About Unisearch
Contributing to BIM since before it had the name.
Our director and senior staff have played a strong role in BIM's development since the early 1990s — when it was known as 'integrated building databases' — combining industry delivery with research from the top UK university in the built environment field.
Research foundations
Early integration
Produced one of the very few integrated prototype environments (1996), demonstrating how project partners can work through a single project data repository.
Automatic recognition
Produced an object-based CAD system with automatic recognition of building elements (1995).
IFC standards
Participated in the development of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standards since the late 1990s.
Process & data models
Produced some of the first process and data models mapping how designers and contractors work under traditional contracts.
Design–construction integration
Developed the concept of integrating design and construction.
100+ publications
Published more than one hundred reports, papers and articles in the field.
Standards, tools & maturity
BIM standards
Contributed to the development of BIM standards adopted across the industry.
Maturity tools & models
Introduced models and tools to measure how ready organisations are to successfully implement IT and BIM.
Benchmarking
Benchmarked organisational performance to drive business improvement towards business excellence.
Collaborative environments
Promoted project document management systems and web-based project management from their earliest days.
Briefing process
Modelled and improved the briefing process of construction projects.
Information exchange
Improved project information exchange and management among project partners — mapping partners’ needs to documents and objects at every stage.
Delivery & management
30+ years of PM
More than thirty years of hands-on project management experience.
IT-based project management
Contributed to the advancement of IT-based project management practice.
Tender process
Streamlined the tender process for large construction projects.
Maturity of management practice
Introduced maturity approaches to evaluate the management practices of construction projects.
Team performance
Managed and measured team performance on live programmes.
Strategic purchasing
Streamlined purchasing through strategic, evidence-based approaches.
Put three decades of research to work.
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