Aims & Philosophy

Programme Aims

This programme will service the increasing need for digitisation of the design, construction and operation of the Built Environment by strategically changing culture (people, lean construction and sustainability), standardising and continuously improving operations (e.g., lean process), and utilising advanced software, hardware, and systems (technology).

To enable professionals to adapt to the rapidly changing context of the 4th industrial revolution where billions of mobile devices “with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge [...] multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing” [6], they will need to design, construct and operate buildings and assets using digital methods in full awareness of current performance requirements and cognisant of potential future demands.

The European Commission has pledged to make the European economy carbon neutral by 2050 [1]. Ireland and TU Dublin (through its Green Campus initiatives and forthcoming Strategic Plan for 2019-2022) have committed to supporting delivery on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals [2] and on the EU's ambitions for the Circular Economy [3].

Furthermore, in response to national and international demand for increased productivity in the construction sector and the requirement to meet targets for energy performance of buildings [4, 5], this programme is embedded with both Lean and Sustainability. These themes cut across the entire programme to ensure that all students will advance their knowledge in these areas and, thus, can make a meaningful contribution to society.

Programme Philosophy

The philosophy of this programme aligns with the role of the School of Multidisciplinary Technologies as a provider of programmes and modules that span the domains of the College of Engineering & Built Environment, reusing, where possible, already existing modules and innovating further, in relation to modes of delivery and the student experience. This programme aligns with the aim of the University of providing “career-focussed learning” while contributing to technological and economic progress.

The philosophy of BIM, as it is utilised in industry, is that the breadth, scope and requirements of modern, ethical, and successful digital construction significantly exceed the capabilities of any individual or discipline and that co-operation, co-ordination, and collaboration are required to achieve the best outcomes for both internal and external stakeholders, up to and including society at large.

The philosophy of this programme mirrors the above-stated industry understanding, such that students will develop increased domain-specific knowledge, particularly as related to new digital tools, and they will also develop new or deepened capacity to operate in multidisciplinary contexts related to digital construction and BIM.

To match the programme’s stated aims of developing both the individual and multidisciplinary skills of each learner, both face-to-face and online methods are utilised to support flexible delivery and participation. This builds on expertise gained in the School over the last number of years, particularly in the BTech in Computing, the MSc in Digital Construction/Engineering Analytics, and increasingly within the MSc in aBIMM suite.

The programme also aligns with TU Dublin's Teaching, Learning & Assessment Strategy: http://www.dit.ie/lttc/resources/tlastrategy/

TU Dublin has partnerships and collaborative arrangements with software and hardware suppliers such as Autodesk, Topcon, Solibri, CostX, Buildsoft, iConstruct., MagiCad and IES to ensure access for students to current technologies.