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Thisismycar,onthereturn legofmyjourneytoourManchesteroffice.IoftengetaskedaboutwhetherIgetboredornervousaboutrepeatedlydrivingacrossSnakePass,butthetruthisthatIenjoyit.Ienjoythescenery,thespacetothinkandthetechnicalchallengesofbalancingspeedandgrip(whileadheringtothespeedlimits!),whereassomemotoristsconsidertheroutetobeanecessaryevil.Wheresomepeopleseeadversity,othersseeopportunity.

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Inmymindseyeatleast,I’minpreparationforthismoment - thinkingaboutwhatcouldbeifthecircumstancescalledforit.Thisisn’tmycar,butIknowthatmyowncarcouldprobablydothis,butonlyonce- Iwouldthereforehavetochoosethemomentcarefully!Conversely,itwouldbewastefultohaveacarlikethis,butforittoonlyeverrunonroads,atpermittedspeedsandalwaysonallfourwheels.Wechoosetheappropriatetoolforthejob.

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Thisismy motorbikeonNewYearsEvein2014,readyfortheridetotheMOTtestcentre.Thereareclearhealth&safetyconcernshereandalthoughIreturnedunscathed,Iprobablywouldn’ttacklesnowandiceontwowheelsagain.Inmakingthecommitmenttobecomeamotorcyclist,Ialsocommittedtobecomingafullyroundedrider,meaningthatIwaswillingtodevelopskillsforridinginallconditions.Sometimestheweatheronareturnjourney,ismuchworsethantheweatheronanoutwardjourney,soitpaystohaveexperiencewhentheenvironment(physical,financialorotherwise)demandsmorefromyou,includingwhenthecircumstancesareunexpected.Intermsofhowthisrelatestoaproject,oftenwhenwemakeastart,we’reunawareofthechallengesthatwe’llfacethroughout– weneedatoolsetthatisuptothesepotentialchallenges.

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ThisiswhatIhadinmindwhenIstartedmotorcycling.Warmweather,grippy tarmacandthe wholeroadtomyself.IhadveryfewpreconceptionsaboutmyBIMjourneywhenIfirststartedusingRevit,butIwouldprobablyhaveexpectedmore‘sunny’daysthan‘snowy’days. IenvyMichaelDunlophavingthisbikeandthisroadtohimself,onthemountaincourseoftheIsleofManTT.

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Idon’tenvy GuyMartininthisimage,however.He’srightinthecentreofthatfireball.Thisphotographwascapturedasplitsecondbeforetheriderslidoutofthefireballanddowntheroadonhisleathers,atover100mph.Hemiscalculatedonthisonecornerandpaidthepriceforhismistake.It’simportantthatthesteptoaBIMenvironmentismadewithsufficientplanningandpreparation,otherwiseit’slikelythatthetransitionwillnotbeassmoothasitcouldhavebeen.

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BacktoGuyMartin;thankfullyhe survived,althoughnotwithoutseveralbrokenbones,includinganumberinhisspine.I’msurethatthiswasn’tthewayhesawhisdaygoingwhenheswunghislegoverthebikeandsatinthesaddlethatmorning,buthealsoknewthatwithoutrisk,therewouldbenoreward.I’veheardhimsayinseveralinterviewsthattherewardforhimisaboutpersonaldevelopment;he’snotmotivatedbyprizemoney.IthinkthattheoutlookoftheridersintheIsleofManTTeventisverymuchthatfortune(orrathersuccess)favoursthebrave.Intermsofhowweapplythat,weneedtobeopentochangesintheestablishedwaysthatwepracticeourprofession.Eachpracticemustdecidewhethertobeinvolvedinsettingthetrend,orattemptingtofollowit.

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I’mverygratefulthat thisvehiclehasplayedapartinmylifeinrecentyears,thankstoafriendofmywife’sfamily.Ihavebeenallowedtoflytheaircraftinbetweentake-offandlanding;I’veenjoyedtheexperienceofundertakingasimulatedbomb-runatLadybower Reservoirandtheexciting‘climb-out’toavoidthehillsidesattheotherend.I’vebeenfascinatedbyflyingeversinceIwasachildandmyplanwastobecomeapilotaftercompletingmyALevels,sothiswasadreamcometrue- Iwasgratefulthatthisambitionhadfinallybecomeareality.Justlikelearningtofly,ordrive,playaninstrument,orlearningsomeotherskill,somepeoplewillhaveanaptitudethatallowsthemtolearnmorequicklythanothers.Thevariedandcomplementaryskillsofourteamprovideopportunitiesforthedevelopmentofthepractice.

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Of course,theCessnapalesincomparisontotheTyphoon.Thisphotographistakenatthe’MachLoop’inNorthWales– anestablishedlow-flyingtraininggroundfortheRAFandalliedairforces.ThehillsatCadEastandCadWestarehighenoughsothattheaircraftpassoftenbelowtheeyelevelofthemembersofthepublicthatgathertowatch.It’sthrillingtoseethepowerofthemachine,fusedwiththeskillsofthepilot,astheyfocusontheaircraft,navigationandobservationsaheadoftheirposition,ratherthanthefactthatthegroundisverycloseandthatarelativelyminormiscalculationcouldleadtoaveryseriousaccident.Usingtechnologythatallowsmetoperformatthepinnacleofmyprofessionisamotivatingfactorforme.

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ThisismyofficeinSheffield.Ihavebeenprivileged tobuildtheteamandsystemsthatIbelievedwouldallowSIXAD(andnowByrom ClarkRoberts)toflourishinthecomingmonthsandyears.

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I amhoweverdrawntobuttons,dialsandthenotionofbeingaswellequippedforataskasitispossibletobe.IhaveaschoolfriendwhohasbeenanofficerintheRAFforsometime;hewasabletopullafewstringstoallowmetohaveaprivatetourofRAFConingsby,includingtenminutesinthecockpitofthisTyphoon,askingquestionsoftheFlightSergeantthatkindlyofferedtotalkmethroughthecontrolsandavionics.Manypilotsdescribethisastheir‘office’andwhentheystartedtheirtraining,operatingfromthisenvironmentwastheirambition.Whileit’sastepremovedintermsofexcitement,BIMoffersarchitecturalpracticesanopportunitytoapplythestate-of-the-arttotheirprofession.Ienjoygoingtowork,atleastinpartbecauseIenjoyusingwhatIconsidertobethebesttoolsforthejob;it’simportanttomethatIofferthattomyteamtoo.

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It’simportantthatweregularlyreviewthevisionthatwehaveforourselvesandourorganisation.It’sgoodtogetintoaworkingrhythm,butit’sveryeasytogetintoarut,whereinnovationisstifledbecause ofworkingmethodologies.Wecanfindwaystoadapttoolstosuitthetaskathand,butthiscanbecounterproductivewhenitalsoinvolvesdeviatingfromagreedstandardsandqualityassuranceprocedures.Weshouldwanttointegratethestate-of-the-artintoourworkingpractices.I’vefoundmyselfinapositionofdeveloping/adoptingworkingmethodologiesthatprovideafullerfeatureset,withoutnecessarilyofferingamoreefficientwayofworking– thistypicallyhappenswheneachbitofkitdoesmost,butnotall,ofwhatwewant.Tryingtocoverallofthebasesisacumbersomeexercise.BIMintegratesfunctionsandthereforesimplifiesmatters.

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Inthisimage,Iwant youtoimaginethattheemployee(ontheleft)hasjustreceivedpermissionfromthedirector(ontheright),toimplementanewcorporateBIMStrategy.

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Whilethishasthepotentialtobeapositivething,thereisariskthatunlessthenecessarypowershavebeendelegatedtotheindividualresponsiblefortheimplementationofBIMatthepractice,therewillalwaysbeapressuretorevertto‘known’technologies.Productivitymayinitiallybeimpacted;thisinturnwillaffectprofitability.Thereisalsoadegreeofsteppingintotheunknown,asunlessexternalsupportisprocured,apracticethat’sstartingtouseBIMwillnotknowthefullextentofthe‘set-up’required,intermsofdocumenttemplatesandtrainingetc.ItisimportanttoundergoathoroughprocessofpreparationbeforeimplementingtheBIMstrategy.

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Inthisimage,thecar(representingthecompany)makesthejumpfrom2Dto 3Dprocesses.Allpracticeswillcomeunderincreasingpressurestomakethistransitionandthosethatfailtodosowillhaverestrictedopportunities,especiallyasprospectiveclientsbecomemoreawareofwhatcanbeachievedthroughBIMtechnologies.Theneedforseamlessintegrationwithcontractorsoftwarewillalsobecomeadriverforthischange.InmyopinionthefulladoptionofBIMisinevitable,buteachpracticehastoprogressatasuitablepace.

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Even whenthedecisionhasbeenmadeforthecompanytomaketheshifttoBIM,eachindividualpractitionermustalsomakethechangeinmind-setandworkingpractices.We’veheardmanytimesthatthemovefrom2Dto3Dwaysofdesignandimplementationisrepresentativeofaparadigmshift.I’veobservedthatwithoutwholeheartedcommitment,individualswillfailtomakeaneffectivemovetousingBIMtechnologies.Ithinkthatthiswillalsoleadtodegreesofseparationbetweendirectors/managersandtheirteams,unlessthoseinleadershippositionsarefullyawareofmethodologiesforusingtheBIMtechnologywithintheirrespectivepractices.AnylackofaffinitywithBIMcapabilitiesmayalsounderminethedirector/managersabilitytoadvisetheirclientshonestlyandeffectively.

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Oncemanagementandemployeeshave acceptedtheBIMimplementationprocess,thenextobstacletoovercomeisthephysicaltimeandresourcesthatwillberequiredforthetransitiontotakeplace.Therearenoshortcutsto thisandtherealityisthatthelearningcurveissteep.Ifthetrainingprocessisplannedwellandexecutedwithenthusiasm,thenitwillbesuccessful.Thereareseveralfactorsthatcanaidthistransitionalperiod,suchastheknowledgethatclientsareexpectingacoordinatedBIMapproachtotheirproject,or,perhapsevenmoresignificant,ensuringthatthereisa‘BIMChampion’ineachofficethatisseekingtomakethetransition.ThebenefitofhavinganexperiencedBIMpractitionerin-housewhileotherstaffaremakingthistransitiontoBIM,can’tbeoverstated. Thesports/trainingwatchimageslinktothenextslide.

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WhenIdiscussedthis seminarwithmywife(Verity),IexplainedthatthecoremessageisthatIbelievetechnologywillbeofincreasingimportanceinthedeliveryofprojectsinthecomingdecades.WechattedabouthowVeritywouldprefertolimittheuseoftechnologytotheextentthatitcomplementsthetask,ratherthanbecomingthehuboftheactivity.Thisispartofamind-settowhichthemajorityofpeoplewouldsubscribe,andit’saperfectlyreasonablewayofthinking/living.ThiswasexpressedverysuccinctlyinanexamplethatVeritygaveregardingtheprocessthatshewentthrough,inselectinganappropriatesports/trainingwatch.Thereisadifferentperspectivehowever,thatseeksnewapplicationsofexistingtechnologyandaninquisitivenessthatleadstoearlyadoptionoftechnology.EffectiveBIMuserequiressomedegreeofthismind-set.

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TheversionofAutoCADshowninthisimageispriorto AutoCADr13,whichwasthefirstMicrosoftWindows(i.e.nonDOS)basedversion.IbeganusingAutoCADin1995,inthisbasicvisualenvironmentanditstruckmethatwhiletheoperatorinterfaceismoregraphicallyrichandicon/palettebasedineveryversionsinceAutoCADr13,thesamebasicprinciplesarethesame.Themind-setofwantingtoretainthesamefewbasicfunctionsisunderstandableiftheoperatorofatechnologyhastoperformthesamecoretasksrepeatedlyandinanefficientmanner.Ofcourse,3DAutoCADhasbeeninuseformanyyears,butthisisstillanapproximationoftheform/shape/sizeofrealworldelements.ThemovetoBIMensuresthatricherlevelsofdetailareembeddedinthemodel,includingrelationshipsbetweenelements.Wehavetomakethe‘Jump’.

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ItisalsonotablethatasIwasstartingtoexplorethepotentialuses ofAutoCADin1995,nineyearspreviouslyPixarAnimationhadproducedthetwominuteshortfilm,Luxo Jr.Admittedly,theshortfilmismeanttoentertainusandtookateamof40peopleand$5Mdollarsofinvestmenttocomplete.Fromanarchitecturalperspective,Isatinmyclassroomattheeveningclassesin1995,workingthroughAutoCADtasksanddreamingofadigitalworldwherethedesignwouldbeundertakenfromtheinsideout,inavirtualenvironment.Wemoveclosertothatrealityeveryyear,asvirtualandaugmentedrealitytechnologiescontinuetoimprove,howeveritwouldappeartobeapplicationsotherthanarchitecturalthatdrivethisrevolution.Thearchitecturalindustryseemstotakealongtimetoadoptandimplementchangesinworkingmethodologies.

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Formany, technologyseemstobeseenasanecessaryevilandonethatmustbetolerated,ratherthanembraced.Ifeelthesamewayaboutshaving.Ifourapproachtoanewtechnologyistokeepitatarmslength,thenwewillfailtofullyunderstandit– thatinturnmeansthatovercomingtheinevitablehurdlesinusinganewBIMplatformwillberelativelymoredifficultandpotentiallymorepronetofailure.

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Mypersonal viewofanytechnologyisthatit’susefulifitoffersleverageinasituation.Thatmaybetoconsolidatefunctionsofothertechnologies,orperhapstobreakgroundintoanewareaofneed.ThedifferencebetweenBIMandCADisassignificantasmovingfromthedrawingboardtoCAD.BuildingInformationModellingprovidesleverageintheareaofvisualisation,managingdata,monitoringtime/phases,multi-disciplinaryco-ordinationandclashdetection,aswellasalloftheestablishedfunctionsofmostCADsolutions.

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Goingbacktotheanalogyofthesports/training watch,onceVerityhadboughthersandIhadseenwhatitcoulddo,Iwassufficientlyconvincedthatmonitoringhealthdatawasimportant,thatIbegantolookformyownoption.AsIalreadyhadasportswatchforusewhenrunning,Iknewthatallofthosefunctionsalsoneededtobeincluded,aswellasthebasicfunctionsofVerity’sdevice.AlthoughtheAppleWatch‘tickedmanyoftheboxes’onmylistofrequirements,thebatterylifewasaconcern.Itseemedmuchmorelikealifestyleaccessoryandonewiththepotentialtoshapetheusershabitsinordertomaintainthewatch– analmostparasiticoption.Thistomefeelslikeapoorapplicationoftechnologyandmorelikeacuriositythanatool.Inthiscontext,thetechnologyisanadd-onthattakestimefromus,ratherthanofferingitback.

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Whenweadoptanewtechnologyandtheassociatednewfunctions,weneedtobeconfidentthatthosefunctionsareofusetous. Inthisillustration,thelaserisofimportance totheoperatorinthisspecificinstance,butwehavetowonderwhetheritwilleverbeneededagain?Whenlookingattheapplicationoftechnologyatalevelthatwillimpactawholeorganisation,it’simportanttodistinguishthe‘musthave’features,fromthosethataresimply‘desirable’.Atapracticelevel,the‘best-fit’istheonethatsuitsmostpeople,howeverthe‘laser’analogyisheretoremindusthatsometimesthereisatoolthatoffersaquicksolutiontoapressingproblem.Apracticalexampleofthiswouldbewherewe’veuseda3Dmodeltoquicklyrespondtoabuilder’squeriesabouthead-heightoverastaircase– that’spossiblebecausetheinformationisalreadymodelled.

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Ifinallysettledonawatchthatincorporatedmyrunningwatchfunctions,aswellasthehealthmetrics,inadditiontohavingtheabilitytotrackindoorsessionsatthegym.Therearesomefeaturesonthewatchthatareperhaps‘overthetop’,includingtheJumpmaster/parachutefunction.Forsome,Iknowthattheseadditionalfeatureswouldfeellikeanover-complicationandwouldperhapsdetractfromtheirconfidenceinusingthefunctionsthattheyneed,howevertheconverseisalsotrue.Balancingcost,functionandcapabilitiesareessentialcomponentsofdevelopingconfidenceinthetoolsthatformthecoreofourabilitytodelivermodernarchitecturalsolutions.KnowingthatmyBIMsoftwarehasadditionalfeaturesmeansthatwecanthinkofhowtousethosefeaturescompetitively,butatourownpace.

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Thisisascreenshotofthefirst projectdevelopedbyourManchesterteam,usingRevit.I’mveryhappywithwhathasbeenachievedbyaRevitoperatorthathadverylittlepreviousexperiencewiththesoftware.Iknowthathavingthesupportofamoreexperiencedcolleaguewashelpfultotheindividualthatproducedthismodel,howeveritwasobviousasthemodelprogressedthatsomerelativelycomplexcomponentswerebeingdevelopedbytheRevitoperator,withouttheneedforsupportfromthirdparties.Knowingwheretolookforanswersisakeycomponentofsuccessinarchitecturalpractice.Revitisareflectionofthis– no-onecanhopetohaveallofthepertinentknowledgeuntilthey’vemadeastart,butworkingthroughproblemsanddevelopingexperienceisakeytosuccessinBIMdeployment.

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Todrawtogethercommentsfrom thepreviousslides,successfulBIMuserequireseffectiveequipping,throughwhichwedevelopconfidence,whichinturnweusetogainleverageinpractice.

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Iusedthisslideintheprevious presentationofthesamename,in2013.Ibelievethatthisvisionencapsulatesourdesiretousethetoolsatourdisposaltodeliverthebestpossiblesolutionstoourclients.Ithinkit’sthisoutlookthathasmadeSIXADofvaluetoByrom ClarkRoberts,aswehavedevelopedknowledgeandmethodologiesthatarescalableforthecombinedpractice.

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ManyaspectsofouruseofBIMandothercoretechnologiescanbeadopted bythewiderpractice,howeverthereareissuesofharmonisationtoaddressalso.Insomewaysthisfeelslikestartingagain,howevertherealityisthattheknowledgegainedinsevenyearsofBIMuseatSIXADcanandwillbeappliedatBCR,butwedon’thavetheluxuryofstartingafresh– thereareexistingprojects,staffandprocedurestobeconsidered.

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ThesewererelevantquestionswhenIwasconsideringtheadoption ofaBIMplatformforSIXAD.Theyarestillrelevantquestionstoday,inmyroleasDirectorofArchitectureatByrom ClarkRoberts.

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The mainhurdlesthatweneedtoovercomeasacombinedpractice,arehowwesecurelyandefficientlysharefilesindifferentofficelocations;howweavoidcorruptionissuesinworkingfromMacmachinesinSheffieldandWindowsbasedsystemsatourotherthreeoffices.Ineffectweknowthatthesystemwon’tbefullyuniformacrosstheoffices,howeverwehavetobelievethatthefinalarrangementswillbemorerobustthantheywouldhavebeenotherwise,aswewillsolveproblemsthatallowustocollaboratewithclientsthatworkonbothMacOSandWindowsbasedplatforms.

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Nowwith sevenyearsofexperienceusingRevit,I canvouchforthevalidityofalloftheseconclusions.

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Sometimeswestretchtoofarandthereareconsequences,butIbelievethatthereareoftenrewardsfortakingcalculatedrisks.IftheimplementationofaBIMStrategyiswellconsideredandwellexecuted,thentheriskscanbemanagedandthebenefitscanbesignificant.

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