Feb 2 2010
Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), a provider of integrated performance analysis software and consulting services for sustainable building design, today announced it will provide training on its software and building physics design principles within an integrated design process as part of a new BIM course being run by the San José/Evergreen Community College District’s (SJECCD) Workforce Institute. Thanks to a nearly $1 million grant, SJECCD will offer professionals in the building industry specialized training that is critical for helping them maintain a competitive edge and develop more sustainable green building practices.
The SJECCD is the first community college district in the state of California to offer Building Information Modeling (BIM) + Performance Analysis training for working building professionals. These courses are not limited to architects or engineers, which is a step in ensuring all professionals involved in the building process understand the goal of sustainability. Integrating performance analysis into the BIM process right from the earliest stages is essential in achieving substantial reductions in building energy consumption and CO2 emissions. As Carol Coen, the Workforce Institute’s Executive Director notes, “Our local industry partners have led the charge for this training, since BIM truly is the future of the design/build sector. We can help them gain a competitive edge through more effective project coordination and delivery as well as utilization of ‘green’ construction approaches such as building performance.”
“One of many challenges in building design today is understanding how to incorporate sustainable design principles into existing workflows and processes,” said Ingrid Thompson, Ph.D., Associate Director of SJECCD Workforce Institute. “As part of the overall integrated design process, the Workforce Institute will guide and train these building professionals to understand the role of performance analysis from the beginning of a project through design and construction and on into operations and measurement and verification.”
Program participants will learn four state of the art BIM software packages, understand the required changes in workflow, and practice using BIM on their own work-related projects. At the end of the 12-month grant ($878,503), Evergreen Valley will have a BIM Certificate Program and SJCC will incorporate BIM curricula in its Construction Management Program. Workforce Institute will also offer contract education BIM training. Industry standard BIM labs will be created on both college campuses.
“What’s really great about this training is the multimedia nature of it. With a mix of online e-training and face-to-face interaction with our consultants, the building professionals taking this course gain valuable insight into the tools and approaches that can be applied in practice,” said Kevin Settlemyre, president of IES North America. “Performance analysis assesses and quantifies impacts of different design concepts and low-carbon technologies in order to integrate the most sustainable practices into each design. These are the tools and approaches building professionals need to continue to raise the ‘performance level’ of the built environment.”
Source: http://www.iesve.com/