Architecture Students Gain Insights
Friday, September 16 was a day
filled with architecture students immersed in BIM - Building
Information Modeling - from one of the leaders in the application of BIM, Shawmut
Construction. BIM is the latest digital tool used by architects, engineers,
construction managers, and contractors to document and coordinate the design
and construction process of buildings.
The day was divided between an
intensive morning session in the architecture studios followed by a visit to
the construction site of the new St. John Hall Student Center at Choate
Rosemary Hall school. The Center was designed by Bowie Gridley
Architects and is being constructed by Shawmut. During the morning session
students were shown how BIM allowed the design and construction team to
visualize the project and coordinate the architectural, structural, mechanical,
electrical and building systems elements before the construction began, saving
time and expense for the owner. Tom Perry, Nick Kornacki and Tim
Grant, all from Shawmut, brought the students into the process
through demonstration and hands-on experience with the BIM software.
After lunch the students took a
short bus trip to Wallingford to walk through the new student center under
construction. Lisa Bendas, the project manager for Shawmut and a
graduate of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture
Bachelor of Science AET program, gave the students a detailed tour of the
building as it was taking shape. They were able to physically walk through
spaces that they had virtually walked through in the morning. It was a
tremendous learning experience and helped the students see the reality of
construction - preparing them to visualize how their future designs turn into
reality through the construction process.
This event was developed through the
collaboration of the Construction Institute, the University's Facilities
Department, the Department of Architecture, and Shawmut Construction . The
Department thanks Nancy Greenwald of the Construction Institute
for her continued support of programs such as this, Nick Macy of the Facilities
Department for his tireless work in coordinating both the morning and
afternoon sessions, and Shawmut Construction for their time and
expertise.
No comments:
Post a Comment