Centre for Digital Built Britain
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File:Centre for Digital Built Britain logo.svg
The Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) was a partnership between the University of Cambridge and UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy. The CDBB was established in 2017 to support the transformation of the UK built environment using digital technologies to better design, build, maintain and integrate assets. Prior to its closure in March 2022, it was the home of the UK BIM programme, begun by the UK BIM Task Group (2011-2017), and the National Digital Twin programme.
History
In May 2011, UK Government Chief Construction Adviser Paul Morrell called for adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on UK government construction projects.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenbs.com/roundtable/|title=BIM Roundtable Discussion|publisher=Thenbs.com|access-date=17 October 2014}} The UK BIM Task Group was a UK Government-funded group, managed through the Cabinet Office, and created in 2011. Chaired by Mark Bew, it was founded to "drive adoption of BIM across government" in support of the Government Construction Strategy.Cabinet Office (2011) [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61152/Government-Construction-Strategy_0.pdf Government Construction Strategy]. Accessed: 2 September 2014. It led the government's BIM programme and requirements,{{cite web|url=http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/|title=BIM Task Group - A UK Government Initiative|publisher=Bimtaskgroup.org|access-date=17 October 2014|archive-date=17 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017171041/http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/|url-status=dead}} including a free-to-use set of UK standards and tools that defined 'level 2 BIM'.{{cite web|url=https://toolkit.thenbs.com/articles/the-level-2-bim-package|title=The level-2 BIM package|publisher=BIM Task Group|access-date=17 October 2014}} The BIM Task Group later took responsibility for delivering the Digital Built Britain strategy,Innovate UK, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-digital-built-britain Launch of Digital Built Britain]. Accessed 19 October 2016.BIMPlus, [http://www.bimplus.co.uk/news/digital-built-britain-officially-launched/ Digital Built Britain officially launched]. Accessed 19 October 2016.Infrastructure Intelligence, [http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/oct-2016/digital-built-britain-launches-next-phase-constructions-digitisation Digital Built Britain launches next phase of construction's digitisation ]. Accessed 19 October 2016. published in February 2015.{{cite web |title=Digital Built Britain - Level 3 Building Information Modelling - Strategic Plan |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/410096/bis-15-155-digital-built-britain-level-3-strategy.pdf |website=Gov.uk |publisher=HM Government |access-date=19 July 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Knutt |first1=Elaine |title=Paves way to 'Digital Built Britain' |url=http://www.bimplus.co.uk/news/level-3-bim/ |access-date=19 July 2019 |work=BIM plus |date=4 March 2015}}
The work of the BIM Task Group continued under the stewardship of the Cambridge-based Centre for Digital Built Britain,{{cite web |title=What Was the UK BIM Task Group? |url=https://bim-level2.org/en/faqs/ |website=BIM Level 2 |access-date=19 July 2019 |archive-date=19 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719100957/https://bim-level2.org/en/faqs/ |url-status=dead }} announced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in December 2017 and formally launched in early 2018. Its role was to support the transformation of the UK's construction sector using digital technologies to better plan, build, maintain and use infrastructure.{{cite news |last1=Williamson |first1=Jonny |title=£5.4m to launch ‘Centre for Digital Built Britain’ |access-date=19 July 2019 |work=The Manufacturer |url=https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/5-4m-to-launch-centre-for-digital-built-britain/ |date=1 December 2017}}
In October 2019, the CDBB, the UK BIM Alliance (renamed 'nima' in 2022{{cite news |last1=Stanton |first1=Justin |title=Nima: UK BIM Alliance puts information management first with new name, new approach |url=https://www.bimplus.co.uk/nima-uk-bim-alliance-puts-information-management-first-with-new-name-new-approach/ |access-date=18 October 2022 |work=BIM plus |date=3 October 2022}}) and the BSI Group launched the UK BIM Framework. Superseding the BIM levels approach, the framework describes an overarching approach to implementing BIM in the UK, integrating the international ISO 19650 series of standards into UK processes and practice.{{cite news |title=UK BIM Alliance, BSI & CDBB launch UK BIM Framework |url=https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/bim-news/uk-bim-framework/65207/ |access-date=19 May 2020 |work=PBC Today |date=17 October 2019}}
In March 2022, the CDBB completed its mission,{{Cite web |last=Dickson |first=Jo |date=2022-03-28 |title=Celebrating Mission Complete |url=https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/news/celebrating-mission-complete-0 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk |language=en}} passing the Digital Twin Hub, International Programme, and Climate Resilience Demonstrator to the Connected Places Catapult. The final research projects within the Construction Innovation Hub Programme will complete by September 2022.
Structure and work
The CDBB was led by Professor Andy Neely, building on the work of the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), Cambridge Big Data, the Distributed Information and Automation Lab, the Cambridge Service Alliance and the Institute for Manufacturing. The CDBB was based in the CSIC's facility, the Maxwell Centre, in West Cambridge.
The CDBB was a member of the Construction Innovation Hub, alongside the Building Research Establishment and the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and collaborated with other partners in the Transforming Construction Sector Deal.
The Digital Built Britain strategy expanded the remit beyond BIM to include other digital processes and technologies, including new contractual frameworks, open data standards, data analytics and big data. For example, in November 2018, the CDBB published The Gemini Principles, a framework to guide the development of the National Digital Twin - an ecosystem of connected digital twins. The National Digital Twin was first recommended in the National Infrastructure Commission's December 2017 Data for the Public Good report.{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Andy |title=Principles to guide development of national digital twin released |url=http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/dec-2018/principles-guide-development-national-digital-twin-released |access-date=19 July 2019 |work=Infrastructure Intelligence |date=7 December 2018}} Mott MacDonald CTO Mark Enzer, Head of the National Digital Twin programme, was awarded OBE in October 2020.[https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge-academics-recognised-in-queens-birthday-honours-0 Cambridge academics recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours], University of Cambridge. Accessed: 1 November 2020.
External links
- [https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/ CDBB website]
- [https://digitaltwinhub.co.uk/ Digital Twin Hub - The National Digital Twin programme online community.]
References
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{{Construction industry in the United Kingdom}}
{{Building information modeling}}
Category:Construction industry of the United Kingdom