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As one of the leading companies 3D design software for manufacturing, building, construction, engineering, and media and entertainment in the world, Autodesk HK recently held the 5th Annual Autodesk HK BIM Awards 2011 at The Mira Hong Kong, to celebrate outstanding building industry organizations in Hong Kong that are successfully using BIM technology in their projects.
Hong Kong is a densely populated city filled with thousands of tall and high-rise buildings. Finding extra living space is a constant challenge. In order to maintain the sustainable development of Hong Kong, a group of architectural professionals takes the lead in applying Building Information Modelling (BIM) to implement the environmental-friendly concepts into their architectural designs.
“While BIM isn’t necessary to accomplish sustainable design, it is one of the most powerful tools available to designers and builders to create green results. A digital model, as a virtual simulation of a building, is a great mechanism for testing ideas, optimizing performance, and generating the best alternatives for sustainable ends. For example, a BIM-based design process can be quickly evaluated by energy analysis software to allow the architect to find the optimal answer for saving electricity; such a process is very difficult to accomplish using paper or traditional CAD,” stated Phillip G. Bernstein, FAIA, RIBA, LEED AP, Vice President Industry Strategy and Relations, Autodesk.
Through the 5th Annual Autodesk HK BIM Awards 2011, Autodesk hopes to encourage industry professionals to work with sustainability in mind earlier in the process and raise the awareness of green living culture among the public.
Ms Wendy Lee, Branch Manager of Autodesk, Hong Kong and Macau, stated that she is excited to see the growth in Autodesk BIM technology adoption. “This helps to create a greener, sustainable and environmentally-friendly city,” she said. “I would like to offer special thanks to the efforts of universities and other colleges that train freshmen for the industry. It enhances their quality and competitiveness and results in ever higher technological achievements.”
In 2011 the six award winners are AECOM, Henderson Land, HOK, Hong Kong Housing Authority, MTR Corporation and Shui On Construction Company. Winners were selected for a range of accomplishments, including innovative use of BIM in building design, green and sustainable design and business practice transformation in Architectural, Structural, MEP and Civil Projects.
To celebrate the event, LegCo member (Architectural, Surveying and Planning Functional Constituency), Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing, SBS, JP and Director of Industry Programs, Centre for Integrated Facility Engineering, Stanford University, Dr. Calvin Kam PhD, AIA, PE, LEED AP were the Guests of Honour to deliver the keynote speeches. Ms. Wendy Lee together with the representatives from the building industries were present at the event to share opinions and exchange some in-depth thinking and concepts on sustainable design and the application of BIM throughout their design and building processes. 
In 2002, Building Information Modelling (BIM) was introduced to Hong Kong by Autodesk. BIM is an integrated process that allows architects, engineers, builders, owners and other design professionals to explore a project’s key physical and functional characteristics digitally before it’s built. It breaks down the barriers, speeds up the process, lowers the waste, minimize the opportunities of making errors and bridges communication between extended design and construction teams, providing them with consistent, reliable information across the scope of a project.
“BIM offers a specific ability to quantify the sustainability of a design and gives the user direct access to both the physical and performative characteristics of the design and therefore makes it easy to measure both the use of materials and to create performance analyses of the project to understand these items,” stated Bernstein.
“Understanding how to change the design and construction process based on BIM is critical to leverage technology towards sustainable design. Users must learn to use the tools properly – which is not particularly difficult for today’s digitally-savvy young architects and engineers, but they must also understand what process is needed to really take advantage of the model itself. In addition, an architect or engineering working on a project in CAD might be able to work in isolation without a broad understanding of the overall design of the building or roadway being worked on, but since BIM is a comprehensive digital representation of the design BIM users have to know how that design goes together in its entirety.”
Before the adoption of BIM, traditional building process was done sequentially and separately. Nowadays, architects and engineers can collaborate closely at the early feasibility stage with BIM models as common design idea exchange platform. Every team member can visualize and resolve design issues promptly. As a result, BIM helps its users to increase work efficiency, reduce coordination errors, build better communication and shorten the drawing production time. Autodesk never works alone, but work with a group of construction teams and professionals, including architects, surveyors, civil engineers, professors and scholars. They set up Autodesk Industry Advisory Board (AIAB) in 2005 to put forward the adoption and importance of BIM in the industry. Until now, without doubt, BIM is an influential worldwide concept in construction industry and maintaining sustainability.
Bernstein states that an excellent example here in Hong Kong of a newly built project that is vastly “greener” as the result of using BIM is Green 18 of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.
“The design team of Green 18 building of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park were using BIM technology from the early stages of design. BIM technology was used to analyze sustainable features of the building such as passive solar shading device, direct sunlight to the atrium and natural ventilation of the building. Also, BIM technology was used to coordinate all of the building systems before construction, so that the potential conflict and design change during the construction stage had been minimized. The building was awarded BEAM Platinum accreditation.”
“BIM adoption is rapid around the world, and we are working to make the software easier to use, faster and more capable across our entire portfolio. In addition, we are building data management and collaboration tools to make teams more efficient using BIM, and analysis and simulation software to leverage the power of BIM. BIM information will continue to be used for the design, construction and operation of buildings. And – ever more so into the future!”
Bernstein concludes, “Here in the US most developers can’t lease a building that doesn’t have sustainable rating. It’s simply expected of those projects. I think a developer who creates and markets a green building in Hong Kong is telling the city’s citizens that they have created a responsible building that performs well both financially and environmentally. And that building will generate higher rental rates accordingly. A modern, innovative building industry like that of Hong Kong is an excellent market for widespread BIM adoption. Hong Kong is a place that much of Asia looks to for innovation and inspiration, and we believe that BIM will be a critical tool for Hong Kong’s building industry today and in the future.”