Training Webinar Series ‘Digital Transformation in Construction’
In June 2020, the BIM’2020 training webinar series ‘Digital Transformation in Construction’ was held, focusing on the changes that Building Information Modelling (BIM), information management and new digital technologies bring to the entire lifecycle of construction and infrastructure projects.
The series comprised six thematic online seminars on 3, 4, 9, 10, 16 and 23 June 2020, delivered via the BlueJeans platform. The organiser was ProActiveSolutions, in partnership with the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG) and professional organisations and companies from the construction and technology sectors, including the Chamber of Engineers in Investment Design, the Bulgarian Construction Chamber, the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, the Scientific and Technical Union of Civil Engineering in Bulgaria, Cobuilder International and ProActivePersonnel.
From Process Digitalisation to Data Management
The programme was built around the understanding that the digital transformation of construction is not simply a matter of using new software. It requires changes in business processes, roles and responsibilities, information management, contractual relationships, standards, and the way participants in the investment process interact with one another.
The first seminar, on 3 June, set out the overall framework for digital transformation in construction. International expert Mario Caputi, CEO of in2it and Director of the Master’s Programme in BIM Management at Politecnico di Milano, presented the role of information in the integrated value chain, the business value of technology solutions, and the organisational changes required.
Digitalisation of Design and the Regulatory Framework
On 4 June, the focus was on digitalisation during the design phase and on the legal and standardisation framework for digital construction.
Architect Petar Penchev presented automation and new design methods, while Eng. Nedelcho Ganchovski reviewed the development and trends in the digitalisation of construction design in Bulgaria.
A separate panel was dedicated to international and European standards, ISO EN 19650, the work of CEN, national and European legislation, contractual frameworks and self-regulation. The speakers were Eng. Rumela Atanasova of Cobuilder International and Dr Hristo Hristozov of ProActiveSolutions and UACEG.
BIM, Digital Twins and the Construction Site
The third seminar, held on 9 June, examined the digitalisation of the construction site. The topics covered key practical elements of modern digital construction:
Digital Twins and BIM authoring; Common Data Environment (CDE); BIM on the construction site and progress monitoring; Business Intelligence; Big Data; Internet of Things; BIM standards and their practical implementation.
International speakers included Mario Caputi, Velko Zhanich of Bexel Consulting, and Marco Zanollini, Senior Consultant at in2it and a specialist in BIM to Field and Digital Twins.
Digitalisation Across the Entire Asset Lifecycle
The seminar on 10 June broadened the perspective beyond the design and construction phases, focusing attention on the digitalisation of facility management.
The programme examined asset management and facility management through 6D and 7D BIM, as well as the challenges of cost management in smart-building projects. The speakers were Andrea Tiveron, CEO of e-Metodi, and Eng. Boris Sachanski of SmartConsult.
Data Management in Practice
A particularly important place in the series was occupied by the 16 June seminar, ‘Data Management – Technology Solutions in Practice’.
The programme covered surveying and modelling of existing conditions, coordination, review and validation of 3D models, digitalisation of construction systems and products, 4D and 5D planning, and the creation and use of structured BIM data for construction products.
Practical solutions were presented by specialists from NEMETSCHEK, KNAUF, Next IT Services and Cobuilder International, including Kosta Varbanov, Architect Daniela Ivanova-Uzunova, Architect Georgi Sokolov, Eng. Drago Milchev and Eng. Stanislav Dermendzhiev.
Management of Resources, Costs and Construction Projects
The final seminar, on 23 June, was dedicated to resource and cost management – an area in which digitalisation links the BIM model with financial and project management.
Eng. Francesca Beltran of ProActiveSolutions presented a comparison of software tools for cost management in construction projects, while Nikola Dobrev of BusinessSoft examined the management of processes, resources and finances through integrated information systems for construction projects.
Dr Hristo Hristozov also presented the ProActive.Construction concept – data management a service for the Bulgarian construction sector, designed to integrate digital processes and data into the management of construction projects.
Education, Professional Organisations and Business in a Shared Discussion
One of the defining features of BIM’2020 was that it brought together representatives of university education, the design professions, the construction sector, the software industry and international BIM expertise around a shared question: how information and digital technologies can improve the management of the construction process.
Participants had the opportunity to receive postgraduate qualification certificates from UACEG, while participation was supported by ProActiveSolutions for a limited number of representatives of vocational construction schools and central and local government administrations.
Viewed from the perspective of subsequent years, the BIM’2020 programme identified themes that remain central to the digital transformation of construction: BIM and CDE, ISO 19650, digital twins, structured product data, 4D/5D modelling, asset management, Big Data, IoT, integrated cost management, and the need for clearly defined rules on the ownership, exchange and management of information.
It is precisely the connection between technology, standards, processes, people and data that places the BIM’2020 series within the broader debate on good data governance in construction and infrastructure projects – a topic that today is increasingly closely linked to transparency, efficiency and the sustainable management of public and private investment.
