BIM TALKS - STUDENTS AT EYE LEVEL WITH INDUSTRY

It's about creating development and close contact between the student and the industry in a completely casual way. Today Kean Walmsley from Autodesk, known for AutoCAD and REVIT (which are some of the most widely used digital tools in the construction, engineering and architectural industries) is the one who initiates the speech - or rather, conversation.

"We do it in a way where we talk with each other. It is not a presentation of a piece of content that fits the syllabus. It's about bringing the conversation down to eye level and giving students insight into what they’ll meet when they graduate. But it is just as relevant to the industry as it is to us students. The industry is constantly evolving, so it is about increasing each other's level of knowledge and preparing the ground for a synchronous development, so that both the graduates and the industries that receive them are stronger from the start," says Aske Strandberg.

For those in the know, Kean Walmsley will talk about how best to work with "Digital Twin using Autodesk Forge, and the development of Project Dasher which, by using a BIM platform, gives building owners insight into the building's performance through its life cycle." In more idiomatic Danish, it means “helping students to understand the latest developments in the technological aspect of the construction industry”. But Kean Walmsley will talk just as much about how he created his own path and how he ended up where he is - with plenty of room for questions.

"These talks should have an educational purpose, but also make the students aware of the opportunities, tools and edges of the industry - and the people who are in it. And then I get the presenters to promise that the students can connect with them on various platforms afterwards, so that it can also help expand the students' networks."

This is the fifth talk in a series that continues well into the autumn. Previous guests include representatives from BIG, Graphisoft and BIM Objects. And the next talks are likely to be about certifications in the construction industry, about plugins for the tools the students work with, and then one of the world's biggest IT giants might come by.

"Last time we had over 80 people watching for two hours. And at KEA we have the huge head start that we as students are allowed to take part in the development ourselves," says Ash Strandberg.