Title of Young Civil Engineer of the Year goes to Merko

On 25 November, the construction sector’s best were recognised at the profession’s annual conference at the Creative Hub in Tallinn. The title of Young Civil Engineer of the Year was awarded to Alan Väli, building information modelling (BIM) manager at Merko Ehitus Eesti general construction division.

Alan started working for Merko many years ago as an intern with the concrete department, looking to see how work is actually done on the job site. Later Merko awarded him a scholarship, he came to work for us and gained experience in various general construction objects, and it was then he found his calling in building information modelling and laid the groundwork for this line of activity at Merko.

As Merko Ehitus Eesti BIM project manager, Alan heads up a two-member team that contributes to the completion of all Merko sites. He also trains his colleagues in the field of BIM, speaks at conferences, participates in Merko’s training and internship projects and has supervised master’s theses on BIM at the Tallinn University of Technology.

For the past two years, Alan has been responsible for managing BIM for several of Merko’s large construction sites. The list includes the Rakvere Vocational School dormitory, Väike-Järve business building and a particularly remarkable new academic and sports building for Türi Basic School.

Alan continues constantly developing the field he initiated years ago and which remains close to his heart. Alan has evolved into a valued designer in the field of BIM and his opinion is valued by senior colleagues at Merko, our partners and other specialists in the field of BIM.

This was the first time the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers awarded the title of Young Civil Engineer of the Year with the aim of recognising young civil engineers’ work and thereby promoting the profession.