Nottingham Trent University and Mace have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore ways to collaborate on researching and teaching BIM to students.
The agreement forms part of the university’s desire to introduce BIM across the school on all courses, so that students graduate with competency in BIM and awareness of how it’s used in the industry.
Peter Westland, dean of the university’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, told BIM+ that the agreement will help to establish “a BIM hub, where students can get information and speak to people working in the industry”.
“As a university we’re very eager to develop our already strong links with industry, and this agreement is something which we feel will enhance our teaching and research while also opening up our academic expertise even further to industry.
“Mace is an impressive, internationally-renowned construction company, so we’re very proud to sign the agreement with them. We’re sure that by working together we can make great strides in helping steer the future of construction education and the construction industry.”
Mace is the latest construction company to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the university, with Gleeds, Laing O’Rourke, Willmott Dixon, Vinci and North Midland Construction already working with the institution on BIM.
“Mace were very keen to work with Nottingham Trent as they can see the advantage. Innovation is a key differentiator in the market place and with all new technology it’s about staying on top of the curve,” continued Westland.
Mark Holmes, chief operating officer for consultancy at Mace, said: “We are excited about strengthening our relationship with the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment at Nottingham Trent University, one of the UK’s leading university departments providing key education for our industry.
“This is an important step in building our profile with undergraduates in order to ensure we build our talent pipelines. This also complements our passion for innovation by providing a platform to increase Mace’s engagement with the latest technical developments in construction and civil engineering.”
As a university we’re very eager to develop our already strong links with industry, and this agreement is something which we feel will enhance our teaching and research while also opening up our academic expertise even further to industry.– Peter Westland, Nottingham Trent Unversity
