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Ralmar Marsh
I am a structural engineer currently doing my Masters in Engineering Management with a focus on sustainable systems.
Location Ireland
Achievements
Activity
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I am originally from South Africa but currently working in Ireland as a Structural Engineer.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I agree that it is a great way to kickstart processes and get the ball rolling as most organisations seem to struggle to just get into it. It would help to have someone that is more knowledgeable to guide the processes and provide feedback on how to improve.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I think the key skills are collaboration, communication, managing information and data, using the tools effectively, training in software and training in BIM processes.
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Does Vectorworks have a component for Structures?
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Change management can be facilitated using tools such as the Behaviour Change Wheel which uses a 3 step approach to understand the current behaviour, choose a target behaviour, and then develop a an implementation framework for the target behaviour, using a theoretical approach. This can then be tested and adjusted as the implementation process occurs.
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I agree with your sentiment that there will be multiple changes at multiple stages of a project.
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Ralmar Marsh replied to Iain Turnbull
I agree that I do not think this illustrates group dynamics well, but it does highlight how different roles in a construction project have to make decisions. All those cumulative decisions, whether made individually or in a group, has consequences that either benefit the situation, or may cause further distress.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Human behaviour is at the core of what we do in the AEC industry. We interact with one another daily, we make decisions, and our decisions have consequences. We need to understand the capabilities of employees, what opportunities are available, and what would motivate certain behaviours. This is the key to effectively changing behaviour.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I think a quick way is doing personality tests just as the jungian preferences as a start. Its free and can be done by anyone online. For more specific traits, you could develop an online survey to better understand your team members. Generally, this should be anonymous and can be done for a group of say 30 people to understand the dynamics. Managers need to...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
There are no strategies to develop training specifically within BIM. It is not a focus for organisations. Training is usually product related which is only a part of what we do on a day to day basis.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
To focus on the three pillars of BIM (people, process and technology) will aid the adoption and implementation. Without client demand or organisations willing to change, it will be much harder to adopt or implement BIM. If BIM was mandatory, it would force organisations to get on board which I think is where we should be focusing.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Licenses for Revit are only available to a handful of technicians and engineers have no access to it. You have access to a viewer only which limits your workflow process and productivity.
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Why do you think Revit is not as easy to learn?
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I do agree. For example, structural engineers are buidling models in Tekla to analyse, only for a technician to rebuild the whole model from scratch in Revit. This is both time consuming and an inefficient process as there are integration tools between Tekla and Revit. Especially during the concept and planning stage when designs are fluid, it would require a...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Managers should arrange for talks about BIM, the benefits of BIM and how BIM can improve the current workflow processes.
Training and professional development is critical to acquiring the necessary knowledge and understanding of how to adopt and successfully implement BIM. Managers should support courses that are dedicated to BIM.
Also create an open office... -
Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Although there is a lot of resistance with sharing information, with the correct standards and guidelines clearly defining what is shared and how it will be shared, and how it will be managed upfront, it will reduce issues that may arise later on. For the most pry, sharing information in a secure environment means only the project team has access to it. For...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The biggest challenge is changing people's perception and awareness about what BIM is, what it can achieve, and how to go about achieving those goals.
Additionally, it would be convincing organisations that BIM will produce economic benefits but requires upfront investment. -
I agree with your sentiment.
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Given that most companies are operating at the year 2000 level of BIM (Level 1) and we are 20 years on, it might take at least another 10 years to get to the 2020 level of BIM (Level 3). I do hope that all stakeholders get on board to change the way we do things. That is the only way we will move forward with BIM adoption. We cannot have disconnected...
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I agree.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I think the main challenge is cost to invest in BIM training/upskilling, software and hardware. However, I think that it will be beneficial to SME's in the long run to adopt BIM as it can set them apart, even from larger organisations. If they put the time and effort in at the start, they could get ahead of the curve.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM can redefine the way we work in the industry. We just have to get everyone on board. I think the benefits and advantages of BIM are there. But we need to address the challenges and barriers to successfully adopting and implementing BIM. One of the key barriers is the lack of knowledge and experience of BIM, the lack of demand for BIM, and a resistance to...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM allows teams to communicate and collaborate in an environment that aids the decision making process. However, if team members are not committed to the process and there is a breakdown in communication, BIM can only help so much.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I came across the Central Bank of Ireland, which is the first office building in the country to receive a BREEAM "Outstanding" rating.
https://passivehouseplus.ie/magazine/new-build/ireland-s-new-central-bank-hits-nzeb-breeam-outstanding-eco-rating -
Ralmar Marsh replied to Iain Turnbull
This is very impressive.
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Ralmar Marsh replied to Marcos Gogolin
I think its important for projects to consider their water efficiency specifically. As parts of the world become drier, water will become the next most in demand resource and we must look at ways to reduce our water consumption.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM is not mandatory and therefore unless a client has a requirement for BIM to be used on a project, it is not used. Instead, organisations use Revit to simply "draw" the model or opt for CAD if they feel that there is "no need for Revit". The benefits of the BIM process is missed and this results in multiple issues on site when the project does get to...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Three key drivers for full BIM adoption is Sustainability, Quality and Client/Government Demand.
Adopting BIM is important as it provides a process to assess, quantify and collate data and information about all aspects of a construction project. This aids the decision making process which is one of the key aspects of any project. It is also important to use a... -
Ralmar Marsh replied to John Kellett
I agree with your sentiment. I hope that we can improve the awareness of BIM and get everyone on board to start adopting and effectively implementing BIM, and not doing half measures of just using Revit.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I am a structural engineer and very keen to further expand my knowledge on BIM to be able to successfully adopt and implement it in organisations that are not currently adopting BIM.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
In Ireland, most buildings are not modern and require substantial improvements to create a better indoor environment for its users. Many office buildings are very dark and require artificial lighting. This however creates a divide between moving from inside to outside of the building. Temperatures are not regulated with modern heating/cooling systems and in...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I had the privilege of working in one of South Africa's first 5-star Green star rated buildings. The central atrium allowed natural light into the building. The water used in the bathrooms for flushing was from harvested rainwater. All lights had motion sensors throughout the building and the temperature was always regulated. The building had a rooftop garden...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Hi, I am a structural engineer working in Ireland and doing a research based masters in Engineering Management focusing on developing a behaviour change intervention targeted at construction industry professionals to adopt sustainable construction practices.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
More calculated examples would be a great addition to put the theory into practice.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Thank you for the course. I would have liked to see more examples of how the theoretical principles are present in examples of construction businesses.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Thank you for the course. It established some things I knew about BIM as well as provided additional knowledge and understanding of BIM.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I think it will play a major role in securing clients and projects in the future. It will provide an organisation with a competitive advantage.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Education about BIM and its benefits, adoption barriers and creating an overall awareness. This could be through online courses, in-house training or getting someone to do a lunch-and-learn.
Support and encouragement from management to adopt BIM and do a pilot project or blueprint project and compare it to the current project workflows and see what benefits... -
Ralmar Marsh made a comment
It was a great exercise. I found that some authors did not use a project or case study which made it difficult to understand their thoughts and perceptions about adopting BIM. Overall it was a good exercise.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Lack of resources in terms of hardware/software and people who are skilled enough to adopt BIM. A lack of integration with the current workflow processes where technicians do all the modelling and engineers are not allowed to engage in modelling. Lack of knowledge of the BIM process and how to implement it. Lack of the benefits of BIM and also which barriers...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM should be applied to all projects. It allows for more efficient workflow processes. Although it takes people longer as they start adopting BIM, in the long term, that organisation can successfully complete projects with minimal effort. For example, a residential scheme with duplicate houses which would be deemed as small-scale, if you model this in BIM...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
By developing an effective BIM implementation strategy for an organisation, it will aid the adoption, considering how the organisation currently runs its workflow processes, understanding where their limitations are for example resources, and then developing a roadmap to adopt BIM with key objectives and goals. If BIM and innovation is not part of an...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Besides the benefits mentioned, BIM also aids the development of sustainable construction practices by positively contributing or making an impact on the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I hope to better understand the unique nature of the financing model in the construction industry.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
This week was a good introduction to BIM and learning about various perspectives of BIM. As much as awareness has increased over the last decade, there has been little adoption and commitment from organisations to adopt and implement BIM. And even if they are adopting BIM, they are not successfully implementing it.
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BIM processes are too isolated in organisations and not part of the project scope as a whole. Organisations should prepare their resources for BIM as it is will become the way of building and managing data in the industry. BIM allows much more information to flow between and across various disciplines and supply chain stakeholders. We will need to manage more...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM is only mandatory for public projects in Ireland. In terms of adoption timelines, companies are slow to adopt if anything and unless it becomes mandatory on all projects, there will always be a lag in adoption. Even if companies adopt BIM, they are not diffusing it or implementing it across the board. It remains and additional business strategy that as and...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Minimising the cost of implementation can be done through fiscal policies established by government to encourage BIM adoption. For example, incentive based schemes for projects adopting BIM and BIM technologies, systems and processes. Market based incentives such as discounted costs on BIM technologies, BIM training, BIM awareness campaigns and BIM champions...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The biggest challenge at the moment is trying to convince organisations to adopt BIM and successfully implement it. Without client demand, an organisation's social responsibility towards sustainability, and an organisation being committed to incorporating BIM as a strategic and sustainable project management process, its hard to move forward. Organisations are...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Early clash detection, improved efficiencies in the workflow process and hence an increase in productivity. More people can work on the same model and therefore allows a much faster turnaround of work. Although BIM requires significant work input at the start of the project, this input reduces meaning projects can be maintained by only one person as and when...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Most organisations work at level 1 and are mandated by projects to incorporate BEPs, and MIDPs. However, information and how it is shared should first be established by the organisation to determine if they are able to provide the required detail for BIM level 2 and if they are truly BIM level 2 ready. Organisations should invest in BIM transformation teams to...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The four pillars of BIM are essential and I have not seen all four successfully adopted and implemented. In some instances, technology in terms of hardware, software and processes are not available or organisations are not willing to invest as they cannot see the value of having everyone in the organisation adopt the BIM process,product and system.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM is a product which consists of a structured dataset of information which describes a building asser. BIM is a process which requires collaboration amongst construction industry stakeholders to produce the BIM product. BIM is a system which comprises of an interacting communication structure and management of information and tasks to optimise the design,...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The auditor should have been aware of the company's financial position considering the loss of profit and increase in debt over the same period. The managers and directors salaries were high and they continued to pay dividends even though the company was highly indebted.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Financial management is critical to ensure the long term sustainability of the construction industry.
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You are right. In the context of a developing country though this is not the case. For example, the construction industry in South Africa is currently suffering and many large contractors are delisting from the stock exchange and going bust. Consultants are not as profitable because they are all competing for the same pool of limited projects and therefore...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I would recommend that their emergency funds make up 10% of the income i.e 300. I would recommend a 5% contribution to a pension fund which mark's employer might match. I would also recommend that the remaining funds be allocated to home/contents insurance and life insurance which includes income protection in event that anything happens to Mark or his wife,...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
My learning log will be offline. I have not used any of the abovementioned platforms.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge and understanding of financial aspects of construction as I have not been exposed to it that much in consulting.
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The liability in the construction sector is a challenging issue as every task or money which is not paid which is due, someone is held liable. And various stakeholders carry certain risks with projects. If the economy is not doing well, the construction industry is usually one of the first sectors to suffer as people are less likely to invest in projects or to...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I'm a structural engineer keen to further understand how BIM can be successfully adopted and implemented in an industry that dislikes digital disruption and where stakeholders are reluctant to change their current behaviour. We need to adopt BIM as it is a tool that enables sustainable construction practices and can contribute to the sustainability of the...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
BIM allows an integration of all construction industry stakeholders, allowing everyone to contribute, stay informed and updated on information in real time. It provides a platform to engage stakeholders to make decisions earlier on in a project and reviewing alternatives to design before the building has been built. It allows for a virtual build before actual...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Good day, I am Ralmar Marsh. I’m a full time structural engineer and part time Master of Engineering student focusing on sustainable systems in engineering management. I am doing this course to aid my understanding of behavior and how to implement sustainable solutions better in the workplace.
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Yes it is true. I’ve worked in South Africa and currently working in Ireland. I do agree that generally it’s a matter of a native skills gap regarding access to study or willingness to study. In South Africa on the other hand, education and training is expensive and many people can not afford to study, even with apprenticeships or learnerships as government...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I have heard about it briefly but I did not know the extent of it was this great. It’s really shocking and creates a sense of necessity to mitigate the problems with labour in the industry.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Although more women are working in the industry, there is still a large percentage who are discriminated in the workplace and do not get the same opportunities for career growth as their male counterparts do. Retaining women in the industry is also another topic of concern as women work for a few years, then either Change careers or stop working, due to a lack...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
These numbers are very high.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The composition of workers doing physical work on construction sites are generally foreign nationals who are being paid much less than their local counterparts which highlights a major gap in the payscale equalities. Foreign nationals are therefore preferred because they are more cost-effective in terms of labour costs.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Social sustainability refers to the impact the built environment has on society such as access to services and infrastructure, end-user benefits such as improved air quality, improved quality of life, job creation and opportunities within the local community.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I am from South Africa but currently work in Ireland. I think mandatory government policy will drive economic sustainability forward as clients and developers would choose not to implement sustainable construction if it means it costs more.
Funding for sustainable projects is therefore key to drive forward implementation, or greater incentives and subsidies... -
Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I have not been to Singapore but would love to visit. It seems like a great country to be working and living in.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I have experience with BIM and when used by all team members, is an effective way to collaborate design, detect clashes, and understand the building components and how it works together. Too often though, this is not the case. For example, mechanical engineers would use the architect's model only to do their design intent without any consideration for...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Perceived cost of sustainable construction technologies, lack of demand from clients and developers, perception of high risk of investment with new sustainable technologies, perception of time delays on projects due to adopting sustainability, perception of high cost of sustainable construction without viewing the whole lifecycle cost
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I have not heard the concept before but I would think that it involves all stakeholders on the project throughout all the phases of the project. Especially at the start when projects are conceptualised. The whole design team should collaborate on the design to ensure the development of the project has taken into account all facets of the design.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
1a. Reduce my use of single use plastics. It is harder when the packaging produce comes in is already in plastic packaging. Trying to opt for items without packaging although this is hard to do for meats and fish. Reduce my consumption of meat. Opt for alternatives which I have already started doing.
1b. It would impact my and others future. The problem of... -
Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Support from leaders in organizations to commit to changing behavior and transition from the traditional model of construction towards a sustainable construction industry. If leaders and executive management are not aware of, do not understand and do not know what the impacts of the construction industry is, they will not see the need to educate and train....
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I have not received any formal training but I am very keen to learn how I can make changes and reduce the impact of the construction industry.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Challenges: awareness and knowledge of the benefits of adopting sustainable alternatives, lack of interest and demand from clients, stakeholders not accepting their role in driving the sustainability agenda, regulations which govern and enforce the need to change development, design, construction, maintenance and operations of buildings.
We need to start...
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I agree with your statement. Very well said and sums up the industry. It’s hard to try to get industry role players to even think about innovation without them asking what it will cost. The industry is rigid and stakeholders deem that what has been done for the past 30-40 years works, so why change it.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Increasing the awareness and knowledge of the impact of the construction industry on the environment through courses, training, workshops and campaigns amongst the public and construction industry professionals.
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I agree with you. Plastic is definitely the shocking one.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
It is possible, but clients and developers need to understand what sustainable alternatives are out there, that they might seem to be more costly than their unsustainable counterparts, but they are cost effective in the sense of the whole building life-cycle
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
The construction industry is a critical means to achieve sustainable built environments that meet the needs of current demands, but also consider future requirements. This is especially evident in practices where buildings are up cycled or redesigned to suit a different purpose.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
I have been personally impacted by climate change in Cape Town. The local government was running a Day Zero campaign in the light of water levels dropping in the province’s main water sources(dams). At one point you were advised to only use 27L of water per day. Water charges came into effect and was exorbitant. If you did not reduce your consumption, you were...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
It is definitely shocking when the facts and figures are relatively high. All stakeholders in the built environment have a collective role to play through an integrated work environment that takes into consideration the whole building life-cycle, not just the capital cost of a building project. We need to communicate and collaborate more to find more efficient...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Various provinces in South Africa have become drought-stricken area. Areas such as the Western Cape and Cape Town have felt the effects of climate change when there was a risk of reaching Day Zero, which meant that there would be no water supply to businesses and households. As a result, water has become more and more scarce with businesses and organizations...
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Ralmar Marsh replied to John Little
Interesting@KEITHHUSSELBEE that you mention this and it is definitely true.
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This is really great that you are taking the initiative to drive the sustainability agenda forward.
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Sustainability is definitely not a common theme for discussion in the workplace. When I’ve mentioned my studies which focuses on this critical topic, people either do not know what sustainability is, what it entails, or why we need to change the way we do things. People are aware of it, but hardly discuss or act upon it or pursue a different course of doing...
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Ralmar Marsh made a comment
Sustainability is understanding that what we do now, impacts generations to come. As professionals in the built environment we have a responsibility and a role to play in adopting and implementing sustainable alternatives to consumption, design and development, and construction methods and processes and how we manage and maintain infrastructure for future...