‘BIM and Beyond’ Symposium of Prota Draws the AEC Professionals in Istanbul

Prota was delighted to host over 500 construction professionals this October in Istanbul. This year’s symposium built on Prota’s history of bringing leading experts together from around the world to showcase the latest technologies and innovative approaches driving project delivery across the construction landscape.

BIM and Beyond: A Digital Transformation in the Construction Sector” brought together leading academic researchers and professional experts from as far as Canada, America and Europe together to share their extensive knowledge and experience. Over two exciting days, 4 main sessions were presented covering themes of Create-Implement-Capture-Proceed. In each session technological advancements, best industry practices, and case studies on a range of BIM related topics were shared and discussed. These included inspiring presentations on;

  • Virtualizing Infrastructure - Dr. Ioannis Brilakis, University of Cambridge
  • Digitizing the Built Environment Industry: Challenges, Case Studies and Road Map - Ahmet Citipitioglu, Ph.D., P.E., TAV
  • BIM Project Case Studies from around the World: The State-of-the-art in Construction Practice and in Research - Dr. Rafael Sacks, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
  • Sensors and Information Models for Construction and Infrastructure Management - Burcu Akinci, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Collaborative Design and Engineering: History, Current Practice and Possible Future - Leon Van Berlo, TNO - Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Netherlands

“BIM Minimizes Human Errors”

"No matter how simple or how complicated a construction project is, utilizing BIM is an important part of the process that can bring highly positive impacts on the end result. " Prota General Manager Danyal Kubin comments. He added “Minimizing human error and sharing information, which I consider are the main advantages of the technology, are something that can give construction and engineering companies a leg up over the competition.

We organized this event for two purposes: to increase BIM awareness and to help expand the adoption of this technology in Turkey. At Prota, we have been using BIM approaches on our consultancy projects for many years and were the first company in Turkey to design an entire metro project utilizing BIM technology. Now we deliver almost all our projects using BIM, it has had a very positive impact across our business. We wanted to share this experience with others so they can understand the real value this technology brings.

Istanbul’s New International Airport is another good example of where we successfully used BIM technology. Our engineering teams delivered the design of the largest airport terminal building in the world, at over 1.5 million square meters, completely using BIM approaches. The technology prevented design errors by facilitating knowledge and expertise sharing, across multi-disciplines, time and space, and professional boundaries. I am sure that every Turkish company will adopt this technology and transform their businesses in near future.”

“BIM Is Important for Damage Estimation of Buildings after An Earthquake”

Prof. Dr. Ioannis Brilakis from Cambridge University expressed the importance of BIM for faster damage detection after an earthquake.  He added, “Remember the earthquake in Haiti. It took more than three years to detect the damaged buildings. BIM-based damage estimation accelerates the process and makes it possible to detect buildings at higher risk, earlier on.”

“Energy Consumption Will Be Measured in Advance”

According to Leon Van Berlo, BIM Researcher of the Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) Netherlands, the entire world will use this technology in the future. He added, “By considering cost, energy and occupational health in advance, designers and engineers will design the buildings more efficiently with real data. Moreover, householders will be able to measure the energy consumption level of their houses even before they move in.”

Click HERE to see event gallery.

Click HERE to watch presentations.