Prominent companies shared forward-thinking concepts and novel solutions for small and gigaprojects, on the opening day of the BIM & Digital Twins Saudi Arabia 2023 Conference and Expo.
The theme generated considerable interest among AEC organisations seeking comprehensive insights into the latest advancements in BIM, digital twins, GIS, digital design, digital construction, digital transformation, 3D Printing, and related technologies, which are elevating the local sector to global standards.
Organised by ITP Conferences in partnership with Saudi Contractors Authority and buildingSmart International, the event brings forward the latest digital technology applications in the international AEC sector. Held at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh Al Waha, the two-day conference and workshop began on 14 February 2023, and is on its concluding day, today.
Day 1 highlights
buildingSmart speaker, Casey Rutland, stressed the role of data security and interoperability in information management, and the significance of a standardised digital language for efficient and secure implementations. Given the major changes in the region, he trusts that they are ready for a Saudi chapter of buildingSmart.
Meanwhile, ROSHN associate director Amr Saad presented the monumental vision for ROSHN’s gigaproject. The company relies on digital twins technology to diagnose and predict challenges, and setting the digital twin in the metaverse allows ROSHN to assess effective decisions and minimise losses, according to the developer.
The first interactive Q&A panel session of the day – Opportunities for Digital Transformation and Open Standards – featured panellists David Watkins, the chief delivery officer of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, David Glennon, digital delivery director of Red Sea Global (previously The Red Sea Development Company), Salah Al-Dilimi, Chair of Deep Foundation Institute in MENA, and Casey Rutland, Chair of buildingSmart UK & Ireland.
Members commenced their discourse on digital transformation and open standards and responded to queries regarding the intricacy of digitalisation and integration of existing supply chain processes, which pose genuine challenges for local businesses. The panel concluded the session with an understanding that digital transformation doesn’t impede development nor limit creativity.
Software One speaker, Mazen Maguid, said during his talk that the construction industry was the least digitised of all national sectors, and that this represents a sustainability concern. His presentation on 6D BIM explained how the solution simulates carbon usage and associated waste costs to minimise carbon footprints and optimise the physical project’s execution.
Meanwhile, FalconViz, represented by Firas Saati, announced that their metaverse lab for KSA will be available this year. He explained that the tool allowed for new ways for data exploration beyond the use in HBIM, FalconViz’s BIM application in cultural heritage objectives, which seek to aid documentation, conservations, and informed restoration efforts. The demonstration displayed the remarkable work done for the Jeddah Al-Balad scanning project, which is said to be the next step in interoperability, according to Saati.
Modelical, a technology-oriented services firm, developed its digital twin technology to simulate a gas plant in Spain which it utilised for operational training through VR technology. Oriol Vidal from Modelical pointed out that it’s better to have mistakes happen in the simulation rather than in the real world, during the presentation.
Further, he stated that the KSA industry is at the cradle stage and that this is the right time to make the most of digitisation. Also, as part of the Digital Twins in Use talk, Tarek Mallak from Urban Dimensions, presented a live digital twin interface where sensors were used to link a twin model to a physical asset to monitor the dynamism of information to make budget and cost-related predictions.
In addition, Juan Tena, from KEO International Consultants, in a presentation titled A journey from BIM to Digital Twins and Smart Cities explained the journey from data collection to digital twin uses for design, analysis, and monitoring.
The conference was also attended by NEOM’s director of digital delivery, Menno de Jonge; Institution of Civil Engineering council member, Mark Jamieson; and smart city director of Royal Commission for AlUla, Andrew Rippon.
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