CanBIM Calgary - BIM is Your Business

I have recently returned from the CanBIM session and AGM in Calgary.  Highlights of the event included the construction site tours, the AGM, the keynote speech, the roundtable panels and, of course, the networking with colleagues. 

The construction tours were one of my most favorite portions.  Residing on Vancouver Island means I don't have the opportunity to see and tour very many 56 storey buildings under construction like Brookfield place nor to hear and witness all the BIM collaboration from consultants through to sub-contractors taking place in a project of this scale.  The tour of Quarry Park Recreation centre was also terrific, though BIM was more of an after thought process on this one, the contractors will still able to reap considerable coordination benefits and savings through the collaborative BIM process with the consultant's models.  This was a great way to start the CanBIM session and was followed by the CanBIM AGM later that afternoon.

The keynote speaker, Patrick Saavedra, started the second day off with a very insightful look at York University planning strategies and buildings management from an owners perspective.  This was followed by many informational speakers including a terrific roundtable session with many of the team doing Brookfield place that we had toured the day before.  The second day finished off with a roundtable discussion on BIM as a Business Decision.  While I learnt a lot that day, I know I'll never forget Christian Proulx's roundtable response about the future of BIM being to challenge your BIM champions to teach to the younger colleagues, "like a virus, you actually want to spread".  Christian's point was further summed up by roundtable mediator, Allan Partridge as, "BIMfluenza".  :-)
Overall this was a wonderful CanBIM session.  Kudos to all the CanBIM board and volunteers who make it all happen.  If you missed it, note that all the sessions were recorded and will soon be posted to the CanBIM website for viewing and sharing at your workplace.  And while you're on the website, check out the membership and certification pages. 
BIM is not the future, BIM is here.