Member Article

Niven Architects secure hat-trick in global design contest

ARCHITECTS are celebrating a hat-trick after winning global acclaim for their work and cementing their position at the vanguard of building technology.

North-East based BIM Strategy Ltd has won yet another award at the prestigious Build Earth Live International BIM Competition, the third accolade in four years.

The latest in the Build Earth Live Series, this year’s worldwide contest challenged architects to redevelop an area of Manhattan, New York, using state of the art computer software.

Hosted by international company Asite, in 2012 the practice won a major prize at the Build Qatar Live event and the following year was rewarded in the Build Sydney competition.

BIM Strategy, an associate company of Niven Architects, has now made it three out of four as it continues to develop BIM technology.

The practice is responsible for a host of the North’s architecture, including the under-construction Feethams leisure complex in Darlington, Middlesbrough College’s MC6, Beaverbrooks at The White Rose Centre and Kuoni at Victoria Quarter, Leeds, Apley Grange including a Dementia Care Unit for the Society of Holy Child Jesus in Harrogate, projects for Proctor and Gamble on the Cobalt site, Newcastle and for Hewlett Packard in Sunderland.

The most recent win secures the practice’s experts a place at the forefront of BIM – Building Information Management – which uses computer software to provide a single set of three-dimensional plans for projects of all sizes.

The technology is redefining the construction industry globally and in the UK is being mandated by the Government, which is aiming to make it an industry standard by 2016 for publically procured work.

The system offers one electronic point of reference containing vital information for consultants and contractors, ranging from wall sockets to wiring ducts, drainage, materials and dimensions.

The BIM model sits in the ‘cloud’ and is accessible, via the internet, replacing conventional plans and computer aided design.

This year competitors had 48 hours to redesign the Western edge of Hudson Yards, taking advantage of the riverfront position, to create a vision for sports-based community outreach that would draw visitors from the entire metro region.

BIM Strategy’s technical manager Marc Warren led a team of experts from consultants Billinghurst George, J H Partners, Henry Riley LLP, TGP Landscapes, Teesside University and Skanska.

Middlesbrough-born Marc, who studied at Darlington College and Northumbria University, said: “As an SME, it’s great to be seen, once again, to be punching above our weight in this industry.

“This is the third time the practice has won this prestigious award which is a huge achievement for an SME. It demonstrates that integrating BIM into a small company is both affordable and achievable, with the right strategic approach.”

He said three of the winners were from the North, two from the North-East. “It’s great to know that the region is taking a major role in driving BIM forward,” he said.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah French .