The digital transformation of the built environment is undeniable, yet a significant chasm often separates Building Information Modelling (BIM) from the burgeoning realm of smart buildings. My work centres on facilitating the essential dialogue that bridges these critical industry divides and helps define the strategic direction for new initiatives.

This was exemplified in my work defining the key focus areas for the Digital Buildings Council (DBC), a process that began with a foundational workshop. That workshop, which served as the catalyst for the council’s formation, was covered in Smart Buildings Magazine, underscoring the collaborative genesis of these critical industry discussions.

A core part of my role involved supporting the setup of associated project initiatives, such as the “BIM to Smart” initiative spearheaded by DBC member John Clarke, Operations Director at One Sightsolutions. This initiative is crucial for creating a seamless flow of information from design and construction through to a building’s operational life. My work in this area extends to orchestrating external communications and facilitating thought leadership opportunities, like John’s insightful article, “Bridging the gap between BIM and smart buildings,” which summarises the project’s aims. This process both promotes the contributing member and generates interest in working group participation.

My methodology for content creation significantly streamlines the authoring process, particularly for busy industry experts. It involves:

1. Facilitating a recorded interview with the member author.
2. Summarising the discussion using AI tools to provide an outline.
3. Empowering the author to express their thinking in a way that best reflects their expertise.

This process dramatically speeds up content generation, ensuring members, who have demanding day jobs, can efficiently contribute their valuable thought leadership. The goal is always to maximise the impact of their limited time and the reach of their insights.

John’s article on Bridging the gap between BIM and smart buildings actively explores the complex integration of BIM with smart building technologies, highlighting challenges in data integration, communication breakdowns, digital twin lifecycles, and standardisation barriers. He advocates for a “less is more” approach, prioritising BIM data truly relevant and actionable for ongoing operations.

This article was published in advance of the DBC’s BIM to Smart panel at Digital Construction Week (DCW). This highly anticipated session, moderated by Rachel Heaton from GS1 UK, featured John alongside Sam Norledge (LMG), James Franklin (Kier Construction), and Veronica Friuli (Turner & Townsend). The panel explored how greater collaboration between BIM and Smart Building communities can foster a more unified approach to smart building development through knowledge sharing and cross-industry educatio

My role also involved interviewing both John and Sam for a podcast discussion about the panel session, further delving into their perspectives and the challenges discussed.