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Have your say on the industry in 2050

Graham Watts, CIC ceo

Construction Industry Council’s BIM2050 Group is seeking young professionals as new members to shape the future of the infrastructure industry, says it’s chief executive Graham Watts.

 The first BIM2050 Group was formed in September 2012 by the Construction Industry Council (CIC), as a crucial adjunct to the Council’s partnership with the Government’s UK BIM Task Group, which has developed a range of government initiatives including the evolution of a suite of tools for implementing Level 2 BIM, the BIM regional hubs and the specialist BIM4 groups.

"As we enter an era of unprecedented change - with new technologies emerging all the time to help us meet these challenges – CIC believes that it is vital that the leaders of today listen to the leaders of tomorrow, so they too have a say in shaping that future."

All of this has been designed to ensure industry-wide awareness of BIM, in preparation for implementation of the government’s mandate for BIM Level 2 on all publicly funded building and infrastructure projects by 2016.

As its name suggests, the BIM 2050 Group’s vision is to look ahead to the construction industry of the future and its task is to help in positively shaping that future by researching and reporting on what the industry may look like as construction technology develops to BIM Level 3 and beyond, towards 2050. 

Over the past two years, the BIM 2050 Group has taken a wide view of the industry and researched what an interdisciplinary scope of work might look like as technology develops. It focused on three key areas: education and skills; the culture of integration; and technology and process. 

The group stimulated discussion about the future of the industry with a particular focus on researching the role that technology will play.  This work culminated in the publication, last month, of, Built Environment 2050: A Report on our Digital Future, to wide industry acclaim.

The report highlights the risks and challenges and the opportunities and benefits that come with large scale innovation and game-changing new technologies. It is an important discussion document of ideas and concepts that will, I hope, spark debate in the wider construction community. 

In launching the report, the group also ran an event with KMPG entitled Building Our Future Industry, Fast Forward 2050: Construction which brought together senior industry professionals for an interactive discussion to explore the potential opportunities and challenges in this exciting future of the industry. 

Climate change, sustainability targets and economic imperatives are significantly changing working practices and behaviours for all stakeholders within the construction industry.  As we enter an era of unprecedented change - with new technologies emerging all the time to help us meet these challenges – CIC believes that it is vital that the leaders of today listen to the leaders of tomorrow, so they too have a say in shaping that future. 

With this intention in mind, CIC has recently announced its intention to refresh membership of the BIM2050 Group, two years after its inception, and has invited young industry professionals, in the early stages of their construction careers, from across all sectors, to apply.

CIC is looking for a very wide spectrum of the industry to be represented in the group, from architects, engineers and contractors, to legal professionals and surveyors, both as representatives of their respective professional institutions and of a new generation of young professionals entering the industry in non-traditional routes.

Further information on how to apply can be found at www.cic.org.uk/news