Engineering and architectural consultancy Ramboll has appointed former WSP member Gerry McFadden as its head of digital design and BIM for Middle East operations.
As part of his new role, McFadden will lead the digital design strategy for the company’s Middle East operations, and will ensure that Ramboll is working at the innovative edge of technology and processes.
Speaking to Construction Week, McFadden said: “Since joining Ramboll, I have seen that strong foundations are in place to drive design evolution forward. For instance, the Ramboll team has developed a software programme called SiteSolve, which uses generative design to run many iterations of a building plot or masterplan projects to define the most efficient usage of buildings while running analysis of various design functions.”
Commenting on the increased use of visual programming tools, McFadden told Construction Week that visual programming tools such as Dynamo and Grasshopper allow powerful algorithms and processes to be created by design professionals with no background in computer programming.
“The potential for this way of working, and the many efficiencies it brings over traditional methods is huge. Within Ramboll, we have a global hub where users can upload and share Dynamo and Grasshopper scripts so all can benefit.
It is a pivotal time in our industry, and digital innovation is finally starting to live up to the long-held promise of making life easier and less stressful for all. There is a sea change happening in terms of how we design and deliver projects. I am looking forward to this journey ahead with Ramboll.”
