Innovative building techniques discussed

A top US-based Indian engineer briefed his Indian counterparts in the capital on an innovative system for the design, construction and management of new buildings.
Houston-based Bimal Patwari, president of Pinnacle Infotech, spoke about Building Information Modeling (BIM) at a gathering of the Indian Engineers Forum (IEF) — Riyadh Chapter, at a city restaurant.
Patwari presented the audience with various examples of projects demonstrating the technical problems currently faced by engineers at design and execution stages. He made a clear demarcation between the traditional project management process and BIM.
Patwari was accompanied by his colleague Swaroop Todi.
Suhail Ahmad, president of the IEF, and Amir Khan, chairman of the IEF, presented a certificate of appreciation to Patwari.
Amitabh Saxena, a member of the IEF consultative council, summed up the session explaining the importance of technology and its impact on engineers.
The forum was attended by project managers, design experts and senior practicing engineers; representing leading construction contractors and consultancies in Saudi Arabia.
The event was anchored by Vice President (technical) Shaikh Abdul Khadir. Explaining BIM, Khadir said it covers more than just geometry. BIM is used beyond the planning and design phase of the project, extending throughout the building lifecycle, supporting processes including cost management, construction management, project management and facility operations.
VP of seminars, M. Abdul Muqeet, introduced the speaker and shared Patwari's contribution to various building construction solutions using BIM.
Among the prominent attendees were IEF advisory board member Tariq Masood; consultative council members Bilal Habib and Amitabh Saxena; active members A.R. Saleem, Abdul Hameed, Iftikhar Gaur, Mohd Zaigham Khan, Sayeed Mohiuddin and Syed Zia-ur-Rehman, CEO of Yahind. The gathering also included some well-known figures from the Indian community. Sultan Khan, IEF vice president for social affairs, proposed the vote of thanks.