Building Next-Gen AEC Software: How Design Firms Can Get Involved
Last month I had the good fortune to attend NXT DEV in London. After our successful launch at the AIA Conference in San Francisco earlier in June, this conference gave us the chance to do a deeper dive into Skema with the AEC insider crowd.
You may already be familiar with NXT BLD, which is in its seventh year.
This year the conference featured an extra day – NXT DEV — a unique forum for the future of AEC software development.
With a jam-packed agenda, NXT DEV convened leading AEC practitioners, industry veterans, and software developers working on innovative, inspiring new technologies. Venture Capitalists and Angels were in the mix, not just mingling but also sharing their investment philosophies and advice.
NXT DEV’s Call to Action
I encourage you to check out NXT DEV on demand. Martyn Day, Greg Corke, and all the fine people at AEC Magazine and X3DMedia have made all of the NXT DEV sessions available just by registering.
NXT DEV served as a showcase for new BIM 2.0 software solutions.
Our very own Marty Rozmanith unveiled Skema’s brand new LOD 350 features and functionality in his session.
Martyn Day’s state of the industry session hit the nail on the head. It’s clear that there’s so much exciting innovation happening right now. Companies – Including Blue Ocean – are pushing the boundaries on AI and data-driven approaches to design – what he called “magic” solutions. The next wave of software is here, and it cannot be ignored. He encouraged design firms to get involved with startups to help shape the solutions so that they address the right use cases.
We couldn’t agree more.
More Productive and More Profitable
Blue Ocean is a company of architects for architects – from our president to our product manager, from our CTO to our customer success team. We apply our expertise, including our special tribal knowledge about the many years’ worth of Revit data architects have on their servers, toward solving their problems. We put the architect’s perspective into Skema’s strategic product direction and all of our decisions. We have the best tech talent to deliver real solutions, and we want to collaborate with architects to ensure we create the best possible solution.
It’s our vision: to provide advanced tech capabilities to architecture firms that leverages their existing knowledge and intellectual property, so that they become more productive and more profitable.
Partner Approach: First Mover Advantage for Innovators
Time and again we’ve heard that automation is disrupting the profession, and architects have no choice but to respond. Technology leaders at AEC firms are looking at three possible avenues:
Build and maintain a custom solution.
Buy an off-the-shelf solution from a 3rd party.
Partner with a solution provider.
Blue Ocean offers the Partner route, and key firms around the country have chosen Blue Ocean and Skema. These firms envision the future state of the business of architecture and their role in it. They’re innovators who are making changes in their firms for competitive advantage.
Together we are conducting workshops and charettes with these anchor partner customers. Partner firms are getting first mover advantage as they re-tool their processes, speed up getting to project outcomes, and transform to a new way of doing business. Through their feedback Blue Ocean is fine-tuning our solution to the specific needs of our partner firms.
By partnering with Blue Ocean, firms are on a path to create more sustainable buildings much faster.
A Community of Early Adopters: Customer Advisory Board
We believe a community of forward-looking firms can learn a lot from one another. Therefore, taking a page from the early pre-Autodesk days of Revit, we are creating a Skema Customer Advisory Board.
If you and your firm want to get ahead of the curve, we invite you to learn about our Customer Advisory Board, coming soon.
Here are 3 reasons to be part of our Skema Customer Advisory Board:
Influence our product development: As a participant in the advisory board, you will have the opportunity to impact the direction and development of Skema. Your insights and feedback can shape the roadmap, features, and improvements.
Increase your design team performance: Advisory board members will gain early insight into new features and updates. You will be able to leverage the latest advancements in the software and understand how peer firms are using Skema to drive project outcomes in the best direction.
Collaboration and networking: Collaborate closely with the Blue Ocean team and other tech-savvy firms. You will learn from others, share best practices, and build relationships with like-minded professionals.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Skema Customer Advisory Board, let us know by filling out this short form. Our next session is coming up soon.
Get Ahead of the Curve
NXT DEV was an inspirational and energizing conference. It brought together AEC software providers, industry leading firms, investors, and thought leaders. We all heard Martyn Day’s particular form of encouragement for design firms to work with startups: “If you don’t, they’ll die. Or worse, you’ll die.”
Our goal is to thrive and succeed, with a tight connection to our partners and customers. The secret sauce for our Skema solution is our partnership approach: a shared success model with partners plus close collaboration with a community of forward-looking firms.
Is your firm trying to decide between build, buy, or partner for its AEC software solutions? Let us know where you are on the journey toward automation? Email us at info@blueoceanaec.com.