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news ARCHICTECTURE SKILLS SHORTAGE IN BIM
‘There are very few candidates with relevant BIM experience available to the market’
Matthew Gilchrist of Peace Recruitment
Skills shortage in BIM threatening projects
Construction firms across the UK need to take urgent steps to help combat the archictecture skills shortage in BIM to avoid sabotaging project programmes, according to a leading architecture recruitment specialist. Matthew Gilchrist of Peace Recruitment has warned that a
lack of suitable architectural candidates with experience in Building Information Modelling (BIM) could potentially bring some construction projects to a halt unless action is taken now. This is a particular problem for the public sector, where it is now compulsory for companies to use BIM for centrally procured Government projects. According to Gilchrist, recently voted Scotland’s top
recruitment consultant, this problem is being caused by short- term thinking among the majority of construction firms. Instead of planning ahead he said “they are only interested in looking for architectural candidates when they require them, and then are shocked when none are immediately available.” Gilchrist explained further: “There are very few candidates
with relevant BIM experience available to the market. So construction companies need to find other ways to bridge this skills shortage, and the simple answer is to invest now in train- ing for both new and existing employees, and reward BIM-
experienced employees both financially and professionally. Gilchrist added: “I see the majority of firms being reactive
instead of proactive when it comes to hiring architectural employees. Companies are still being cautious on recruitment since the recession, instead of looking at the bigger picture and planning ahead. However this is causing a shortage in BIM- experienced candidates, a problem that will only intensify if companies don’t act. “Construction firms need to start investing in architectural
employees, whether that’s training up existing employees, or hiring non-BIM experienced candidates and training them. It’s vital they start to see the bigger picture and take one step backwards to take two steps forward if you like. There are lots of very talented architectural candidates out there without BIM experience, so firms need to lower their expectations and utilise these people. I know it is expensive to invest in training, but firms don’t really have another choice. It may cost them money now, but how much value will it add in the future? He concluded that it is also vital that companies look after
existing employees, particularly those with experience in the field of BIM: “Anyone with BIM experience is in such high demand they could walk into another job tomorrow.”
Feilden Clegg Bradley award for Red House’s “celebratory” home for innovative free school
Studio Leader at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Andy Theobald has picked up RIBA South West Project Architect of the Year for his work on The Red House, the home of the forward-thinking Plymouth School of Creative Arts. Plymouth College of Art opened the school in 2013 as a
radical new kind of mainstream city centre 3–16 free school which fosters a “creative continuum of learning through art.” The Red House is also intended to be a catalyst for com-
munity regeneration in Plymouth’s Millbay docklands, which ranks among the 10 per cent most deprived neigh- bourhoods in the country. The building offers agile, open- plan studio spaces rather than traditional classrooms, supporting the school’s teaching methods which are designed to inspire students and provoke staff to work in new ways. The school sees children and staff learning through making in all subject areas, across a broad and bal-
anced school curriculum. Close collaboration between the architects, contractor Kier Construction and Plymouth College of Art led to a creative and intricately planned design solution by Feilden Clegg Bradley and a project cost of £1,450 per m2
. The building is a landmark that acts as a
symbol of regeneration to visitors arriving in Plymouth, and will now be considered for a RIBA National Award which will be announced on 23 June.. Chair of the jury for the awards, Keith Brownlie com-
mented: “Large colourful buildings are normally limited to out of town retail parks. When bright, saturated colour is thoughtfully applied to a full urban block the effect is mes- merising. This is not however a throwaway gesture – the pivotal location of the site between port and city and the school’s wide community use make a celebratory building seems wholly appropriate. This is a complex and challenging project made to look rather effortless in practice.”
www.architectsdatafile.co.uk
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