Kuthur Sriram while Associate Professor Vincent Lee and Dr Wong Kwong Soon look on.

Symposium organisers, speakers and participants pose for a group photo.

Dr Mohd Harris Bin Mohd Ismail of Ascension Technology delivering his keynote.

Andy Tiong of PCSS Consultancy delivering his keynote.

Kuthur Sriram of Bentley Institute delivering his keynote.

Workshop being conducted by Raimi Ahmad of ACA Pacific.

Case study session being conducted Arthur Gan of Computer Graphics Network.

Presenter presenting her paper during one of the parallel sessions.

Group photo of presenters at one of the parallel sessions.

Muhd Syaiful Ahdat Muhd Fetri of CIDB e-Construct Services delivering his keynote.

Dr Wong Kwong Soon presenting souvenir to Muhd Iyas Mahzan of Unified Training & Management.

Tony Joseph of MMC Gamuda KVMRT conducting workshop.