A week in the life of a BIM consultant at Based
BIM-consultant. A term we use regularly, but is it really clear what this job entails? What does a BIM consultant at Based actually do? Robin is happy to give you an insight into his work!
"Even before I started my studies, I dreamed of a job in construction. But after a few years of working on various construction projects, I noticed that I wanted to focus on something else. Digital building attracted my attention more and more, and when I met Marcel, the ball quickly started rolling. That is how I ended up in my role as a BIM consultant.
Together with my colleagues, I am a specialist in digital building and change management. At some of our clients, we are active at the front, and at others we coach the team to allow them to be at the spotlight of the implementation of e.g. BIM. Our role is so varied that we are regularly asked what our week actually looks like. So I'd like to take you through one of my weeks!
Monday: workshop day
Let's go back to week 44. Monday starts early, because a workshop is planned with our most northerly customer: Clafis. In the morning, we take the commercial team of Clafis into the world of Digital Building and Management and show them the value of it for their business. A workshop I worked on with the BIM expertise team of Clafis to really broaden the scope of the organisation. We start at 9 o'clock at their office in Heerenveen, where I kick off the day with a presentation on how we have positioned BIM within Clafis and what has already been set up. Later that morning, we get to work and discuss with the commercial team about the use of Digital Building in new projects: which direction are we heading and how can we, as a BIM expertise team, lend a helping hand? One thing is for sure: together we're going to work hard to deploy Digital Construction on all Clafis projects. A great goal!
In the afternoon, the group gets presentations from two more guest speakers, but I drive on to another appointment. A company in Emmen - where I have given training courses in the past - is now looking for in depth support in its further BIM implementation. It's cool to stay involved with this organisation and the development they are going through! Together, we make a concrete plan and plan the follow-up.
Tuesday: training day
On Tuesday, I gave a training at Rollecate, a facade manufacturer. In three sessions I teach the group to use Solibri efficiently. We filter the facade from the received models and I teach them to analyse these elements and to use the quantities. We match our knowledge of Solibri with the group's knowledge of facade systems. We also learn every day, including during a training programme such as this, in which we put ourselves in the shoes of a facade manufacturer. I am giving the training together with Joep, who works for our partner Fimble, so that I can pass on the knowledge of being a Solibri trainer to him.
Wednesday: office day
Wednesday is office day in Tilburg. The day is dedicated to preparing upcoming workshops and trainings. I prepare a workshop with the management department of the ETZ (Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital in Tilburg) and follow up on the BIM protocol of this client. Needless to say, a few mails and phone calls follow, and we consult each other about the implementations. At the end of the afternoon, an introduction to an ethical hacker is planned. A who? Someone who can help us to be sharper on data security and our business processes. In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, security is extremely important. He makes us aware of the motives of hackers and how we can include security in our software advice to customers. An exciting session with many ideas.
Thursday: training day
On Thursday, the kick-off is planned for our new training course 'Managing the digital construction process'. Together with Saskia Kock (trainer of ANNO1809, entrepreneur and specialist in personal growth) we get to know the group through an assignment and we immediately focus on the use of soft skills. By really listening to the other person, a connection is created that we would never have created with a traditional introduction round. We work with a wonderfully spontaneous group, which makes me look forward to the continuation of the training where Saskia and I will be the teachers.
Friday: team day
After a week of assisting clients, this Friday is, like every week, about our team. We are all at the office. Every Friday morning starts with our team meeting, in which we discuss the week and inform each other about current issues. Anouk, for example, tells us about her guidance at Waternet, and Marcel pitches some new business ideas. A small tradition is our champagne moment to celebrate successes. You guessed it: every week, a handful of successes are put on the table so that we can open a new bottle. The rest of the day is well filled with preparing for the next week and working on a workshop where the management of Solibri will travel from Finland to NL. During our Friday drinks we toast to an exciting week and on the way home I look back on yet another working week in which no day was the same.
Interested in working as a BIM consultant at Based?
Can you see yourself doing this kind of work? And would you like to be a BIM consultant at Based? Then we would like to talk to you. We have a super cool vacancy! Share your motivation with us and maybe we will meet soon!