Experts promote use of Building Information Modelling protocols in Chile
The delegates participated in the BIM LATAM Congress organised by the BIM LatAm forum and the Chilean Construction Chamber.
Adam Matthews, International Director of Digital Build Britain, presented at the Congress.
The British Embassy and the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce hosted between 4 to 10 November a trade mission of British experts promoting the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) UK protocols in Chile. The mission coincided with a visit from the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Chile, Colombia and Peru, Mark Menzies MP.
UK-Chile BIM collaboration
The mission helped to further strengthen links between the UK and Chile on BIM, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last year between Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) / Innovate UK and Chile’s Production Development Agency (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción, CORFO) to promote UK BIM protocols in Chile.
Activities around the BIM trade mission included a breakfast with Her Majesty’s Ambassador, Fiona Clouder and Mr Menzies, and meetings with important contacts in both the public and private sector and academia.
Ambassador Fiona Clouder, Mr Mark Menzies MP and BIM Delegates at the British residence.
Additionally, the delegates participated in the third edition of the BIM LATAM Congress, which was organised by the BIM LatAm forum and the Chilean Construction Chamber and attracted attendance from across Latin America. The delegates were able to take advantage of our GREAT-branded stand to highlight the UK’s expertise in the training, design and implementation of BIM-related products and services.
Since 2016, the British Embassy in Santiago has been supporting the collaboration between the UK BIM Task Force (Digital Build Britain,) and the team leading on Chile’s National BIM plan in Chile’s Economic Development Agency, CORFO: PlanBIM, whose objective is to make the use of BIM mandatory for all centrally procured public infrastructure projects by 2020.
The delegation included representatives from:
- the UK BIM Task Force
- BIM4Housing
- UK BIM Alliance
- the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
- Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)
- PW Architects
- BRE Group
Adam Matthews, International Director of Digital Build Britain, presented at the Congress on the UK’s experience of BIM implementation and collaboration on an international scale. Regarding the British participation at the Congress, Adam said:
Adam Matthews speaks about the UK’s experience of BIM implementation
Orivaldo Barros and Paul Oakley from BRE Group also presented on BRE’s collaboration with the University of Chile to build an Innovation Park in Chile (similar to their Innovation Park in Watford) and on BIM specifications.
BIM mission agenda
Aside from participation in the BIM LATAM Congress, delegates held meetings with the PlanBIM team in CORFO, the Chilean Ministries of Public Works, Health and Housing and the Administrative Corporation of the Judiciary.
In these meetings, the implementation of BIM protocols in public projects, training and planning processes and UK’s experience of translating strategic focus on BIM to practical applications were discussed.
The delegates also met with the:
- Pontifical Catholic University’s Architecture and Engineering departments
- University of Chile’s centre for Research, Development and Innovation of Structures and Materials
- College of Architects (Colegio de Arquitectos)
- Association of Architects Offices (Asociación de Oficinas de Arquitectos)
- Technological Development Agency (Corporación de Desarrollo Tecnológico, CDT).
These meetings centred on the:
- accreditation of educational institutions
- training of architects in BIM processes
- development of spaces to use BIM techniques in modelling and development stages of construction
GREAT Britain Campaign
The BIM UK trade mision was supported by the GREAT Campaign, which showcases the best of what the UK has to offer to inspire the world, and encourage people to visit, do business, invest and study in the UK.
It’s the government’s most ambitious international promotional campaign ever, uniting the efforts of the private and public sector to generate jobs and growth for Britain.
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