The Master Builders Association of Victoria's $14 million Building Leadership Simulation Centre (BLSC) in South Melbourne is only the third facility in the world to provide simulation training.
The Centre, which is supported by an additional $1.9 million in Federal Government funding, focuses on communication, leadership and problem solving.
It is aimed at upskilling experienced workers, such as project managers, as well as addressing the 50 percent apprentice attrition rate by providing international best practice training for the next generation of building and construction apprentices.
A virtual construction site is created at the BLSC through the use of 4D technology that enables seamless images to be projected onto a huge parabolic screen in the Simulation Centre. Twelve site sheds and a control room have also been constructed as part of the training complex.
Participants are able to confront the challenges of a real building site, but with the advantages of a risk-free environment.
Peter Birnbaum, managing director of the Pullman Learning Group, which supplied and installed the technology for the BLSC, explains that 50,000 photos were taken over a two year period at two actual construction sites in the UK (a housing development and a high-rise office block) to create time slices of construction progress on each project.
"These photos were then rendered to show various stages of construction by utilising four high-end computers with CAD-based anti-lasing software for imaging. Three high-end projectors are used to project 5 Gigabytes of graphics onto a 15 metres long parabolic (curved) screen to create 4D graphics as a background for the training," he said.
"The anti-aliasing software enables blending of the images so that a completely seamless high quality continuous image of the virtual construction site is presented on the screen.
"When the original photos were taken at the actual construction sites action was also taken to install sound devices at appropriate locations around the site, as well as on selected site vehicles, to enhance the reality of the virtual site at the BLSC in South Melbourne.
"In the Simulation Centre, a joystick connected to a computer enables training participants to walk through the virtual construction site and observe various aspects of the project up close before entering the site sheds to deal with specific issues relating to the virtual site."
Birnbaum says these site sheds are just like any that one would find on most construction sites and include hard copies of plans hanging on plan racks and other documentation that relate directly to the site viewed by participants in the Simulation Centre.
"Participants are fully equipped with protective gear and professional actors play the roles of real people on the site, including a union official and a safety inspector," he said.
"Trainees in the site sheds learn to prioritise issues, arrive at solutions, and become aware of the impact that action or inaction can have on a construction site.
"Cameras and microphones in each shed relay the activities to four touch screen computers in a central control room where the action is monitored."
According to the BLSC's assistant manager, Chris Kulesza, the Simulation Centre provides a powerful realistic training experience that enables participants to develop their skills while managing a virtual site.
"Trainees quickly forget that they are in a simulation situation. They are taken out of their comfort zone and quickly become immersed in the challenges presented in managing the virtual site," he said.
"The main focus of the BLSC is on honing and fine tuning 'soft' skills such as managing industrial relations, OH&S, and contractors, as well as dealing with customer complaints including in relation to any building defects.
"This cutting edge approach to training presents challenging real life situations, and the behaviour of participants in the site sheds can be continuously observed via the cameras in the site sheds.
"Feedback to participants is a critical part of the simulation training process. All site sheds are also equipped with phones that are patched into the central control room so that observers can interact with students.
"At the end of each session feedback is provided so that the strengths of participants can be recognised and further developed, while weaknesses can also be identified and corrective assistance provided."