The last year has also been one of great sadness, in April our colleague Dave Norcross lost his battle with illness, which left a huge hole in our hearts and also within the business. Everybody who knew Dave remembers him for his exceptional character as the nicest, most pleasant man you would encounter but also as an outstanding and professional designer engineer. I heard a phrase recently that went “They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” Hearing this phrase coincided with my colleague Anne raising the idea of an award in Dave’s memory. So starting in 2023 we will be introducing the Dave Norcross Award which will be a peer-voted award for the staff at Steven Hunt & Associates and will go some way in keeping his memory alive for years to come.

Looking back over the last 10 years there has been a clear transformation.  When I started at SHA, delivering information in 2D was the norm and had been for 100+ years.  I was a resource for 2D AutoCAD drawings that was occasionally tasked with delivering a project in 3D. At the time our team consisted of two CAD technicians and a small team of engineers. Over a short space of time, my journey quickly became tied to the introduction of building information modelling into the UK construction industry. Attending every BIM webinar and seminar I quickly observed that the key to transitioning to BIM appeared to be ingrained with understanding a thousand acronyms that were confusing everyone and also getting a grip of BIM ‘Levels’. The Bew Richards Wedge was the gauge upon which you were measured and we witnessed many companies going early proclaiming BIM Level 3 way back in 2011.

I remember our first ‘BIM’ project was for an MRI unit at Walton hospital. It was a BIM project because it was a 3D model with a BIM Execution plan written. This was reflective of the times, as clients and industry were still dipping their toes in the water to what BIM meant for workflows. I remember having so little conviction that we could produce the 2D drawings from the 3D model that would match our company standard that I completed the project in AutoCAD in parallel to the 3D model. So much for a single source of truth. Our fee for that project finished in the red but it did provide us with a launch pad for every project to come.

As time passed, BIM accreditation became a badge of honour to prove you were ‘BIM-ready’ and we chose the BRE as our certification of choice. As the industry matured 3D modelling became a pre-requisite and we were starting to see the focus change towards the government’s desire to capture asset information. As the PAS1192 suite of documents set out the principle foundations, we began working with contractors who required COBie drops from our models. The challenge was getting the client to define what asset information they required as they too were being asked to undergo a long-standing process change and were unprepared for how to manage the data they would receive. At the start, the stock answer would be ‘give me everything’ until we were delivering COBie XML files with every cable tray bend and unmaintainable item in the model.

To make the transition from 2D to 3D, the industry has had to endure major process improvements and up-skilling of operatives. In the early days, we, like many others struggled to find experienced staff who could help us. So we made the decision to train our existing for our workforce and recruited 2D technicians with a desire to pivot. Traditional educational institutions either weren’t providing courses to match the demand from industry and as such, it was software resellers that picked up the baton.

Reflecting on the ten-year timeframe, it is clear how the shift toward digital construction has played an enormous part in shaping the business. What started as a small team with two CAD technicians has grown into a much larger organization with a dedicated team of 6 BIM coordinators specializing in delivering projects nationwide. Expectations have shifted and it is assumed that a business of our size is BIM-ready and I can happily rejoice that the days of completing numerous BIM Capability Questionnaires for prospective clients are long behind us.

Where we once had well-established roles we are now seeing graduates entering the workforce with the digital skills necessary to slot straight into and become an asset to the organization and as the digital transformation matures, new roles are emerging that weren’t around 10 years ago. We now have Revit technicians, BIM coordinators, Digital Engineers, BIM managers, Digital Leads, and Heads of Digital Construction to name but a few.

In closing, the last 10 years have been great fun, I’ve worked with and met many great people and been a part of teams delivering great projects across the country. My role has changed four times in that period, switching from CAD Technician, Revit Technician, BIM Manager and now company Director.  The construction sector hasn’t quite reached the stage where BIM is business as usual, but for us, we were in early doors and are proudly recognised as a key player in that space. Construction is still only part way through its digital transformation and I’m excited to see what new roles emerge to take on the push towards robotics and digital twins.