Sydney Build 2016 - Working Together for Australia

Contributed by Monike Oliveira, Viewpoint Lead Development Specialist, Australia

Sydney Build Expo 2016

This year’s Sydney Build, held the 10 -11 of March, was held in a beautiful industrial area just a 5-minute walk from Redfern Station in central Sydney –The Australian Technology Park (ATP). ATP is a unique place that reminds me of the Viewpoint office headquarters – a modern, renovated building in a booming industrial area located in Portland, Oregon – USA.

The weather during the conference was incredibly hot and humid. Nevertheless, that did not hinder the exhibitors nor the attendees’ commitment to the event. Sydney Build offered information on the latest construction projects, trends, developments and investment opportunities to be found in New South Wales and Sydney – the building capital of Australia.

Key Happenings at the Event

During the “Meet the Contractors Workshop”, several industry leaders discussed the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in Sydney and for the Australian construction industry as a whole. Attendees included: Warwick Johnson, Director of NSW/QLD, Brookfield Multiplex Australasia; David Alessi, NSW Chapter President, Australian Institute Buildings & Business Development Manager; Greenpoint Construction Group; and Hylton Bloch, Projects Director at Lahey Constructions (a Viewpoint Construction Software customer).

Participants shared their insights, experiences and ideas of how technology is important and how BIM & collaboration tools and solutions are helping companies deliver higher quality construction projects in an efficient manner. The workshop covered the current construction market, as well as the future of the market and their commentary and insights made it easier to understand how technology plays a significant role in the construction industry. Lahey Projects Director, Hylton Bloch, offered: “I love the technology we have available at the moment.”

Additional topics discussed included BIM, going paperless, collaboration and GPS location defect management as well as 3D models, 3D printing, 3D scanning, drones, 3D Virtual Reality Construction Site, and prefabrication.

John Adams, Viewpoint Product Manager, Architect, and all round BIM & collaborative software solutions expert, participated in the BIM Open panel discussion. The panel discussed how important BIM & collaboration solutions are for this growing, global industry. John, who lives and works in the UK, shared his experiences on how the construction market in the UK is reacting and adapting to the BIM Level 2 mandate by the UK government.

Sydney Build 2016 provided a well-organized event that brought together many skilled, experienced and knowledgeable people under the same roof to understand how we all can work together for the betterment of the construction industry in Australia.