Brecht Maenhoudt

“I’ve been working at Ingenium since 2018, after a first job of 10 years as head draughtsman/BIM modeller at a drawing office for technical installations. There I already came into contact with Ingenium, and their not run-of-the-mill projects appealed to me. Moreover, they focus on digitization and have been early adopters of the BIM story, which involves collaboration in a central 3D model. So when I came to apply here, I immediately felt I could further develop myself and my expertise, in terms of both modelling and BIM management. Today, 4 years on, when questions arise about BIM in projects or the possibilities BIM offers for the future, people look to me and my colleagues to investigate this further. ”

“As a BIM manager, I coordinate the installation technologies with the architecture and stability of a building. Using specific software we examine in the 3D model where certain things threaten to run into conflict with each other, for example technical pipes running through load-bearing beams. We then resolve these clashes in consultation with the architect, stability engineer and main contractor. For projects that rely heavily on BIM, we often support the customer by writing a BIM protocol together with the architect in which the various expectations are recorded. By using BIM at the design phase, we can detect and resolve design errors or technical problems more quickly, minimizing failure costs and on-site delays. We also support customers in defining BIM principles for collaboration with multiple partners. In this way, the virtual model can continue to serve during the operational phase. We then look together at how the technologies are best presented visually in the model and what information must or can be linked to the various elements.”

“The structure at Ingenium is unique. No one literally tells you how to do your job, but there’s a framework within which you work. For example, there are work instructions for BIM, there’s a library of elements for building your BIM model, there are templates that already contain things so that you do not always have to start from scratch, ... We invest here heavily in knowledge management and the continuous optimization of how we can best use that knowledge. Within that BIM story I can use my expertise and inspire, advise and support colleagues. That's the nice thing about my job: that I can explore for myself how Ingenium can use BIM to the maximum. In that respect, the sky’s the limit for me.” (laughs)

“The most important thing for me is that I feel good among my colleagues on the work floor. What strikes me about Ingenium is the appreciation and respect for each other. Shouting at one another in a meeting? That just doesn't exist here. The way we deal with each other always starts from positivity: the CEO who is always enthusiastic, colleagues who appeal to and inspire you, the project manager who explains a new project with great enthusiasm, the possibility to map out your career path yourself and also the many fun activities outside working hours. We are working on serious matters, but there is also regular joking and laughter here. All this helped me feel very quickly that I was in the right place here.”