Autodesk, HP, Construction Dive & Smart Cities Dive are pleased to announce a diverse, international panel of AEC industry expert judges for this year’s competition. The judges will come together to select projects that represent the best of infrastructure, building, construction, and sustainability showcasing innovative use of connected BIM technology.
The AEC Excellence Awards are accepting submissions now through June 23, 2017. The judges will deliberate throughout July and August and finalist nominees will be announced the week of August 21, 2017. Winners will be publicly announced at Autodesk University, Las Vegas November 13-16, 2017.
Please visit the AEC Excellence Awards 2017 Competition Site for more information about the competition and judges.
Infrastructure Judges
Bob Drake
Editor-in-chief, Civil + Structural, Zweig Group
Bob Drake is the editor-in-chief for Civil + Structural Engineer magazine, Civil + Structural Engineer eNews, and cenews.com. He has a Master’s Degree in Geology from the University of Michigan with an emphasis in environmental geology and geotechnical engineering and worked as a geologist in the environmental/geotechnical consulting field and in oil and gas exploration. For the last 29 years, he has been an editor for business magazines serving the mining, construction materials, and civil and structural engineering industries.
Liming Sheng
China Railway Corporation (Former China Ministry of Railway)
Mrs. Liming Sheng is the Chief Engineer & Deputy Director of China Railway Corporation Engineering Management Division (former MOR), and the Deputy Leader of CRBIM (China Railway BIM Alliance). She is a famous railway and bridge expert and State Council Government Special Stipend Recipient with a long-standing career in railway design, scientific research and project management. Since 2013, she has been responsible for BIM technology development-focused railway engineering construction informationalization. She has leveraged the railway BIM Alliance to facilitate the technological application and research of BIM technology, and made a breakthrough in key-applied railway technology of the railway engineering structural disintegration standard, information classification and coding standard, laying a solid foundation to systematically facilitate the application of BIM technology in the railway industry. She has brought in modern technologies such as IoT, Big Data, cloud computation, etc. She has also spearheaded R&D in engineering deployment, construction design, laboratories, mixing stations, tunnel monitoring measuration, subsidence distortion monitoring and the continuous beam linear monitoring information system, and reinforced the management and control of the construction objectives such as railway construction project progression, quality and safety, helping to boost the management of railway construction projects.
Ir Francis LEUNG
Associate Director (Assets Information Management) of New World Construction, Construction Department of New World Development
His role in NW Construction is to use BIM to transform the construction process and advance the quality and management of the company. Ir LEUNG is a registered Structural Engineer and a Fellow Member of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE). He is the Founding Chairman (2009-2013) of The Hong Kong Institute of Building Information Modelling (HKIBIM) and also an expert in BIM in Hong Kong and Worldwide. He is a well-known speaker in BIM topics at Autodesk University (AU) in Las Vegas and AU China in previous years. At New World Construction, Ir LEUNG supervised his BIM teams in Shanghai and Hong Kong for all BIM projects.
Building Judges
Mark Scacco, PE
AEC Technology Consulting Executive, Engineered Efficiency, Inc.
Mark Scacco is a professional engineer, Editor in Residence for “Informed Infrastructure” magazine, the founder and President of Engineered Efficiency, Inc., and since 2001 has been an AEC industry executive working with firms to grow their business through the efficient use of technology. Mr. Scacco and his company provide services across the United States, Canada and around the globe. Mr. Scacco is a speaker at industry events, including Autodesk University, Trimble Dimensions, FLUG Annual Conference, KnowledgeWell and others. He is a member of his local Sanitary District Board of Local Improvements and is a Stormwater and Floodplain Oversight Committee member. As a technology evangelist, he has written articles and columns for several trade magazines, including CE News, SitePrep, and Point of Beginning. He currently writes a bi-monthly column and feature articles for Informed Infrastructure published by v1 Media.
Stephen Van Dyck
Partner, LMN Architects
Stephen Van Dyck, AIA, LEED AP, is a Partner at LMN Architects in Seattle, where he leads the design and delivery of public assembly, performing arts, transportation, higher education and mixed-use projects. Stephen’s work embodies the shared vision of LMN to create buildings that engage and enrich public life, strengthen civic identity, and promote sustainable urbanization. Experimentation and a spirit of collaborative inquiry inform every aspect of his work. Stephen has pioneered the project integration of LMN’s Tech Studio, an in-house research and development lab, created to address critical industry challenges and the needs of contemporary practice. Tech Studio brings together a variety of specialists and designers to explore new digital working methodologies and test the limits of advanced fabrication and material science. The studio supports specific projects and conducts independent research and development in technologies such as building performance simulation, parametric modeling, digital fabrication, and human-computer interaction. Widely recognized as an industry authority in design technology, Stephen regularly presents on the subject at professional conferences across North America and currently serves as a member of the Autodesk Architecture Executive Council. He has served as a lecturer and studio critic at Yale University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Yale University, is a LEED Accredited Professional, and a Registered Architect in New York and Washington States. LMN Architects recently received the 2016 National AIA Architecture Firm Award and will be honored at the 2016 AIA National Convention in Philadelphia.
Chengyong Gao
Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd
Mr. Chengyong Gao is the Chief Engineer of Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd. He has been dedicated to architectural design, scientific research, technical consultation and BIM technical management for more than 20 years. Mr. Gao presided over the design of more than 20 large and significant projects, and also conducted significant research based on these projects’ technical difficulties. He undertakes a number of technology research projects led by Shanghai Housing and Urban Development Management Committee, China MOHURD (Ministry of housing and Urban-Rural Development P.R.C and Ministry of science P.R.C, and developed a number of high quality scientific research achievements. He participated and led the compilation of the national, industrial and Shanghai BIM standards and BIM application guide.
Construction Judges
Michael D. Bellaman
President and Chief Executive Officer Associated Builders and Contractors
Since Feb. 1, 2011, Michael D. Bellaman has served as president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a national trade association representing 21,000 chapter members from 70 chapters. In his role, Bellaman leverages the merit shop philosophy to help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work.
Walker Thisted
Producer, BuiltWorlds
Walker Thisted designs buildings, art, films, products, events, cities, and companies. After graduating from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, he earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University under the supervision of Dean Mohsen Mostafavi. He has worked for Atelier Seraji in Paris, Nagle Hartray in Chicago, and directly for Bill Pedersen and Jill Lerner at Kohn, Pedersen, and Fox in New York. Walker earned a Master of Fine Art from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago with a focus in Film, Video, and New Media and since graduating has worked as an independent artist, freelance still and moving photographer, director, editor, designer, and experience producer. In 2014, Walker returned his focus to architecture and urbanism by founding Naught as an art, architecture, and design firm. Walker leads Naught’s initiative to remake sections of the city that are at risk of violence and decay by drawing on extensive research concerning the history of architecture, urbanism, media, and cities. In January, 2016, Walker joined BuiltWorlds in order to broaden his involvement in improving how the built environment in constructed and maintained.
Jean-Baptiste Valette
Civil Engineer and Chief of BIM Strategy
Jean-Baptiste Valette is currently the BIM Director of VINCI Construction France, the French part of the biggest construction and concession group in the World, VINCI. His job is to lead the central BIM/VDC department that manage BIM on big projects and conduct the BIM transformation of all its French market subsidiaries and help others. His team also ensures the R&D and the development of tools and processes regarding BIM through the update and improvement of the BlueBIM Toolbox. JBV is a civil engineer that have helped VINCI to be a pioneer at BIM through R&D projects before creating and leading the corporate BIM department. His work has been referred in several articles, interviews or awards (Silver BIM awards in 2014 and 2015, Tekla BIM Awards in 2014). JBV also is a frequent guest at BIM conferences and events in France and he is also a lecturer in AEC universities. He previously has presented the BIM class” Consolidate and Improve your BIM Maturity on each project” at AU 2016.
Jun Okoshi
Taisei Corp, Design Division Structural Planning
Vice President of Revit User Group Japan
Sustainability Judges
Nina Borgström
Director Digital Design, White Arkitekter AB
An experienced Yoga teacher and Digital Director with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture & planning industry. Nina believes in digital solutions that creates real value for people and our environment, overall digitalization has to be used to intensify sustainable evolution in all aspects.
Dan Stine
BIM Administrator at LHB, Author, Lecturer at NDSU
Dan Stine is a registered Architect with over twenty years of experience in the architectural field. He works at LHB (a 270-person multidiscipline firm) in Duluth Minnesota as the BIM Administrator, providing training, customization and support for four regional offices. Dan has worked in a total of four firms, including BWBR in St. Paul, MN. While at these firms, he has participated in collaborative projects with several other firms; including Cesar Pelli, Weber Music Hall – University of Minnesota – Duluth. Dan is a member of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) and a Certified Construction Document Technician (CDT). Dan currently teaches BIM to graduate architecture students at North Dakota State University (NDSU) covering BIM, Revit, Energy Modelling with Insight 360, professional lighting design with ElumTools, project collaboration with Revizto and VR. He has presented at Autodesk University, the Revit Technology Conference/BILT (USA, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, Austalia and later this year in Toronto and Denmark) and Mid-West U, AUGI CAD Camp and the Minnesota AIA Convention last year (on VR) and later this year (on energy modeling using Autodesk Insight 360)
Barbra Batshalom
Founder & Executive Director, Sustainable Performance Institute
Barbra Batshalom is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Sustainable Performance Institute and past founder and president of the USGBC Affiliate in Massachusetts. With a diverse background of fine arts, social psychology and 20 years in architecture and sustainability consulting, she brings a variety of skills to her work and a unique perspective engaging the human dynamics of decision-making and creative collaboration to technical work. She’s an educator, public speaker and change agent that works with a wide range of governmental, institutional and private sector organizations to help them institutionalize sustainability and achieve measurable improvements in performance and profitability. SPI’s green firm Certification is the first industry program to provide a framework for evaluating the capability of design and construction firms to deliver a consistent, high quality sustainability service and was adopted by HUD in 2011. Barbra teaches sustainable real estate development in Brandeis University’s International Business School. She has served on numerous boards, task forces and committees to help develop public and corporate policies for sustainability and teaches courses on change management for sustainability for professionals around the world.
Julie Siple
AIA, LEED AP BD+C is Manager of Sustainable Practice & Knowledge with the American Institute of Architects
Julia coordinates the AIA 2030 Commitment program and supports sustainability initiatives focused on energy and materials. Julia came to AIA in April of 2016 with 8 years of experience in the design and construction industry. Prior to joining AIA, she was a Project Architect and Associate at Quinn Evans Architects. Julia chaired the DC chapter of the AIA Committee on the Environment from 2014-2016 and leads a project for Open Architecture DC for the design of a community center in Lefiso, South Africa. She earned her Bachelors of Architecture from Rice University in 2009.
Qing Ge
Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co. Ltd
Mr. Qing Ge is the Vice-general manager and chief engineer of Shanghai Tower. He is a Professor-level senior engineer, and a National First-Class Registered Architect. He led the BIM adoption and implementation in the leading BIM project of the world – “Shanghai Tower” the past 10 years. Mr. Ge vigorously promoted the adoption of BIM technology, and drove lean management mode, green design and sustainability construction based on BIM te