BIM is not an end in itself. You hear this so often, but how does it work in practice? Michiel van Wijk, BIM manager at Deerns, is happy to talk about it in an international context. Leading the way in the Netherlands, translating that knowledge and experience into profitable BIM concepts abroad, and a success story in Italy or France leads to another step forward in the Netherlands – "learn by doing" is the motto.
"Such an approach demands that we keep an eye on our BIM goal, while continuously adjusting and improving our vision and work process at the same time. Based on what we experience: what works and what does not (yet) work. And with what new technology has to offer. Sometimes we want something faster than what is technically possible and, at other times, technology catches up with us. This applies to our field in installation engineering, but also to the implementation of BIM in our organization."
Next generation
The congruence in the industry vision between Deerns and Stabiplan is striking. That the industry has to change and that BIM plays a role in it. That it's not just about implementing Revit as a design tool and repositioning CAD, but that we get started with processes and workflows. By redefining the product that you deliver as an advisor and the expectations that you generate.
Michiel: "The industry changes that are needed to make a success of BIM go deeper. Transparency, trust, sharing, and communication are keywords. BIM is not a revolution, but we must be careful that it does not become old wine in a new bottle: the same result with new technology. As an industry, we are still in the middle of the transition to BIM, and it does not have to be different from one day to the other. There will be yet another generation. BIM is not an end in itself; it is a means to perform better as an industry and to align with developments in society. The use of buildings is changing. Through new technology, we are going to deal differently with each other, work together in a different way."
Michiel: "Within the Deerns international environment, I notice that we in the Netherlands are often early in the adoption of new technology. Only we sometimes forget that, with BIM, there are changes needed in workflow and mentality. This requires patience. What you notice after a few projects is that we like to call on BIM, but are no longer able to convert every lesson we learn in a project into improving and changing our workflow."
