At Bryden Wood, we believe the key to solving both the housing shortage and the wider construction crisis lies in the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).. Housing Design with Modern Methods of Construction.
A founding member of Bryden Wood’s Creative Technologies team, Elite says she initially worked to develop ‘bespoke tools focusing on data collection and visualisation.’ She subsequently expanded her experience as a lead developer in the R&D department for HOK and perfected her software development skills as a full stack developer for a FinTech start up, developing both front and back end.Asked by Microsoft in 2015 to join their ‘Creative Studios’ R&D team, Sher acted as an innovation engineer and designer for the tech giant, specialising in virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.. Having rejoined Bryden Wood in 2017 with the purpose of establishing a VR and AR development team, Elite says the move was a great opportunity.
Board Director Phil Langley describes the XR + Interaction group’s focus, as being on game engine technology for virtual reality, augmented reality and web/mobile app development.The aim, he says, is on creating and implementing ‘BIM driven workflows for VR and AR across Bryden Wood, as well as a number of highly innovative apps for both public and private sector clients.’.Sher has, in fact, led the team in the design of the two pioneering, web-based, open source configuration apps on which Jami Cresser-Brown is also working: the Innovate UK funded project for the rapid design of primary schools, as well as the design accelerator for systemised housing in London supported by the GLA.. ‘Elite contributes not just software engineering skills,’ says Langley, ‘but also a creative perspective on software development.
Her approach and impact is apparent in each of the apps and tools that the team creates, and has led to the establishment of a unique capability within Bryden Wood.’.In 2017 Sher was also invited by Conscious Cities (Conference No.
2) to give a talk on the potential and possible implementation of VR technologies in the construction industry, which she says, ‘initialised a great discussion around the implementation of cutting-edge technologies and the AEC industry.’.
In 2018 she initiated a public industry event hosted by Bryden Wood in collaboration with Simply Rhino, highlighting Bryden Wood’s unique data analysis and VR work, developed by Sher’s team, which ultimately enables what she describes as a '“tailored” use of VR, mobile and desktop applications, and solves various common issues faced by the industry in dealing with model and data transfer between BIM and VR/mobile/desktop platforms.’.That might sound a bit trivial, but the point is that the solution is almost never a building by itself.
A building is a system that, together with other systems, realises the value that matters to client and stakeholders..In the case of the prison transformation project we worked on, this meant that there were two key components to the solution: the people that work in the prison and the building that allows them to do what they need to do in order to help prisoners in their rehabilitation journey.
In the case of a pharmaceutical plant it is the different value-adding steps of the overall process and the interface with people who operate that process and the utilities required for that process..The most important thing during these initial workshops is to keep an open mind.