We’re back with our Touch base with TeamBSE series, this year focusing on our leaders and national team.
Next Up, Sead Redzepagic, National BIM Manager.
Sead is the champion of BIM within BSE, he works with modellers, drafters, and engineers across all BSE offices, as facilitator and teacher of our digital design tools. Passionate about utilising the power of BIM to aid design intent, innovation, he attentively tracks the emergence of new and developing technologies. Sead’s enthusiasm for sharing ideas and workflows while training others is essential to BSE’s innovative approach to design and project delivery.
1. What is your background story?
I was exposed to engineering from a young age with both my parents being mechanical engineers. My father encouraged me to pursue a career in HVAC, but at the time I was more intrigued by digital platforms and modelling tools for game design, film, and animation.
This curiosity led me to enrol in a Bachelor of Digital Design. During my second year of studies, speaking with industry professionals, my own research and the very competitive market, realised a career in game design might not be what I thought it would be I shifted my focus to technical drafting for product design and manufacturing, as I found this fascinating.
A core subject involved modelling a luxury house from real world architectural plans in Revit. This immediately piqued my interest, so I devoted a significant amount of my time delivering the most accurate model possible - instead of a house an indoor stadium. The stadium: Staples Centre (Home of the LA Lakers) as I am a huge basketball fan.
Towards the end of my studies, I decided to take the plunge and find some real world exposure. Landing at a Consulting Engineering firm as a project support modeller. Probably the best thing that ever happened to me from a career perspective. My mentors were a couple of incredible dudes, who provided great training and support, insight, wisdom, and just overall positive influence. I can confidently say that the fundamentals they instilled in me back then are the reason I am where I am today
2. Did you choose engineering, or did it choose you?
As I’ve talked about, early unintentional exposure to the world of engineering, BIM was an intentional choice after gaining invaluable insight from my mentors. With every new project, I honed my craft by refining technical skill and adding to my knowledge base. This developed a real passion for delivering projects the 'right way ‘in Revit and others started picking up on this. In performance discussions, I often received comments similar to "You are really passionate about this BIM thing aren’t you?”. After a while this passion became contagious and so my colleagues began to push the envelope as well. In a way BIM and I chose each other, then again I like to think everything happens for a reason.
3. How do you feel services engineers add value to projects?
In a basic sense, good services engineers mitigate risk. From a BIM perspective – we use technology as a foresight tool. Providing expert advice to builders and architects on problems before construction ever begins. Saving time, money, and frustration is the value we add.
BIM before anything is data, so a building model in Revit is a database of project information, the single source of truth really. When used well, by all stakeholders, the project can have minimised risk with increased engineering efficiency and much better design outcomes.
4. What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Coffee, and looking forward to the fact that today I might stumble across some fancy new design tool or workflow which eliminates a mundane task that no one in the office likes.
Delivering retail and commercial spaces, office buildings, government facilities and homes which people live and work in is pretty amazing. Particularly health buildings, knowing the work we do can greatly increase the chance of lives being saved and quality of life improved.
5. Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?
Yes, because we have to always push the boundaries of what’s possible, even with Pizza.
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