A Government-backed construction industry initiative, set to impact on the contract furniture sector, will be explained at a furniture industry event next month. The event – hosted jointly by the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) and the British Contract Furnishings Association (BCFA) – will be held on Tuesday 5th November at FIRA’s headquarters in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
The event will focus on the Building Information Modelling project (BIM). The Government has announced that all public sector projects over £5m will have to use by 2016.
BIM involves the sharing of information to create a central resource, bringing together all of the different aspects of construction. The information is used to create a 3D model containing architectural, structural and engineering data.
The combined data aims to support decision-making at the design stage to identify issues and avoid costly problems further down the line. It will also act as a useful tool for facilities personnel responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the building.
The main speaker at the event will be a representative from National Building Specification, who will explain more about BIM and how it is likely to affect the contract furniture sector.
Phil Reynolds, chief operating officer at FIRA International, says: “This is a major initiative in the construction industry and is likely to affect the contract furniture market, including office, educational and fitted furniture, such as kitchens.
“This event aims to help the furniture industry understand the knock-on effect for the contract furniture market and the way they will need to adapt to stay ahead of the competition.
“For example, contract furniture companies that provide CAD models of their furniture as converted BIM objects could be chosen for new developments over companies that do not offer this service. There are a limited number of spaces available for this event, so I would strongly recommend booking your place early.”
To book a place at the event, readers should contact FIRA directly via telephone (01438 777700) or email ([email protected]).
