On 26th of September I had the pleasure of speaking at the The CitA BIM Gathering which was held in the Galmont Hotel, Galway. The BIM Gathering is Ireland’s leading academic forum in BIM and digital construction processes. The event acts as a focal point for stakeholders from Ireland and abroad to come together and share their research and experiences with BIM. The theme for this year’s event was “Delivering Better Outcomes for Irish Construction”.

Over the last year I have been researching “How can small to medium size companies within the AEC industry in Ireland deal with both organisational and individual resistance to the implementation of the BIM process in practice?”. In December 2017 the National BIM Council announced the Road-map to Digital Transition for Ireland’s Construction Industry 2018-2021. The Road-map was developed to increase BIM adoption here in Ireland. This got me thinking about the effect of such a large-scale industry change on our SME’s, but more so on the individuals within these practices.

I was delighted when the opportunity arose to share this research with those working in the industry, and I hope that it was of benefit to those embarking on their own BIM implementation journeys within their companies. It is clear to see the benefits of BIM within our Tier 1 companies in Ireland, but it’s important not to forget the smaller companies that make up such a large percentage of our economy. “We can’t leave anyone behind”.

On the 15th of November I will be travelling to Odense, Denmark, to present my research at the 8th conference of International Congress of Architectural Technology. The theme of the next ICAT conference will focus on all issues relating to the renovation, refurbishment and re-use of existing buildings, with a sub-theme on the implementation of BIM in these areas.

Sarah MacLoughlin, BIM Co-ordinator & Architectural Technologist at Kavanagh Tuite Architects