Background
Digital transformation is one of the EU's top priorities as it strengthens Europe's capacity for new digital technologies and creates new opportunities for businesses and consumers. Digital transformation should benefit everyone, put people at the center and provide new business opportunities. The digital transformation in construction is thus changing an entire sector of the economy. Universities must meet this changing demand with new training programs.
Building Information Modelling(BIM) plays an important role in the digitalization of the construction industry. BIM is the digital model and working method for the design, construction, operation and deconstruction of buildings. It is about building more digitally and using digital transformation to design, construct, operate and deconstruct buildings in a better, more resource-efficient,climate-friendly and quality-assured way.
digitalizationBIM-related lectures are now offered as a subject at many universities in almost all countries, but the focus is rarely on the practical application of what has been learned. There should be much more emphasis on experiencing and designing with virtual models. Learning to work together on a model is best achieved in decentralized teamwork.
the project idea
"The DigitalDECATHLON" is one of these new training programs, challenging students to learn and practice digital collaboration in a playful and interdisciplinary design competition. The Digital DECATHLON is an interdisciplinary and intercultural competition for students of architecture, civil engineering, building services engineering and related disciplines to train digital design skills using BIM tools and methods in a collaborative way of working. In addition, the Digital DECATHLON is a unique training that provides participating students with an easy introduction to digital design and prepares them to work together in international teams. The competition links higher education institutions in Europe and promotes European identity. It opens new horizons of knowledge and perspectives of cooperation.
procedure
In the first phase, the competition will bring together students from different European countries in one place to start the design competition. The collaboration will take place when the students are back in their home cities, using communication tools on a working platform that is being developed and will accompany the competition. The virtual working platform requires the active participation of the students and guides them through the phases of the competition, supported by teachers and trainers who accompany the project. Learning modules will be developed and made available for self-organized learning, providing participants with content tailored to their needs. The competition lasts one semester and ends with a second meeting of all participants at a different location. At this time, the results are presented and the event is concluded with an award ceremony.
The Digital DECATHLON is based on the idea of the BIM Game developed as an Erasmus+ project 2016-2019. This game idea will now be internationalized as "Digital Decathlon", integrated into the curriculum and developed into a competition anchored in the European higher education landscape. Prof. Dr. Gregor Grunwald and Prof. Dr.Sebastian Hollermann from Jade University of Applied Sciences applied for funding within the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and were selected as an eligible project. The Digital Decathlon is now co-funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant number 2022-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000086134.
Our idea within the Erasmus+ project is to create a learning and teaching format that is easy to implement and copy. We will be very happy if the idea of the digital competition is liked and continued. We invite all interested parties to participate in the DIGITAL DECATHLON. For this purpose, we will make available the learning materials and documents that we have developed.
The documents provided here summarise the key milestones, activities and achievements of the DIGITAL DECATHLON project and the event organisation. The attached documents are management tools and essential for the realisation of the project. They served as control mechanisms to ensure the smooth running of the project and may be used for the continuation of the project.
01-1 Project Overview 01-2 Project DocumentsThe quality of the learning path was an important aspect of the project to ensure the excellence of the teaching and learning project. The specific aim was to evaluate the methods and content used in the competition. Whether the knowledge is received by the students and whether the methods are the right ones are crucial questions that were analysed as part of the project. Here we present both the questionnaires and the results and summarise the evaluations carried out.
02-01 QuestionairesOne of the main goals of the project was to provide knowledge in the field of digital 3D model-based planning, in particular the Building Information Modelling (BIM) method. We wanted to create an offer for an easy and motivating introduction to the digital planning method. Here you can download the tasks and corresponding learning material used in the project.
The events are described in detail on our project website, in particular on the ‘Events’ subpage. At this point, we would like to make the work developed and presented by the students during these events available for downloading
04-1 Results ofAnswer: Collaboration starts with an in-person meeting of participants at a common location. Afterward, students utilize a specially developed virtual working platform to continue their projects in international teams. Teachers and trainers are available for support.
05-01 CI 05-02 List of PubllicationsThe Erasmus+ project has been reported and published in a variety of ways. At professional conferences and meetings, in academic papers, on the websites of the project partner universities and in the regional press, professional magazines and journals. Below is a list of publications:
Calcagno, G., Alves, S. & Grunwald, G. (2024). Assessing the Quality of an Innovative Learning Pathfor BIM Education: The DIGITAL DECATHLON. Journal Of Civil Construction AndEnvironmental Engineering, 9(5), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jccee.20240905.11
Calcagno, G.,Bertelli, M. & Grunwald, G. (2024b). The DigitalDecathlon: A Journey in Building Information Modelling Education. Journal OfMediterranean Cities, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.38027/mediterranean-cities_vol4no1_3
Grunwald G. et al. Building BIM Competence: Learning in the DIGITAL DECATHLON, in Sayigh, A., Trombadore, A. & Calcagno, G. (2025). Getting to Zero - Beyond Energy Transition Towards Carbon-Neutral Mediterranean Cities: Selected Papers from the World Renewable Energy Congress Med Green Forum 2024. ISBN978-3-031-82322-0
Grunwald G., Hollermann, S., Kawasaki J.: BUILD DIGITAL. BUILD BETTER. The “digital Decathlon” a European Erasmus+ project, Conference Paper, 71th JSEE Annual Conference, September 2023, ISSN 2189-8936, https://doi.org/10.20549/jseeen.2023.0_2
Grunwald, G., Hollermann, S., Heins, C.: „BIM Game –ein digitales Rollenspiel“ in Vermittlung von BIM in der Hochschullehre, 2.Auflage, Positionspapier des Arbeitskreises BIM im Baubetrieb desFachausschusses Baubetrieb und Bauwirtschaft, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-36959-0, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-36959-0
Zeisberg,L., BIM Practice and Experience: Digital DECATHLON, in Luhmann, T., Sieberth,T. (Hrsg.): Photogrammetrie-Laserscanning-Optische 3D-Messtechnik – Beiträgeder 21. Oldenburger 3D-Tage. Wichmann Verlag, Berlin/Offenbach, ISBN 978-3-87907-750-2
https://www.il.pw.edu.pl/en/digital-decathlon-erasmus-project/
https://dpbb.uni-wuppertal.de/en/research/current-research-projects/digital-decathlon/
https://www.jade-hs.de/unsere-hochschule/fachbereiche/architektur/forschung/digital-decathlon/
https://newsroom.jade-hs.de/magazin/kickoff-zum-digital-decathlon-an-der-jade-hochschule
https://newsroom.jade-hs.de/magazin/campustag-an-der-jade-hochschule/jade-hochschule-richtet-landesmeisterschaft-digital-construction-in-niedersachsen-aus
https://rakentaminen.karelia.fi/projektit/digital-decathlon/
https://rakentaminen.karelia.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Matkaraportin-tiedoteosa-Digital-Decathlon-kick-off-15.-16.2.2023.pdf
https://rakentaminen.karelia.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Matkaraportti-Julkaistava-Digital-Decathlon-aloitustilaisuus-10.-11.10.2023.pdf
https://rakentaminen.karelia.fi/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Matkaraportti-Digital-Decathlon-paatostilaisuus-13.-16.2.2024-Firenze.pdf
https://www.jade-hs.de/unsere-hochschule/fachbereiche/architektur/detailansicht-news/news/detail/News/erste-projektergebnisse-vom-digital-decathlon-feiert-herausragende-in-florenz/
https://newsroom.jade-hs.de/magazin/designwettbewerb-in-florenz
https://dpbb.uni-wuppertal.de/de/forschung/aktuelle-forschungsprojekte/digital-decathlon/
https://newsroom.jade-hs.de/magazin/digital-decathlon-startet-in-die-zweite-phase
https://www.jade-hs.de/unsere-hochschule/fachbereiche/architektur/detailansicht-news/news/detail/News/studentischer-workshop-in-warschau/
