Knowledge is power – Why Bond Bryan Digital acquired OpenBIM certification

Bond Bryan Digital Director, Rob Jackson and Associate Director, Emma Hooper, have gone back to school and were rewarded for their efforts – earning a BuildSMART Foundation Certificate in OpenBIM.

This qualification keeps Bond Bryan Digital at the forefront of the OpenBIM subject, expanding our knowledge and ensuring we can pass on this cutting-edge information to clients and BuildingSMART are the ideal organisation to coordinate such a certification.

buildingSMART International (bSI) is the worldwide industry body, driving the digital transformation of the global built environment – and the bSI Professional Certification Programme has been developed to provide an international qualification for openBIM.

But it’s much more than just a certificate to frame on their office wall. Rob and Emma were handpicked as some of the first to achieve the qualification, before it is released to a wider audience, due to their extensive experience in the field, working with the same standards.

Here’s Rob and Emma to explain why this qualification matters to our future, our clients and why OpenBIM is such a hot topic.

Q – Is this qualification a first step toward a higher achievement? Is there a specific target in mind?

Yes, this is the basic certification, with higher levels of certification being developed moving forward. For us though, this is a chance to make sure we do know what we are talking about. It was probably more stressful knowing that given our experience, we really should pass!

Q – What made you gain this certification?

We were asked to undertake the certification process due our experience with delivering against the standards being tested. This was an opportunity to stress test the certification process and flag up any issues before it is published to a much wider audience. It was also important to participate in promoting the need for the standards, but specifically those around OpenBIM. Both of us are passionate about the need for open standards across our industry, not just nationally, but globally.

Q – What should clients look for when they work with a BIM consultant? Is this certification something that clients should expect?

There is no substitute for real experience. Certification should be seen as supplementary evidence to experience, rather than something that clients use to evaluate consultants. Case studies with working experience of actual service delivery and client testimonials are probably a higher requirement than certification, but certification adds to an overall picture of both consultant organisations and individuals within those organisations.

Q – Has OpenBIM become the industry standard? Is integration and collaboration the key to progress?

OpenBIM as a concept has been around for a long time but every year that has gone by, the need for open standards has become stronger and stronger. This is particularly true in government organisations who cannot identify specific software to be used, but want a consistent delivery. This also applies for private clients who want to be able to appoint the best designers and contractors, not based on their software choices.

The use of OpenBIM approaches has increased rapidly over the past few years and we are seeing far more clients approach us because we have a lot of experience in this particular area. Of course, IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is an ISO standard (ISO 16739), so it’s global and not just restricted to the UK. We have seen far more interest in teams willing to collaborate using different tools and for clients who want to build their processes around robust, repeatable and reliable delivery processes.

This latest accolade for Rob and Emma – and for Bond Bryan Digital as a whole, is a marker to indicate the value of openBIM and the dedication to maintaining the expertise our clients need and expect. The demand for collaboration across different systems and the requirement for clearer data will raise the awareness of this particular qualification from buildingSMART – and Bond Bryan Digital intends to remain at the vanguard of the sector via knowledge and experience.

Discover more openBIM and data delivery innovations here