TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
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Ease of availability is a common response. The relationship between a designer and their supplier (dealer, representative) plays a big role.
“I will always call that one manufacturer (rep) because I know they will pick up my phone even at nine in the evening!” says one clearly overworked participant.
Much like all the other A&D industry sectors, the design sector has had to tighten its belt considerably. Deadlines have been pulled up, teams have shrunk, and work continues at a furious pace. Designers have little time or luxury to research for the choicest products for their projects. With tight deadlines, designers opt for the path of least resistance, which is to pick a product that they are familiar with, the supplier they are familiar with, and a result that they are familiar with through past experience.
The BIM Factor
One designer of a major firm declared his love of specifying products with BIM files ready, going so far as to say that this would make or break his choice of selection for products on a project. This was quite an eye opener! Little did we know that BIM ready product specs were in such high demand. Several major design firms have migrated to Revit with others slowly adopting this platform.
With BIM’s clear popularity amongst the design industry, manufacturers and brands may want to think seriously about creating BIM file info for each of their products, thereby significantly increasing their chances of being specified on projects.
