Winners of the BIM Africa Innovation Awards 2023 were announced and presented at the Dinner and Awards Ceremony of the BIM Africa Summit held on Friday, 19th May 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Academic Rising Star: David AKINWAMIDE
David AKINWAMIDE is a young academic in the built environment. He holds B.Tech and M.Tech in Estate Management from the Federal University of Technology Akure Nigeria. David is a real estate lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria; and an academic consultant. He has authored and co-authored some research publications (including peer review journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters); with 7 awards of excellence in reviewing journal articles as a Web of Science certified graduate and mentor.
He has presented his research work across the world including the continental conferences of the International Real Estate Society (IRES) and the World Literacy Summit 2023 held at Oxford University, UK. David has won numerous awards, research grants, scholarships and prizes (such as IREBS Foundation for African Real Estate Research Center study grant for African Scholar, AfRES Nigeria and ERES Scholarship, and Edinburgh Napier University fully funded PhD Scholarship). This year, He has been shortlisted as Finalist for UK Construction Week Role Model Awards in London; a Finalist for the Academic and Individual category for the World Literacy Award in Oxford, UK; and a Top 3 Finalist for the Irvine Sellar Award of Property Week in London. One of his outstanding achievements was the prestigious 2021 African Illustrious Award of Excellence and special recognition in the built environment.
He has been appointed as the chair of the management team for regional ambassadors at the AESOP Young Academics Network in Europe. David is also a fellow network member of various African Societies such as the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center for West Africa. He founded ADOB SmartCity with the aim of transiting African urban centres to smart cities through the application of innovation, technologies, real estate and quality education in developmental activities. David is presently a PhD research student in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, United Kingdom under the supervision of Prof. Mark Deakin and Dr Suha Jaradat FCIAT, C. Build E FCABE, SFHEA. His research focuses on real estate in the metaverse.
Automation Awards: Ahmed Zakzouk
Ahmed is an AEC Informatics Specialist and has over 8 years of international experience in the AEC Tech Industry from both Construction and Software Companies, ranging from different roles between Computational BIM and AEC Software Development from prestigious construction companies in Europe such as HOCHTIEF and Implenia as well as prestigious AEC Software companies such as RIB Software and Autodesk.
He also has an interdisciplinary academic profile, he started with Architectural background in the Bachelor Phase from Alexandria University, moved to Engineering Informatics in the Post Graduate Studies from Information Technology Institute (ITI), and got a Master of Science in Integrated Engineering Design in Construction from Cairo University. Ahmed is also a PhD researcher at the Institute of Construction Informatics at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany. He is interested in Technologies such as CAD, BIM, GIS, IoT, AR/VR, AI, Cloud Technologies, Business Intelligence, Machine Learning, and their applications in the construction industry.
Best Woman in African Construction – Deena EL-Mahdy
Dr Deena EL-Mahdy is an Assistant Professor in the Architectural Engineering Department at The British University in Egypt. She holds a degree of BSc., MSc., and PhD from Cairo University. She is an academic, architect, and researcher with more than 13 years of linking research with industry.
Dr EL-Mahdy has published more than 26 scientific articles in journals, books, and conferences and shared in multiple hands-on projects using different construction techniques such as rammed earth and 3D printing using local materials such as algae, clay, and salt. In 2022, she participated in constructing the first 3D-printed clay habitat (TOVA) in Spain at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
She is a recipient of the 2021 Colette Scholarship for Africans, Tatweer Misr Innovation Competition 2018 under the project of 3D printing building waste, and has been shortlisted twice for the Tamayouz Excellence Award for Women in Architecture and Construction in 2019 and 2020. Her research interests are digital fabrication process, computational design, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing techniques in both education and construction.
Green Hat Award – Feleke Assefa Habite
Feleke Assefa Habite is the Director of the Construction Management Technology Transfer Directorate at the Construction Management Institute (CMI) under the Ethiopian Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure (MoUDI). Through CMI, he actively drives BIM adoption and implementation throughout Ethiopia.
He is a BIM Practitioner, Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI) and a Project Management Professional (PMP). CMI develops BIM standards and protocols, road maps, and syllabus for BIM-based education.
He has also provided 16 rounds of training and certifications for more than 400 professionals. He has presented at the Africa Digital Construction 2020, GBB BIM Africa Panel 2020, 3rd EACCES 2018, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University Workshop 2022, and many others. Feleke presented the road map to introduce this new technology that will digitise the construction management of buildings and infrastructure to the Construction Industry.
Innovation in Built Environment – Sustainable Materials and Construction Technologies (SMaCT)
The Sustainable Materials and Construction Technologies (SMaCT) Research Centre of the University of Johannesburg. SMaCT is charged with leading research at the nexus of sustainable alternative modern and cost-efficient building technologies. SMaCT has partnered with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Mampeule Foundation to pilot and demonstrate the use of 3D printing additive technologies for sustainable human settlements in South Africa. The project launched and used the first 3D concrete printer in Southern Africa, offering immediate delivery of buildings for less privileged homes in KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa and was central to providing expertise to staff and students on the use of 3D concrete printers. The project also used the printer to identify locally available materials used in 3DCP and recommend the most appropriate for the African environment.
Institutional Award – CAD MASTERS
Outstanding Startup Awards – KS Digital Innovations
KS Digital Innovations is leading the way in transformative advancements for the African AEC industry. This outstanding startup is revolutionizing the construction industry with cutting-edge BIM solutions. Founded in February 2021, this startup engineering and technology company is committed to excellence and innovation. KS Digital Innovations envisions a future where digital technologies seamlessly optimize efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in construction. Their flagship product, KennySTRUCT, automates redundant tasks in the popular BIM tool Revit.
Driven by a culture of collaboration, their comprehensive suite of BIM solutions empowers professionals with intelligent tools, leveraging AI, machine learning, and cloud computing for data-driven insights. Their goals include streamlining workflows, enhancing resource allocation, and integrating sustainable practices. Dedicated to staying at the forefront of innovation, KS Digital Innovations invests in research and development to deliver advanced BIM tools, transforming the construction industry worldwide. Join them on this journey towards a digital future.
Novel Product Award – ISOLBOX
Research Excellence Award – Dr Oke Ayodeji
Oke Ayodeji is an author and lecturer with several years of teaching and research involvement in higher institutions of learning across the world. He founded the Research Group on Sustainable Infrastructure Management Plus (RG-SIM+) and he is currently the leader of the team. He has over 350 publications including nine books in the area of Sustainable Infrastructure Management (SIM) with a focus on Sustainable Development, Digital Construction, Quantity Surveying, Value Management and other multidisciplinary research areas.
Dr Ayodeji has supervised several students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and won several awards as well as training and fellowship grants. He has led various research teams and is currently rated Y2 by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.
Dr Ayodeji was recognised as the Best Lecturer at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria for the year 2021. He is a member of the Department of Quantity Surveying at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. He is also a Research Association University of Johannesburg, South Africa and an Academic Fellow at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
