Zsolt Ivanovics, CEO at hiCAD – BIM softwares aren't the future, they are already the present
hiCAd company distributes and implements BIM softwares that facilitate and speed up operations in all phases of building life cycle. By using this technology, for example, the investor can monitor all phases of the construction of a building with a VR headset.
What are the capabilities of this type of technology, how it saves up resources, identifies errors and facilitates communication between team members – Zsolt Ivanovics, CEO at hiCAD reveals in conversation with eKapija and points out that more and more people and companies are starting to realize that BIM software is already our present and not the future.
hiCAD distributes software solutions for construction industry and architecture. What role does digitalization play in architecture and construction? How much do digital solutions make work easier for architects, project designers and builders?
– Solutions in digital technologies are there to facilitate and speed up the work through all phases of the building life cycle. In architecture, namely in the project design phase they significantly speed up communication and efficiency of team work within the design office and at the same enable the exchange of various files with other project participants from the preliminary design stage to realization. BIM software is in fact directly involved in the so-called “industrial revolution”, named industry 4.0 which makes it possible to transfer digitized work processes to the existing global network which improves quality, methods and speed. When I say quality I mean the amount of data transferred from one place to another, the internet speed changes and the means of communication change too. Now we use various Cloud solutions that can serve as a centralized data repository, that can be accessed from any location and provide direct communication so our associate on the other side is able to receive the same information instantaneously.
What are the capabilities of this type of technology, how it saves up resources, identifies errors and facilitates communication between team members – Zsolt Ivanovics, CEO at hiCAD reveals in conversation with eKapija and points out that more and more people and companies are starting to realize that BIM software is already our present and not the future.
hiCAD distributes software solutions for construction industry and architecture. What role does digitalization play in architecture and construction? How much do digital solutions make work easier for architects, project designers and builders?
– Solutions in digital technologies are there to facilitate and speed up the work through all phases of the building life cycle. In architecture, namely in the project design phase they significantly speed up communication and efficiency of team work within the design office and at the same enable the exchange of various files with other project participants from the preliminary design stage to realization. BIM software is in fact directly involved in the so-called “industrial revolution”, named industry 4.0 which makes it possible to transfer digitized work processes to the existing global network which improves quality, methods and speed. When I say quality I mean the amount of data transferred from one place to another, the internet speed changes and the means of communication change too. Now we use various Cloud solutions that can serve as a centralized data repository, that can be accessed from any location and provide direct communication so our associate on the other side is able to receive the same information instantaneously.
What are the benefits of BIM software and how does its application advance business operations? Is it able to identify errors, show solutions and ways to save up?
– BIM is a technology that comes from the field of information technologies in construction. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. That means that instead of the traditional method which established the principle, a few thousand years ago, of a three dimensional object, or a building, turning into a twodimensional object, or a drawing of the building in order to transfer that information from one person to another. Drawing was the only medium able to do that.
Much has changed since. The biggest change is that computers today are much more powerful, the internet is much more powerful which enables the transfer of large sets of data. Instead of drawings, we have models or “Virtual prototypes of future buildings” which are identical to a future facility and contain great amount of information on everything happening in that facility. With BIM tools we make a simulation of the future building and realize better and simpler communication. Of course, BIM enhances working methods since the project is considered in greater detail and we have better insight into potential problems. At the same time, softwares used in this industry, such as Archicad, allow for establishing standards and basic principles for designing certain parts of documentation which significantly speeds up working processes.
Cloud solutions I mentioned allow faster, excellent and more powerful communication which enables better quality predictions of the future facility. Savings are reflected in the higher precision of planning all activities on the construction site. Thus we avoid costs of additional unplanned work. BIM models allow for almost no mistakes because that model has to be perfected and increasingly detailed compared to a drawing which doesn`t show sufficiently good information.
Is BIM software intended for small or big projects? Does BIM software facilitate and improve work more for project designer or investors?
– Everyone actually benefits. If we look from the outside at the phase of the building life cycle where it is happening, the biggest value is in building maintenance. When we talk about saving up and the quantity of money, it makes sense that the biggest cost savings would be there. In fact, cost reduction happens at every stage, at the project design stage you save on onboarding, the speed of communication, quality of information and the same happens in the execution of works because the process is better planned and communicated. The interaction between project designers and contractors is made simpler and in the end, when it all arrives at the building maintenance phase the benefits are pretty obvious. Plenty of information is available that contributes to good organization of activities around the facility.
There is no difference between small and big projects. Bigger projects have proportionally bigger savings. It`s safe to say that it greatly benefits big projects but smaller projects have great benefits from BIM software too. If nothing else, on small projects the investors are often more personally involved so good communication with investors is a huge benefit. Thanks to advanced options this software offers, the investors can use VR headsets to monitor all phases in the construction of a building and track various simulations, from energy consumption to the cost of the planned works.
– BIM is a technology that comes from the field of information technologies in construction. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. That means that instead of the traditional method which established the principle, a few thousand years ago, of a three dimensional object, or a building, turning into a twodimensional object, or a drawing of the building in order to transfer that information from one person to another. Drawing was the only medium able to do that.
Much has changed since. The biggest change is that computers today are much more powerful, the internet is much more powerful which enables the transfer of large sets of data. Instead of drawings, we have models or “Virtual prototypes of future buildings” which are identical to a future facility and contain great amount of information on everything happening in that facility. With BIM tools we make a simulation of the future building and realize better and simpler communication. Of course, BIM enhances working methods since the project is considered in greater detail and we have better insight into potential problems. At the same time, softwares used in this industry, such as Archicad, allow for establishing standards and basic principles for designing certain parts of documentation which significantly speeds up working processes.
Cloud solutions I mentioned allow faster, excellent and more powerful communication which enables better quality predictions of the future facility. Savings are reflected in the higher precision of planning all activities on the construction site. Thus we avoid costs of additional unplanned work. BIM models allow for almost no mistakes because that model has to be perfected and increasingly detailed compared to a drawing which doesn`t show sufficiently good information.
Is BIM software intended for small or big projects? Does BIM software facilitate and improve work more for project designer or investors?
– Everyone actually benefits. If we look from the outside at the phase of the building life cycle where it is happening, the biggest value is in building maintenance. When we talk about saving up and the quantity of money, it makes sense that the biggest cost savings would be there. In fact, cost reduction happens at every stage, at the project design stage you save on onboarding, the speed of communication, quality of information and the same happens in the execution of works because the process is better planned and communicated. The interaction between project designers and contractors is made simpler and in the end, when it all arrives at the building maintenance phase the benefits are pretty obvious. Plenty of information is available that contributes to good organization of activities around the facility.
There is no difference between small and big projects. Bigger projects have proportionally bigger savings. It`s safe to say that it greatly benefits big projects but smaller projects have great benefits from BIM software too. If nothing else, on small projects the investors are often more personally involved so good communication with investors is a huge benefit. Thanks to advanced options this software offers, the investors can use VR headsets to monitor all phases in the construction of a building and track various simulations, from energy consumption to the cost of the planned works.
You also teach software courses. What is the level of interest for learning about digital technologies among experts in Serbia? Is there resistance to new technologies?
–Everything that`s new generates resistance but I wouldn`t say that BIM is a new technology. This technology has been in use for the past thirty years in Serbia.
Graphisoft has been around for 40 years. These are not new technologies but they are, of course, perfected continually, year after year. There comes a time for a modern technology that`s been around for 30, 40 years to become an obligatory standard here as is the case in other developed countries.
My conclusion is that we can`t say that everything is happening fast and that there is no resistance. It`s normal that increasing number of experts see the benefits of innovative solutions. They will acquire more experience during education and implementation and advance to the foreground, if not even one of the best and the most qualified.
The experts` interest is rising. At first it was purely out of individual enthusiasm but now there`s pressure from the industry, the competition, foreign companies, investing partners that ask for technologies that would benefit everybody, project designers and investors alike.
As a company that distributes and implements BIM software, we support the education of our users in different ways – working with the teaching staff, highschoolers and university students who are allowed to use our software for free as long as theyare able to, as well as organizing lectures and webinars where we successfully relay the latest achievements of Archicad software that is in the same circles as BIM. Also, we regularly organize online and onsite courses for individuals and design offices alike where participants receive accredited certificates after completing the training and can better navigate the market that has become quite wide today.
–Everything that`s new generates resistance but I wouldn`t say that BIM is a new technology. This technology has been in use for the past thirty years in Serbia.
Graphisoft has been around for 40 years. These are not new technologies but they are, of course, perfected continually, year after year. There comes a time for a modern technology that`s been around for 30, 40 years to become an obligatory standard here as is the case in other developed countries.
My conclusion is that we can`t say that everything is happening fast and that there is no resistance. It`s normal that increasing number of experts see the benefits of innovative solutions. They will acquire more experience during education and implementation and advance to the foreground, if not even one of the best and the most qualified.
The experts` interest is rising. At first it was purely out of individual enthusiasm but now there`s pressure from the industry, the competition, foreign companies, investing partners that ask for technologies that would benefit everybody, project designers and investors alike.
As a company that distributes and implements BIM software, we support the education of our users in different ways – working with the teaching staff, highschoolers and university students who are allowed to use our software for free as long as theyare able to, as well as organizing lectures and webinars where we successfully relay the latest achievements of Archicad software that is in the same circles as BIM. Also, we regularly organize online and onsite courses for individuals and design offices alike where participants receive accredited certificates after completing the training and can better navigate the market that has become quite wide today.
Because of our company`s special connection with GRAPHISOFT, the company that produces Archicad software, we are in a unique position and at the source of information on the latest achievements and the future of BIM, we regularly inform the public by participating as instructors in various professional conferences and we also organize our own meetings. That is why I want to call attention to the upcoming webinar called “BIM from GRAPHISOFT”, organized on December 8, 2022 at 2 pm to 4 pm and I wish to invite everyone interested in BIM and the latest construction technologies to participate and apply at the following address : https://hicad.biz/prijava-na-vebinar-08-12-2022/
What are your company`s plans for the future?
–We plan to continue working with BIM software because we are nowhere near the end, we are neither far nor near the end. It is a constantly developing technology and we will continue to be one of the leading factors in the region as far as BIM goes. hiCAd will continue to develop, because BIM isn`t something that shows the signs of fading out or not happening because as far as we see it is developing faster and faster and more people and companies are beginning to understand that BIM became our present.
We understand that a huge financial problem in the neighboring countries where hiCAD operates is buying a legal software so we try to help out our buyers through different campaigns. One of them is “Be a LEGAL user” which lasts until December 31, 2022. and provides the acquisition of software in the RENT-AND-BUY special offer with a special discount. This offers gives buyers the option to rent the license for six month at a discount price and to pay the difference after the six months for the permanent license for Archicad software with the Forward program up to a year also at a discount price. That way,the buyer gets a deferred payment plan for the permanent license and saves EUR 1210 in total or around 24%. More on the campaign can be found at https://hicad.biz/nikada-lakse-do-legalnog-softvera/
When it comes to Graphisoft, which we are the representative of, it is still a leader in BIM technologies, innovation of improvement, setting new standards, in the entire industry and they are not likely to stop.The company is still growing, it`s still investing a lot in software development and we can expect great things, only good things. I believe the future is bright.
What are your company`s plans for the future?
–We plan to continue working with BIM software because we are nowhere near the end, we are neither far nor near the end. It is a constantly developing technology and we will continue to be one of the leading factors in the region as far as BIM goes. hiCAd will continue to develop, because BIM isn`t something that shows the signs of fading out or not happening because as far as we see it is developing faster and faster and more people and companies are beginning to understand that BIM became our present.
We understand that a huge financial problem in the neighboring countries where hiCAD operates is buying a legal software so we try to help out our buyers through different campaigns. One of them is “Be a LEGAL user” which lasts until December 31, 2022. and provides the acquisition of software in the RENT-AND-BUY special offer with a special discount. This offers gives buyers the option to rent the license for six month at a discount price and to pay the difference after the six months for the permanent license for Archicad software with the Forward program up to a year also at a discount price. That way,the buyer gets a deferred payment plan for the permanent license and saves EUR 1210 in total or around 24%. More on the campaign can be found at https://hicad.biz/nikada-lakse-do-legalnog-softvera/
When it comes to Graphisoft, which we are the representative of, it is still a leader in BIM technologies, innovation of improvement, setting new standards, in the entire industry and they are not likely to stop.The company is still growing, it`s still investing a lot in software development and we can expect great things, only good things. I believe the future is bright.