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On the cutting edge of construction

Thursday 30 June 2016, 1:47PM

By Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

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BAY OF PLENTY

Brian Miller enjoys being on the cutting edge of construction and will have a chance to put those skills to good use at the Arch Eng Build competition in Auckland this July.

The Fletcher Construction Site Manager and Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic scholar will be the first student to represent the Polytechnic at the competition which brings together Architecture, Engineering and Construction Management students from around New Zealand. The students will be put into groups on arrival and given a simple brief to get them started on a design.

“I am looking forward to meeting students from the other disciplines and seeing what we can come up with,” Brian says.  

“I assume we’ll be judged on how creative our design is and how we use modern techniques to achieve functionality, feel and Eco rating, all in keeping with the surrounding landscape. We don’t find out anything about the brief until we get there though.”

A graduate of the Polytechnic’s NZ Diploma in Construction (L6), Brian is now studying the National Diploma in Surveying as well working at his full-time role for Fletcher Construction. 

“When I signed up to do these Diplomas I did it with the intention of getting the most out of it, not just the piece of paper.”

Brian has been involved in recent builds at the Tauranga Hospital which involved Building Information Modelling (BIM) which uses 3D technology from design through to building maintenance during the life span of the building.

“Builders can use their iPads on site to track the job through all the stages of construction and see what the job will look like once it’s finished. The technology enables us to do spot clashes, coordination and anticipate problems more efficiently.”

Though he won’t know who else is in his team until the competition, Brian is anticipating the networking will be a positive part of the experience.

“It’s a small industry so it would be great to come out of this knowing a few young engineers and architects.”

“It was a great feeling to be put forward by the Polytechnic,” he continues. “When I started the Construction Management course I decided to commit to it and give it everything I could. To have that recognised is a great feeling.”

The Arch Eng Build competition is in its sixth year and will be held in Auckland on 6-8 July.