BEVERLY, MA –Windover Construction announced they have won two Autodesk AEC Excellence Awards, one of the most prestigious honors for innovation in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC).
Amr Raafat, Vice President of VDC and Technology was named 2019 Innovator of the Year, an international award recognizing an individual that is leading, changing, and transforming the design and/or construction process in a positive way.
Windover also won the Construction: Small Project (less than $100 million) category for their cutting-edge combination of modular construction techniques and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) applications on CANVAS, an upscale, mixed-use, transit-oriented apartment community covering 153,000 square feet in Beverly, Massachusetts. This is the first time in the award’s history that a North American company has received honors for multiple categories in one calendar year.
Amr’s novel use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) – often meshed for the first time ever with drone mapping, virtual reality, mixed reality, laser scanning and more – set him apart from a diverse pool of 41 global finalists, making him the first U.S. citizen to receive this honor.
“Windover’s dedication to truly cutting-edge innovation and exceptional design is what makes us a fundamentally different kind of construction company. Amr has embraced this culture from day one and we are so proud of this honor, and all that he has accomplished,” said Stuart Meuer, President of Windover Construction. “He’s an invaluable asset not only to our company, but to the entire construction industry, proving that the impossible can be made possible by combining technology with a little creativity and passion.”
A graduate of The Boston Architectural College, Raafat began his career working with world-renowned aquarium architect Peter Chermayeff on the programming, design and BIM management of multiple international projects. Today, he oversees the creation of 4D animations, 3D realistic renderings, BIM integration, MEP coordination, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and graphic/visual art techniques at Windover Construction.
“Autodesk’s AEC Excellence Awards honor small, medium, and large-sized projects from around the world that are making an impact with advanced approaches and reimagining the processes of design and construction,” said Allison Scott, Director, Autodesk Construction Solutions. “The modular construction techniques and technology-forward approach used on the CANVAS project resulted in impressive time savings, and Amr’s work demonstrates an incredible passion for what is possible to advance the industry. I have no doubt that’s why the judges selected Windover Construction.”
