DOMINEERING

Project details

Full project title: Developing a BIM-based Immersive Learning Environment for enhanced Construction Management Education and Training using VR technology  (DOMINEERING)

Duration: 1 March 2024-31 May 2025

Funded by: Academy of Medical Sciences

Project team:

• Professor Patrick Manu (Principal Investigator), UWE Bristol
• Dr Abhinesh Prabhakaran (Co-Investigator), UWE Bristol

Partners:

• Hanoi University of Civil Engineering
• National University of Laos
• University College London

Project summary

There are over 20,000 students/leaners on construction related courses in technical/higher education in Vietnam. The graduates assist investors/contractors to make decisions in construction projects and on sites, therefore, their skills and knowledge will surely have great impact on the project success. Thousands of practitioners continue taking courses for career development. For the course quality assurance, students should be trained in the context of real construction projects. This is especially significant for quality and safety management, two of the core domains in construction management. However, this requirement is hardly addressed successfully due to the complexity, costs and risk in bringing learners to sites.

Disruptive digital technologies such as BIM and Virtual Reality (VR) can facilitate this requirement. VR technology enables students to explore and interact with realistic BIM-based safety and quality management scenarios. With building projects visualized, students can immerse themselves in real construction sites to identify unsafe zones/activities. Students can also virtually inspect and review construction progress in real-time to identify defects, deviations, and clashes against the design.

Over the past decade, several UK universities have introduced various construction management programs with a focus on BIM and VR to foster informed decision-making skills among students. This project aims to develop a BIM-based immersive learning platform for construction management training and education in Vietnam, using lessons learnt and exploiting expertise from the UK through networking events and activities. The project can provide universities with a disruptive learning solution, which can also be adopted by businesses for upskilling the human resources.