Construction World March 2017

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Accredited BIM companies

Trigger Truniger, the national accounts manager for Easigrass South Africa, says that Easigrass is the perfect alternative to thirsty natural grass – or grass that has shrivelled and died when it couldn’t be watered. Gardeners can counter the effects of freak weather patterns by installing quality artificial grass with the advantage of saving on water bills. Easigrass, which is low maintenance and requires no watering, provides the best of both worlds – meaningful water savings together with an aesthetically pleasing garden that remains lush and green year round allowing homeowners to just keep their shrubs and trees alive. Easigrass also blends with indigenous and drought tolerant plants to produce attractive contemporary outdoor areas. He points out that Easigrass is the world’s leading artificial grass brand and is based in the United Kingdom. All Easigrass is fully UV protected, with Easigrass and Van Dyck Carpets offering the highest warranties on artificial grass of 8 years. Locally, it is backed by flooring giant, Van Dyck Carpets which applies the same high international standards when it comes to quality, design excellence, product back up and guarantees. Because European and South African grasses are completely different, Van Dyck has researched, designed and launched nine artificial grasses that resemble popular local varieties. rainfall is here to stay. In many parts of South Africa, severe drought and water restrictions have transformed once green lawns into dusty patches while, in others, flash floods have resulted in massive wash aways and even sink holes. to carry out a BIM capability assessment. • Demonstrates compliance with international BIM standards and the ability to meet certain BIM requirements for tenders. • Speeds up the tendering process, saving businesses time & money. • Helps your company to stand out from the competition, showing you are ready for business. Accreditation covers: • Basic understanding of Building Information Modelling, its benefits, technology and protocols. • Understand BIM terminology. • Foundation to establish and execute Be water wise Climate change means irregular

According to Truniger, although Artificial grass is not yet the first choice for South African home owners who are trying to cope with either too little or too much rainfall, it is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to natural grass. As homeowners are left with options of either gravel, paving or wooden decking in the areas where grass is not growing, Easigrass is slowly becoming the preferred option. According to the Department of Water Affairs, the majority of South Africa’s water goes to irrigation (66%) followed by domestic use (27%). Truniger says that, while different lawn size and the dedication of gardeners to irrigating their gardens mean usage will vary from property to property, studies indicate that up to 60% of a household’s water bill could be saved through replacing natural with artificial turf. Although switching to Easigrass means an upfront investment, it will quickly be offset by reduced water bills and savings on garden services, and consumables. With the current increase in water tariffs in various SA provinces, this time has been drastically reduced to about 1 – 2 years.  a BIM Execution Plan (BEP), Common Data Environment (CDE) and Employers Information Requirements (EIR). • Strategies for engaging and motivating employees to foster new ideas, identify solutions in the workplace. • Review of local project case studies A recent discussion with Ralph Montague, managing partner with Arcdox, Ireland, summarised it: “A lot of what the BIM process is trying to do is not really that new. It is stuff we have been doing, or should have been doing anyway, as part of good design or project management. It might just have a fancy new name or standardised acronym that you need to get used to.” 

Graphic courtesy: http://www.lr.org/

“We want to give companies in South Africa public awareness and create a platform for public and private companies to start engaging with BIM-compliant organisations” explains Vaughan Harris, executive director of the BIM Institute. In recent developments there has been discussions among various private and public sectors to list companies that have or are in the process of upskilling their internal resources around BIM best practice. The long term vision for this strategy is to create public awareness of the companies who are not only optimising the technical operation side of its business, but are also creating a platform for private and public companies to start engaging with BIM- compliant organisations. The BIM BAM BOOM workshops run by the BIM Institute are in partnership with White Frog in the UK. The White Frog team of authors is a group of independent consultants and recognised experts-in- practice pushing the boundaries of BIM. The White Frog international training content is set out to create new training material for the processes around BIM and to break down several of the preconceived rules surrounding training delivery. Their training courseware takes the stance of teaching BIM methodology and processes using the available tools in task-based modules. In this way, delegates and students learn best practice in tandem with a design application. BIM Institute accreditation • Removes the requirement for the employer listing page on their website for companies that are internationally certified or BIM accredited – at no cost. The BIM Institute announced its intention to put in place a company

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD MARCH 2017