Today is a good day!
And let’s say it with confidence because right now is a great time to enter the architecture and engineering industry and build a career you’re passionate about.
The AEC industry is rapidly changing, BIM is transforming CAD, and Digital School Technical Design College has never been better positioned to help our students make a meaningful impact through Architecture and Engineering Design Technology.
The AEC Industry Today
If you’re not familiar with the acronym AEC, it stands for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction… And we like to add Manufacturing into the mix as well because all of these industries are tied together – they represent how things are built; your house, the roads you drive on, the buildings people work in, the shopping centres we all frequent, the products we use, and so much more!
And this AEC (or MACE, if we add manufacturing and do some gymnastics) industry has been waiting for the opportunities that are front and centre right now.
Remote Work. Virtual project management and collaboration across cities, time zones, borders, cultures, and continents.
The architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries have been embracing a process called BIM (I’ll explain that in a moment), which no longer restricts work to a traditional office building with employees working side by side. Technology has paved the way for this work to be more productive, more efficient, and make a bigger impact on our communities, through virtual telecommuting and remote work.
And while we might be tempted to think that these changes are in response to COVID-19, that’s not the case. This article, The Benefits of BIM in remote Project Management, written in September 2019 discusses how BIM leads to the more effective management of construction projects, simultaneous dissipation of project information, prevention of scope creep, improved client relationship management, sustainable collaboration, and support for already virtual teams.
The Editor of BIM Ireland, describes the situation perfectly in the article, Remote Working and Collaboration:
“If we divide construction into three parts, namely design, procurement, and physical construction, it is clear that almost 100% of the design and procurement could take place without people having to physically get together. Cloud-based remote working, and remote meeting, technologies have been in place for many years, and people have suddenly had an awakening to their potential, benefits, and maybe some shortfalls.
Using technology like BIM (Building Information Modelling), we can fully design, coordinate, test and analyse, and resolve any potential issues, within a virtual digital model of the construction project, before any physical work has to be carried out. We can plan the logistics and sequence of work, in these digital models, to see how the physical assembly can be best executed, in a safe manner (a process called 4D BIM). We can work out the quantities and costs, and even the procurement schedules, in these digital models, before any physical work has to take place (a process called 5D BIM). We can test and analyse the performance of future building environments, taking into account occupancy, movement of people, air handling systems etc, in these digital models (a process called 6D BIM), and we can plan the future operations and maintenance of these future building environments, in these digital models (a process called 7D BIM). And best of all, we can do almost all of this work, without having to physically be co-located together, all focused around the digital model. Clearly, the combination of cloud-based remote working, and remote meeting, facilities, combined with BIM, provides the ideal environment to move forward, and remain highly productive, in this new “age of pandemics” in which we find ourselves.”
A simple job search today will show a massive increase in remote, work-from-anywhere jobs, and most career and industry analysts, even outside of the Architecture & Engineering technology space suggest many of these remote jobs are here to stay. But specific to the AEC industry, remote work demands a different skill set – different soft-skills and different technology skills. This means that in order to capitalize on today’s unique opportunities for career development in architecture and engineering, you need to know BIM.
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
While you may be familiar with the acronym, CAD (Computer-Aided Design), all Digital School programs embrace a 3D model-based process called BIM (Building Information Modeling).
Building Information Modeling essentially attaches dynamic information and collaboration capabilities to 3D building designs. This gives design and construction professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and equipment.
And this is revolutionizing the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, similarly to how CAD revolutionized drafting by hand. And now, governments around the world are mandating BIM processes for their projects, and it is quickly becoming the standard for private architecture, engineering, and construction firms as they reap the benefits of improved communication, coordination, and collaboration with BIM.
Building Information Modeling requires knowledge and skills in relevant technologies, such as Autodesk Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and more. Likewise, careers in this continuously expanding industry require more than just technology. Soft skills like communication, collaboration, self-discipline, and online learning are critical for success in an increasingly remote work environment.
This is why Digital School operates as a virtual college.
From a process and technology standpoint, Digital School is committed to exposing learners to the value of BIM and developing appropriate skills as students progress through our programs. We take this approach to ensure that our graduates are successful in delivering the type of final output that employers in the AEC and manufacturing industries need.
And from a soft skills perspective, we offer all of our programs online, through virtual instructor support and online coursework, so that you can develop the skills you need to succeed in this digital environment.
At Digital School Technical Design College, we teach our students how to use technology to design cities, buildings, machinery, transit systems, factories, and more! Then we prepare our students to work in architecture and engineering firms, and even work hand-in-hand with our graduates to find meaningful employment in their field.
So, today is a good day. Because the opportunities available to build a career you love in the architecture and engineering industry have perhaps never been more exciting than they are right now.
This is our passion at Digital School Technical Design College, and we’d love to help you find your passion. Click here to schedule a virtual meeting with an Admissions Advisor to learn more about how Digital School can help you train for a career in BIM, from the comfort, safety, and convenience of your own home.
