CBIM-European Training Network: Interview with Eyosias Dawit Guyo

As a partner of the EU-funded CBIM – European Training Network, we are hosting a visiting researcher at our offices for the second time. Being active in the field of R&D and partnering in several EU-projects, we are pleased to support the project goal of training young researchers to become the BIM-experts of the future.

Eyosias Dawit Guyo is currently spending two months at our Dresden and Munich offices. We asked him some questions about his background, the reason why CBIM is the right choice for his career and his research interests. Also, we wanted to know more about his experience at AEC3 and with our software BIMQ.

Eyosias, can you briefly tell us more about you and your background?

I come from Ethiopia and I have a civil engineering background. Currently, I am enrolled at Technische Universität Berlin for a PhD study as part of an European union research training network called CBIM. I also joined Trimble, a software, hardware and service company, as part of CBIM’s training program. 

Why did you decide to apply for the CBIM project?

CBIM is a training network focused on cloud-enabled BIM. Before joining CBIM, my research interest was developing tools for implementing a BIM workflow. My master’s thesis focused on supporting structural engineers to benefit from BIM by integrating it into their workflow. As part of that research, I developed a couple of plugins to facilitate data exchange between a structural analysis tool and a BIM tool. After finishing my master’s, I sought opportunities to continue working around BIM tools and get into more advanced topics. That’s when I came across CBIM. It was an excellent match for my research interest. Multiple universities and companies are partners in the project. Hence, it provides both academic and professional level experience. Furthermore, through training events and secondments, CBIM allows us to expand our professional network and shape our career.

What are your studies currently focusing on?

My PhD study is focused on data integration and interoperability. I am looking into the building emergency domain and firefighters‘ operations during building fires. Firefighters gather and use data from heterogeneous sources, which is why it’s an interesting area for data integration-related studies.

My studies have three primary objectives. The first objective is to develop a well-defined understanding of firefighters‘ data requirements. Towards these ends, I have examined multiple scientific studies, firefighting guidelines, and international building and fire codes. Interviews with practising firefighters were also conducted as part of this study. The second objective is to investigate potential data sources. On top of that, we aim to develop guidelines and automated checking systems that ensure data essential for firefighters is available in building and city models. The third objective of the study is to devise, implement and evaluate a data integration system that gathers and integrates essential information from heterogeneous data sources.

How is the experience at AEC3 supporting you and your work?

AEC3 is one of the CBIM partners. I have been working at AEC3 as a visiting researcher for two months as part of CBIM’s training program. During my stay, I have been working with AEC3’s BIMQ to define project requirements related to fire emergencies. The objective of this secondment is also to experience the application of BIM in professional settings. Hence, my stay at AEC3 is also essential to understand future career possibilities related to BIM. 

Tell us more about your experience with BIMQ.

I am using BIMQ to define project requirements for the design phase of a project. These requirements are focused on fire emergencies. The goal is to ensure building design outputs contain all the essential data firefighters need when responding to a fire. I have found BIMQ is easy to learn and use. I was able to start using it within a few days. Right now, I have completed defining my requirements in BIMQ. I will continue working with it to create rules based on the specified requirements so I can develop a checking system.

Any experience beyond the professional topics you want to share with us? 😊

Right now, I just finalized a one-month stay at AEC3’s Dresden office. While there, I had a chance to explore the city’s beautiful old town and magnificent architecture, particularly Baroque buildings. And through break time discussions at the office, I learned a lot about the historical and cultural background of Dresden, Saxony and Germany in general.