Ir YIM Kin-ping, JP
BIM Forum 2015
Laying Foundations for ICT Infrastructures
Jointly organized by The Institution of Engineering and Technology and The Open University of Hong Kong
27 June 2015 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00 to 13:00
Venue: Serena Yang Lecture Theatre (P01), The Open University of Hong Kong (Homantin)
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning. It is my great pleasure to address you today at the BIM Forum 2015 – Laying Foundations for ICT Infrastructures, organized by The Institution of Engineering and Technology and The Open University of Hong Kong.
I am a civil engineer with some 38 years of working experience in the construction industry of Hong Kong, and have been witnessing the rapid development and advancement of our construction industry to cope with the ever growing society needs. Recently, Hong Kong construction industry is very robust. Under shortage of labours, resources constraint and ever-increasing public aspirations, we have to be innovative in design and management, and apply suitably creative technology to reduce the demands of labours and to enhance productivity to cope with the increasing amount of construction works and to meet the public expectations. Over the past few years, we have achieved encouraging results in engineering design and construction, using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Cloud storage to facilitate design drafting, regarding construction materials and mechanical and electronic devices, more and more low carbon materials and renewable-energy-machinery are to be used to promote green buildings.
Building information modeling (BIM) is an intelligent 3D model-based process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Building information models (BIMs) are files (often but not always in proprietary formats and containing proprietary data) which can be exchanged or networked to support decision-making about a place. Current BIM software is used by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain diverse physical infrastructures, such as water, wastewater, electricity, gas, refuse and communication utilities, roads, bridges and ports, houses, apartments, schools and shops, offices, factories, warehouses and prisons.
Traditional building design was largely reliant upon two-dimensional technical drawings (plans, elevations, sections, etc.). Building information modeling extends this beyond 3D, augmenting the three primary spatial dimensions (width, height and depth) with time as the fourth dimension (4D) and cost as the fifth (5D), etc. BIM therefore covers more than just geometry. It also covers spatial relationships, light analysis, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components.
For the professionals involved in a project, BIM enables a virtual information model to be handed from the design team (architects, landscape architects, surveyors, civil, structural and building services engineers, etc.) to the main contractor and subcontractors and then on to the owner/operator; each professional adds discipline-specific data to the single shared model. This reduces information losses that traditionally occurred when a new team takes ‘ownership’ of the project, and provides more extensive information to owners of complex structures.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from planning, design through construction and into operations. It is an integrated workflow process that provides insight for creating digital design information & documentation, predicting performance & cost, managing & delivering projects faster, more economically, and with less environmental impact.
BIM is rapidly embraced throughout the Construction Industry to improve building quality and effectiveness of construction projects by optimizing designs, improving coordination and reducing construction waste. The world quickly learns that BIM has a lot more to offer than simply bridging communications between the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. It does not only reinvent practices in the construction industry, but impacts and supports all aspects of the infrastructure.
It is thus timely for IET and OU to hold today’s “BIM Forum – Laying Foundation for ICT Infrastructures”. The Forum will provide a forum for engineers, architects, surveyors, planners, subject experts, academics and other professionals to share their valuable views, experience and practices on policies, the latest development and applications of the BIM technology, and its holistic effect, particularly on ICT infrastructure.
I am sure that every one of you will find this Forum informative, insightful, inspiring and thought-provoking. Let us work together towards a more sustainable environment and make our world a better place to live for our future generations. Thank you.
