After six months of collaborating with students and higher education professionals, Cannistraro has completed its first-ever, student-run building information modeling (BIM) project. Designed as a unique, multidisciplinary co-op experience, the project brought together students from Wentworth Institute of Technology with backgrounds in architecture, mechanical engineering, and facilities management with the common goal of creating an accurate BIM of a facility plant.
To execute the vision of the project, Cannistraro partnered with Wentworth, with which the company maintains a longstanding co-op recruiting program. "Wentworth is an industry leader in providing design and construction education," said vice president of engineering Michael Cannistraro, P.E., LEED AP. "We continue to be impressed by the caliber of students that graduate from the Institute's various A/E/C programs, and become talented young professionals right before our eyes." Cannistraro served as a senior project manager and mentor on the student BIM project.
Students worked together to interpret existing conditions using point-cloud data from a laser scan as well as field surveying and measurement. Each student involved in the project gained hands-on field experience, participated on a project team, and learned various software platforms that enable accurate building information modeling. The project also involved generous contributions from technology partners Imaginit Technologies and Feldman Professional Land Surveyors, which provided the students with the laser scanning and point cloud tools needed for modeling an existing facility.
"This project represents a valuable learning opportunity for our students and further reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary education," said Greg Denon, director of Career Services at Wentworth Institute of Technology. "Cannistraro is an incredible organization with a long track record of employing and mentoring Wentworth students on co-op, as well as our graduates."
The collaborative, cross-disciplined nature of the project reflects the latest trends in today's construction market.