Team Voila, Team New Gen and Team Capella, formed by multiple UTAR Bachelor of Science (Honours) Quantity Surveying students, were each named second prize winner at the First China-ASEAN BIM Application Skills Invitational Competition, held physically at the College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University of China and virtually via VooV Meeting on 27 December 2022.
The China-ASEAN BIM Application Skills Invitational Competition was organised by the Guangxi University of China. It was born out of the growing trends and benefits of utilising BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology in forming a high-quality labour force in the construction industry. The competition aimed to accelerate and improve the training of digital talents in the construction industry as well as to strengthen BIM recognition among college and university students in response to the surging demands for BIM talents.
The teams were each entitled to receive cash prizes of RMB3,000 and a certificate of award.
Team Voila, consisting of students Low Ming Chi, Tan Kai Wen and Chua Xin Jie, commented, “It may have been challenging, but it was achievable. We saw the gain and possibilities, therefore we made it happen. We were eager to observe China’s use of BIM technology in the construction industry. By observing them using BIM to analyse carbon emissions, we gained new insight and the truth that we still have a lot of space to grow in this field. Our passion for BIM is eternal. It had always been the driving force behind our success.”
They added, “With the concept to create better living, we constructed the Voila Residence with 20 levels, including a level with a facility floor. Taking cues from several buildings in Dubai, we created a model with a slightly curved form that tapers to a “V” shape when viewed from above. Instead of sticking to conventional design, we were keen to go beyond our creativity to make our model look authentic. Furthermore, our model is in link to Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. We implemented a green architecture by constructing green landscape at the facility floor and rooftop garden to enhance biodiversity and support a more productive life within communities.”
Team Voila’s award-winning model, the Voila Residence.
Team New Gen consisted of students Ang Ding Fong, Cheong Suet Xuan, Chin Pei Yee and Lai Chen Peng. As the leader of the team, Ang spoke on behalf of the team, saying, “I feel both very proud of and grateful to my team members and our instructor Dr Chia Fah Choy as we were able to achieve a certain standing in this competition. All our effort over the past few months were not in vain. We think it was a great opportunity to expand our knowledge about the latest BIM application technology used by China. At the same time, I also felt that there was a significant gap between our group and the first-prize winners. This left me contemplating that there is still ample space for improvement when it comes to BIM application. What we were taught at the university was not all, in fact, it is just the tip of an iceberg. There are still many things we can learn in the process.”
Ang added, “Our model is more emphasised on costing management rather than technical engineering management. The application of BIM will without doubt bring tremendous impact to the industry, especially within the construction industry. Some of the advantages of utilising BIM include time conservation, efficient information sharing as well as enabling risk management.”
Team Capella, consisting of students Tang Kok Wai, Mak Jun Wei, Lim Chooi Hoong and Ooi Jiunn Xian, enthused, “The members of the team have been together for four years, doing assignments during our degree study. We did not expect to have any significant achievements in our university life. Since it is our final year before stepping into the working society, we decided to go all out in the competition and leave no regret in our final collaborative effort. We initially rejected the offer by Dr Chia Fah Choy as we thought it would be too challenging to complete and submit a model in two weeks. As the saying goes, ‘swift horses are commonly found, but not the person who has good judgement to spot them.’ We were moved by the persistence displayed by Dr Chia. We sincerely thank Dr Chia for noticing our potential which we never imagined we had. Our spirit of leaving no regret led us to work the extra miles and win the award.”
They added, “It had been an eye-opening experience for us. Not only did we win second prize, but we also got to explore other aspects of BIM application in the construction industry such as carbon emission, pipeline simulation and more. Our model focused more on cost estimating using BIM. In our project, we demonstrated how BIM could assist in cost estimating. This is because BIM is a tool which enhances the efficiency of Quantity Surveyor’s works in obtaining the quantity of the materials.”
Team Capella’s award-winning model.
he three teams chose a plot of land next to Shell Station along Jalan Sungai Long, Selangor as the site for their hypothetical projects to create their respective BIM models.
They were grateful towards their instructor, Dr Chia’s continuous support throughout the competition as well as UTAR for preparing them with the latest and practical skills such as the knowledge to use BIM-related software to face the competition.
Online Education Fair 线上教育展
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
拉曼大学 (優大)
https://edufair.fsi.com.my/utar
