Winvic Shortlisted for Four Building Innovation Awards

Winvic Construction Ltd has been shortlisted for four more awards this September; Most Innovative Contractor, Best Use of AR/VR in a Construction Project, Best Carbon Monitoring Tool and Best Health & Safety Innovation – all in the Building Innovation Awards 2023.

The Building Innovation Awards will be presented at a gala dinner and awards ceremony on 12th October at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester.

Most Innovative Contractor Award

Winvic has had the tenacity to challenge industry norms and explore innovative products, methodologies and designs for over 20 years – having a questioning approach is one of Winvic’s core values. From internal research and development to extensive work with its supply chain, the multidisciplinary contractor progresses sustainably focused, cost saving and efficiency driven ideas into reality. Some of our technological advancements include specialist ground solution techniques, creating our own revolutionary carbon calculator, using building information modelling (BIM) in future- thinking ways, utilising recycled materials and taking health and safety to the next level with virtual reality (VR) training. Winvic also boasts a state-of-the-art Centre for Innovative Construction (CIC) and onsite Sustainability & Innovation Hubs (SIH) and has also created on-site training centres and a first-of-its-kind Enrichment Programme for construction students.

Best Use of AR/VR in a Construction Project Award and Best Health & Safety Innovation Award – Virtual Reality Health and Safety Training

Winvic recognised the tremendous potential of its CIC and SIH facilities comprising BIM CAVEs and Virtual Reality (VR) technology and they have been pivotal in creating an innovative and engaging health and safety training programme. This is one element of the company’s ‘Doing it Right’ cultural change programme designed to achieve a positive health and safety culture and drive continual improvement.

Winvic’s one-team approach means subcontractors are brought along Winvic’s digital journey and they also regularly use VR to prepare for project tasks and undertake general health and safety training.

Winvic developed immersive VR training sessions on three focus topic areas: Slips, Trips & Falls, Service Strikes and Falling Objects. Site specific and risk information is followed by a real-life scenario, the catastrophic events and consequences, which leave an impactful and lasting final thought. Highly immersive, VR live action training videos have also been deployed to site teams across the business as part of its mandatory training; tailored to specific job roles, skill levels, and learning objectives, this approach is beneficial for behavioural skill training and the formation of habits in VR can be applied directly to the real world.

Best Carbon Monitoring Tool Award – AI-based Embodied Carbon Calculator

Utilising the most up-to-date AI technologies and advanced big data analytics techniques will pave the way for significant changes across the whole industry and Winvic has begun by developing an AI-based Embodied Carbon Calculator. Having the ability to optimise schemes by seeing real-time embodied carbon costs in a design will help propel contractors and material manufacturing firms towards the UK government target to remove 10MT of carbon dioxide by 2030.

Users can upload a 3D BIM file – a Revit model – to the web-based system and it will calculate the building or project’s carbon output within minutes. Materials can then be altered within the calculator to directly affect the real-time calculations of the carbon data – this allows construction schemes to be designed in a ‘green first’, non-time-consuming approach for the very first time. Ultimately, a carbon monitoring tool such as this will lead to quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and will make the delivery of many project tasks much faster. The tool is integrated with the Government Green House Gas conversion factors, Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) and the Environment Agency (EA), making it the largest database of environmental construction data in the world. Furthermore, the system also allows users to upload their own materials databases which will work alongside the data points already available.

Arun Thaneja, Winvic’s Technical Services and Sustainability Director, said: “We’re proud that we always question how we approach our work, take time to research and develop solutions and strive to continually improve on what we do. Innovation can be found embedded across our supply chain, in the materials we use and across our project and training delivery methods so we’re delighted that Winvic has been recognised for its digital effectiveness across four award categories in the Building Innovation Awards. So many people throughout the business have contributed to the initiatives that we’ve been shortlisted for and continue to do great things every day, so if we win, it’s going to be one for the team.”

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