BIW PROVIDES PROJECT EXTRANET FOR POSTGRAD STUDENTS

27 February 2002 
 
BIW Information Channel donated for use on Newcastle University MSc course in Digital Architecture

BIW Technologies (BIW), the UK's leading provider of collaboration web services to the architecture, engineering and construction sector, has offered free use of its BIW Information Channel system to students and staff on Newcastle University's MSc course in Digital Architecture.

"Collaboration systems, sometimes called 'project extranets', are becoming more and more widely used in the UK construction and property industry," says Dr John Kamara, lecturer in digital architecture at Newcastle University's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. "It is therefore vital that we equip students to be effective participants in virtual project teams and give them hands-on experience of the practical benefits of online collaboration services. We approached BIW and were delighted when it offered free use of its state-of-the-art system for a five-month 'virtual practice' module we are running in the first half of 2002."

Colin Smith, chief executive of BIW Technologies, said: "BIW has a long history of active involvement with academic research going back to the early 1990s, so we had little hesitation in agreeing to the University's request. The MSc course is targeted at graduates and professionals looking to become leaders and educators of the digital design team of the future, and this module will give them a good appreciation of the impact that web services are already making in the UK construction industry."

BIW Information Channel is a sophisticated web-based supply chain integration technology designed specifically for construction projects. When starting a project, each client is provided with a unique, project-specific website created around a knowledge database. Using this, all data can be made available to every project team member - from the earliest concepts and specifications, through detailed design, buildability studies, pre-fabrication, construction, maintenance, operation and improvement, to the eventual demolition or dismantling of the facility. Users can access information such as drawings, photographs, comments, team member details and even virtual reality renditions, all viewed and sent securely over the internet.

Since its launch in 1998, BIW Information Channel has become the most widely used collaboration web service in the UK, with over 12,000 users in 1700 companies working on over 550 projects worth a total of some £4bn. Clients include Sainsbury, Capital One Bank, Marks & Spencer, Manchester Airport, Defence Estates, Ocado, the Welsh Development Agency, Asda and Kajima. -

For further information contact:

• Paul Wilkinson, BIW 0845 1300 800 or mobile 07788 445920
• Dr John Kamara, University of Newcastle upon Tyne 0191 222 8619 or 0191 222 6001

Notes to editors

• BIW Technologies' project collaboration systems were first employed in 1998 on UK construction projects for Sainsbury. The customer list now includes Capital One Bank, housebuilder Crest Nicholson, Marks & Spencer, Manchester Airport, the Welsh Development Agency, the Wellcome Trust and Asda. As the technology is adopted by each client's supply chain, BIW's Information Channel user base has grown rapidly. At the end of 2001, it was being used by over 10,900 people from more than 1600 companies working on some 520 UK projects.
• In 1994, BIW research director Stevenson secured UK Department of the Environment support for a research project (undertaken with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Newcastle University) that became the Building Information Warehouse - probably the UK construction industry's first portal.
• BIW Information Channel arose from two further research projects - Process Protocol and ISoCCCrates - involving Salford and Loughborough universities, respectively. The first produced a generic design, construct and maintenance process for the construction industry, specifying the need for a project database - an "information channel" - to enable the whole supply chain to communicate and archive what was done and when. The ISoCCCrates supply chain communications research project prompted Tim Aikin (now a BIW consultant) to investigate ways to view drawings through a web browser while providing interaction and smart navigation. The result was the UK's first project extranet.
• BIW continues to support academic research at both Salford and Loughborough. In addition to involvement with the ongoing Process Protocol project, it is an active member of ConstructIT, based at Salford. BIW also sponsors three researchers on the Engineering Doctorate programme at Loughborough University's Centre for Innovative Construction Engineering (CICE); the University has also been a key partner in the development of BIW's PlanWeaver design planning web service.

About Newcastle University MSc in Digital Architecture

• The MSc course, run by the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, is aimed at UK and overseas graduates and professionals from built environment disciplines looking to become leaders and educators of the digital design team of the future. The course is targeted at a wide range of applicants from established professionals wishing to update their knowledge and skills, to recent graduates wishing to become specialists at the forefront of digital architecture.
• Various modules on the course (including the 'virtual practice' module which is using BIW Information Channel) are also delivered to RIBA Part 2 BArch students within the School.