Tomi Tutti: Simplebim accelerates the growth of “citizen BIM experts”

19.12.2024

With a background in civil engineering and computer science, Tomi Tutti joined Datacubist mid 2024 as Simplebim’s Product Manager.

Having worked in BIM for 25 years, he was one of the first people to test the original version of Simplebim.

He became reacquainted with the data wrangling software whilst working on a BIM project and after seeing its progression and the opportunities it represented; he was keen to get involved.

We spoke to Tomi about where Simplebim fits into the construction tech stack and the growth of citizen BIM experts.

Simplebim: So, tell us more about your background.

Tomi Tutti (TT): I studied both civil engineering and computer science, and I started working with BIM over 25 years ago when it was very new. As well as working with BIM, I’ve done a lot of other things, for example, being a CEO of a software company doing BIM-related applications. And before I joined Datacubist, I was responsible for IT at a publicly-listed construction company here in Finland. Basically, I’ve worked in IT and construction companies throughout my career.

SB: And how did you come to join Datacubist?

TT: I have known Simplebim founders Jiri and Sakari for a long time, we worked in some of the same companies and I was one of the first people to test the original version of Simplebim.

During my previous role at a construction company, I was working on a BIM project, and I started to use Simplebim, alongside Microsoft Power BI, to clean, re-structure and enrich data. Of course, the software had progressed quite a lot. I started to think that building information models and what Datacubist does is very close to data analytics, and I started to see opportunities in that. That’s when I began to talk to Jiri and Sakari about joining the company.

SB: What do you hope to achieve whilst working with Simplebim?

TT: In the previous construction company, I did lot of data analytics stuff, and in that world, they are talking about citizen data analysts. It means that you don’t need specialized data analysts. Normal business people can use the analysis applications and make their own reports.

What I would like to see is the same in the construction industry. So, at the moment you have a BIM experts. You need a specialized person to use building information models. In the future, I would like to see citizen BIM experts and our product can make that possible.

SB: What sets Simplebim apart from other construction software?

TT: A lot of people get confused about what Simplebim does, and the main reason is that Simplebim is not an operational application like a lot of BIM software e.g. Solibri is for design management, Bentley Synchro 4D is for scheduling and Sparkel is for cost estimating. But what Simplebim does is process the information in the building information model, so that it works better in these operational applications.

Although Datacubist has been processing data since 2009, it’s a totally new software category for customers. Although, I think people are starting to see that data processing is the piece that’s missing from the puzzle.

If you think about it, the need for this kind of application is pretty clear. In the context of data analytics, BIM is a data source, just like CRM, ERP, SCM and other enterprise systems.

SB: What are the advantages to using Simplebim in construction projects?

TT: One of the problems in the construction industry is that the information management is not at the same level, if you compare it to manufacturing or even more advanced industries. What Simplebim offers is better information based on the data we get from the designers.

SB: What positive impact does Simplebim have on aspects such as costs and scheduling?

TT: The positive impact is that Simplebim allows you to access more relevant information, faster. If you have a big project, there’s actually quite a lot of work related to making a cost estimate or a construction schedule and you never have enough time.

So, if you can save time on managing the BIM data, then you can use that time for more important tasks, which means actually planning and managing the project. Highly skilled professionals, like cost estimators, manually labelling building models doesn’t make sense. So why not automate the tasks that don’t add value. That’s what you can do it with Simplebim.

SB: What do you see as being the main blockers to BIM adoption?

TT: The construction industry is stuck on the idea that the information you get from BIM is low quality. But the real problem is that they’re not using the right technology to deal with the information that they have, which is, actually, pretty okay.

So, they complain about low quality information and set guidelines and requirements hoping it will solve the problem, but we already have tools for solving it.

SB: How does Simplebim fit into the different phases of the construction lifecycle?

TT: Really, Simplebim is independent of the phase of the lifecycle. What Simplebim does is transform the model for your specific purpose. It can be energy analysis, cost estimation, scheduling, maintenance … There are a lot of different use cases where you need to tweak the designer’s model to fit your purposes. Sometimes you need to tweak it just to get the data exchange to work.

SB: How can ROI be measured for Simplebim?

TT: What Simplebim offers is better information and it’s really difficult to measure the value of that. I’ve taken part in projects where they try to measure the benefits of BIM, for example, in cost estimating.

The idea was to measure how much time you save with BIM, but the result was that it will take exactly the same time to make a cost estimate with BIM or without BIM, because the construction companies will use all the time they have to make the estimate.

It’s a question of what else they do during that time. So, if they save time in the quantity take off (QTO) phase, they will use that time to secure bids from subcontractors and material suppliers, which will reduce their overall risk. But how do you measure that?

SB: How do you see emerging technologies, like AI, affecting BIM?

TT: AI is important for us because it enables a new level of automation in BIM processing. AI is a technology that can taught to classify building model data like construction specialists do, so it’s relevant piece in the puzzle and we are actively developing it.

SB: Can you describe some of the opportunities and challenges ahead for BIM?

TT: As for opportunities, AI will, of course, change things. So, we’ll have to see what will come out of that.

As for challenges, it’s what I mentioned before about people complaining about the low quality of the information. This will continue to be a challenge until people realise that automated data processing and the right tools offer the solution. And it looks like people are starting to understand.

SB: So, what can we look forward to from Simplebim over the coming year?

TT: Early in 2025 we’ll release Simplebim 11. It will offer a totally new level of automation in relation to BIM processing.

You could say it’s a new generation product. It will make BIM data processing much easier, helping us move towards the idea of the citizen BIM expert.

Whether you’re a time-served BIM expert or a would-be citizen BIM expert, Simplebim has multiple use cases, throughout the construction lifecycle, to make BIM data more relevant and accessible.

Why not book your free 15-day, fully-functional trial and see how you could benefit.