Construction manager to develop 3D fire safety simulation
A chartered construction manager who left school without GCSEs is to develop an interactive 3D simulation designed to help residents and construction students understand fire and building safety in residential settings.
Laurent Bolah MCIOB has been awarded the £10,000 CIOB Paul Dockerill Award to develop the project, which will use a real residential environment captured in 360° to create a scenario-based learning tool.
3D simulation to explore residential fire safety
The prototype will allow users to explore a home and communal areas, identify potential risks and make decisions about how they should respond.
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Rather than focusing solely on identifying individual hazards, the simulation will examine how different aspects of fire and building safety interact, including fire doors, escape routes, electrical risks, maintenance and building management.
“I want somebody to finish the experience and look at their own home and residential building differently,” Bolah said.
“For residents, the aim is to make potentially complex fire and building-safety information understandable and relevant to the places they actually live.”
Users will also be asked to consider why a particular issue matters, what action they can take and where responsibility lies.
The project will give undergraduate students and other learners the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to realistic residential scenarios.
Construction manager links practical experience with education
Bolah, a freelance chartered construction manager, said the project was influenced by his own experience of construction and education and the gap between learning about an issue in theory and applying that knowledge in practice.
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“Someone can learn the correct information through education, a qualification or online learning, but real life rarely presents a problem in the same way,” he said.
The project will involve residents and specialists working across fire and building safety, health and safety, education, psychology, technology and simulation design.
Bolah became a Chartered Member of CIOB in March, having developed his career through practical experience and vocational education after leaving school without any GCSEs.
He said the connection between his own career and that of Paul Dockerill, whose legacy the award was established to honour, made the funding particularly significant.
“Paul’s legacy is still creating opportunities for people today, including me through this award,” he added.
“I hope I can use that opportunity to begin building a legacy of my own.”
Fire safety prototype targeted for 2027 completion
The residential prototype is targeted for completion by August 2027, after which Bolah intends to make the working simulation available online.
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Dr Victoria Hills, CEO at CIOB, said: “Laurent’s project is an excellent example of the kind of innovative thinking the Paul Dockerill Award was established to support.
“By bringing together fire safety, resident engagement and interactive learning, the project has the potential to make complex building-safety issues more accessible and relevant to the people who live in our homes.
“Paul was passionate about using innovation to improve building safety and empower residents, and I’m delighted that his legacy is continuing to support ideas like this. We look forward to seeing how Laurent develops and tests the prototype, and what we can learn from the evidence.”
The CIOB Paul Dockerill Award is open to applicants across the UK and provides funding of up to £10,000 for projects focused on innovation, resident engagement and fire safety.
