Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/the-bim-pirate-how-to-sell-bim-services-with-simon-dilhas

Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Simon Dilhas

What an insightful and challenging discussion with Simon Dilhas, the one and only BIM Pirate!

Simon definitely brings a rebellious spirit, fighting against the direction BIM has taken, often becoming an industry decoupled from real value creation in projects. He argues that applying BIM as an "extra thing" just creates busy work, increasing overhead and waste.

For Simon, the biggest barrier for digital adoption is the business model itself. He pointed out that since many construction companies earn money by selling time, deploying BIM to save time is essentially "nonsense".

The key is fixing that underlying business case first. He hopes in five to ten years, we won't even need to talk about BIM anymore.

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Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/bim-and-small-contractors-with-alex-harris

Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Alex Harris

We were thrilled to have Alex Harris, Digital Engineering Leader at Bilby, join us to discuss navigating digital delivery from a small contractor's perspective. Alex shared invaluable, real-world lessons in doing more with less. He stressed that Tier 2 contractors must adopt the 'Jack of all trades' mentality and be leaner.

His key takeaway? Prioritize quality outputs and avoid the rush to submit things too quickly.

Since BIM isn't a consistent requirement yet, the strategy focuses on "less is more", detailing the model only to the level that adds actual value, because perfection is the enemy of good.

For low-cost, high-impact digital wins, Alex hailed AI as a game-changer. It has made scripting accessible and has allowed them to solve problems without buying expensive commercial platforms. He noted that collaboration and compromise, learned through his multidiscipline experience, are critical to avoiding project silos. Regarding the Queensland infrastructure landscape, he sees the digital bar rising sharply, driven mostly by state government mandates. Alex is excited about new, innovative software players challenging the status quo and young engineers coming straight from university equipped with digital engineering concepts.

Listen now for these practical insights!

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Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/drones-in-construction-with-scott-major

Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Scott Major

G'day, folks! Today we speak with Scott Major, digital engineering practice lead and chief remote pilot at Seymour Whyte.

The discussion focuses on the growing role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones in revolutionizing construction projects, including their use in digital surveys and reality capture. Scott shares his career path, transitioning from drafting and working at companies like AECOM, WSP and Arup to his current role managing all aspects of UAV operations, including regulatory compliance under the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). He emphasizes that drones have moved from being a novelty to an integral part of construction workflows, primarily for applications such as aerial surveying, progress monitoring, volumetric analysis, and enhancing site safety by keeping personnel out of hazardous areas.

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Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/how-to-build-a-business-in-construction-using-digital-tools-with-greg-wilkes

Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Greg Wilkes

Get ready to be inspired by Greg Wilkes, an award-winning construction business coach, property developer, and author, as he opens up about his journey!

Greg shares how he learned the hard way after his first construction company went bust, ultimately rebuilding it the right way and developing his powerful five-pillar framework to success: Plan, Attract, Convert, Deliver, and Scale.

You'll discover crucial insights into attracting ideal clients, crafting a compelling digital brand and his strategies for winning bigger projects.

Tune in to learn practical, actionable advice that can transform your construction business!

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Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/the-BIM-handbook-in-2025-with-marzia-bolpagni

Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Marzia Bolpagni

Get ready for an insightful chat on the Digital Construction Podcast with Marzia Bolpagni, Head of BIM International, Associate Director at Maze and co-author of the BIM Handbook.

Marzia, who led the development of ISO 7817 Part 1, shares her journey in standardizing the Level of Information Need. Discover the crucial difference between LOD and this framework, which emphasizes defining the purpose, timing, and recipient of information to ensure projects receive the right information at the right time, avoiding waste and fostering lean practices.

Learn about the upcoming Part 2 (guidance for application) and Part 3 (a data schema for machine-interpretable requirements) of ISO 7817, aiming to bridge the gap between specified requirements and delivered information.

As a NIMA ambassador, Marzia highlights its role in promoting digital transformation and how the updated BIM Handbook (4th edition) offers global case studies and new concepts like digital twins.

She also discusses bridging the gap between academia and industry through better communication and collaboration.

Finally, Marzia shares her view on future trends like AI and ethics, automation, hybrid communication, digital minimalism, and the increasing importance of human leadership.

Don't miss this engaging conversation!

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Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Josip Bandur

Step into the Digital Construction podcast for a candid conversation with Josip Bandur, a BIM leader with over two decades of experience.

Josip shares his deep passion for the craft of drafting and offers a raw, honest perspective from the trenches of project delivery. He dives into the worrying decline of drawing standards, linking it to intense pressures on timelines and budgets, and highlights how the shift to 3D models can sometimes compromise the final documentation quality.

You'll hear Josip's take on the crucial role of technicians, the industry's growing mentorship gap, and the hidden costs of heavy reliance on outsourcing, which he argues suppresses local talent development and fuels burnout.

As a unique leader who remains deeply involved in the "doing," Josip champions authenticity, adaptability, and open communication to foster an environment where quality truly comes first.

Tune in for his invaluable insights into leadership disconnects, the escalating number of RFIs, and what it truly takes to deliver exceptional projects in today's fast-paced environment.

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Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Veer Dhaliwal

Dive into the legal landscape of digital construction with Veer Dhaliwal, a finalist for 2024 Construction and Infrastructure Lawyer of the Year!

Veer explains why construction professionals and BIM managers must care about legal aspects, detailing major challenges like data ownership, liability for incorrect models, and protecting intellectual property in collaborative environments.

He stresses the importance of clearly defining who owns the BIM model (designers, contractors, or project owners) right from the project's start, and clarifying usage rights in contracts.

Discover what 'fitness for purpose' truly means for digital models and the significant legal implications if they don't meet their intended function, potentially leading to delay claims or misuse of IP.

Veer highlights how legal frameworks differ internationally and offers practical advice for managing legal risks, including using bespoke contract clauses and ensuring comprehensive BIM execution plans. He envisions construction law evolving to foster innovation through licensing agreements and better alignment across fragmented project teams.

Don't miss this insightful discussion on securing your digital assets and navigating legal complexities!

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Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Jacob Hoare

Join Jacob Hoare, Digital Lead for Asia at Aurecon, as he shares his career-best advice.

He details his role, driving Arecon's digital strategy, including AI and automation, across diverse Asian markets. Jacobs discusses Aurecon's digital capabilities, focusing on human-centered solutions that address genuine problems, like their AI tools "Recall" for instant information retrieval and "Clarify" for generating RFI responses with human oversight. Jacob challenges the misconception that AI will eliminate jobs, asserting it frees people from repetitive, boring tasks, thereby enhancing individual skills for problem-solving and strategic thinking. He also touches on the booming APAC data center market, noting its massive growth driven by AI, and how digital tools are crucial for their rapid, repetitive nature. Finally, he encourages everyone in the construction industry to ask: "How can technology and digital enhance the current task I'm doing?" to foster continuous improvement.

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Host: Andrea Ciaffi

Guest: Tim Rawling

Join Tim Rawling, co-founder and CPO of CalcTree, as he shares his journey from structural engineer at Arup to building a startup.

Discover how CalcTree transforms engineering calculations and project data management by addressing data fragmentation and manual errors. Learn how CalcTree serves as a collaborative workbench, blending manual calculations with Python scripting, enabling engineers to create reusable templates.

Tim discusses challenges in developing intuitive software for engineers, the shift from product-led growth to B2B, and CalTree's transparency-first approach. He also delves into the future of engineering software, highlighting AI agents and CalcTree's exciting roadmap, including advanced reporting and version history.

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Website:

https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com

Episodes:

https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes

Episode notes:

https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/digitizing-tunnelling-and-geotechnical-engineering-with-rajat-gangrade

Host:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi-548413113

Guest:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajatgangrade/

Join Rajat Gangrade, Co-founder of Ground Up, as we explore digital transformation in tunnelling and geotechnics. Rajat outlines the digital-first project lifecycle, from data digitisation and digital twins to real-time construction monitoring. He assesses North America's low digital maturity and details the critical problem of underutilised geotechnical data.

Discover how smarter data management and visualising uncertainty improve project outcomes. Rajat discusses automation's efficiency versus inertia in delivering projects. He suggests the industry isn't "AI ready" for complex tasks, suggesting initial routine automation, with Agentic AI as the future for unique projects. Rajat shares Ground Up's aim to streamline geotechnical data analysis via a cloud platform. Expect accelerated adoption of digital twins, and cloud collaboration, powered by growing digital literacy in the next decade.

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