Establishing a virtual building & construction site for education and training

Abstract

Field trips, site visits and industrial placements can make an important educational contribution by bridging the theory--practice gap through the provision of vital contextual information and the promotion of insights not easily understood in the normal classroom. But, in the Building and Construction industries it is increasingly difficult to arrange actual sites visits. An alternative web site solution is described in this paper. The City University site, the Virtual Building and Construction Environment, is part of a much larger group of sites known as CIVCAL, developed by four Hong Kong universities. Access is provided to three tours, three building sites, information in a Design Office and Production Office as well as details of some outstanding construction projects in Hong Kong. The paper explains the underlying design methodology and production techniques, including features incorporated to promote learning and comprehension.