I joined Arup in July 1990 in London and during my interview I was asked the usual question: “Why do you want to join Arup?” One of my answers was: “I want to see the world without paying for it….” In 1995 my wish was granted and I transferred to the Hong Kong office to work on the air cargo facility at the replacement airport at Chek Lap Kok. My year there turned into three. While working on the project I discovered 3D modelling and began creating the tubular roof truss models in basic 3D Autocad and saw the significant benefit of this skill and method of geometry creation and documentation. I then went on to investigate structural geometry support systems for the Hong Kong School of Biological Sciences.

On return to London in 1998 I built upon my skill in 3D and started looking into the many different software packages that would provide benefit to our projects, including Rhino, Solidworks, Tekla Structures and Studio Max. People started listening to me and understanding the problems that this software could help us identify and rectify before construction.

After a short stint in the Milan office I transferred to Sydney in 2003 where my skill and interest in BIM increased. Being involved in high profile projects such as the Sydney Opera House and Water Cube gave me a reputation as one of the leaders in this field and with this came the opportunity to travel, to give advice on and share my experience in 3D and BIM issues and activities. Recently I have been to the UK (Scotland, Wales, Midlands and London), the US (Washington, New York, San Francisco and LA), Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore) and around Australia, including Melbourne and Brisbane.

This whole BIM drive demonstrates that the industry is changing. In the early 90s I experienced the drawing board to CAD transition. Now that the CAD to 3D and BIM transition is happening we can all influence the direction Arup takes in achieving a better deliverable and service to our clients. With the support of the whole Arup Board there are many facets of BIM that CAD technicians and 3D modellers around the world can get involved in.