| 87 T T Kim Newth The freedom to design BIM provides a detailed digital representation of a building’s physical and functional characteristics and allows architects, engineers and builders to create, manage and exchange information. The BIMcrowd ARCHITECTURE Founded in 2019 as a fully remote business, the BIMcrowd offers specialist Building Information Modelling (BIM) services to architects and designers that effectively streamline processes and facilitate smooth and accurate project delivery from start to finish. “We work alongside architects, developers, housing companies as well as small-scale designers who may be stretched and needing support on their projects,” explains Tony Fitzpatrick, New Zealand Director of the BIMcrowd. “For example, if an architect is designing an office building and does not have quite enough staff, they can bring us in as their BIM experts to help coordinate the process using effective BIM models to keep everyone on the same page and bring it all together.” In essence, BIM provides a detailed digital representation of a building’s physical and functional characteristics and allows architects, engineers and construction professionals to create, manage and exchange information. While BIM software such as ArchiCAD is already a familiar tool in New Zealand, Tony suggests many architects here are not yet making best use of it. Having worked in Finland as a BIM manager for international architecture company AW2 Architects for seven years before co-founding the BIMcrowd, Tony knows from experience how effective BIM is for identifying errors early before they become a problem on site. “By bringing together all the modelling and design data, you can see the potential issues, such as an engineer proposing to put a beam in the same place as a ventilation pipe. “You can then say to the team, ‘that’s a problem and someone needs to fix it’ and it can be sorted out during the design stage.” Tony has worked in architectural design since 1995, starting out in Blenheim servicing Marlborough’s residential sector. From 2009, he also began doing work in Japan alongside New Zealand designer and building professional Mike Burke. In 2012, Tony and his wife moved to Russia, where Tony continued to work remotely before taking the job with AW2 Architects. “In Finland I worked on some big hospital and kindergarten projects as AW2’s BIM manager, working with a team of 70 staff.” Tony founded the BIMcrowd with Mike Burke (Japan Director) and Zjaan Meyer (South African Director) in 2019 to help build greater understanding about BIM technology and to offer expertise in this area through producing and applying efficient, detailed building models. “Giving architects the freedom to design is how we see our role. We are not seeking to be designers in our own right but rather want to provide them with a pool of expertise that they can draw on. “If you are an architect, you can focus on designing something cool, then hand it to us and we can make it work using BIM technology. If you want to hone your existing BIM processes, we can also help guide you through that so you can become more efficient.” Tony is currently based in Dunedin where the BIMcrowd has been providing documentation services to a local building and property development company. “For clients such as this, we will put systems and processes in place so that their projects can be efficiently managed in a timely and economical way.” Even though the BIMcrowd was launched just before the onset of the Covid pandemic, the team has run a fully remote office from the outset. It fuelled early growth for the business, which today employs four full-time staff, supplemented by part-time employees, spread around the globe. “We are looking to grow our team in New Zealand and are exploring options at the moment. We may set up a physical office in time but at our core we are a remote workforce with built-in agility to respond to requirements anytime and anywhere, whether in New Zealand or internationally.” “Giving architects the freedom to design is how we see our role.” Residential new builds Alterations | Commercial projects Proudly Supporting The BIMcrowd 021 775 565 34 London St, Level 3 Office 6, Dunedin 9016 stef@spottedink.nz Proudly supporting The BIMcrowd M: 027 321 3013 E: kirk@knbl.co.nz www.kirknicholasbuilders.co.nz
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