Joanna, what do you do in your daily work as a BIM engineer?

I have a wide range of responsibilities at work, starting with digital modeling of walls for quantity take-offs and assembly plans, through designing walls and slabs using reinforced elements of aerated concrete from the Xella’s assortment, to providing technical and design advice to our clients.
Due to the fact that the production of Ytong Panel SWE and Ytong Panel is launching in Poland, together with the team, we are working on developing technical manuals tailored to the conditions of the Polish market.

You are also involved in the buildingSMART Polska association. What motivated you?

I try to go beyond and contribute more widely to the development of digitization and education in the construction industry, which is in line with Xella's values. That's why I decided to join the work of buildingSMART Polska.
Xella Polska is a member of this association, which promotes open standards and cooperation in the construction industry. There are various working groups focused on specific tasks. Since 2021 I’ve been taking part in the work within "constructionROOM", where I co-created the recently published export guide to IFC from the most popular modeling programs. IFC is an open format used to exchange information in BIM throughout the project lifecycle. This year, I am personally involved in the work of "productROOM" on the creation of a prototype of the Polish construction classification based on the international CCI, Construction Classification International.

You recently spoke at the first openBIM Poland 2023 conference. What was the occasion?

At the conference in Warsaw I had the pleasure to approach and introduce my two projects to a wider audience. I spoke about the classification prototype and I gave an introduction to the IFC export guide. Designing with BIM methods, a networked collaboration on the 3D model of the building, is gaining more and more importance in Poland, but we don't have any obligatory classification system of building elements yet. Therefore, at the conference I presented my thesis that the IFC format and the CCI classification will become the applicable standard in the long term, so that we can speak the same language regardless of the software used or the function performed in the project.
I am really glad that I have the opportunity to cooperate within this association. It is part of my personal development, so it was like icing on the cake to speak at the conference and meet interesting people.

How did it happen that you studied civil engineering and then become a BIM engineer?

I like to see the results of my work, so civil engineering seemed great to me – it’s satisfying to see that the design come to life in the real world. However, I soon found out that drawing on the paper or in 2D was an inefficient solution for me and became interested in digital solutions such as 3D modeling. There were also rumors that BIM might be required for public procurement someday in the future. So I made an effort to attend a course outside the university on this topic. It was a time when BIM wasn't widely used in Poland, therefore, in my first job, I was the one who created many 3D models. 

What are your next career goals?

In my daily work: constant learning and automating as many activities as possible. In connection with this, I would like to learn how to write program codes. In my first years of work experience, I found out that these BIM tools are quite easy to use, but hard to master. You can make some mistakes if you don't do things skillfully. The same thing can happen when you do manual repetitive actions like dimensioning drawings.
I would also like to continue my journey with the buildingSMART Polska association and obtain a building design license so that I can sign projects myself.

By constant learning you mean also participation in conferences?

Yes, it’s very important for me to keep up with the latest trends in the industry. For example, an interesting solution that I saw at the recent conference ”Projektowanie przyszłości” in Cracow was the construction site printer. Based on the loaded drawings in the cloud, it precisely marks the location of the walls on the slab, avoiding errors. It seems that this can significantly speed up the construction of non-bearing partition walls in the building.

How do you deal with the fact that civil engineering is still a male domain?

In my year at university, there were quite many girls which surprised me. Even if there are still many old generation lecturers who are prejudiced and not enthusiastic about women in construction, I always knew: I can do it, I will do it. I think it's a matter of finding what you like to do and what you’re predisposed to. I can recommend to other women: look at your targets and focus on what is really important for you.

What do you do in your private life as a balance to your job?

I really enjoy to travel, especially abroad. Getting to know new cultures broadens your perspective. I associate it with breathtaking views and historic buildings. For me, this is the best way to rest, breaking away from everyday reality. My latest journey was to Tenerife, where I could admire the Pico del Teide volcano with more than 3500 meters above the sea level. But I also like to visit big cities with interesting architecture. I really enjoyed Rome, because it's ancient and some of the buildings are really close.