2. June 2015
Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is a tool designed to facilitate more efficient working practices in construction projects. VDC incorporates Building Information Modelling (BIM), process modelling and Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE). It involves using 3D models to improve communication between all of the stakeholders in a project. The method also gives everyone a clear, shared understanding of the building process and of the desired finished product.
Growing demand for VDC expertise
Expertise in Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is very valuable to Multiconsult. There is growing interest in VDC, and we are finding that more and more clients are requiring key project staff to have expertise in VDC.
The Methods and Tools team at Multiconsult is therefore delighted that the Stavanger office has chosen to send its staff on a VDC course. It is also great that two employees have started the VDC certification process.
“VDC is one of those three-letter acronyms that really makes sense. It brings people, processes and new tools together in a logical order and coherent context. Construction clients have been looking into this for some time, and our customers are now increasingly requesting, expecting and even requiring expertise in this area. At Methods and Tools, we are really looking forward to hearing what the staff members learned from the course, so that we can work out how best to share that knowledge throughout the organisation,” says Cathrine Mørch, who heads the Methods and Tools team.
Aina Sunde Dahl og Bjørg Egeland
Moving towards certification
The week before Easter, Bjørg Egeland and Aina Sunde Dahl, who work at Multiconsult’s Stavanger office, attended a course on VDC. It was given by lecturers at Stanford University in the United States, led by the VDC specialist Martin Fisher.
“We have learned the fundamentals needed to start implementing VDC. Over the next year we will each submit six reports showing how we are using VDC and what we are achieving. All of these reports must be approved, and we must also attend a two-day event next year, before we are finally certified,” says Aina Sunde Dahl.
Streamlining work processes
“The aim of VDC is to streamline work processes. How often have you had to wait for an answer or a decision? Or found that some people have not understood what they are supposed to deliver and when? Or that someone isn’t properly prepared for a meeting? VDC helps to overcome these very familiar challenges through efficient planning and the clear allocation of responsibilities,” says Bjørg Egeland.
So that as many employees as possible can learn about what VDC involves, experiences will be continuously presented on our MIA intranet. Lunch seminars/Lync meetings may also be arranged.