Engagement Impact from Trimble Technology Labs
In our role as a hub for Trimble engagement since 2019, Edinburgh Napier has:
- Partnered with LEGO and the Ellen McArthur Foundation to support over 1,000 young people across Scotland to reimagine their built environment using Sketchup - and provided policymakers at COP26, in 2021, with instruction booklets for 'Building a Better World'.
- Supported Trimble in the UK Student Timber Design Challenges 2021-2023 inclusive; providing Trimble software to more than 100 students in the UK.
- Hosted the Scottish launch of Trimble partner Building Point UK, in 2022, and introduced Spot the Dog to clients.
- Delivered Scotland-wide small and medium business digital construction training using Trimble tools, in partnership with BE-ST in 2023 - leading to BE-ST purchasing an Ri Roboti Total Station X7 Scanner and three XR10 AR Headsets with Hololens.
- Welcomed the Minister for Industry and Enterprise, Richard Lockhead MSP, to launch the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum's Transformation Action Plan at TTL Merchiston in 2024.
Bamboo Composite Construction
(Shortlisted for the 2023 Climate Action Awards in the category for Youth Champion)
Thirteen students from Edinburgh Napier used Trimble RealWorks and partnered with the Guangxi University of Science and Technology to complete the world's first bamboo-timber composite grid shell structure of its kind during a month-long placement in China, in 2023.
It is hoped that the finished 12x12 meter construction will help to develop sustainable building methods in the fight to mitigate climate change.
Bamboo's strength and flexibility, as well as its wide availability as a natural resource, make it a viable materials for large-span roof structures in the future.
Transforming Timber
Students from Edinburgh Napier used Trimble hardware and software to contribute to Transforming Timber, a research program to increase the use of UK-sourced timber in construction. This includes:
- Construction of multiple Living Lab projects, including GenZero mass timber classrooms, now in use in English state schools.
- The national launch of the dynamic website and guide to using UK-sourced timber in construction.
- Winning the 2023 award for Built Environment - Smarter Transformation Green Skills.
- Being a finalist in Making an Environmental Difference 2023 in the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.
- Rolling out the award-winning Timber Technology Engineering Design (Timber TED) short courses using Trimble software.
- The inclusion of findings and skills development in the UK Government Timber in Construction policy roadmap (2023).
- Commercialisation of UK-sourced mass timber via Edinburgh Napier's commercial partners.